In 2010, repug incumbent Geoff Davis beat Jon Waltz 69 percent to 31 percent. In 2008, a Democratic wave year, Davis beat Michael Kelley 57 to 41 percent, when McCain beat Obama in Kentucky 67 to 33 percent.
Adkins getting 38 percent in a deep-red district against the blank
checks of a billionaire is an accomplishment to be proud of. It also
speaks directly to the importance of turning out democratic voters who sit at home in off-year elections. I'll have more on that tomorrow after we get the full turnout numbers.
Sheesh, Marcus, maybe you should have waited until what, 5 p.m. on Election Day to let your fellow repugs know that Thomas Massie would be a fucking disaster for your party?
And yeah, we knew the non-teabagging repugs of Northern Kentucky didn't vote for Massie in the primary and aren't happy about him being the nominee, but holy shit whatever happened to party loyalty?
After months of research, a number of
conversations with people all across the district and a keen eye trained on the
fourth district race from a unique perspective, I have put together an
admittedly long, but comprehensive view on how this race has shaped up.
EDITORIAL
I am addressing this post to my fellow
republicans in the fourth congressional district. Next Tuesday you will have
choices in the race for Congress. You might assume that your choices are limited
to voting for libertarian/republican Thomas Massie or democrat Bill Adkins. You
are missing something. You also have the choice of not voting in that race,
which I encourage you to consider and here is why.
Is this a personal thing between Carey and Massie? Is Carey still smarting over the Tribble-Toupeed One's victory over Great Repug Hope Trey Grayson? Does anyone listen to anything Carey has to say?
It's certainly too little, too late to hurt Massie. But it's yet another reason for every Democratic voter in the Fourth District to get out tomorrow and vote for President Obama and Democratic nominee Bill Adkins. And take every Democratic voter you know with you.
(Repug Massie's) campaign is funded by large amounts of money from individuals and
organizations with no interest in Kentucky, which raises questions
about whether he's interested in representing Kentucky, or like his
supporter, Sen. Rand Paul, is using Kentucky as a springboard to a
national stage.
That alone would be almost enough for his
Democratic opponent, Bill Adkins, to earn our endorsement. But Adkins, a
lawyer and Democratic Party activist from Grant County, has other
attributes that make him a good choice. He's thoughtful and
well-informed, and draws on a wide variety of life experiences in
articulating his positions.
Perhaps nothing illustrates the
difference better than what they said about the "fiscal cliff" during
their KET debate, the only time Massie, elected in 2010 as Lewis County
judge-executive. deigned to appear with Adkins.
A combination of
harsh spending cuts and tax increases will take effect in early January
if Congress does not come up with an alternative. The winner of this
race will take office immediately because of Geoff Davis' resignation,
so will have a say in deciding what happens.
SNIP
Adkins
favors a moderate approach, preserving tax cuts for small businesses
and working people, while tempering cuts in domestic and defense
spending until the economy is stronger.
Their answers on abortion
were also enlightening. Although hoisting the torch of liberty in his
campaign, Massie didn't hesitate to thrust the government into this
area, saying all abortions should be illegal.
Adkins didn't dodge
this hot potato. He took the risky position of saying government should
not be involved in decisions about continuing or terminating
pregnancies. He noted that in his law practice he daily sees the tragic
results of unwanted children being brought into the world. Finally, he
said that three of his own children are adopted.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/30/2389550/choose-adkins-for-congress-4th.html#storylink=cpy
SNIP
Adkins has demonstrated an understanding of and genuine interest in
promoting the interests of the district and the state. He deserves the
support of voters in the 4th District.
Next Monday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m to 9 p.m., just before the third and last Presidential Debate.
From Kathy Groob:
Finally, we will see Bill Adkins and Tom Massie
square off at the KET candidate forum (not really a true debate) this
Monday, October 22nd from 8-9 p.m. This will be a great warm-up
to the third and final Presidential debate.
Please be ready to call in with your questions for Bill and Mr.
Massie.
How do I know? One of them drove right off the road and over my two Bill Adkins yard signs. Backed up and did it again, until the signs were shredded and the metal frames were twisted. Hope it killed a tire and punctured the oil pan.
I'm putting two more out tomorrow - this time backed with concrete.
Run 'em again, motherfucker, and you'll flip that oversized tiny-penis-compensator you call a truck right into the ravine.
When you think you've got the election locked up in a republican district with a teenaged Texas billionaire writing you blank checks, I guess you can afford to blow off organizations that represent thousands of the people you claim you want to represent.
We can't send a person who doesn't care about seniors to Congress.
Bill will fight to protect Medicare from “going voucher”
and will always listen and respond to the needs of our seniors.
I'm no fan of special-interest questionnaires that mostly serve to lock candidates into extreme positions from which they can be attacked.
But starting on November 7, the biggest and most critical fight in this country is going to be over saving Social Security as a public insurance program or turning it over to Wall Street to plunder. Or maybe just killing seniors slowly with a thousand "minor" benefit cuts.
To be honest, if I were the repug nominee in deep-red Nobama Northern Kentucky with the backing of a teenaged Texan billionaire, I wouldn't risk my likely landslide in a debate, either.
That doesn't mean Thomas Massie isn't a sniveling, weak-ass, limp-dicked coward.
From the campaign of Democratic nominee Bill Adkins:
Massie afraid to debate, hides from local voters
Arrogant and dismissive of Kentucky voters,
Massie visits Washington while refusing 15 traditional
Kentucky debates and public forums
Tom Massie has turned down invitations from twelve
organizations that have traditionally held candidate forums and debates
for Congressional races, refusing 15 invitations in total, including one
from his own Tea Party.
“Tom Massie is doing a great disservice to the voters
of Kentucky by refusing to have an open discussion on important issues
like jobs and Medicare,” says Adkins. “If he can’t face the people of
our district and answer the tough questions, he isn’t fit to serve in
Congress.”
Multiple independent civic organizations and insitutions,
including Northern Kentucky University, have invited both Bill Adkins
and Thomas Massie to participate in candidate forums and debates. Bill
Adkins has accepted every invitation and Thomas Massie has turned down
every event:
NKY Chamber of Commerce
REFUSED
Oldham County Bipartisan Debate
REFUSED
Kentucky Education Assoc. Candidate Night
REFUSED
Nat’l. Federation of Retired Employees
REFUSED
Northern Kentucky University Forum
REFUSED
Lewis County Chamber of Commerce
REFUSED
CN|2 Politics Televised Debate
WILL CHECK SCHEDULE
Alexandria Town Hall
CANCELLED
Campbell County Congressional Forum
REFUSED
Shelby County Farm Bureau
REFUSED
Kentucky Retired Teachers Association
REFUSED
Harrison County Tea Party Debate
REFUSED
Kentucky Corn Growers Association
NO RESPONSE
NAACP Candidate Forum – Shelby County
NO RESPONSE
Grant County Chamber of Commerce Forum
NO RESPONSE
Leaders of both Democratic and Republican parties have
attempted to schedule bipartisan debates, but have been told no by the
Massie campaign.
“Mr. Massie is acting like he already has the job,” said Oldham County Democratic Party Chair, John Sutton. “In
an open seat, the people living in the district don’t really know much
about either candidate. Mr. Massie received less than 50% of the vote
within his own party where there was less than 12% turnout in the entire
state. We expect at least 300,000 people to vote in this race and the
public deserves a chance to get to know these two men, and more
importantly, where they stand on the issues,” added Sutton.
“When there is an open seat, there has never been a precedent
for refusing to participate in live debates in the largest economic
region of the district, Northern Kentucky. Both the Chamber of Commerce
and Northern Kentucky University have traditionally held live debates
and Mr. Massie has refused to participate in either of these
traditions,” says Campbell County Democratic Party Chairman Paul Whalen.
“It is a shame for the voters of the 4th District that one of
the candidates in this open seat doesn’t see the importance of involving
the voters in this race. Tom Massie’s behavior indicates that the
people of the district do not matter to him,” says Whalen.
We're all already sick of the campaign ads here in Central Kentucky, and we've got 52 days to go.
But while you're watching Ben Cowardly Worm Chandler's ads, remember who's paying for them, and why.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is supposed to help get more Democrats elected to Congress. But it's ignoring big, fat repug targets like Paul Ryan who have strong progressive opponents and instead spending your donations defending repug-lite Blue Dogs like ol' Cowardly Worm.
And, I'm afraid, a good portion of the DCCC targets this cycle--
carefully chosen by corrupt "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel, have opponents
who are unworthy of support from anyone who cares about making progress
in America. Many of their Frontline candidates, incumbents in trouble
because Democrats don't want to support them because of their basically
GOP voting records, define all that's wrong with the Democratic Party,
from Blue Dogs John Barrow (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Larry Kissell (NC),
Ben Chandler (KY) and Mike McIntyre (NC) to reactionary fellow travelers
Bill Owens (NY), Mark Critz (PA) and Ron Barber (AZ). They all have
horrendous voting records and no one should consider voting for any of
them without reading those records and seeing how often they back the
Republican and corporate agendas.
Among Cowardly Worm's many repug votes you can count the one in favor of the anti-woman Stupak amendment that nearly derailed health care reform, and the one supporting the repugs' despicable false charges against Attorney General Eric Holder.
Yesterday Sam Stein blew the whistle on how the DCCC has "favored" the worst Democrats in Congress. If you're a regular DWT
reader you're well aware of the overall narrative: the DCCC recruits
and finances conservatives and discourages and starves progressives.
We've mentioned it... frequently. In fact, it's gotten even worse since
"ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel took over the committee and has
systematically gone forward institutionalizing a policy Rahm Emanuel put
in place in 2006 and that lapsed slightly when Chris Van Hollen ran the
show-- but just slightly. Now, however, it's full steam ahead.
SNIP
If you want to contribute to the DCCC, at least be aware what you're
throwing your money away on. And if you'd like to support progressive
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt type Democrats, like David Gill and Patsy
Keever, mentioned above, you can do it directly through ActBlue, where the DCCC doesn't rake off a cut for themselves.
The DCCC is not giving a dime to Proud Obama-Supporting Democrat Bill Adkins in Kentucky's Fourth District Open Seat. Yes, it's a red district and the repug is a teabagger backed by a teenaged billionaire from Texas, but the Fourth elected a Democrat to Congress in 1998, 2000 and 2002. The Fourth has the Real Democratic candidate it needs; some national encouragement could make all the difference.
Not incumbents John Congressman Awesome Yarmuth in the Third District or Ben Cowardly Worm Chandler in the Sixth.
Certainly not challenger Charles Hatchett in the First, who opens his website with the word "God blessed America, not joke challenger David L. Williams in the Second, who doesn't even have a website, nor persistent challenger Kenneth Stepp in the Fifth, who also does not have a website.
Bill Adkins stands firmly against “No Exceptions” language in Republican Party platform
After Congressman Todd Akin’s outrageous remarks last week
that “legitimate” rape victims do not get pregnant, the Republican party
voted to incorporate strict language into their party platform with no
exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest.
Trying to avoid the loss of a potential pick-up seat, some
Republicans are calling for Todd Akin to step down from his race in
Missouri.
Where is Tom Massie, my opponent, on this issue? Why
hasn’t he stepped up to condemn these horrible remarks and denounce his
party’s platform that there are no exceptions for women and young girls
who have been raped or victims of incest? Where is his compassion for
victims?
Tom Massie says he wants an "adult conversation". Tell Tom
Massie to stop hiding and tell us where he stands on rape victims’
rights.
We do not need to elect an extremist to Congress who will step on women’s rights. I need your support today.
Massie is a giant teabagger who beat four primary opponents with the help of a teenaged billionaire from Texas. Bill Adkins is running as a proud supporter of President Obama in racist Northern Kentucky. That alone makes him the bravest and most liberal congressional candidate in the Commonwealth.
Democratic candidates across the state - and the nation - should be celebrating. They're handing us the election on a platter.
Democratic social programs have always been winners with a majority of voters - when Democratic candidates make the case. It's only when Democrats concede the field and run away from the New Deal - fail to passionately defend Social Security and Medicare - that repugs win.
According to this polling done by Democracy corps late last
month, if the Democrats make that case (and don't get caught up in
"balanced approach" mumbo jumbo bullshit) they will take the voters that
Mitt Romney and the Republicans need to win:
The President starts out with a
3-point margin against Mitt Romney, 49 percent to 46 percent. When asked
to judge the two candidates in a very narrow way—Romney’s support for
the Ryan budget because it reflects his values and Obama’s opposition
because of what it would do to the most vulnerable—the vote shifts.
Obama wins a majority of voters (51 percent) and his margin more than
doubles to 8 points (51 to 43 percent.) This is a significant finding.
Meanwhile, in deep-red North Dakota, Democratic Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp is running away with the election by ... running on Obamacare.
Yes, for her that last line has a double meaning -- go back to the
days before the law and go back to her time with cancer. But if you're a
Democrat who hasn't experienced a health crisis like this personally,
don't you know people who have? Friends? Relatives? Constituents? Talk
about it. Make it real.
Heitkamp also doesn't seem ashamed to say she's voting for her party's presidential candidate, even in a state where he'll lose:
... Heitkamp says she'll be voting for Obama in November -- because Mitt Romney supports the House Republican budget.
"People ask me why, and I point to that budget," she says.
...
Heitkamp is betting that the House budget, with its Medicare
restructuring and dramatic program cuts will seem even more radical to
the emotionally conservative North Dakotans than the stimulus or health
care law. "There's $180 billion in farm cuts in there," she said,
launching into a litany of government aid it would strip away from North
Dakota.
According to a new poll, she has a 6-point lead, in a state where Obama trails by 19.
Yeah, she slammed Obama
a couple of months ago, saying he "failed in the one test America had
for him, which was to unite the country." That's nasty. But I'm still
giving her points for slamming the GOP agenda. Republicans nationalize
every election. Democrats need to do the same. The national Republican
agenda will be horrible for everyone, and everyone could grasp that. But
Democrats need to say it. (Are you listening, Elizabeth Warren?)
Clare McCaskill is going to lose her seat - and possibly hand the Senate to repugs - to national disgrace Todd Mouthbreather Akin because she's running away from Obamacare, away from the New Deal, away from Democratic strength.
When Dems respond to repug attacks on the programs people love by cowering in corners, they lose. When Dems respond by going on offense to praise and protect those programs, they win.
Democratic candidate Bill Adkins, running for the open seat in the "Nobama" (h/t Zandar) Fourth District, is campaigning as a full-throated supporter of the president and Obamacare. He's got an uphill climb in that repug racist stronghold. But he wouldn't have a chance in hell running repug-lite like Ben Chandler, who's going to lose his should-be-safely-blue seat in the Sixth to proud repug Candy Barr.
Yes, it saves a ton of money and it makes a lot more sense than trying to squeeze a special election in sometime between five and 11 weeks from now, but it leaves the 700,000-plus residents of the Fourth District without representation in Congress for nearly three more months.
Gov. Steve
Beshear has scheduled a special election to replace former Republican
U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis for Nov. 6 - the same day as the general election.
That means big savings for taxpayers in the 4th District.
Lynn
Zellen, spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, said holding
the special congressional election on a separate day could have cost as
much as $500,000.
This also means that the winner of this election will not have to wait
until January to be seated in the 113th Congress along with the other
new Members, but will begin representing the Fourth District immediately
on Nov. 7. Bill Adkins or Thomas Massie will join the 112th Congress in the
lame-duck session that may prove one of the most contentious in history.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/08/17/2302538/beshear-calls-special-election.html#storylink=cpy
Third-Party Candidates Provide Opportunity KY Democratic Party Ignores
See, in normal states, extremist reich-wingnuts running as independents in races where the repug had the advantage would have state Democratic officials shouting "Hallelujah!" and pouring money and volunteers and everything else they can find into the Democratic candidate's campaign.
Graphic anti-abortion television ads with images of aborted fetuses that ran in the Cincinnati market during the Super Bowl will likely return in the fall.
Two anti-abortion activists, David Lewis and Andrew Beacham, filed Tuesday to run as independents for Congress in Kentucky.
Lewis, 27, of Batavia, ran the anti-abortion ads in his candidacy against Speaker of the House John Boehner earlier this year in the Republican Primary. He said he will run the ads again in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky markets now that he filed for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District against Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Bill Adkins.
Beacham, 29, of Elkhart, Ind., filed for Kentucky’s 2nd Congressional District against Republican incumbent Brett Guthrie, Democratic challenger David Lynn Williams and Libertarian Craig Astor. Beacham gained notoriety for ripping pages out of a Koran in front of the White House.
And from the repug-led Kentucky Democratic Party?
Crickets.
In the Second District, it's hard to blame them. David Lynn Williams is a perennial loser who delights in choosing races where he can cause the maximum damage to Democratic hopes. No one - not even the most rabid anti-Guthrie repug-haters - wants him to win.
But it is certainly the state party's fault that no real Democrat ran against him in the primary.
I'm sure cowardly worm Ben Chandler won't follow Heidi's lead (yet another reason why he'll lose to the real repug in the race, but maybe stand-up dem Bill Adkins will.
Democrats running in red districts or red states are in a tough
situation with voters who are uninterested in nuance and long used to
voting against their own financial interests. The campaign video
(above), released yesterday by Democrat Heidi Heitkamp handles it
exceedingly well. It's a response to the latest DC special interests
attacks funded by secret donors. They've already spent over half a
million dollars-- which goes a LONG way in North Dakota-- smearing
Heitkamp and bolstering the campaign of the state's biggest, and most
hated, landlord, Rick Berg. If you haven't seen it yet, take a look, or
even watch it again. Key line: "There are good things, and bad things
in the health care law, but we have to make coverage more secure, not
less. Unlike my opponent, I won't vote to deny coverage to kids or let
insurance companies deny coverage for pre-existing conditions."
Heitkamp
has reminded the media that just months after filming a campaign ad
attacking his opponent for eliminating waste within Medicare, Berg voted
to maintain these very same savings. According to the Associated Press:
“In a post-election reversal, House Republicans are supporting nearly
$450 billion in Medicare cuts that they criticized vigorously last fall
after Democrats and President Barack Obama passed them as part of their
controversial health care law. The cuts are included in the 2012 budget
that Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., unveiled last week and account for a
significant share of the $5.8 trillion in claimed savings over the next
decade.” Rick Berg... a hypocrite? No one who's ever dealt with him as
their landlord would have to wonder. He also voted, right after being
elected to the House, to allow insurance companies to deny health
insurance to people with pre-existing conditions, a part of ObamaCare
that is even popular with Republicans.
Even with all the money Big Business has been dumping into the North Dakota race, polls show that Berg is still losing.
Heidi's a real fighter and she's not going to be pushed around by Karl
Rove and his financiers. As Attorney General, she took on Big Tobacco
and won. When she was diagnosed with cancer-- just two months from
election day-- she underwent chemotherapy and she still managed to
campaign. The DSCC was smart to back her, even in a tough electoral
environment
This sets up as clear a choice for Democratic voters as is ever seen in Kentucky outside of Louisville: your typical wingnut crazy repug against not the usual conservadem, but an actual proud progressive.
Bill Adkins, one of two Democrats running in the 4th Congressional District, said he believes government-payer health care system can best tackle the inefficiencies and problems and that’s the way to preserve Medicare.
“Single payer is my preference. I think that the compromise that is the buy-the-insurance mandate is an incremental move,” Adkins said (7:00).
He also said he would consider one of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s proposals — to decrease the level of benefits for seniors with the highest incomes, known as means testing.
Adkins, a Williamstown lawyer and the Grant County Democratic Party Chairman, said he decided to get into the 4th District race because he said he wanted to make sure there was a full discussion of the issues.
“We needed a Democratic presence in this race,” he said.
Yeah, that's right, a Kentucky Democrat who acts like a real gorram Democrat. Single payer. I love this guy. The problem is after redistricting, KY-4 has gone from fairly conservative to blood red. Adkins is going to need a miracle against Massie ....
When Democratic candidates lose to repugs in Kentucky, the Kentucky Democratic Party "leadership" screams the same thing: "Not conservative enough!" Time after time, Blue Dogs to the right of Mitch McConnell lose to real repugs, and the KDP uses every loss to justify yanking the party further over the DINO cliff.
Adkins winning would be the KDP's worst nightmare: proof that Democratic candidates who run as loud, proud progressives - who actually stand by That Ni**er In The White House - can win by inspiring discouraged Democratic voters.
So the party will ensure he loses by denying him money and support - maybe even going so far as to actively harm his campaign with whisper campaigns and threats to potential supporters.
How to puncture the conservadem myth that a liberal dem can't win outside Louisville but a Blue Dog can? Simple: make sure Adkins gets more votes and a higher percentage of the vote than that received by the dems who lost to retiring incumbent Geoff Davis.
Yes, the DCCC and conservadems will claim liberals are losers regardless of the facts, but that's not a reason not to support Adkins; that's a reason for Democratic candidates and Democratic voters to get the fuck off our fat asses and make the liberal argument publicly. Why are we ceding them the stage?
"Blue" in Blue in the Bluegrass refers to my politics, not my state of mind, although being progressive-democratic in Kentucky is not for the faint of heart.
The Bluegrass Region of Kentucky is Central Kentucky, the area around Lexington. It's also sometimes known as the Golden Triangle, the region formed by Louisville in the west, Cincinnati in the north and Lexington in the east-south corner. This is the most economically advanced, politically progressive and aesthically beautiful area of the state. Also the most overpopulated by annoying yuppies and the most endangered by urban sprawl.
A Yellow Dog Democrat is one who will vote for even a yellow dog if it is running as a Democrat. I can't claim to be quite that fanatically partisan, especially since quite a few candidates who run as Democrats in Kentucky are more Republican than a lot of Republicans I can name.
But I do love the story Kentucky House leader Rocky Adkins never tires of telling about the old-timer in Eastern Kentucky who was once accused of being willing to vote for Satan if Satan ran as a Democrat. Spat back the old-timer:
"Not in a primary, I wouldn't!"
Amen.
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