-
Weekend Political Wrap-Up
February 12, 2012 | 22 comments
-
Quick Hits from CPAC
February 11, 2012 | 45 comments
-
The Origins of Romneycare and Coultercare
February 9, 2012 | 16 comments
-
Rick Santorum Pulls the Trifecta
February 8, 2012 | 8 comments
-
Mark Levin on Clint Eastwood
February 7, 2012 | 5 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Jim Bunning had some choice words for Republican leaders as he announced his retirement, implicitly including his fellow Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell: "Over the past year, some of the leaders of the Republican Party in the Senate have done everything in their power to dry up my fundraising," the Washington Post quotes Bunning as saying. "The simple fact is that I have not raised the funds necessary to run an effective campaign for the U.S. Senate. For this reason, I will not be a candidate for re-election in 2010."
The money that McConnell and John Cornyn were keeping from Bunning will now flow to Trey Grayson. But expect Rand Paul to tap the Ron Paul "money bomb" donor base to compete with Grayson in the Republican primary. This is a rare case where an open seat actually improves the incumbent party's chances of retention.
UPDATE: This is Rand Paul's Facebook status right now: "Rand Paul has nothing but good things to say about Senator Bunning. I would also like to thank him for his service, and I commend him for his courage to vote against the bank bailout." Both he and Grayson said they would not run if Bunning sought re-election.
View all comments (20) | Leave a comment
Leave a Comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/07/27/bunning-goes-down-sniping
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- Evolve or Die
- Herbert Hoover's Long-Awaited Magnum Opus
- The Collapse of Jon Corzine
- Digital Subscription (Save 78%)
- Buy a single issue (Save 50%)
- Send Spectator as a gift
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Eric Dondero| 7.27.09 @ 6:20PM
The jury awaits Rand Paul's views on foreign policy. If they're as nutty and as extreme as his Dad's than he'll lose Right libertarian support, and won't have a chance against Grayson.
But Grayson pushed through a statewide smoking ban.
For lovers of liberty, this could be the worst of both worlds.
Let's hope the younger Paul has more sensible views on foreign policy, and opposes Islamo-Fascism, unlike his "great on domestic policy/absolutely awful on foreign policy" father.
Eric Dondero, Publisher
Libertarian Republican
Red Phillips| 7.27.09 @ 7:22PM
Go Rand Go!
Pingback| 7.27.09 @ 7:35PM
Bunning is Out so Rand Paul is Likely In | Conservative Heritage Times links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
William R| 7.27.09 @ 7:38PM
Dondero, you're still a basket case.
Sean| 7.27.09 @ 8:32PM
Look for the Republican establishment to rally around Clinton delegate Trey Grayson. He is the type of Republican they like to see in the Senate.
Roy| 7.27.09 @ 8:43PM
Any type of reason why the RNC would be withholding funds from Bunning?
Jack| 7.28.09 @ 9:02AM
Dondero is a hack.
Foreign interventionism doesn't work well in theory, and it sure hasn't worked well in practice.
Tripp| 7.28.09 @ 9:44AM
Give me a break- you're telling me a functioning democracy in the heart of the ancient Caliphate is a bad thing? Not to mention a Europe freed of fascism? Nothing wrong or irreconcilable with being pro-limited government and pro-strong foreign policy. Jeff Flake does well in that regard, I think.
Red Phillips| 7.28.09 @ 1:08PM
"Give me a break- you're telling me a functioning democracy in the heart of the ancient Caliphate is a bad thing?"
It is only functioning because we are there keeping order. How long do you propose we stay? And where exactly in the Constitution does it say America is responsible for bring democracy to anywhere other than America?
Sean Scallon| 7.28.09 @ 2:26PM
You mean Mr. Rittberg, he loses the support of everyone in the phone booth?
Eric Dondero| 7.28.09 @ 6:49PM
Yeah, guess you're right, that pesky "foreign interventionism" doesn't work at all.
We learned yesterday that Kurdistan has just had it's first election. And by all accounts it was a model of democracy.
And... Afghanistan has got a hot race for President between Karzai and a free market-oriented flamboyant Dentist. It's a real race to the finish.
But hey, it would have been better if the Taliban was still controlling Afghanistan, and killing women in the streets, and if Saddam Hussein was still in power, gassing hundreds of thousands of Kurds, right?
Eric Dondero| 7.28.09 @ 6:52PM
Hey Red, where did it say in the French Constitution in 1776 that they were responsible for intervening and helping us to defeat the British?
If it hadn't been for France's "interventionist" foreign policy in the 1770s, we'd all be having tea and crumpets five times a day, and talking with cockney accents.
Don't know about you, but I'll take my Miller Lite over a "Pint," and Aerosmith over the Rolling Stones, any day of the week.
Red Phillips| 7.28.09 @ 7:23PM
Eric, the fact that there is a Kurdistan is one thing that makes our policy wrongheaded. Kurdistan is a natural country that desires independence, but we insist on maintaining the "territorial integrity" of the make believe country of Iraq which was cobbled together after WWI.
France did what it did for its own reasons. We were a proxy war in their own ongoing troubles with England, but it was the desire of Washington to be done with all those centuries old problems in Europe. That was the point of his farewell address. We were blessed to be separated from that nonsense by an ocean.
BTW, given that history, why are the neocons always bellyaching about France.
Red Phillips| 7.28.09 @ 7:39PM
Eric, the fact that there is a Kurdistan is one thing that makes our policy wrongheaded. Kurdistan is a natural country that desires independence, but we insist on maintaining the "territorial integrity" of the make believe country of Iraq which was cobbled together after WWI.
France did what it did for its own reasons. We were a proxy war in their own ongoing troubles with England, but it was the desire of Washington to be done with all those centuries old problems in Europe. That was the point of his farewell address. We were blessed to be separated from that nonsense by an ocean.
BTW, given that history, why are the neocons always bellyaching about France.
Pingback| 7.28.09 @ 8:30PM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Bunning Goes Down Sniping | Goes Down News links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 7.28.09 @ 8:30PM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Bunning Goes Down Sniping | Goes Down News links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
DiverCity| 8.12.09 @ 11:37PM
Wow, Dondero = neocon. He also equals a troll. I loathe Islam and consider it an evil, hack religion, based, as it is, on a bastardized Christianity and Judaism. It needs to die. Nevertheless, we only need to snuff it out if it comes to our shores to wreak its wicked havoc.