By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET
Forgive the not-so-humble brag, but I’ve lived a charmed, Forrest-Gumpian existence, having rubbed shoulders with Presidents, movie stars, and my full share of the rich and famous types so adored by our celebrity-worshipping culture. I’ve also endured many extraordinarily stressful situations, ranging from national TV interviews to intense world poker tournaments.
But when I ran into my childhood hero this afternoon, I immediately regressed into a bumbling, stumbling pre-teen.
Jack “Goose” Givens was the star player on my favorite sports team, the 1977-78 national champion University of Kentucky Wildcats. In his final 40 minutes in a blue and white uniform, Goose scored a near-record 41 points to clinch the NCAA championship, forever sealing him in this then-10-year-old’s mind as the greatest human to walk the earth.
Just this afternoon, I ran into Givens in front of a Lexington restaurant. “Goose?” I asked. He warmly smiled. I can’t remember anything else I said, although I seem to recall a few mutterings about his picture still being on my wall, forever sealing me in his mind as a deranged stalker.
In the wake of recent scandals involving sports icons Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez, Ray Lewis, and now Oscar Pistorius, there’ve been plenty of agonized news stories like this and this that highlight the danger of placing too much faith and confidence in our near-worship of talented athletes, who too often fall far short of the idealized vision we have of their character and integrity.
But in my sophomoric glee in my brief encounter today with my own childhood hero, I was reminded of how important a role sports plays in our own sense of innocence, even for a cynical, middle-age recovering politician. In an otherwise hectic, stressful day, I was transported to a special time in my life, one that I shared closely with my beloved late father, when superheroes did exist, and magic was possible. And I will endure all of the stories of steroids and sexual escapades, if but just for a few more brief moments of that special brand of nostalgia for myself, my daughters and their children.
It looks like the potential field for the 2014 U.S. Senate race might be a bit more crowded than previously expected.
Today’s news is the possible entry of Matt Bevin in the GOP primary. Check out this excerpt of the today’s issue of The Recovering Politician‘s KY Political Brief.
And be sure to sign up for the FREE email with all of Kentucky’s latest political developments delivered first thing every weekday morning to your inbox:
MCCONNELL 2014 — Rand Paul reticent about potential Tea Party challenger to McConnell – WFPL’s Phillip Bailey – “Speaking in downtown Louisville on Wednesday, Paul says he has been following news reports about the race but hasn’t had a chance to speak with Bevin directly. “I haven’t had any real discussions with him or others about it other than to say I’ve heard the same rumors,” says Paul. “I’ve met him before and I’m pretty sure he’s a supporter of mine.” … Paul told reporters he is backing McConnell’s re-election bid, but when asked why Tea Party activists in Louisville and across the state haven’t followed suit, Kentucky’s junior senator was stumped. “You know, I don’t know if I have an answer really,” he says.” [WFPL]
—Challenger must battle for Tea Party support to face off with McConnell [The Hill]
WILL JUDD RUN? — Ashley Judd meets with DSCC – POLITICO – “Actress Ashley Judd privately met with officials at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington earlier this week, as she continues to weigh whether to mount a Senate run against Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, according to two sources familiar with the session. According to one person familiar with the matter, Tuesday’s meeting marked Judd’s first formal one with officials at the DSCC, which coordinates strategy, recruits and fundraises on behalf of Senate Democratic candidates. DSCC officials refused to comment, saying they would not discuss candidate recruitment.” [POLITICO]
Here’s today’s latest news on potentially the hottest race in the 2014 cycle from The Recovering Politician‘s KY Political Brief:
MCCONNELL 2014 — Confirmation: Matthew Bevin considering GOP primary run against Sen. McConnell, asks for feedback – Insider Louisville – Quoting Bevin spokesperson: “As a point of clarification, Matt has made no final decision with respect to this race. He has, however, met in recent weeks with various individuals and groups who have expressed their frustration with their current representation in Washington, D.C. and have encouraged him to consider entering the race. … As a married father of nine, active businessman and long time resident, Matt, like many Kentuckians, wants to ensure that his children’s futures are as bright as his were as a boy. To that end, he has always been open to listening to a wide range of ideas for charting a better path forward. That is what he is doing at this time.” [Insider Louisville]
—Matt who? Tea Party vets upset with potential McConnell primary challenger – WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold – “… A potential tea party challenge by Bevins elicited consternation from some Kentucky tea party leaders who lashed out at him on Facebook. “Would this business owner taking taxpayer money to rebuild his business after a fire be considered to support limited government, free-markets, fiscal responsibility? What happen to his business insurance coverage?” asked John T. Kemper of the United Kentucky Tea Party. Kemper has pledged to secure a well-funded tea party candidate to challenge McConnell in the 2014 race.” [WHAS]
—Katrina vanden Heuvel: Mitch McConnell faces a difficult reelection [The Washington Post]
WILL JUDD RUN? — Judd should talk to Beshear and other Democrats about Senate candidacy, Stumbo says – Enquirer’s Scott Wartman – ““If I were her, one of the first things I would do if I were considering that race would be to contact the governor,” Stumbo said. “Now, when we discussed this with the governor last week, he indicated that he’s not had that contact yet. And I would hope if she were really serious, not stop with him but talk to other democratic leaders both in the legislature and throughout the state in the constitutional offices, because I think there are some things we could suggest to her that might help her as she formulated her campaign.”” [Enquirer]
—Christian Science Monitor: Does Ashley Judd scare Mitch McConnell? [CSM]
For the past several days, there have been a series of articles quoting Kentucky insiders decrying the possibility of an Ashley Judd candidacy in the 2014 race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
My article on Newsweek/The Daily Beast, “Ashley Judd Can Win a Senate Run Against Mitch McConnell” (click here to read it), may have been the first to unabashedly defy that trend.
Yesterday, however, came a series of pieces from the national and state level that seem to indicate that the tide is turning:
(Judd’s) a sharp-tongued celebrity but also a just-folks Southerner, apparently contradictory roles that instead are complementary: Her activism would be unbearably self-righteous if it wasn’t leavened with such down-home sincerity…
For now, Republicans are content to portray Judd as a stereotypical “Hollywood liberal” … But on her best days, Judd does not settle for being a stock character. One can imagine her embracing her radicalism as just one piece of a more complicated whole: a true Kentuckian and feminist movie star whose liberalism is as fierce as her manners are charming. To make voters believe it, though, she’ll need to deliver the performance of a lifetime.
Democratic officials, lawmakers and operatives have voiced opposition to Judd, suggesting the Hollywood star is too liberal and would hurt down-ticket candidates. Judd has been described as a “catastrophe” for not only state House candidates but gubernatorial ones in 2015.
But Judd supporters are pushing back.
Former state treasurer Jonathan Miller tells WFPL that Judd could actually defeat McConnell next year, and that her critics represent the Democratic establishment who are trying to repel a threat to their pocketbooks.
“Ashley Judd would be what we call a change agent, she would be someone very new on the scene. And folks in the status quo who are everyday active in politics sometimes fear change, and I think that’s what you’re seeing here,” he says.
Backed by a liberal base, Judd appears undaunted by Democratic critics who represent the parties more rural, conservative wing. She visited Louisville this past weekend meeting with Congressman John Yarmuth, Democratic donors and opponents of mountaintop removal mining…
“Folks should take a deep breath and give her a chance to prove herself,” says Miller. “I really do think most Democrats, a lot of independents and maybe even some Republicans will find her to be a terrific candidate.”
“Make no mistake, Mitch McConnell is the most effective politician in my lifetime in this state,” said Jonathan Miller, also the former Kentucky Treasurer. “It will be very tough for anybody to beat him, but I do think she can give him a run for his money.”
Miller penned a column for Newsweek/The Daily Beast making the case for a Judd Senate candidacy amid hand-wringing by some Bluegrass Democrats that Judd is too liberal for the conservative state, and may compromise down-ticket races for Democrats.
“Ashley Judd would represent a true change agent and change makes people who are in the establishment, nervous,” Miller said…
“I am very confident that — this is a very charismatic woman — that once she does make this decision, if she makes the decision to run, and touches all these bases that the feathers will become unruffled and people will become comfortable with her,” Miller said…
“You believe either the hype or the caricatures,” Miller continued. “And if you believe the caricatures then that’s the kind of commentary we’re getting. But I think once they meet Ashley — if she does make this run — they’re going to learn this is a really bright person who really cares deeply about Kentucky, has deep roots, eight, nine generations in eastern Kentucky, and could be a real formidable challenger.”
Judd’s liberal views, allegiance to President Barack Obama and Tennessee residency are ridiculed in a video released by American Crossroads, a conservative Super PAC led by conservative lightning rod Karl Rove and a former McConnell aide.
Miller, a prolific poker player, said the web video attacking Judd indicates the Republican mindset about a potential match-up.
“One of the rules about the table is someone who’s acting really confident probably has a really weak hand,” Miller said. “I think the GOP establishment is really nervous because they know of her ability to raise a lot of money and to get a lot of time to get her message across.”
The news media, Miller predicted, would give unprecedented coverage to a Judd Senate campaign compared to candidates in other statewide races.
“Sometimes we have to beg you all to interview us when we are running for office,” Miller, a one-time gubernatorial candidates, said.
“You’re going to be begging her to be on your cameras,” he continued. “And so it’s going to give her incredible opportunities to reach people whose hands she can’t shake… through the media.”
The attacks on Judd can also be neutralized, Miller predicted, because of Judd’s allegiance to what he referred to as “Kentucky’s state religion,” University of Kentucky basketball.
“The fact that Ashley Judd is the number one fan really does make a difference in most of our state,” Miller said.
Judd attends many Wildcat games, has been called upon to help lead cheers at Rupp Arena games and frequently writes about the team on her Twitter account.
“She is someone who is so closely identified with something that unites all of us,” Miller said, “whether we’re Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, conservative and so wherever she goes, any part of the state, except maybe in some quarters of Louisville, she has that in common with the voters.”
“That’s a great way to start a conversation about what really matters.”
Miller, a Lexington attorney, is a co-founder of the No-Labels political reform group and hosts the political commentary website, therecoveringpolitician.com.
“I’d love people who are skeptical, take a deep breath. If she does decide to make a run, listen to what she says and I think there will be a lot of Democrats and even some independents and Republicans out there who will like what she has to say,” Miller said.
By Jonathan Miller, on Sun Feb 17, 2013 at 3:48 PM ET
In the past 48 hours since Newsweek/The Daily Beast published my column, “Ashley Judd Can Win a Senate Run Against Mitch McConnell” (click here to read it), I’ve been barraged by inquiries from the press and political activists wanting to learn more about the potential 2014 U.S. Senate matchup in Kentucky.
Well, wait no more, because The Recovering Politician has all of your answers.
Here are the three critical to help you follow the campaign closely, and/or to join the campaign of your choice.
Click here to sign up for The Recovering Politician’s KY Political Brief, a FREE email wrap-up of the day’s Judd/McConnell news — as well as all the rest of Kentucky politics, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Go to AshleyJudd.com and click here to sign up for Ashley’s email list to stay apprised of her actions and statements as she considers making the race in 2014.
And, as always in the interests of bi-partisan fairness, click here to join Team Mitch and learn how to contribute your energy and or dollars to his re-election efforts.
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Feb 15, 2013 at 9:00 AM ET
CLICK HERE to sign up for The Recovering Politician’s KY Political Brief, a FREE daily email with links to all of the latest McConnell/Judd news.
This morning, Newsweek/The Daily Beast published the RP’s column: “Ashley Judd Really Can Win a Senate Run Against Mitch McConnell.” Here’s an excerpt:
All politics isn’t local. It’s far more intimate. Politics is rip-off-the-bandage emotion. It’s high school melodrama on HGH.
Especially here in the South, all politics is personal.
Simple human nature may best explain why the prospect of actress Ashley Judd disrupting the otherwise inevitable reelection of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has provoked the ire of so much of Kentucky’s political chattering class. Consultants whom Judd hasn’t consulted call her potential bid a “catastrophe” and a “fantasy.” Political wags who haven’t been granted an audience term her record exploitable as “too liberal for Kentucky.” Big donors whom she hasn’t called complain about not being wooed.
Of course, a Judd campaign would ultimately require the ego-stroking and back-scratching that bind the fabric of our personal brand of politics.
But it’s a different character of human connection that provides the actress with a legitimate chance to topple the state’s most disciplined and effective political strategist of our era. And it’s why the famously sober and calculating McConnell machine is acting so concerned.
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Feb 13, 2013 at 1:55 PM ET
From Jon Hale, KY Forward:
UK forward Nerlens Noel will miss the remainder of his freshman season after tearing the ACL in his left knee Tuesday against Florida, UK announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
Noel is expected to undergo surgery on the knee within the next two to three weeks. Normal recovery time for the injury is six to eight months.
Noel’s injury occurred with 8:03 remaining in UK’s blowout loss at Florida when he appeared to collide with the base of the goal after blocking a shot on a fast-break.
Noel leads UK in rebounds per game (9.5), blocked shots (106) and steals (50). His 106 blocks lead the country and are second most by a Wildcat in a single season, trailing only Anthony Davis‘ NCAA freshman record 186 blocks from the 2011-12 season.
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET
ICYMI, Sen. Joe Manchin was all over the airwaves yesterday, talking about No Labels and sporting our new Problem Solvers’ pin:
“I’m wearing the [No Labels] pin… We’re not here to fight, we’re here to fix things. That’s what we do in West Virginia and that’s what I’ve found No Labels to be here in Washington,” he said.
The problem solvers’ pin says something about Sen. Manchin: that he will put his country first and reach across the aisle to face down the challenges that threaten our future.
Forty members of Congress will wear their problem solvers pin, like Sen. Manchin’s, at the State of the Union tonight — they’re showing their colleagues that they are committed to working across the aisle and building trust between parties. Sign the petition to show your support for these problem solvers.
Follow along with the State of the Union tonight and tweet your thoughts using the hashtag#FixNotFight.
By Jonathan Miller, on Sun Feb 10, 2013 at 11:19 AM ET
Last week, I joined Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jamie Comer in support of legalizing industrial hemp on the public broadcasting program, Kentucky Tonight. Click the picture at left to watch our debate with law enforcement officials.
Viewers of the program noticed that the two sides disagreed on some very critical underlying facts about the differences between hemp and marijuana and how the two plants are grown.
Janet Patton of the Lexington Herald-Leader spent a few weeks investigating this matter, and interviewing objective experts. Here is an excerpt from her story published today:
The nightmare hemp scenario for Kentucky State Police apparently is a field legally licensed to grow hemp forgrain with illegally planted marijuana mingled in.
Unlike hemp grown for fiber (when the plants are inches apart to promote tall stalk growth), the hemp grown for grain and marijuana plants would look substantially the same, said Jeremy Triplett, supervisor of the state police forensic lab.
Both could be shorter and bushy. The only way to really know, he said, would be to test for delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical that gives marijuana smokers a high.
Such testing could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, at $755 per quantitative analysis, not to mention $1.8 million in start-up expenses, state police have estimated.
But would that really happen? Would an unscrupulous pot grower plant marijuana with hemp?
Take Canada, where marijuana also is illegal but hemp has been legallygrown since 1998. “Health Canada’s Industrial Hemp Program has never found marijuana growing in hemp fields instead of hemp,” the agency said in a statement.
They’ve looked. A lot.
Canadian inspectors take samples annually from each field and have found THClevels slightly above 0.3 percent from stress during growing, but not above 0.5 percent, Health Canada said.
Keith Watson, Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives agronomist, has seen and tested most of the hemp grown in his province in the past 15 years. Does marijuana creep in?
“I’ve never run into it,” Watson said. About 95 percent of the crop is sampled annually, and he said that marijuana and grain hemp might look just alike and could be planted side by side and only an expert eye might distinguish the difference. But in his experience, it just doesn’t happen.
“Over the years, that’s taken me out to an awful lot of fields,” Watson said. “I’ve never found marijuana in the field or any trace of it.”
He said a “handful” of times he has seen paths cut into the fields, places where people have topped the plants. But it doesn’t happen much anymore.
“After a couple of years, nobody bothers it,” he said.
What about marijuana?
As for marijuana growers using hemp to pad their illegal pot, “the general impression is that’s a self-regulating industry,” Watson said. “They’ll get away with it once … but if the quality (of the marijuana) isn’t up to par, there will be a lot of broken kneecaps.”
