Over the past few days there have been some significant changes in the dynamic of the coming senate race in Kentucky. Most notably, Andrew Horne has decided not to continue with his bid for the nomination. Like most of you, I was saddened by Horne’s decision. A competitive primary with a diverse range of ideas is good for the party. From what I could tell, he brought a lot of new ideas into the race. He also had a strong base of progressive support from the grassroots and our blogosphere.
I , like many of you, am uncomfortable with the idea that Andrew Horne may have been muscled out of the race. That said, while we sometimes need a day off to reflect about these happenings and what all our hard work for a particular candidate has meant, that day was yesterday. Today is the day that the grassroots movement must re-energize itself and focus on the task at hand: defeating the most corrupt politician in America, Mitch McConnell.
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During McConnell’s tenure, Kentucky has fallen to the bottom of nearly every national ranking with regards to citizen health, access to healthcare, education and economic opportunities. While one good paying job after another leaves the state and Kentuckians struggle to provide for their families, McConnell continues to look the other way. While many of Kentucky’s children go everyday without health insurance, McConnell consistently blocks bi-partisan legislation that would extend healthcare coverage to the young in our society who are forced to live without. And, he does all of this while voting to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into a senseless war that many of the most honorable Kentuckians among us are forced to fight.
Now, more than ever, we have to look at the candidates we have on the Democratic side and unite behind one. To bow out now, is to concede to defeat and allow McConnell and his corrupt corporate money to beat us before we ever get started. Having Horne forced out of the race is as strong of a reason as I have seen to begin fighting now more than ever.
The more I look at the field of candidates, the more I like what Greg Fischer has to say. Admittedly, don’t know too much about Fischer as he is a political newcomer, but this season I think that’s to his advantage. I had the chance to speak with Fischer over the past day or so and hear his stance on the issues and the coming race.
I think he gets it. He understands that Kentucky families are struggling and he expressed his support for a plan to provide universal healthcare to all Americans. He also believes that we should be getting out of Iraq as soon as and as safely as possible. That’s a strong contrast to the other side of the ticket which has expressed an open ended commitment of hundreds of billions of dollars and countless lives to a war that can only be won politically, not militarily.
On a note that is important to me personally -- development in the more rural parts of our state -- Fischer was able to talk about rural development in a way that few other candidates have. He understands that McConnell, with his influence as senate minority leader, has wasted an opportunity to develop infrastructure that would make our rural areas more competitive in a global economy.
And, very importantly, Fischer is committed to the race and has the resources to defeat McConnell.
I say all that to say this: Mitch McConnell is still very vulnerable in this election. His negatives are high and the influence of the candidates who will be at the top of the ticket for both parties make this a tough fight for him. (More analysis on that tomorrow) For the first time in his career, McConnell will be fighting an overwhelmingly independent voter base from both parties. That’s not good for him. While we stand poised as a nation to make history on the Presidential front, that doesn’t have to be the only storyline to come out of the 2008 election. The Kentucky grassroots movement is obligated to our fellow citizens to hold one of America’s greediest politicians to account, not give him a free pass.
The establishment in Kentucky didn’t build the grassroots movement. Don’t let the establishment be the one to dismantle it.
Cross posted at DitchMitchKY.com