As the Senators Turn

Both the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader have columns on the Jim Bunning-Mitch McConnell soap opera.

Jack Brammer at the Herald:

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may be the ranking member in his state and national party, but he has scant power to nudge U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning out of the 2010 Senate race.

McConnell can’t make Bunning balk because the Hall of Fame pitcher knows he will be the Republican nominee if he just stays in the game, said Larry Forgy, a Lexington attorney who was narrowly defeated by Democrat Paul Patton in the 1995 race for governor.

Joe Gerth in the Courier:

Bunning's increasingly erratic behavior -- including a prediction that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would die of pancreatic cancer within nine months and his bitter criticism of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian, during weekly conference calls with reporters -- also has raised concerns.

"For some reason he insists on having these Tuesday morning conversations, and every Tuesday morning it seems to get a bit worse," (state senate president David) Williams said. "I don't think it's wise for him to do that."

The soap channel is missing a huge opportunity by making a bunch of pneumatic bubble-heads from Louisville the stars of the new Southern Belles reality show instead of focusing on Kentucky's favorite bickering couple.

Jimbo and Mitchie-poo are stabbing each other in the back but are going to end up killing the republican party. Great Kentucky Repug Hope Trey Grayson is in agony over his foolish pledge last year to not challenge Bunning in a primary, but Powerful Yet Hated Professional Obstructionist Williams will be happy to leap in where Trey fears to tread. Meanwhile, Libertarian Crown Prince Rand Paul is ready to fuck up all their shit.

And we heart-broken, pessimistic, cynical Kentucky liberals are taking bets on just how the Democratic Party is going to manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time.

Cross-posted at They Gave Us A Republic ....