Mitch McConnell at Brave New Films

McConnell on GOP Winning Back Senate: "Impossible"

2008-10-27T15:31:12Z

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on CNN's Late Edition, June 29, 2008

McConnell Rushes to Defend McCain

2008-10-19T21:31:23Z

On the Senate floor yesterday, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) attempted to wipe the slate clean on John McCain's "100 Years" comment regarding Iraq.

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Kentucky College Democrats: George, Take Mitch With You

2008-12-02T08:35:16Z

Part 2 of CDA's coordinated media campaign against vulnerable Senate Republicans. A response to Sen. Mitch McConnell's first television ads to remind Kentucky voters who Mitch's friends are.

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Mitch McConnell The Tyrant

2008-10-18T03:31:04Z

A Navy Veteran named Heather Ryan and her daughter challenged Mitch McConnell (how dare they!) on videotape about his role in keeping troops like her husband in Iraq. And we know from Giuliani to Cheney and beyond, Republicans don't do well with having their "wisdom" questioned.

Suddenly, Ryan was fired from her job at Executive Director of the Paducah, KY Film Society. Of course, McConnell had NOTHING to do with this.

Now Ryan is running for Congress against McConnell crony Ed Whitfield, who has never had a thought that didn't originate in McConnell's tortured cerebrum.

A helluva story. To read more about it and watch more video, go here.

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The My Ol Mao Mitch Reelection Campaign

2008-10-17T15:32:04Z

Not so far off actually. With the number of jobs Kentucky Kingfish McConnell has shipped from the Bluegrass State and the U.S. overall to China (with an assist to his Labor Secretary wife), not to mention accepting illegal campaign contributions from Chinese nationals and befriending government tyrants there, I could see why Mao would be a big fan.

Weren't Republicans supposed to be anti-Communist? Oh that's right, they were supposed to be good for the economy, against bathroom-stall free for alls and for the Constitution too. So it kinda makes sense.

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Mitch McConnell part of a CNN/Nancy Grace "crime story"....oooopsies!

2008-10-17T13:32:41Z

Hold the presses!!! The Most Trusted Name in News!!! made a mistake!!

On Monday, the "most trusted name in news" ran an advertisement for its Headline News program "Nancy Grace" dealing with "incredible crime stories" this fall.

In the fast-moving montage, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Kent.) picture was spliced in between what appears to be convicted dog abuser Michael Vick and missing Bolingbrook, Illinois, resident Stacy Peterson.

Oh no! Mitch McChinless was lumped in with bad guys! How...~~appropriate~~ inappropriate!

Maybe someone at CNN should explain why Sen. McConnell's picture was included in a promo concerning "This fall [being] full of incredible crime stories."
Update 15:00. NewsBusters has been informed that after a number of CNN producers were sent our article on this subject, a senior CNN official contacted McConnell's office to apologize for the incident.
Apparently, the ad is being immediately pulled, and a full internal investigation is being launched concerning the matter.
NewsBusters appreciates this decision by CNN, and is very interested in the outcome of said investigation.

I take back everything I ever said about CNN.

Okay, not everything.

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Headzup: Mitch McConnell- The Godfather Of Green

2008-10-21T21:30:06Z

Mitch McConnell is asked about his claim that he is an environmental champion and "the Godfather of Green" despite his horrible environmental record. Read more about it here.

Download daily Catch and Release Comedy™ political cartoons to your mobile phone or iPod at www.headzup.tv

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Mitch McConnell- "Godfather of Green".

2008-10-17T09:30:46Z

Because I knew you need a laugh.

Via Think Progress-

McConnell may know how to bring home the pork for his constituents, but that hardly qualifies him as an "environmental champion." McConnell had a zero percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters during the 109th Congress, and has earned only a 7% lifetime rating.

Sounds like Mitch might be getting a little nervous about the '08 election.

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A 2007 Video Retrospective - By Kentucky Progressive James Pence

2008-10-21T03:30:25Z

This is great stuff. It is a montage of all the photos Jim took all year during his activism for progressive values and against corrupt hacks like Ernie Fletcher and Mitch McConnell in The Bluegrass State.

Give her a watch. It will remind you of some of the good things we achieved in 2007. Even though there is so much more left to accomplish...

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Labor Secretary Elaine Chao's "Skills Gap"

2008-10-21T09:29:26Z

Yes, that is the problem with American workers. It is not that she and her husband Lucky Luciano impersonating husband Mitch McConnell--the most anti-worker tandem since Seti and Ramses--have sold out American jobs to all her daddy's friends for campaign contributions from their business cronies. No, it couldn't be that.

Hell, her dad has been one of Mitch's biggest boosters of all, bringing in all manner of campaign loot for Mitch. No matter that he is a man with close connections to the Chinese Communist regime.

So, in a manner of speaking, you could call Elaine Mitch's largest campaign contribution.

These two have pushed free trade deals with China that have killed wages in Kentucky and around the country, have offshored American drugs like it's a personal drug habit and have given the dictionary definition to "corporate whores."

Any questions?

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The 12 Lies of Mitchmas: The Ditch Mitch McConnell carolers sing out

2008-10-21T09:29:42Z

Couldn't happen to a more deserving carolee. I hope McChinless was home for this.

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Republicans In Congress Finally Break A Record!

2008-10-21T09:30:02Z

It is the record for obstruction, of course. Yes, this group of can't-shoot-straight yahoos who moaned and whined about Democrats blocking their knuckle-scraping judge appointees have blocked EVERYTHING.

They have, in fact, accomplished quite a feat. They broke the old record for blocking legislation in HALF THE TIME they had to do it in. Now that is downright impressive!

Kudos boys and girls, you've managed to deny poorer children the healthcare you so happily accept from the government, keep our troops dying in Iraq in a war that is based on a lie, making us less secure and will not end during our lifetimes and continue giving taxpayer money to Big Oil Billionaires while denying funding for renewable energy.

Here is only a partial list of they've BLOCKED:

-- Ending the disastrous occupation of Iraq.

-- Providing health insurance to millions more kids.

-- Empowering Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

-- Taking away handouts to Big Oil so we can invest in renewable energy.

-- Repealing the effective ban on embryonic stem cell research.

-- Investing more in health research.

-- Making it easier for workers to join unions.

-- Investing more in fighting poverty and training workers.

That is quite a scorecard! And to think people question whether you guys are just a bunch of criminally-inclined cult members or out for the public good. Where does that come from?

BTW - If you want to know who's doing most of the obstructing, go here.

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Andrew Horne's No BS Announcement For Senate

2008-10-21T09:30:14Z

Many of us were buoyed by the--at the very least--short-term victory achieved by Senator Chris Dodd when he chose to stand up to Republican "tough guys" and weak-kneed members of his own party on telecom immunity. There was most certainly a lesson there, one I hope many Democrats took to heart.

So let's go to another thing that drives me crazy. When Democrats issue the most ridiculously wimpy statements in response to GOP malfeasance or attacks levied at them by the Cult Party.

In 2006, when Jim Webb ran against George Allen for the Senate, it was so refreshing to see him speak honestly about Allen's disastrous record, not couching it in politicalspeak. And when Allen punched, Webb responded with a roundhouse.

Now, it seems, we have another veteran who believes in speaking like a real person and is obviously willing to fight, literally and rhetorically, for what he believes in.

Meet Lt. Colonel Andrew Horne, and watch what has to be one of the best announcement speeches I've seen, as he has the courage to take on walking campaign cash vacuum cleaner and job outsourcer Mitch McConnell.

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Mitch Mcconnell War Protest

2008-10-20T03:29:55Z

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Mitch McConnell And Susan Collins - Disastrous Right-Wing Senators

2008-10-21T15:30:51Z

You know, I could tell you all the reasons I detest these two Senators, much coming from the fact that I have worked against both and have seen their ethically challenged, slime-trail up close.

But the great Senate 2008 Guru has written two fantastic pieces laying this out for everyone to see. They are both must reads, and I will quote them a bit here. To begin with, there is Collins, the pretend-moderate Republican who loves to lie about her record, support overturning Roe V. Wade via judicial appointment and has never met an aspect of the Iraq War she just doesn't go ga ga over. She is also ethically challenged:

On a number of occasions, incidents came to light that demonstrated that Susan Collins was repeatedly using taxpayer-funded Senate resources for political campaign purposes. In August, when the Collins camp was trying to gin up a fake scandal over the Maine Democratic Party recording Collins' remarks at public events, we saw that it was Collins' taxpayer-funded Chief of Staff and Senate press office, rather than campaign staff, that were coordinating her political responses to the situation. Also in August, it came to light that Collins' Senate office computers were being used to adjust her Wikipedia entry to appear more politically palatable. None of this is shocking given that Collins was already caught using Senate computers for the purpose of political communication with the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in 2004. In September, the Collins camp was finally called out in the media for their abuses of Senate resources for political purposes. There is unquestionably valid reason for further investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee regarding Collins' Senate office's practices regarding political activity.

But please go read the whole piece. The guru covers every putrid part of her pathetic record of service. I cannot do it justice here. Again, it is a MUST READ.

Then there is the guy who's grandma-resembling mug would appear next to "corporate whore" in the dictionary. The guy who thinks it's ok for troops to die in Iraq, because, after all, they weren't drafted.

No Mitch, none joined out of patriotic feeling after 9/11 to fight a real war against the actual enemy and then were diverted to Iraq. And none joined the National Guard, as virtually the entire Republican Party did in the 60s, to get an education paid for (in your guys' cases, however, it was more like using the National Guard to avoid having to actually display an ounce of courage). McConnell, himself, was discharged from service for some pretty murky reasons that still have never been explained.

In any case, here is what the Lt. Colonel Andrew Horne, a potential Democratic candidate against McConnell (this comes via the Guru)--and someone who actually had the courage to serve--had to say about McConnell's reasoning that it's ok to die in a war based upon lies, one that weakens this country more every day, if you were not drafted:

"I would say that Mitch McConnell owes every member of our service and the families of the fallen an apology, but no apology from him can take back the venom he has spewed at our troops, this time. For anyone to believe that casualties of war are somehow more acceptable because they were not draftees is disgusting. For the Republican leader in the United States Senate to say that is beyond repugnant."

"This is just Mitch McConnell once again demonstrating that he has no idea of - and has no interest in learning - what our troops have sacrificed. Whether it is filibustering a bill that would give proper time at home for our overextended troops, or voting against increased funds to take care of veterans who have come home, Mitch McConnell has shown nothing more than complete ignorance about our military and those who serve our nation in it."

"To my fellow service members and veterans, let me apologize on behalf of Kentucky for Senator McConnell's putrid comments. He most certainly does not represent our views, nor the high regard in which we hold you and your families."

Again, this is from the Guru's post. Go there for more, as he points out all the dead soldiers from Kentucky that might not feel so laid back about American soldiers getting killed.

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Uighurs Protest In China; Are Killed For The Effort

2008-10-21T21:29:47Z

Just another minority group that are persecuted by our wonderful trading partners, communist, authoritarian China.

So next time Mitch McConnell or Joe Lieberman or some other neo-corporate dunderhead argues for shipping more jobs to China in the name of prosperity for everyone, just remind yourself that only American elites and Chinese communist thugs who repress their own people prosper in from this relationship...

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McConnell Hits Record Low Approval in Kentucky

2008-01-12T20:36:45Z

Wheeee!!! Someone get Mitch a pony**!!

A new SurveyUSA poll finds Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) net approval rating turning negative for the first time. His approval rating is now at 44%, the lowest since tracking began in May of 2005, and his disapproval is at an all-time high of 47%.

Over the last 31 months, McConnell has had job approval ratings ranging from a low of 48% to a high of 56%. His net approval, determined by subtracting disapproval from approval, ranged from +4 last month to +24 in June of 2005. This month, for the first time, McConnell has a negative net approval of -3.

McConnell is up for re-election next year. CQ has a good backgrounder on the race.

Not sure if Atrios has the pony trademarked, but I had to use the cute pic.

UK College Dems Remind Us Of Sen. McConnell's Friends And Failures

2008-10-22T09:29:39Z

Excellent video by the College Dems at Kentucky. I would love to see more people, college Dem and otherwise, use youtube to put out the messages that need to be aired in such a low-effective and impressive manner.

The simple message here: When you leave office Mr. Bush, please take your fellow corrupt, corporate crony Mitch McConnell with you.

(h/t Joe Sonka)

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McConnell Ad Satirized By Public Campaign Action Fund

2008-10-22T09:31:33Z

They are also putting up an ad on the airwaves they already aired back up in Kentucky. Including the DSCC ad and the Americans United one, there are three ads up slamming Grandma Mitch right now in Kentucky.

His boy Fletcher just suffered an electoral battering in the governor's race and McConnell was just busted for inserting pork into a bill to benefit a British defense contractor who his former chief of staff lobbies for (and the company is under investigation for bribery). He also used Alben Barkley II in a campaign commercial, a famous Kentucky Democrat (well, at least his dad was) who also happens to be infamous for being a sexual harasser (oops on the vetting).

Oh, and polls show that two different potential opponents, the AG and State Auditor in Kentucky would begin this campaign cycle almost within the margin of error of Mitch's numbers. But before he takes them on, he may get an Independent challenge, funded by the Club For Growth, from a right-wing Republican in Kentucky who has run statewide before and has been constantly attacking him for abandoning Governor Fletcher and conservative principles.

All in all, not a great couple of weeks for the corporatized, right-wing hack.

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McConnell Ad - Louisville Version

2008-10-27T03:29:39Z

November 8, 2007

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McConnell Ad - Lexington Version

2008-10-27T03:29:42Z

November 8, 2007

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Mitch McConnell Also Attacks Decency

2008-10-22T15:30:49Z

This ad by the DSCC just about says it all. McConnell is a walking multinational conglomerate in your grandmother's glasses.

He has never represented anything but pure greed and power. Go read this piece by the AFL-CIO, for example, about how McConnell is quite literally giving mine workers the shaft by blowing off their safety needs.

Sadly (for him), like his friends DeLay, Fletcher, Allen and Santorum he is going to have to learn firsthand that the time of corrupt corpororate conservatism is just about up.

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Huge Democratic Night Shaping Up

2008-10-22T15:31:16Z

Not only have we dispatched with Kentucky's corrupt, McConnellite Governor, Ernie Fletcher, with a resounding victory (59% to 41%) for Governor-Elect Steve Beshear. But the GOP is fractured in Kentucky, with conservatives blaming McConnell for abandoning Fletcher, and Beshear carrying parts of Northern and Western Kentucky. That is GOP territory through and through.

Have a fun 2008 Mitch! (as your gay-baiting didn't work this time, what will you do for a shiny object now?).

Additionally, progressive star Jack Conway has over 60% in his race against certified religious zealot Stan Lee for AG, and Crit Luallen is up by 60-40 in her race to win a second term for State Auditor. Why does the latter factoid matter? Because rumors are running rampant Crit is being recruited to take on McConnell in the Senate race next year.

If only that were it. In Virginia, the Democrats need to pick up four GOP seats to take back the state senate. We are up or close in 5-6 GOP seats right now, and seem to have secured at least two. Including...are you with me...the seat of Rep. Tom Davis' wife, Jeannemarie Devolites Davis.

Rumor is that he will retire from the House anyhow, and this may give him more reason to do so. That would be a huge pickup opportunity for Dems in blue-trending Northern Virginia. So we could be gaining the state senate and a U.S. House seat from these results.

Oh, you thought that was it? Not a chance. For there is New Jersey, where we are also in position to gain several state legislative seats. This includes one biggie, with national implications.

State rep. Jeff Van Drew beat a GOP incumbent to win a state senate seat. This seat sits in Republican Congressman LoBiondo's district, and word is Van Drew is already being recruited to run next year against this vulnerable Republican.

Of course, in Mississippi things never change. GOP Governor/sleazy lobbyist Haley Barbour is about to be reelected. But this race and the recent Louisiana gubernatorial one explain our current political climate rather perfectly when set against the backdrop of the rest of the night's events.

The GOP has become the party of The Deep South (5-6 states) and Utah. We're even beating them in places like Kansas and Montana these days.

To finish this night of almost complete dominance, yesterday, Mayor Jim Hovland of Edina, Minnesota switched parties because the GOP has become so filled with nutters (read his explanation here). This wouldn't be a big deal, except he is popular and located in the heart of an open Congressional District, as one of the last actual moderates in the GOP House Caucus, Jim Ramstad, has retired.

All in all, a great night!

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Democrat Steve Beshear Wins Kentucky Governor's Office

2008-01-12T20:33:22Z

while Mitch McConnell piddles himself.

Name Party Votes Vote %
Beshear , Steven Dem 534,895 59%
Fletcher , Ernie (i) GOP 369,484 41%

What If Boehner And McConnell's Kids Didn't Have Health Care?

2008-10-22T21:30:17Z

Well that one kinda answers itself, doesn't it. It's like asking where would Rudy Giuliani be if there had been no 9/11 or why Larry Craig voted to ban gay marriage.

Sudddenly when there were mental health issues in his family Pete Domenici supported mental health parity and because of his experience in Vietnam Chuck Hagel is progressive on the war.

Republicans are hypocrites who literally are missing empathy from their DNA, so when it's their problem, they go running to the government for help. With everyone else, not so much.

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