Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Loyal Bushie May Primary Bunning

Poor Trey Grayson. For years, he's been heir apparent to Senator Jim Bunning. How many times he must have heard "just wait until 2010, my boy, then the seat is yours."

But all of a sudden he's taken a series of political body blows that would send any tough-talking repug back to his corner whimpering. First a fucking black guy not just wins the presidency but sweeps big Congressional Democratic majorities with him.

Then Jimbo gets cagey about stepping down, telling Trey to go ahead and launch an exploratory committee, but telling the press that doesn't mean he's not going to run for re-election, because he can beat up Arlen Specter any time he wants.

Now a former Smirky/Darth ambassador to Latvia announces she's thinking about getting into the primary.

Cathy Bailey, the former U.S. ambassador to Latvia, is joining a growing list of Republicans flirting with entering the 2010 U.S. Senate race despite incumbent GOP Sen. Jim Bunning’s insistence that he’s seeking re-election.

Bailey, a Louisville-based philanthropist, fund-raiser and charity organizer, told the Herald-Leader she is considering making her first run for public office, even if Bunning remains in the race.

“I think the Republican Party is strong enough to undergo a conversation about which person is best to represent us on the ballot in 2010,” she said. “That’s the interest I have, whether it’s Jim Bunning or other people or whether it’s Cathy Bailey.”

Bailey served as chairman of Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s campaign in Kentucky and has spearheaded fund-raising efforts for former President George W. Bush and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Bailey achieved the fund-raising status of “ranger” for Bush’s 2000 campaign, meaning she raised more than $200,000 in the race. In 2005, Bush appointed her ambassador to Latvia, where she served until 2008.

SNIP

An early test of potential candidates’ support will be collecting money, said Bailey, who just organized a Kentucky Derby-related fund-raising event for her charity Operation Open Arms, which helps care for children whose mothers are in prison.

Bailey said she hasn’t set a deadline for her decision. And even though Bailey — who is married to Irving Bailey, the former chairman and CEO of Providian Corp. — can afford to invest personal funds into a race, she said grass roots fund-raising is a crucial barometer for a candidate.

Bailey said a candidate’s exploratory committee should raise at least $500,000 in its first quarter of activity.

“Anybody interested would probably have to raise that,” she said. “Practically, I’m looking at the clock. You don’t have to file until January 2010, but the clock is ticking.”

Eight and a half months until the filing deadline. David Williams, the clock is ticking.

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

2 comments:

RichMiles said...

Fundraising has no hyphen in its gut. Not even an alternative spelling.

This senate election is going to be such FUN!!

As you're well aware, YD, calling Bunning "Sen. Non Compos Mentis" is not just a gratuitous insult. Those who have met him or seen him in the media know that he really IS quite gaga.

There's nothing wrong with that, in fact it's a sad thing when it happens. But whatever emotional response one has to it, one doesn't want one's senator to be in that condition. I mean, we already have enough legislators who are severely lacking in mental acuity - read "intelligence" - that we don't need any more of them who lack even standard mental balance.

There oughta be a college degree available called "Public Service" - that way, we wouldn't have so many people in Congress who think that being a good baseball player is ample qualification to be an adequate public servant. Or a good football player, or a good soldier, or anything else totally unrelated to actual public service.

It might lead to our having a class of leaders to some degree, but I think it would also reduce the incidence of total dolts in government.

Or so I think...

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... apparently Richie doesn't see military service as public service. Better yet compares it to professional athletics, and suggest military must mean unintelligent. YUP, an elitist Democrat.