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So, as ST's resident Kentuckian and sort of a politician, I'm afraid that the excellent and interesting discussion on B2 had very little to do with

Posted by emoticripple Nov 4 '15, 07:10

what happened last night. On the Republican side, it's identity politics centering almost entirely on the rural-urban divide and faith. The counties hate - HATE - Louisville, and Jack Conway is very Louisville. (Bevin also lives in Louisville, but maintains outsider status by virtue of having moved to Kentucky not long ago.) Bevin's run against Mitch McConnell in last year's Senate primary was all about gathering up the fringe religious/Tea people.

In short, this was not an issue election. It could have been - needed to be! - but was not. It was an extension of our constant "Y'all think yer so fuckin smart?" tension in this state.

Jack Conway could have made it about ideas, and has the chops to back a campaign like that up. Regrettably, he hasn't gotten a scrap of good advice in a decade, relying on this guy Mark Riddle, who works for the very placement agents and grifters who have screwed up our pension system in the first place. Conway agreed to run the same campaign that gave America Rand Paul, positioning himself as an anti-Obama, fiscally conservative DINO, taking for granted that Louisville and Lexington would show up to keep the Tea people out. His messaging was a slap in the face of his base, and so we didn't. We didn't work, we didn't donate, we didn't call, and a hell of a lot of us didn't vote.

So, again, great discussion on B2, but this was the Tea people from out in the bush rising up on their hind legs to Keep Kentucky Kristian.

Responses:

I really think we need a "None of the Above" option for elections - znufrii Nov 4, 07:34 10
- Brewster's Millions, 1985. -- nm - Green Baron Casserole Nov 4, 07:53
- That won't get abused ever -- nm - con_carne Nov 4, 07:37 3
  - *changes name to None of the Above* -- nm - Beaker Nov 4, 07:38 2
    - You are a Distinguished Gentleman. -- nm - Shaun Nov 4, 07:39 1
      - heh. Love that movie -- nm - Beaker Nov 4, 07:42
- I don't know what the resultant action should be...but I kind of agree with this. - Jim Nov 4, 07:36 3
  - [deleted] 2
    - At one point Conway's running mate said that they expected low turnout and were just fine with that, in fact hoping for it. - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:54 1
      - He's a moron then...Democrats are just not as enthusiastic as GOP voters...low-turnout = killer. -- nm - Will Hunting Nov 4, 07:56
- I agree. -- nm - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:35
I wonder if a similar thing happened to our city council. A bunch of DINOs voted to cut the GOP mayor's budget. They just got voted out. -- nm - mara Nov 4, 07:18 4
- I despise the terms RINO and DINO. - Will Hunting Nov 4, 07:29 3
  - I don't know, I think it does have utility, especially in a state like Kentucky where the legacy of the civil war and the civil rights era still play -- (edited) - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:34 1
    - Well, for me, that's not a DINO, that's a faux-conservative. - Will Hunting Nov 4, 07:39
  - I'm def not a fan of the terms, as if there is only set definition, one set of beliefs, that everyone in a party MUST adhere to. - ty97 Nov 4, 07:32
So because he wasn't liberal enough you stayed home so the guy on the far right would win instead? - spamlet Nov 4, 07:16 19
- We've lived in fear for long enough, and rewarding the good ol' boy network just because they register Democratic is part of why we're in the state we - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:23
- [deleted] 14
  - That's the case in voting for one of the two. Not voting at all knowing that the person you like least is going to win is lunacy. -- nm - spamlet Nov 4, 07:23 13
    - [deleted] 6
      - So, the message here is if you don't like either candidate, you shouldn't vote at all? -- nm - Jim Nov 4, 07:28 3
        
        In our election, people were advised to spoil their ballots if they felt this way. And we have vastly more choice ... - Beryllium Nov 4, 07:29
        
        *agrees with this* -- nm - Will Hunting Nov 4, 07:29
        
        [deleted]
      - (TBF, there's a ton of this reasoning I hear from people for supporting Clinton) -- nm - Reagen Nov 4, 07:28
      - You're not going to disagree with them on everything. You pick the least bad of the options. -- nm - spamlet Nov 4, 07:28
    - Well, I can only speak for myself, but I voted for the independent candidate who, while inexperienced and imperfect, ran the most thoughtful campaign. -- nm - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:24 5
      - Well, that's not "not voting". -- nm - Jim Nov 4, 07:26 2
        
        He said many didn't; not he didn't (at least from what I read). -- nm - Will Hunting Nov 4, 07:32 1
        
        But spammy's point was that not voting at all was lunacy. Casting the 3rd party vote is absolutely the way to let it be known that you don't like the - Jim Nov 4, 07:34
      - In your case, that's different. When you said stayed at home, I assume you meant didn't vote at all. -- nm - spamlet Nov 4, 07:26 1
        
        No, I just didn't give money or knock on doors. -- nm - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:36
- "Well I believe I'll give my vote to a third party!" -- nm - Reagen Nov 4, 07:18 2
  - I wish more people would. I do. Rather often. -- nm - ty97 Nov 4, 07:28
  - Go ahead. Throw your vote away -- nm - Kang and/or Kodos Nov 4, 07:19
the "Y'all think yer so fuckin smart?" assertion made me giggle and then made me feel bad. Other things happened after that including some smh. -- nm - Diva Nov 4, 07:16
Thanks for writing that and giving a more inside look at what happened. - Krusty Nov 4, 07:13 2
- Kinda. Jack would have made a much better administrator, and Bevin may do some truly horrible things, but there wasn't a good option on the ballot. -- nm - emoticripple Nov 4, 07:15 1
  - interesting - thanks -- nm - Pippy Nov 4, 07:18
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So, as ST's resident Kentuckian and sort of a politician, I'm afraid that the excellent and interesting discussion on B2 had very little to do with

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