Chuck Schumer Can Bite Me

Major stupidity going on in the race to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Scumbag-KY.

There are Democratic parties in red states all over this country that would kill for a Senate candidate like Andrew Horne.

Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel, Iraq combat veteran, family man, national anti-war spokesperson, skeleton-free, responded to a primary election loss by turning his supporters on a dime to work their butts off for the winner (John Yarmuth), proud Democrat not afraid to criticize party leaders for cowardice - the man makes Jim Webb seem like a piker.

Then one of his two strongest potential primary opponents bows out of the race, and the other seems on the verge of doing so. The way is clear for Horne to cruise past two weak primary opponents to become the Mitch Killer.

So Chuck Schumer is celebrating, right? He's dancing on the tables at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee while minions scoop campaign cash into bags addressed to Horne?

Wrong.

After spending months courting State Auditor Crit Luallen - and making no secret of it - Schumer is now, depending on which rumors you listen to, either sitting out the primary or frantically manuevering behind the scenes for someone - anyone - other than Horne.

Yoooo-hoooo! Chuuuuuuck! Over heeeeeeere! Chuck! Goddamn you, LOOK!

Seriously, that idiot is supposedly courting two Louisville millionaire businessman, one of whom is gun-shy since losing in 2003 as Ben Chandler's lite-gov running mate, and the other of whom is supported by die-hard republicans who have raised millions for Mitch and Smirky.

The excuse for even mentioning these two losers is money, and the need for many millions to beat Mitch.

Let's see. Mitch has $10 million in the bank, the vast majority of it collected back when Mitch was in the Senate majority and had a lot more power. This year, Steve Beshear, as a Democrat challenging an incumbent republican governor, raised more than $7 million in five months, and $9.6 million in less than 10 months.

He did it without the power of incumbency. He did it without earmarks. He did it without the support of the national Democratic congressional or senate campaign committees.

If Steve Beshear could raise almost $10 million as a Democratic challenger for the governor's race, how much more could the Democratic challenger to the third-most-hated republican in the country raise?

Especially if it's somebody already supported by progressive Democrats nationwide (in 2006, Horne was endorsed by Democracy for America, whose Kentucky members (Change for Kentucky) worked tirelessly for him.)

Fortunately, Andrew Horne appears to be ignoring the always-wrong Beltway "experts." Media Czech notes comments from Horne in several Kentucky newspapers over the weekend that make an announcement sound imminent.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.