McConnell starts fall race with 3 questions for Lunsford

LUNSFORD RESPONDS, REFERS TO MCCONNELL AS 'SIR MITCHELL'

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, in a conference call with reporters, wasted no time putting pressure on his new opponent, Democrat Bruce Lunsford, who won his party's primary Tuesday night.

"Kentuckians will decide this fall if they support the Lunsford-Obama-Beshear plan for America or not," McConnell said, lumping Lunsford with potential Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama -- who received 30 percent of Kentucky Democrats' votes -- and Gov. Steve Beshear, whose popularity rating is under 40 percent.

McConnell, the Senate's Republican leader, said he expects Lunsford to "run the most negative campaign Kentuckians have ever seen." McConnell said Greg Fischer, the second place finisher in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, "and my friend Ben Chandler are all too familiar with" Lunsford's attack ads. Chandler ran against Lunsford in the 2003 governor's race.

UPDATE 5:22 p.m.: Lunsford said he has it easier than McConnell, who must answer for supporting President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney's policies. He also dubbed McConnell "Sir Mitchell."

"He sits up there in the ivory tower and doesn't want to get out in Kentucky," Lunsford  said.

So McConnell offered three questions to Lunsford:

• "How would he vote on the budget that we will be voting on either today or tomorrow here in the Senate?" asked McConnell, who is likely to vote against the budget bill.

Lunsford said the budget draft contains "some stimulus packages in there that could be helpful to the country right now." But he said "it isn't our budget, we didn't put it together," so he declined to speculate on whether he would vote for or against it.

• "How would he have voted on the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which he blames for the colossal failure and bankruptcy of his nursing home business? My assumption is that he would have voted with (former  Democratic U.S. Senator) Wendell Ford in opposing that," McConnell said.

Lunsford criticized the legislation for affecting nursing home companies, such as Vencor, which he founded. He claims the nursing home industry bore the brunt of what he called "draconian cuts" contained in the Balanced Budget Act that didn't become known until after details were hammered out in closed-door congressional conference committee meetings.

"This was ill-fated public policy that destroyed the industry," he said. "It’s the classic example of smoke-filled (room) political decisions being made that impacts people to protect special interest groups."

Lunsford has long held that other health care providers that spent more money on lobbying fees fared better than nursing home companies as a result of the bill.

• "The third question I think he ought to respond to is how would he have voted on my amendment in the last two weeks to increase domestic energy production, which, by the way, failed in the Senate and received just one Democratic vote in support?" McConnell asked. "We’ve got to get serious about not ruling so much of our own production out of bounds," he said, citing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which contains oil reserves. "We’ve got to have a balanced approach of both conservatation and production."

Lunsford said he opposes drilling in ANWR. "ANWR has the potential of being environmentally unsound and doesn’t do enough to help solve the problem," he said. "Again, that’s short term political thinking on the part of the Republicans and they’ve short-termed us to death, so now we’ve got nothing but long-term problems."

He favors placing a wind-fall profit tax on oil companies and approving a federal gas tax holiday this summer.

A Herald-Leader/WKYT Kentucky Poll of 600 likely Kentucky voters conducted May 7-9 showed McConnell leading Lunsford in a hypothetical November match-up by 12 percentage points, 48 to 36 percent. Sixteen percent were undecided.

The same poll showed McConnell's job-approval rating at 48 percent, with 44 percent disapproving and 8 percent unsure.

- Ryan Alessi

Comments

[Jimbo]

Lunsford should note the McConnell's positon on all 3 questions is flawed.

McConnell has supported budgets since 2002 which have required the Federal Government to borrow money from foreign nations like China to support the war in Iraq.

Lunsford needs to ask McConnell why he and Senator McCain oppose the GI Bill sponsored by Senator Jim Webb of Virginia which would increase educational benefits to our men and women who have served in combat overseas.

[Roger R]

Lunsford should also ask McConnell why he favor toll bridges at Louisville and Covington?

[Cindy]

Lunsford should ask Mitch, how come you are not wearing a flag lapel pin in your official senate photo??/

[lunsford not]

Lunsford should have been put in prison for what he has done over the past decades. Is this really the best we have to offer up as politicans?

[Lunsford YES]

Be put in prison for what exactly? What did HE do?

Mitch McConnell has continued to send American soldiers into harm's way in a war we have no place being involved in and more than 4000 have died...and voting against funding for better armor and health care for them when they return.

How about that?

[Me]

McConnell will win in November, but will likely lose his spot as senate minority leader. The anti-war vote will cost the Republicans seats in states like Colorado, Virginia, etc causing major blame on Mitch resulting in his replacement as Republican leader along with most of the house republican leadership.

[Roger]

Mitch McConnell cares more about the big oil companies than about sound energy policies.

Here's a news flash for ya, Mitch - Drilling in ANWR won't solve anything:

"In 2005, the Energy Information Administration estimated that it would take about 10 years before oil would flow from ANWR if drilling were approved. By 2025, it said, the additional oil would have only a slight impact on global oil prices and cause a decline in gasoline prices of less than a penny a gallon, using constant 2003 dollars. Oil imports would drop from an expected 68 percent of U.S. demand to 64 percent, the EIA said."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_u5JYufG7IzntX-X8DdNouL6rbAD90BNTJ80

But just think of all the money that big oil could make by exploiting Alaska! That's all Mitch cares about.