This morning I mentioned that Mark Riddle, Jack Conway’s top consultant and disastrous strategist, was 0 for 2. Guess what? He’s actually 0 for 4. He lost the Eaton and Reynolds state senate races in landslides.
I’m sorry for being mistaken and that things were twice as bad as I initially suggested. Entirely my fault.
Now for the scary shiz:
Jack Conway only won ten (10!) counties west of – no, not I-65, not I-75 – west of the MOUNTAIN PARKWAY. Ten. And four of them were Franklin, Fayette, Jefferson and Union. That’s what you call a butthole-puckering shocker.
Change just 300 votes in Western Kentucky and Jack would have lost every single county west of I-65. Switch 3,400 votes and the only county he would have carried west of the Mountain Parkway is Jefferson.
He lost Democratic strongholds in Pike, Letcher, Harlan and Perry Counties. He carried Fayette County by fewer than 1,500 votes. Slammed in the Purchase region, losing by more than 12,000 votes.
This is a legit ass-on-a-platter moment that borders on historic proportions.
Something tells me you’ll want to read the rest of the JUICY JUICY after the jump…
It’s proof that Bush tax cuts, flip-flopping, Aqua Buddha and ignoring rural Kentuckians is a forever losing campaign strategy. Waging a tepid war on television does not work.
Further, all this whining about being outspent is bogus. The only races Jack Conway has ever won? He heavily outspent every one of his opponents. He’s lost every single in which money was even-handed or favoring his opponent. That emperor has no clothes. And if I was uber gay, I’d tack on a “honey” at the end of that. That’s how insane that situation is.
This mess caused countless Democrats down the ballot to suffer. County and city officials paid the price. For instance, every Democrat in Hopkins County that had a Republican challenger lost their race. Including the popular mayor of Madisonville, Will Cox. Jack lost Hopkins County by nearly 3,000 votes.
The Kentucky Democratic Party, led by its new Republican chairman, and Governor Steve Beshear are complicit in this beat down. Sure, these were tough political environs. But the Republican Party of Kentucky had 13 regional field offices that cranked out IDs for Democratic and Independent voters non-stop – something I’ve never seen that Party do successfully on such a scale. The KDP had next to no funds to help Democratic candidates and invested the bare minimum in field programs that were apparently just for show. Next to nothing was spent outside of the Golden Triangle. Instead of the governor breaking his back to help fund the Party, he focused on grazing his own cash cow and palling around with Jerry Abramson, a guy who says he will not be a full-time Lieutenant Governor (he’s already taken a full-time teaching job at Bellarmine University).
Jack Conway’s political future is darker than anyone who loves him wants to admit. Utilities problems. Executive Branch Ethics Commission nightmare looming. His Roger Clinton brother and whatever went down with that. Ignoring rural Kentucky. It’s bad news bears and perception will matter. If he receives an opponent in the primary who can scrape together $300,000 or more, he’ll effectively be impotent and will limp into a general election — if he wins. And then? He’ll likely face well-funded Trey Grayson, who’ll never want for campaign cash and Democratic support. Remember, Jack’s never won a campaign in which he didn’t outspend his opponent.
Welcome to reality, Jack. You never should have pissed on people left and right. You NEVER should have stuck with that mess. You shouldn’t have curbstomped the very people who put you where you were. You should have apologized last night for waging such a pathetic fight and costing Democrats more than they should have lost. It would have earned you some sympathy from people like me and maybe among rural Dems out in the state.
P.S. Jennifer Moore’s countless statements on KET this cycle will haunt her should she try to run for office in 2011. And that’s coming from me, someone who actually likes her. Shocking, I know.
14 responses so far ↓
1 Belknap Banquo // Nov 3, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Speaking of mo money, mo money, mo money…..A LOT of Louisville Dems I know wonder why the uber wealthy Conways didn’t back their own horse at least a little more confidently. Horse players notice such things on the back track. Oh, well, un-like Jake’s Swedish chef buddy Barzun, nice hair cut.
2 jake // Nov 3, 2010 at 1:05 pm
I can neither confirm nor deny whether Ambassador Barzun can cook.
I can, however, confirm that he makes decent coffee. And it didn’t come from Starbucks. There’s something to be said for that.
3 Richie'sMustache // Nov 3, 2010 at 1:10 pm
The lies were the lowest! Especially when you get people like Clinton and Crit to repeat your lies. As far as I’m concerned, everyone who participated in Conway’s “campaign of fear” is useless and needs to be voted out of office, or never voted in!
That includes the auditor you are so fond of, as she repeated the many lies of Jack Conway at multiple campaign speeches and events (probably in person as well).
If Democratic candidates can’t run on their own merits and ideas, don’t run!
Jack Conway’s campaign was an embarrassment!
4 Gizmo // Nov 3, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Tom Conway will hide in his mansion for a few years now. President Conway…hahahahahaha
5 wondering // Nov 3, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Why would Conway be any more damaged than Grayson? Or, maybe I should ask, why would Grayson be any less damaged than Conway?
My hope is that both of them will fade into the political ether and will just do whatever it is that young politicians who’ve already peaked go off and do. Both of them are too plastic and too bland for my tastes.
6 Steve Magruder // Nov 3, 2010 at 2:26 pm
I’m not disagreeing that Conway ran a shitty campaign, but to suggest that it was only Conway telling lies is nutso. Rand Paul lied left and right about a wide array of matters.
7 E // Nov 3, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Perhaps a stint in the private sector would be refreshing for Mr. Conway?
8 Novena // Nov 3, 2010 at 2:48 pm
“Salt & Pepper on Your Ice Cream?”
Wondering is quite right. Both Conway and Grayson are very vanilla candidates who ran distasteful, Rocky Road races headed for early disaster. If they don’t run again, KY will not be the loser. They both deserved their losses.
P.S. Of course, we are now left with Nutty Buddy Rand.
9 Paul Jason Puckett // Nov 3, 2010 at 3:16 pm
It seemed to me the Conway campaign had a mindset that they could just “flip the switch” at some point and pick up the win.
Unfortunately, when they did it was way too late. That’s just my $0.02.
10 Curt Morrison // Nov 3, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Spot. on.
11 Ugh // Nov 3, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Quite an analysis of the Democratic funeral home visit yesterday. Those who did vote for Conway here in west Kentucky did so with a clothespin on their nose.
12 JeffNClifton // Nov 3, 2010 at 7:50 pm
@Ugh: a few in Jefferson Co. also voted w/the clothespin…
13 le gardien de but // Nov 3, 2010 at 8:22 pm
wondering I agree with you. It is also my hope that both Conway & Grayson will fade away. Unfortunately they will probably do what most politicians who peaked go off and do–keep their snouts permanently in the public trough. Mike Ward & Ann Northup for example. All 4 of those named are like a bad smell that just will not go away.
14 wondering // Nov 4, 2010 at 1:01 am
You may not agree with his politics — and I would say that most here do not — but what Kentucky needs is a Carl Paladino. I’m hopeful that David Williams will be a more polished version of him — not afraid to speak his mind but able to do so in a more articulate fashion.
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