I Remember

President Obama's weekly address

Ahead of the elections, the President says no matter what happens both parties must work together to boost the economy, and expresses concern about statements to the contrary from Republican Leaders.

Jack Conway will do right by Kentucky

Governor Beshear's weekly address

President Obama on 'The Daily Show'

President Obama was interviewed by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show last night. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the video:

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

Rand Paul flip-flops on returning stomper's cash

Greg Sargent of the Washington Post has the story on Rand Paul's latest flip-flop:

The Louisville Courier Journal reported today that the Rand Paul campaign says it won't be returning nearly $2000 in campaign contributions chipped in by Tim Profitt, the former Bourbon County coordinator who admitted to stomping MoveOn's Lauren Valle.

But last night, less than 24 hours ago, the Paul campaign told Fox News that they would be returning the money, according to video the Jack Conway campaign sent my way:



The Fox anchor noted last night that the Paul campaign said they were disassociating themselves from the stomper, and added: "That disassociation includes returning any campaign donations he made." Seems that's no longer operative. Honestly, should this one really be a tough call?

Jack Conway debates Rand Paul on KET

Did you miss last night's debate between Jack Conway and Rand Paul? Here's a link to watch it via KET's website.

Paul's prescriptions are wrong for Kentucky

Deirdre Murphy, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee National Press Secretary, released the following statement on last night's Kentucky Senate debate:

Kentuckians saw tonight why Attorney General Jack Conway is the only candidate in the race who can be trusted to look out for their interests in Washington. Conway clearly laid out his positive plan for growing the Kentucky economy, getting Kentuckians back to work, and standing up for Kentucky values. Conway showed why he can be counted on to protect Social Security and Medicare for Kentucky senior citizens, safety protections for Kentucky coal miners, programs and benefits for Kentucky veterans, and Pell Grants and Stafford Loans for Kentucky’s future generations.

Conway’s opponent Rand Paul demonstrated once and for all that he doesn’t understand Kentucky and can’t be trusted to represent Kentuckians. Paul reiterated his support for a $2,000 Medicare deductible for Kentucky’s senior citizens, his support for a massive 23% national sales tax on nearly everything Kentuckians buy, and his support for eliminating the Department of Education. The more Kentuckians hear from Rand Paul, the more they realize Rand Paul’s reckless policy prescriptions are wrong for Kentucky.

Mitch McConnell’s Destructive Partisanship

In an interview with the National Journal published this week, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” In response, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine released the following statement:

Taking bold steps to repair America’s economy, create jobs, reform health care, improve educational opportunities, and support the middle class through tax cuts and other measures, as Democrats have done – that’s an achievement.

Mitch McConnell’s idea of "achievement" illustrates everything that’s wrong with the Republican Party. For Republicans, it’s not about creating jobs; not about economic recovery or security; not about creating better educational opportunities.

For Republicans, it’s about partisanship over solutions -- obstructing progress to do the bidding of moneyed special interests in the hopes of winning electoral victories. That’s not achievement. That’s exactly what Americans hate about Washington. Republicans’ cynical approach isn’t just hurting the political process, it has had a direct impact on families across America, whose jobs, health care, and unemployment benefits were held in limbo by Republican obstructionism.

Now, the Republican Leader in the Senate – the very man who set his Republican colleagues on a course of politically motivated obstruction even before the President was sworn into office – is promising two more years of politics as usual. Republicans continue to put their party’s interests ahead of solving the important issues facing the country and the American people, and that’s just plain wrong. On November 2, let’s tell them so.

Conway makes NKY campaign stop

NKY.com has the story:

At a campaign stop in Covington Monday, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jack Conway said the momentum is on his side as the race draws to a close.

“A lot of people say to me, ‘Jack, it seems like you’re feisty and you’re fighting.’ The answer is, heck yeah I’m fighting,” he told supporters. “I’m fighting for seniors, I’m fighting for students, I’m fighting for veterans, I’m fighting for working people. The question I have for the people of Northern Kentucky is, will you fight with me in the next eight days?”

After trailing Republican Rand Paul for much of the race, most independent polls now show Conway within 5 points of Paul, just a week before the Nov. 2 election.

Herald-Leader: RPK's smear on Conway is 'false'

The Herald-Leader fact-checks the latest claim from the Republican Party of Kentucky:

The statement: “Liberal Jack Conway supports Obama’s cap-and-trade plan which will cost Kentuckians jobs.”

— Republican Party of Kentucky, in a mailing against Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway

The ruling: False

Rand Paul: Wrong for Kentucky

Courier-Journal endorses Jack Conway

Today, the Courier-Journal endorsed Jack Conway for US Senate:

Unlike Dr. Paul, who has never held a government office, Mr. Conway already has a strong record of public service. As a senior adviser and a legal counsel under Gov. Paul Patton, Mr. Conway played a key policy-making role, including as an architect of the nationally acclaimed higher education reform law of 1997. In almost three years as attorney general, Mr. Conway has saved the state's taxpayers several hundred millions of dollars, fighting high Medicaid drug costs, unjustified utility rate hikes and price gouging by oil companies. He also saved money by not joining the right-wing lawsuit against health care reform, noting that it also could open legal challenges to Social Security and Medicare.

...Dr. Paul's campaign, on the other hand, has been a loopy journey of bizarre positions, often followed by reversals or clarifications. At various times, he has questioned the government's right to prevent racial discrimination by businesses, brushed off the need for the Americans with Disabilities Act (there are at least 12,000 disabled veterans alone in Kentucky) and tough mine-safety regulations, suggested federal anti-drug programs aren't essential in this state, floated the idea of a $2,000 deductible for Medicare and briefly seemed to endorse a regressive 23 percent sales tax to replace income taxes.

...Kentuckians should not gamble on a candidate far out of the political mainstream. They should send Mr. Conway to the Senate.

Editorial comic roundup

(Click for larger image)

Jack Conway coming to Kenton County

Jack Conway will be making an appearance in Kenton County on Monday, October 25. The location is Otto's on Main, at 521 Main Street in Covington. Jack will be there from noon to 1:00. Please attend if you can, and show your support for Jack Conway!

Here's a map to Otto's:


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President Obama's weekly address

The President hones in on the passage of Wall Street Reform over the ferocious lobbying of Wall Street banks as a pivotal moment in the last two years, and condemns Republicans in Congress for vowing to repeal it.

Jon Draud's history of wasting tax dollars

On November 2, Kenton County will choose between Tom Elfers and Jon Draud for County Commissioner. The Kenton County Democratic Party proudly supports Tom Elfers, who has experience in creating jobs, finding creative solutions to problems, and living within a budget.

His opponent Jon Draud has a history of wasting taxpayer money. This is what Draud was up to in May 2008:

At a time when Kentucky faces serious budget problems and even more serious cuts and restrictions in the realm of education– we’re spending THOUSANDS of dollars for Jon Draud to drive a fancy new 2008 Chrysler 300. A Chrysler 300 with more than $13,000 in options added to its base price.

All while teachers from Georgetown to Glasgow are forced to forfeit classroom funds that were raised by students just to pay utility bills.

The choice is clear. Please vote for Tom Elfers for County Commissioner on November 2!

Rand Paul's 23% sales tax

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Rand's Sales Tax

Rand Paul's 'How to Perform a Backflip'

Today the DSCC issued this press release on Rand Paul:

Five months after running an insurgent campaign and knocking off Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate in the Republican primary, Rand Paul has performed so many flip-flops and backflips, he’s turned into the very worst kind of politician who can’t be trusted to represent the Kentucky’s families.

On primary night, Rand Paul bragged that he would not “weave and dodge,” he would not “become a moderate” or “give up” his Tea Party message. Yet since he made that pledge, Rand Paul has changed his position on at least 15 issues:

After…

• Receiving sustained criticism for his opposition to civil rights, Rand Paul is now claiming he supports them.
• Questioning the Federal Fair Housing Act, he now says he doesn’t want to repeal the law.
• Repeatedly opposing the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rand Paul now claims that never was the case.
• Defending BP’s disastrous behavior in the Gulf of Mexico by claiming “accidents happen,” Rand Paul now says we need more regulations for offshore oil drilling.
• Claiming he was a board certified Ophthalmologist, Rand Paul now acknowledges he isn’t board certified.
• Railing against government spending, Rand Paul says he won’t cut reimbursements for doctors.
• Pledging to not take money from the senators who backed the bailout, Rand Paul now claims that was only a primary pledge.
• Comparing a southern border fence to the Berlin Wall and repeatedly campaigning on building an “underground electric fence,” Rand Paul now supports building a physical fence along the U.S.-Mexican border, blaming his previous stance on “whoever is writing for our Web site.”
• Favoring abolishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he now claims he doesn’t favor eliminating the USDA.
• Opposing farm subsidies, Rand Paul now claims he doesn’t support eliminating all subsidies.
• After posting on his website he supported closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, he later said that was not his position and blamed the mistake on a staffer.
• Repeatedly opposing and arguing that Congress has no business regulating mines. Now he claims he just never said that.
• Advocating cutting veterans benefits, Rand Paul immediately claimed he never supported such a position.
• Repeatedly stating his opposition to federal government involvement in drug enforcement, Rand Paul now says he supports ongoing efforts.
• After signaling his support for the FairTax, Paul then claimed he never said he supported the FairTax, even though he was caught on tape professing support for the FairTax.

“Kentucky middle class families cannot trust Rand Paul to represent them in the U.S. Senate. After spending the last five months trying to run from his extreme record, Rand Paul has quickly turned into the very worst kind of politician,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Far from endearing himself to Kentuckians, Paul’s backflips have reminded voters that no matter how hard he tries, he’ll never understand Kentucky.”

More Republican hypocrisy

Today's column by Derrick Z Jackson is a must-read:

[Massachusetts Senator Scott] Brown is one of a host of prominent Republicans who has trashed the stimulus and fanned a toxic anti-government fervor among Americans and groups such as the Tea Party. Yet they made it their private business to net jobs out of the stimulus.

The Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative journalism organization, reported this week that it has obtained about 2,000 letters from members of Congress supporting stimulus grant applications, primarily for the departments of transportation, energy, and commerce. One was from Brown in support of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute's effort to expand broadband access, particularly in Western Massachusetts. Despite his declarations that stimulus funds create no new jobs, Brown wrote, "Broadband coverage is essential to the economic well-being and recovery of Western Massachusetts... Broadband coverage is also crucial in bringing together educators and students at our community colleges in order to help prepare our next generation of entrepreneurs and job creators."

This was repeated all over the nation by stimulus naysayers. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said the stimulus was going to "squander an enormous amount of money on things that won’t make much of a difference." Yet he wrote five letters to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood supporting various projects that sounded downright Democrat, including bike paths in the Bowling Green area. In a letter supporting funding to rehab rail lines, McConnell wrote, "supporting Appalachian railroads has the potential to attract industry, create jobs and move goods through areas underserved by national highways."

Tom Elfers on one-party rule in Kenton County

Kenton County Commissioner candidate Tom Elfers discusses running in Kenton County as a Democrat, and discusses how he is the more fiscally responsible candidate in this race.



Please vote for Tom Elfers on November 2! And if you're able, donate or volunteer for his campaign.

Aqua Buddha prank victim: Conway ad is accurate

Greg Sargent of The Washington Post has the low-down on Conway's Aqua Buddha ad:

Dem Jack Conway's new ad hammering Rand Paul over his college excesses is accurate on the facts, and it's legit to raise questions about his past views as a way of probing whether his current posture as a conservative Christian is genuine, the victim of Paul's Aqua Buddha prank just told me in an interview.

...She confirmed the ad's accuracy, and wondered aloud why Paul doesn't just admit what occured and move on.

"Yes, he was in a secret society, yes, he mocked religion, yes, the whole Aqua Buddha thing happened," she said. "There was a different side to him at one time and he's pretending that it never existed. If he would just acknowledge it, it would all go away and it wouldn't matter anymore."

Rand Paul's crocodile tears

Today, the DSCC issued this press release about Rand Paul:

As Rand Paul creates a diversionary spectacle, one key point remains: he has yet to deny the charges against him. Today, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is calling on Paul to answer the two questions still on the table. Despite a 60-minute nationally televised debate, and countless news stories, Rand Paul has yet to deny any charge regarding his membership in an anti-Christian society, and/or his activities as part of the group.

1. Why were you a member of a secret society that called the Holy Bible “a hoax,” and was banned for mocking Christianity?
2. Under what circumstances is it acceptable to tie-up a woman and tell her to bow down before a false idol and say your god was an “Aqua Buddha”?

“Rand Paul’s theatrical performances may be distractions, but they are not substitutes for answers,” said DSCC Communications Director Eric Schultz. “The bottom line is Paul still hasn’t denied the charges against him. Paul should take time today to finally answer the two questions he has yet to address. To accommodate his strict restrictions for the press, we’ve even put the questions into writing.”

According to Paul’s fellow NoZe brother, Paul “would have been involved” in the production of the NoZe’s newsletter, which “often had a specifically anti-Christian tone” and would have been “familiar with its stance toward religion, including ‘a strong subversive anti-Christian strain.’” According to the brother, “Randy smoked pot” and “he made fun of Baptists.”

“We aspired to blasphemy,” said the brother, one of two alumni who confirmed Paul's membership, “and he flourished in it.”


GQ: Paul In College Was A Member Of Secret Society That Tormented School Officials And Mocked Religious Aspects. In August 2010, GQ reported: “According to several of his former Baylor classmates, he became a member of a secret society called the NoZe Brotherhood, which was a refuge for atypical Baylor students. […] Sort of a cross between Yale’s Skull & Bones and Harvard's Lampoon, the NoZe existed to torment the Baylor administration, which it accomplished through pranks and its satirical newspaper The Rope. The group especially enjoyed tweaking the school's religiosity.” [GQ, 8/09/10]

Paul’s Secret Society Was Involved In Anti-Religious And “Lewd” Pranks. “The NoZe Brothers would perform ‘Christian’ songs like ‘Rock Around the Cross’; they'd parade around campus carrying a giant picture of Anita Bryant with a large hole cut out of her mouth after the former beauty queen proclaimed oral sex sinful; and they'd run ads for a Waco strip club on the back page of The Rope. In 1978, the Baylor administration became so fed up with the NoZe that it suspended the group from campus for being, in the words of Baylor's president at the time, ‘lewd, crude, and grossly sacrilegious.’ During Paul's three years at Baylor, according to former NoZe Brothers, if the administration discovered a student was a member of the NoZe, the punishment was automatic expulsion.” [GQ, 8/09/10]

Paul Took Woman, Blindfolded Her, Told Her To Smoke Pot And Made Her Worship “Aqua Buddha.” Around 1983, Paul and a fellow NoZe brother visited a female student who was one of Paul’s teammates on the Baylor swim team. According to this woman, who requested anonymity because of her current job as a clinical psychologist: “He and Randy came to my house, they knocked on my door, and then they blindfolded me, tied me up, and put me in their car. They took me to their apartment and tried to force me to take bong hits. They'd been smoking pot.” She continued: “They told me their god was ‘Aqua Buddha’ and that I needed to bow down and worship him,” the woman recalls. “They blindfolded me and made me bow down to ‘Aqua Buddha’ in the creek. I had to say, ‘I worship you Aqua Buddha, I worship you.’ At Baylor, there were people actively going around trying to save you and we had to go to chapel, so worshiping idols was a big no-no.” [GQ, 8/09/10]

GQ: We Gave Paul The Chance To Refute The Story – And He Hasn’t. Politico wrote that GQ’s editor said that Paul had never denied that night had occurred. Jim Nelson, GQ's editor in chief, defended the story in a statement: “We’ve vetted, researched, and exhaustively fact-checked Jason Zengerle’s reporting on Rand Paul’s college days, we stand by the story, and we gave the Paul campaign every opportunity to refute it. We notice that they have not, in fact, refuted it.” [Politico, 8/09/10]

Politico: Paul’s Camp Repeated “Non-Denial Denial” Of GQ Story. After GQ published allegations Paul kidnapped a friend and made her smoke pot, Politico’s Ben Smith reached out to Paul’s campaign for comment. Smith said they offered another “non-denial denial.” Smith wrote: “Paul spokesman Jesse Benton didn't respond directly to Zengerle's question about the incident; I've e-mailed him to ask whether that story is true, and am also trying to reach the accuser. UPDATE: Benton repeated his non-denial to me in an e-mail, adding: ‘We'll leave National Enquirer-type stories about his teenage years to the tabloids where they belong.’” [Politico, 8/10/10]

Paul’s College Group Insulted Christianity And Was Eventually Banned. In October 2010, Politico reported: “Issues of the newsletter published by Paul's secret society, the NoZe Brotherhood, during his time at Baylor reveal a more specific political problem for the Kentucky Republican: The group's work often had a specifically anti-Christian tone, as it made fun of the Baptist college's faith-based orientation. […] The NoZe Brotherhood, as the group was called, was formally banned by Baylor two years before Paul arrived on the grounds of ‘sacrilege,’ the university president said at the time. ‘They had 'made fun of not only the Baptist religion, but Christianity and Christ,'’ President Herbert Reynolds told the student newspaper, ‘The Lariat.’” [Politico, 10/12/10]

Paul Did Not Deny the Story. Paul's spokesman, Jesse Benton, responded to the report by assailing Paul's Democratic foe – but did not deny the story. "So now the Democrats are shopping stories about 30-year-old college articles that aren't even attributed to Rand?" [Politico, 10/12/10]

Jack Conway debates Rand Paul in Louisville

Here's the video of last night's debate between Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Rand Paul:

Editorial comic roundup

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Richie Farmer wastes taxpayer dollars

The Herald-Leader has the latest news on Richie Farmer:

This summer, as the state government readied another round of budget cuts, including worker furloughs and Medicaid reductions, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and three top aides took an eight-day trip to a Caribbean luxury resort that cost taxpayers more than $10,000, according to a review of state travel records.

...Next year, when [David] Williams and Farmer run on a Republican ticket for governor and lieutenant governor, their campaign's call for "a smaller, leaner government" might lose some credibility if they're not sharing in the same austerity as the rest of the state, said Don Gross, a University of Kentucky political scientist.

In August, the Herald-Leader reported that Farmer had spent about $445,000 buying 19 new vehicles for his department — including a $35,340 car for his own use, replacing a 2-year-old vehicle — while the rest of state government dramatically cut back on such purchases.

Conway right choice for U.S. Senate

The Herald-Leader has endorsed Jack Conway for US Senate. Here's an excerpt from their endorsement:

A stark contrast in choices faces Kentucky voters in this year's U.S. Senate campaign between Attorney General Jack Conway and Bowling Green ophthalmologist Rand Paul — both of whom the Herald-Leader endorsed in the primary.

...the stark choice for Kentucky voters is this: a moderate Democrat who understands Kentucky's problems and needs and has a plan for creating jobs versus an ideologue Republican/Tea Partier with no record, no understanding of the state and a chain saw for a plan.

By far, Jack Conway stands as the better prepared candidate to serve the best interests of Kentucky in the U.S. Senate.

Top Ten signs there's trouble at Fox News

President Obama's weekly address

The President lays out his agenda to foster investment here at home. He vows to close the tax loopholes for sending jobs and profits overseas the Congressional Republicans have tried to protect.

Jack Conway debates Rand Paul in Paducah

Here's the video of Thursday's debate between Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Rand Paul:

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Another reason not to trust Rand Paul

Today The DSCC issued this press release:

In a stunning backtrack, Rand Paul is now saying he never called for a nationwide 23% sales tax, only one day after he did advocate for a 23% sales tax. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Paul said “I would vote for the FairTax to get rid of the Sixteenth Amendment.” However, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that yesterday Paul said in regards to abolishing the 16th Amendment and putting into place the FairTax “I really haven’t been saying anything like that.”

In fact, Paul has advocated for the FairTax on at least five separate occasions in the past (see bullets below), which raises major questions regarding Paul’s trustworthiness, honesty, and integrity.

Paul’s so-called “FairTax,” would replace the income tax with a 23% sales tax on almost everything Kentuckians buy, including groceries, prescription drugs, doctors visits and gasoline. Paul’s reckless tax scheme would even eliminate corporate income taxes and deductions on which middle class Kentuckians rely, like the mortgage deduction.

“Kentuckians are finding out they can’t trust anything that comes out of Rand Paul’s mouth,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “As much as Paul may want to distance himself from his disastrous plan to place a 23% sales tax on nearly everything Kentuckians buy, he’s been advocating for it for years. Kentucky middle-class families can’t afford Paul and his gigantic sales tax hike.”

Rand Paul of Kentucky has spent months walking away from his record and who he really is. A month after saying the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t apply to private business and refusing to say he would have voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act, Paul backtracked on his positions, saying the federal government was right to impose civil rights on private business. Paul committed the same politically expedient move after he defended BP after the oil spill, calling criticism of the company “Un-American.” Under fire for his remarks, Paul went back on his comments, saying government regulations of offshore drilling were not adequate. Paul has also gone into hiding with the media, refusing to conduct interviews and forcing journalists to submit all questions in writing despite “offering detailed answers on just about any topic during his primary campaign.” Paul recently held a fundraiser in Washington DC with the same establishment Republicans he railed against on the campaign trail and has said the drug problem in eastern Kentucky is “not a real pressing issue.”

Paul Preferred A Sales Tax To An Income Tax. In an interview on Kentucky Tonight, Paul stated, “You have to look at the numbers and crunch the numbers. But I like a sales tax better than an income tax.” [Kentucky Tonight, 11/24/08]

Paul Admits The Consensus Is The Fair Tax Would Burden The Poor, But He Supports It Anyway. At a meeting of the Kentucky Federation of College Republicans, Paul said: The fair tax is an idea of going to a national sales tax instead of an income tax. I would always favor a sales tax over an income tax. But here, I'll tell you what I think the problem is, is that it will never pass. Because the general consensus says it's a regressive tax, meaning that poor people will pay a greater share than they do now, and rich people or people from middle to upper income will pay less. But I do like the sales tax better than the income tax.” [Remarks at Western Kentucky University, uploaded 4/08/09]

Paul Favored Eliminating The Income Tax In Favor Of A Sales Tax. In a Paducah Rally in Gazebo, Paul stated, “Would I prefer to pay a sales tax over an income tax? Yes. I probably would at almost every level. If I were even at the lower end of the economic spectrum, I would because I’d want to be able to have the ability to get ahead in life, and I’d get ahead without an income tax. Yes, ultimately.” [Remarks at Paducah Rally, 5/08/09]

Paul Said He Favored Fair Tax, Eliminating IRS. Speaking at an event in McCracken County, KY in April 2010, Paul said he favored the Fair Tax. Paul said: “Where do I stand on the Fair Tax? The fairest tax would be replacing the income tax with a sales tax and getting rid of the IRS and that would be great.” [Remarks in McCracken County, 4/10/10]

Paul Would Support “Anything” That Simplified the Tax Code. In July 2010, on the day Steve Forbes was to hold a $1,000-a-seat fundraiser for Paul, Paul’s campaign manager told CNN that Paul supported a flat tax, something Forbes had long supported. “Benton says that Paul supports fundamental tax reform and would vote for anything that simplified and/or cut the tax burden, including a flat tax,” CNN reported. [CNN, 7/12/10]

Another Rand Waffle

Rand Paul is once again talking out of both sides of his mouth. It was reported just yesterday that Rand has a radical plan to replace the income tax with a national sales tax:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky said Tuesday the federal tax code is a “disaster,” and he wants to replace the income tax with a retail sales tax.

Paul said that he would support changing the federal tax code to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service, and he would vote to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment that created the federal income tax.

Fast-forward to today:

But when reporters asked Paul Wednesday why he thought the tax should be abolished, he said, “I really haven’t been saying anything like that.”

So what is Rand's position on this idea? Is he for it, or is he against it? What does Rand Paul actually believe? It's time for Rand to get off the fence and tell us what he wants to do.

How out of touch can Rand Paul get?

Today The DSCC issued this press release:

Rand Paul, already under fire for not understanding Kentucky, just gave even more proof why he’s too risky for Kentucky by endorsing a 23% national sales tax on Kentuckians, a policy advocated for by a Texas-based group. According to the Associated Press, Paul would vote for the “FairTax,” which would replace the income tax with a 23% sales tax on almost everything Kentuckians buy, including groceries, prescription drugs, doctors visits and gasoline. Paul’s reckless tax scheme would even eliminate corporate income taxes and deductions on which middle class Kentuckians rely, like the mortgage deduction.

As the AP notes, “The proposal has been championed by the Texas-based group Americans for Fair Taxation and a newly formed affiliate, FairTax America Support Team. Paul's former campaign manager, David Adams, is a member of the affiliate's governing board.”

“Could Rand Paul be more out of touch with Kentucky?” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “At a time when middle-class Kentuckians are already struggling to make ends meet and pay the bills, forcing them to pay a 23% sales tax on nearly everything they buy is not only reckless and risky, it’s downright wrong. Once again, Paul has shown he has absolutely no clue what challenges Kentucky families face every day.”

Rand Paul has proven that he just doesn’t understand Kentucky. Since he beat Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate in the Republican primary, Paul has come under fire from Democrats and Republicans for calling for the elimination of the Department of Education, disbanding the Federal Reserve, and calling into question the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Paul also called criticism of BP “un-American,” has said the drug problem in eastern Kentucky is “not a real pressing issue,” and thinks Kentucky seniors should pay a $2,000 Medicare deductible.

Rand Paul: No respect for Kentucky

Jack Conway debates Rand Paul at NKU

Did you miss last night's debate between Jack Conway and Rand Paul? Here's the video:

Shadowy players in a new class war

Today's column by E.J. Dionne is great. Here's an excerpt:

...corporations and affluent individuals are pouring tens of millions of dollars into attack ads aimed almost exclusively at Democrats. One of the biggest political players, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, accepts money from foreign sources.

The chamber piously insists that none of the cash from abroad is going into its ad campaigns. But without full disclosure, there's no way of knowing if that's true or simply an accounting trick. And the chamber is just one of many groups engaged in an election-year spending spree.

This extraordinary state of affairs was facilitated by the U.S. Supreme Court's scandalous Citizens United decision, which swept away decades of restrictions on corporate spending to influence elections. The Republicans' success in blocking legislation that would at least have required the big spenders to disclose the sources of their money means voters have to operate in the dark.

Editorial comic roundup

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President Obama's weekly address

The President explains that even as we focus on creating jobs immediately, we must also ensure the economy is better for our children by investing in education -- not cutting it by 20% as Congressional Republicans propose.

New ad from Jack Conway

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Trifecta of Torment

Today's column by Nicholas Kristof is a must-read. Here's an excerpt:

...the Republicans propose other actions that worsen the fiscal situation even more [than the Recovery Act]. For starters, the Republicans favor almost $700 billion in extended tax cuts for the most affluent Americans. The Democratic leadership opposes them.

In addition, the Republicans call for repealing the health care reform. The Congressional Budget Office suggests that repealing certain provisions of that act would mean an increase in deficits of about $455 billion. On the other hand, keeping health reform will trim the deficits by more than $170 billion between now and 2020, the C.B.O. says.

There are many other elements in play, but put these big ones together and what do you get, on a comparative basis? The Democrats worsen the deficits by a net of about $640 billion, while Republicans worsen them by some $1.1 trillion — almost twice as much.

Rand Paul defies logic

The Herald-Leader has this must-read story:

Despite videos, Rand Paul says he doesn't support higher Medicare deductibles

LOUISVILLE — Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul claims in a new TV ad he does not support higher deductibles for Medicare and that his Democratic rival, Jack Conway, is "deliberately distorting" his views on the issue.

But Conway has released a video that shows Paul suggesting repeatedly there should be a $2,000 deductible for Medicare patients.

So to reiterate, Rand Paul has repeatedly said on video that he supports a $2000 Medicare deductible. Now he says he doesn't support that.

Does Rand Paul really expect us to believe him?

Rand Paul doesn't get Kentucky

Rand Paul and His Nutty Ideas

Rand Paul gets fact-checked

Courtesy of FactCheck.org:

"Fox News Sunday" hosted a debate between Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul, a Republican, and his Democratic opponent, Jack Conway.

Paul’s statements about the economic and citizenship status of the country’s uninsured population were false.

Jack Conway takes on Rand Paul on Fox TV

Did you miss this morning's debate between Kentucky's Senatorial candidates? Jack Conway did a great job highlighting how Rand Paul's policies would be harmful to Kentuckians. Check it out!

President Obama's weekly address

The President points to a revolutionary new solar plant that will employ 1,000 people and power 140,000 homes. The plant is possible because of the President's investments in the clean energy economy, which Congressional Republicans want to eliminate.

Governor Beshear's weekly address