Burned that the Democratic establishment pushed Andrew Horne out of the U.S. Senate race in favor of Bruce Lunsford? Ticked that Steve Beshear & Crew, Jennifer Moore, Nathan Smith, the rest of the KDP, Chuck Schumer , J.B. Poersch, Martha McKenna, Matthew Miller and the rest of the DSCC including Harry Reid, Ben Chandler (to an extent/he played both sides of the fence), et al forced Andrew to leave a race he was steadfast in saying he wouldn’t leave? Pissed that John Yarmuth didn’t have the cajones to publicly admit he was supporting Andrew? Incensed that what happened in the 30th Senate District is happening on a statewide level?
The power brokers of Kentucky and Washington, D.C. just made a decision for you, Kentucky, and that decision is one which says you’re too stupid to select your own candidate.
Read up. Get fired up. Don’t settle for strongarming.
Tons more after the jump from the Mainstream media, Democrats, Republicans. Shiz hits the fan, boys & girls. Juicy, juicy…
Mainstream:
Democrat Andrew Horne drops out of U.S. Senate race [Associated Press]
HORNE ENDS BID FOR SENATE [H-L]
Joe Gerth is the only mainstreamer who gets it so far:
Military vet Horne drops out of Senate race [C-J]
There have been questions for weeks as to whether or not Horne, with two millionaire opponents in Lunsford and Fischer, could afford to stay in the race.
While his campaign made assurances he would stay in the race, it was unhappy the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee appeared to be backing Lunsford.
Last week, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the committee, said it doesn’t usually say what candidates, if any, it is backing. But when asked whether Lunsford was telling the truth when he said the committee was backing him, Miller said, “I would never call Bruce Lunsford a liar.”
Blogs, way more fun than mainstream:
BREAKING: Andrew Horne Leaves Senate Race [Page One] (read the comments)
News from Around the Horne [The 'Ville Voice]
WTF?!? [BlueGrassRoots]
Andrew Horne has bowed out of the U.S. Senate Race but who’s to blame? [Kentucky Women]
This is sad news… [The Kentucky Democrat]
Shocked [The Rural Democrat]
Steve Beshear is a sack of shit (GASP!) [Black Wednesday by way of BGR]
Horne Pulls Out of U.S. Senate Race [Hebert]
Horne informs supporters he’s out of Senate race [PolWatchers]
Proof the right (some of whom actually ‘get’ that Andrew was forced out of the race by hacks) was nervous about an Andrew Horne candidacy:
The Left Reacts to Horne’s Departure [Elephants in the Bluegrass]
Moonbats gather at the JFK Bridge, plan mass jump at noon [K-Pac2] (Horne supporters are “lefty kooks” ready for suicide)
Andrew Horne drops senate bid. One down, seven to go. [Osi-Speaks]
Semper Bye: Horne Out, Repub Lite Advances [Cyberhillbilly]
Andrew Horne Gets Ditched [KY Progress]
BREAKING: Horne drops Senate bid [KY Politics]
18 responses so far ↓
1 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Feb 12, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Does Lunsford *really* want to spend all his millions to take on McConnell in what will definitely be his third electoral loss? And since Kentucky is a lost cause for Democrats in the presidential election anyway (as this state is too hopelessly backward to vote for Obama), there’s little reason for Democrats to even show up at the polls in this election.
Bruce, why waste your money? Just drop out now so you won’t have to lose all that precious moolah. You’re good at dropping out early anyway, so it will be a snap.
2 Forks of Elkhorn // Feb 12, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Here is part of an email from Mike Bailey, who has been one of Horne’s supporters from very early on, even in his race against John Yarmuth.
“While I am saddened by this news, I believe the decision was the correct onefor Andrew’s family. KY Governor Beshear and NY Senator Schumer made it clearthat they are behind Bruce Lunsford. That meant a primary battle against bothAndrew’s opponents AND the Democratic Party establishment. In my opinion,that kind of fight would have been very hard on Andrew’s family. MitchMcConnell will have an opponent in Bruce Lunsford who can spend vast sums inorder to get out the Democratic message. While I am not pleased about theinsider politics that brought us to this point, we are here nevertheless.
Mike Bailey, co-organizer
DFA Change for Kentucky
Bailey makes a point about Lunsford using his money to get out the Democratic message. It seems Bailey has a good understanding of why his very good friend is no longer running. It wasn’t just Lunsford has money, but also that Horne didn’t.
3 jake // Feb 12, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Forks– That’s just the beginning. Mike Bailey is playing the nice guy, as that’s what he is.
There’s way more to this story.
4 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Feb 12, 2008 at 3:30 pm
What I think many would like is exactly what kind of pressure was put on Horne for him to drop out?
I am sick and tired of things like this remaining behind closed doors, in both parties!
5 jake // Feb 12, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Give it time. It’ll come out.
Just need to let people cool off a while.
6 George // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Exactly how stupid is the party establishment?
Bruce Lunsford has name recognition and money but that can’t cover up the fact that his company defrauded the government and insurance companies to the tune of 1.3 billion, with a B, dollars.
He is Kentucky’s Enron, all of his healthcare companies, the current incarnation Kindred included, are built on questionable business practices. His fortune is based on being a corporate raider. Find a hospital/long-term care facility, buy it and cut payroll to the bare bones. Short staffing makes the company look profitable in the stock market and you run up the stock value.
He is a corporate vampire who makes his money firing people and defrauding the government. His ilk are indicative of what is wrong with the utterly unreguated marketplace that has the American economy in a death spiral of joblessness and “gotcha” capitalism.
Andrew Horne is a good man, without any of this baggage, but without a boatload of cash on hand he couldn’t be taken seriously by the powers that be in the DSCC and the state party.
Shame, shame…
7 jake // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Spot-on, George.
Well said.
8 jake // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Thought a message I sent to a friend would make for a decent comment here:
9 Jim Pence // Feb 12, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I have a few questions on my mind and the best way I know to get answers is to ask them, so here they are.
Steve Beshear are you going to endorse a candidate in the Kentucky U.S. Senate Primary race?
Steve Beshear did you ask or tell Andrew Horne to drop out of the Senate race?
Andrew Horne did Steve Beshear ask or tell you to drop out of the senate race and if so would you be willing to let me videotape you saying that?
Steve Beshear why did you ask Bruce Lunsford to consider running for the U.S. Senate last December and leave the 1st and 5th Congressional District without Democratic candidates?
I look forward to your answers.
http://www.hillbillyreport.com/blog/2008/02/questions.html
10 Chuck // Feb 12, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Well said, Jim.
We need more of this. Are we just going to sit on our hands and allow party establishment make an end run around the will of the people?
Jim’s questions are perfect, and I’d be very interested to see if anyone steps up to answer them. My question is this: What do we do if the answers never come? I honestly can’t see myself supporting anyone involved in this now. Especially not Lunsford.
Was this a deal that goes back before the Governor’s race? Something like: Beshear cuts a deal with McConnell to back a DINO or weak opponent so he can retain power…meanwhile McConnell held off the bulk of the Republican machine that allowed Beshear to be seated?
Paranoid? Yes. And why not? The truth about all of this is enough to make anyone ask what would normally be silly questions. I am not saying any of that happened, but would it really surprise any of you?
Folks, I think this is already in the bag. It wouldn’t surprise me if Lunsford and McConnell had already cut some sort of deal. So now what? We have a fired-up grassroots community and they’re ready to roll. But where? Support the Dem version of the Republican machine?
Are you kidding?
The people need to coordinate somehow and put the power brokers back into their place.
I have some suggestions, but I have no idea where the average Kentuckian is at with this issue. Certainly there is a way to make some noise.
Thoughts? Besides this of course :)
-Chuck
11 briansmith // Feb 12, 2008 at 8:42 pm
There is a way we can make some noise.
Support Heather Ryan. She is the only Democratic candidate left who has any balls.
12 briansmith // Feb 12, 2008 at 8:44 pm
… she has already been fu**ed over by the Democratic establishment, so we won’t have to go through THAT drama again.
13 John T // Feb 13, 2008 at 1:55 am
I will not support Lunsford at all. I despise McConnell for what he believes in and stands for, but he at least tells Kentuckians his beliefs.
No way will I support a man who has done what Lunsford has done in his businesses and defrauded the government.
It is a damn embarrassment that the Democratic Party would even consider this man to run for the US Senate.
Seems to me that the Democratic Party just wants people they can control, and who have large wallets to run for office. If that is the case they might expect to be losing some votes.
14 George // Feb 13, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I am in a position where I could have worked with either the Cassaro or Fischer campaign on a paid basis. Rather than take a job with a candidate I could not stomach I worked on a volunteer basis for Horne. Admittedly I was able to do little because the needs of mortgage, groceries, etc are all weighing on me and the time I can spend in a non-paid capacity.
But I will not be a mercenary, I will not support a candidate I do not believe in just to get a senator with a D next to his name rather than an R.
Its kind of bad and I may be shooting myself in the foot but I will not vote for Lunsford because he is as morally objectionable as Mitch. Cassaro is a flake and unknown in most of the Louisville legal and medical community and Fischer is only recently stopped giving money to regressive party candidates.
I suggest a co-ordinated write in candidicy unless Mitch, by some miracle, is in trouble come November.
If we get someone who can come in with 25-30 thousand write-ins that could be a clear signal to the folks at the KDP that the electorate is more than happy to scuttle an election rather than have an establishment candidate shoved down their throats.
15 UK Alumni // Feb 13, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Andrew Horne was the one candidate in this race that I found inspiring.
This is a huge disappointment and frankly I don’t see my support transferring to any of the remaining contenders. Just another missed opportunity in what is rapidly becoming a tsunami of mediocrity and mendacity.
Sad.
16 This Week’s Politics Roundup: Horne Quits « State of the Commonwealth // Feb 14, 2008 at 1:03 pm
[...] One Kentucky has a decent overview of both the mainstream media’s and bloggers’ reactions of the news earlier this week that Andrew Horne is dropping out of the Democratic primary race for [...]
17 Marty // Feb 15, 2008 at 8:23 am
Sooo depressed about Andrew. I plan to write in his name in Nov. I can’t vote for Lundsford, and the others won’t win in the primary. Why not a write in campaign….what a lesson that would be to the KDP, and to Shumer. Can we get at least some support from bloggers…..what about financing from DFA..they just dumped a toady dem (Al Wynn) and are pushing for other progressives in the Democratic party. We send money, …..Jake …can we geta write in campaign for Andrew off the ground.
And why not support Heather Ryan…she was screwed by Mitch and if that ever hits a court , he can be in legal trouble for influencing a non-profit to fire an employee…..over the 1st amendment right of free speech. At least support he r campaign since Whitfield has no other opponent.
18 Documenting My Audacity » Senate Races // May 6, 2008 at 6:33 pm
[...] like the prompting of Steve Beshear. It wasn’t long before Andrew Horne dropped out. Many hands were wrung. A conspiracy was conjectured that Chuck Schumer, Markos Moulitsas, Steve Beshear, Achim [...]
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