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 Fri Feb 15, 2013 at 9:00 AM ET
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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.
National Public Radio’s On Point with Tom Ashbook presents: Hard Times And Polarized Politics:
From Tom Ashbrook:
Why are American politics and American policy so stuck? So stuck that what should be a dynamic economy is now seen as maybe the biggest threat to the world economy… because of Washington.
Economist Benjamin Friedman says we’re in a trap. A bad economy is prompting bad policy from Washington, he says. Good times, good policy. Bad times, bad policy. And we’re in a world of bad right now.
Jonathan Miller, co-founder of No Labels, a political non-profit made up of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, dedicated to problem solving. Former state treasurer of Kentucky. (@recoveringpol)
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jan 24, 2013 at 9:15 AM ET
If you are near a radio or computer at 11:00 AM EST today, you can catch me as the special guest on National Public Radio’s “On Point” with host Tom Ashbrook.
The live online stream can be accessed by clicking here.
Alternatively, you can click here to find the show on your satellite or FM radio dial.
I will be discussing the extraordinary January we’ve been having at No Labels. In the wake of a spectacular Meeting to Make America Work last week in New York, the U.S. House of Representatives just today passed our signature legislation, “No Budget, No Pay,” and we expect imminent Senate passage. Read all about the progress of “No Budget, No Pay” by clicking here.
To join the conversation on the air, call the NPR studio at 1-800-423-8255. Just no questions about UK basketball. It’s been a bit depressing lately.
The RP was back this week in his semi-regular gig on Wall Street Journal Radio’s “Daily Wrap with Michael Cassner.” He and Cassner discusse the fiscal cliff and the impact No Labels proposals can have on the discussion. He compared the talks to a dysfunctional family Christmas. You can listen to the entire interview by clicking here.
Last night, The RP took on his semi-regular gig as a national political commentator on Wall Street Journal Radio’s The Daily Wrap with Michael Castner.
The RP and Castner celebrated all of the “No Labels” talk this week: Republicans breaking the Grover Norquist “no tax” pledge, both sides talking compromise on the fiscal cliff, references to the Reagan/O’Neill iconic partnership. And they discussed how all Americans should sign on to No Labels’ efforts to continue pressure on Washington policymakers to continue the problem-solving momentum.
The nuclear industry measures how long a radioactive material will retain its potency by its half-life — the time it takes for the material to lose half of its radioactivity. The half-life of Uranium-235 is 700 million years, for example. During the industrial era the half-life of a business model was typically measured in generations. Once the basic rules for how a company creates, delivers, and captures value were established, they became etched in stone, fortified by functional silos and sustained by reinforcing company cultures.Those days are over. The industrial era is not coming back. The half-life of a business model is declining. Today’s leaders are either going to learn how to change their business models while pedaling the bicycle of the current one or they are going to be “netflixed.”
If netflix isn’t a verb it should be.
net-flix
1. to cause disruption or turmoil to an existing business model
2. to destroy a previously successful business model
3. to displace the way value is currently created, delivered, and captured
Blockbuster started out with a compelling business model. Its value proposition was clear, enabling consumers to watch hit movies in the comfort of their homes. Blockbuster established an extensive value delivery network with stores conveniently located on every corner. Its first store opened in 1985 and it quickly grew to have over 5,000 retail outlets and 60,000 employees. It also had a smart financing model to capture value. It rented hit movies at a price consumers found attractive relative to the price of going out to the movies. Instead of paying a large upfront fee to buy videos from the studio (up to $65 per video) Blockbusters entered into a revenue sharing model with the movie studios including little to no upfront costs per video which gave them a huge advantage fueling explosive growth. Blockbuster started out on a roll. At its peak in 2002 Blockbuster’s market cap rose to $5 billion. In 2010 in filed for bankruptcy. So what happened? Blockbuster was netflixed.
Read the rest of… Saul Kaplan: How Not To Get “Netflixed”
With his victory over longtime Rep. Dan Lungren now official, Ami Bera is heading to Washington as the newly-elected congressman for the 7th District of California. While Bera’s triumph is a testimony to his political skills and personal appeal, his victory also demonstrates the public’s hunger for a new breed of political leadership, based around problem-solving and underscored by Bera’s championing of the No Labels-endorsed “No Budget, No Pay Act.”
This common sense legislation says that if Congress doesn’t do their job and pass a responsible budget, they don’t get paid. As Bera said on the campaign trail, “Most Americans work hard and play by the rules. We pay the bills, we make tough choices, and we hold up our end of the deal. It may be hard sometimes, but it’s what we always do. It’s time for Congress to play by the same rules as everyone else. We need leaders who will put the people first to break through the gridlock and move forward.”
According to Mark McKinnon, No Labels Co-Founder “Ami Bera’s victory in the congressional race in CA-7 is also a victory for problem-solving leadership in Washington. As indicated by his embrace of ‘No Budget, No Pay,” Bera is the type of leader Americans need and want in Washington. No Labels is proud to congratulate Ami Bera on his victory and to stand behind him and other Members of both parties dedicated to problem solving not point scoring.”
As the Fresno Beenoted, Bera made “No Budget, No Pay” a “central theme of his campaign.” In the campaign’s home stretch, Bera’s campaign released an ad titled, “No Pay,” which highlighted the absurdity of Members of Congress getting paid despite their failure to pass a budget each year. In an Elk Grove Citizen op-ed published in early October, Bera touted his endorsement of “No Budget, No Pay,” saying: “Congress must be held accountable for doing the jobs the people elect them to do. That’s why I pledge to sponsor ‘No Budget, No Pay,’ which would ensure that if members of Congress don’t do their job and pass a responsible budget, they don’t get paid. And that’s why I will work relentlessly with anyone, regardless of party, who is serious about creating jobs and rebuilding an economy that works for the middle class.”
In contrast to Bera, Rep. Lungren denied the legislation even a hearing in the relevant committee he chairs in Congress. As the Fresno Bee reported in a fact check of relevant campaign issues, “A congressional committee chaired by Lungren has not granted requests from other members to hold a hearing on the legislation, which calls for withholding pay for members of Congress if a federal budget resolution is not approved by the deadline. Bera has made his pledge to support the legislation a central theme of his campaign”
Said McKinnon, “Democracy works, after all. Ami Bera clearly understood the power of the public’s desire for action on common-sense measures like ‘No Budget, No Pay’ and recognized that embrace of the issue would also touch upon voters’ desire for something other than the status quo in Washington. Voters in CA-7 and across the nation want their elected representatives to stop fighting and start fixing.”
In addition to “No Budget, No Pay,” No Labels supports a range of common-sense proposals designed to reinvigorate problem-solving in Washington. On January 14, 2013 at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, New York, NY, No Labels will host a meeting titled, “Meeting to Make America Work,” to discuss how we can move forward on problem solving in Washington. At the meeting, No Labels will unveil two national leaders – one Republican, one Democrat – who will help guide the movement in 2013 and the organization will introduce a group of congressional Members who have signed on as members of the “Problem Solvers Bloc” in Congress. Learn more about No Labels and the meeting at http://meetforamerica.com/.
By Bradford Queen, Managing Editor, on Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET
You had to be buried in the sand if you didn’t hear the bombshell news of the weekend: David Petraeus, retired four-star general, resigned as director of the CIA following a lengthy affair with his biographer uncovered by an FBI investigation.
The Politics of Media
Petraeus’ exit came as a shock to many in Congress and it appears some (as high up as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor) did know of this affair and its possible — now real — ramifications. [Roll Call]
It wasn’t his first “affair.” Howard Kurtz said his first affair — “other seduction” — was with the press. [CNN]
Following strong election coverage, MSNBC is gaining ratings ground on Fox News. [NYT]
The Christian Science Monitor asks: “Is the death of newspapers the end of good citizenship?” [CSM]
Post-election infighting has begun on the right. Which sides will win out over the future of the GOP? [POLITICO]
The RP was back this week in his semi-regular gig on Wall Street Journal Radio’s “Daily Wrap with Michael Cassner.” He and Cassner discusse the fiscal cliff and the impact No Labels proposals can have on the discussion. He compared the talks to a dysfunctional family Christmas. You can listen to the entire interview
