Merrick Krey, Kathy Groob on TV tomorrow

Democratic candidate for State Representative Merrick Krey will be attending a forum tomorrow night from 7:30 till 8:00. The forum, which will feature Krey debating his opponent Adam Koenig, will be moderated by the Enquirer's Pat Crowley and will air on Insight Channel 15.

Immediately following at 8:00, Democratic candidate for State Senate Kathy Groob will be facing off against her Republican opponent, Jack Westwood.

For those who don't have Insight cable, NKY.com plans to stream the event as well. Please tune in!

McConnell declines to debate Lunsford

From the Bruce Lunsford campaign:

McConnell Turns Down Centre College Debate
Decision Comes Shortly After He Rejected Offers From KET, League of Women Voters

LOUISVILLE - Just a few days after telling the League of Women Voters that Mitch McConnell "just isn't interested" in its debate and saying essentially the same thing to Kentucky Educational Television, the McConnell campaign has now said he won't accept a debate offer from Centre College. Centre College had proposed a debate between McConnell and his Democratic challenger, Bruce Lunsford, on October 26th. McConnell has cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for refusing to debate Bruce Lunsford. Which begs the question: What is on Mitch McConnell's schedule that prevents him from debating Bruce Lunsford before the voters of Kentucky?

"After we heard he turned down the League of Women Voters and KET debates, we challenged Mitch McConnell to come out from behind the curtain and let a broad audience of Kentuckians judge his record for themselves," Lunsford spokesman Cary Stemle said. "You'd think someone who's been in Washington for 24 years would have the courage to defend his record, but with each successive rejection, it appears he is determined to keep hiding behind false, negative attacks."

McConnell’s Ties to Wall Street Crisis

Bruce Lunsford issued this press release today:

New Lunsford Ad Exposes McConnell’s Ties to Wall Street Crisis
McConnell, Who Has Taken More Than $4 Million From Wall Street, Shares Responsibility for Financial Mess

LOUISVILLE – The latest ad from Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford pins the need for the recent Wall Street bailout to career politicians like Mitch McConnell who are beholden to special interests.

“A $700 billion bailout for Wall Street. How did we get into this mess?” a female narrator asks before answering the question. “Career politicians like Mitch McConnell.” The ad notes that McConnell took more than $4 million in campaign cash from the Wall Street financial industry, “got rid of the government regulations they didn’t like and let the billionaires and CEOs stuff their pockets with cash” while taxpayers are left to pay the bill.

“The financial meltdown is the direct result of eight years of Bush-McConnell economics,” Lunsford spokesman Cary Stemle said. “McConnell’s fingerprints are all over this crisis, which is nowhere near its conclusion, and he must be held accountable. After 24 years, it’s time to elect leaders who won’t pander to the Wall Street special interests. Kentucky needs change.”

The ad will air on television statewide starting today.

Lunsford hits back at McConnell

Bruce Lunsford's new ad takes Mitch to task over his exploitation of a WWII veteran. Check it out:

C-J: Mitch should debate

Today's Courier-Journal says that Mitch McConnell should be willing to debate Bruce Lunsford:

Mitch McConnell wraps himself in the mantle of an illustrious predecessor in the U.S. Senate -- Henry Clay. In the Senate chamber he has been assigned Mr. Clay's desk. In Mr. McConnell's office, a National Gallery portrait of his hero, the Great Compromiser, stares down.

Like Mr. Clay, Mitch McConnell is wily and tough and powerful. But in this year's re-election campaign, he has missed an opportunity to show some of the Clay courage. He turned down not only a debate with Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford that would have been broadcast statewide by Kentucky Educational Television but also a televised debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

This eliminated the best opportunities for a broad public airing of the issues in the Senate race.

The Courier-Journal's Al Cross adds this:

[Voters] deserve a chance to hear McConnell and Lunsford debate the real issues, but the senator has rejected KET's longstanding invitation for the only statewide debate on television, which would be held Oct. 27, eight days before the election. He says he has a scheduling conflict, but won't say what it is. That doesn't wash.

Mud and Mitch

Yesterday's Courier-Journal called out Mitch McConnell over his dishonest campaign tactics:

A very angry 83-year-old Navy veteran says Mitch McConnell took his comments about Valor Healthcare out of context and misused them.

Adolfo Pina explains that "McConnell used us veterans in a very wrong way" in political commercial attacking Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford, who invested in Valor and remains on its board after a term as chairman and CEO.

Mr. Pina, who served in the Pacific, says, "Valor clinic is doing very good for me here in Texas City. They're doing a good job by taking care of our needs. They're taking very good care of my needs, and I'm just one of thousands of veterans of World War II. The McConnell people interviewed me and took my words out of context. And I don't appreciate that. They did exactly what I told them not to do."

Click here to read the entire editorial.

McConnell Campaign Admits Deception

Bruce Lunsford issued this press release today:

McConnell Campaign Admits Deception of WWII Veteran
McConnell campaign quietly reworks advertisement

LOUISVILLE – Today Mitch McConnell’s campaign silently acknowledged it wrongly used the words of Adolfo Piña, a WWII Navy veteran, for use in its political advertisement. Last week, McConnell released an ad trying to smear Valor Healthcare and Bruce Lunsford by using Adolfo Piña’s comments out of context. After Piña said McConnell’s campaign deceived him by misusing his statements in McConnell’s ad, McConnell released a new version of the ad, this time without Piña.

“Mitch McConnell is back on the attack again, telling more lies,” said Lunsford campaign spokesman Cary Stemle. “At a time when our country faces a real crisis, McConnell confirms how desperate he is to hold onto power. Kentuckians deserve better.”

To check out the real story on Valor Healthcare and Bruce Lunsford, visit www.valortruth.com

Valor, which serves more than 57,000 veterans at 15 clinics in nine states, was started by veterans for veterans and has received widespread praise for its services since it opened four years ago.

McConnell's 4th entry into Hall of Shame

This came out today from the DSCC:

When Republican Mitch McConnell approved his latest campaign ad, he sank to a new low.

We’re awarding McConnell an unprecedented fourth spot in our Hall of Shame for his disgusting decision to rip a World War II veteran’s comments out of context and twist them into a false political attack.

Adolfo Piña, a Navy veteran who served his country in World War II, says his words were wrongly used by Mitch McConnell’s campaign in ads attacking the care at Valor Healthcare clinics. Piña appears in McConnell ads that criticize Valor Healthcare, a company that contracts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide cutting edge medical care to nearly 60,000 veterans across the country.

But Piña, who fought with the Navy in the Pacific, including several major battles in the Philippines, has high praise for Valor.

“Valor clinic is doing very good for me here in Texas City,” Piña says. “They’re doing a good job by taking care of our needs, they’re taking very good care of my needs and I’m just one of the thousands of veterans of World War II. The McConnell people interviewed me and took my words out of context. And I don’t appreciate that. They did exactly what I told them not to do.”

And it’s not even the first time McConnell has been busted for tricking the people who appear in his campaign ads:

Two of three University of Louisville physicians who made videotaped statements of support for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell last year say they didn't realize their comments would be part of a television ad for the senator's re-election campaign.

And the third says that he wouldn't have agreed to the taping had he known it would appear on McConnell's campaign Web site.

The Louisville Courier-Journal described this kind of campaign philosophy as: "Say anything you like. By the time the truth catches up with you, who cares?” And it’s clear that McConnell doesn’t care about anything except getting re-elected. This latest episode is especially shameful, even by the low standard McConnell has set for himself.

WWII Vet Responds to McConnell’s Valor Deception

Today, Bruce Lunsford issued this press release:

WWII Vet Responds to McConnell’s Valor Deception in New Lunsford Ad
Adolfo Piña ‘Very Disappointed’ After McConnell Campaign Lies About His Beliefs

LOUISVILLE – Adolfo Piña, a Navy veteran who served his country in World War II, says his words were wrongly used by Mitch McConnell’s campaign in ads attacking the care at Valor Healthcare clinics. Piña appears in McConnell ads that criticize Valor Healthcare, a company that contracts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide cutting edge medical care to nearly 60,000 veterans across the country.

But Piña, who fought with the Navy in the Pacific, including several major battles in the Philippines, has high praise for Valor.

“Valor clinic is doing very good for me here in Texas City,” Piña says. “They’re doing a good job by taking care of our needs, they’re taking very good care of my needs and I’m just one of the thousands of veterans of World War II. The McConnell people interviewed me and took my words out of context. And I don’t appreciate that. They did exactly what I told them not to do.”

Piña echoes those comments in the new ad from Bruce Lunsford, which begins airing statewide today.

“McConnell has stooped to a new low,” said Lunsford spokesman Cary Stemle. “This is the mother of all McCON jobs: He exploited our veterans for political gain, conning Adolfo Piña into appearing in an ad attacking Valor Healthcare, even though Piña is happy with his care at Valor. What kind of senator exploits our veterans for political gain? McConnell’s desire to hold onto power knows no bounds. 24 years of this is enough.”

Check out the new ad by visiting www.Bruce2008.com

To check out the real story on Valor Healthcare and Bruce Lunsford, visit www.valortruth.com

Access backup documents here.

Valor, which serves more than 57,000 veterans at 15 clinics in nine states, was started by veterans for veterans and has received widespread praise for its services since it opened nearly four years ago.

Bruce Lunsford, a successful entrepreneur, business leader and health care executive, exemplifies the American Dream. After growing up cutting tobacco on his family’s Northern Kentucky farm, Bruce went on to college at the University of Kentucky, laying blacktop as a way to help pay for his education. He then served in the U.S. Army Reserves and as Kentucky’s Commerce Secretary before starting a business with 3 people and growing it to employ over 62,000 people. As Kentucky’s next U.S. Senator, Bruce will fight to make the American Dream more accessible to Kentuckians from all walks of life.

H-L: Mitch has 'political laryngitis'

Today's Herald-Leader editorializes on Mitch McConnell's sudden reluctance to debate Bruce Lunsford:

Students of politics have swooned over Republicans for years for their ability to stay on message.

So, what happens when they don't have a message, or the message ("Yeah, we pushed deregulating financial markets for years and this is where we are and, by the way, our party has one of the most unpopular presidents in history in the White House.") is too dreadful to discuss?

...our own Sen. Mitch McConnell has declined to participate in an Oct. 7 League of Women Voters debate against his opponent, businessman Bruce Lunsford. Two recent polls show McConnell and Lunsford essentially tied for voter support.

Click here to read the entire editorial.