Home of the Red, White and Blue: Grimes, McConnell each vow ‘change’ at local political picnic

Aug. 27--State Sen. Joe Bowen stood before the overflow crowd on the Daviess County Courthouse lawn Tuesday evening and praised them for their respectful attitude during the evening's political speeches at the "Red, White and Blue Picnic."

Fancy Farm, the state's premier political picnic, is akin to Red, White and Blue "minus the civility and integrity we show at these events," Bowen told the crowd.

While the crowd was (mostly) polite, the two main speakers, Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and his challenger, Kentucky Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, wasted no time on courtesy and ripped into one another, with Grimes saying McConnell "proudly calls himself the guardian of gridlock." McConnell, meanwhile, called Grimes "a new face for no change at all."

But Grimes and McConnell's five-minutes speeches had very similar central themes, with both candidates claiming they would bring the change voters wanted to Washington D.C.

The lawn of the courthouse was full, as the crowd, estimated at about 700, unfolded their lawn chairs and waited to hear from McConnell, Grimes and candidates for several state House races, 2nd District U.S. House of Representatives, Owensboro City Commission, Daviess Fiscal Court and Daviess County property valuation administrator.

But there was no doubt Grimes and McConnell were the main show. Volunteers from both campaigns quickly covered the crowd in stickers, while people held signs and balloons, showing their support for either side.

Owensboro resident JoAnne Smith said she came to the event to hear both Grimes and McConnell, although she didn't think the speeches would change her vote in November.

"I'm a Democrat, but I'm not satisfied with our leaders in the Senate," Smith said. "I think we need a different leader."

Smith said she would vote for McConnell in November in the hopes that he will be Senate majority leader if the Republicans take the Senate. McConnell is currently minority leader.

"I am all for term limits, but not this year" Smith said. "I feel we need Mitch there."

Critchton Comer and Sharon Felty-Comer came from Henderson to hear Grimes' speech. Although both were also supporting challenger Johnny Warren in his run against Republican state Rep. Suzanne Miles, Crichton Comer said they were mainly there to show their support for Grimes.

"I think if you elect Mitch McConnell again, you'll get the same that you got before," Comer said. "If you do the same thing over and over again and expect (change), you're insane."

McConnell "is willing to let the country go to hell as long as the Republicans win," Comer said. "Once they win, they don't have a plan."

McConnell and Grimes are in a heated race for the Senate seat. According to a July Bluegrass Poll prepared for the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Lexington Herald-Leader, and television stations WHAS and WKYT, 47 percent of voters polled said they support McConnell while 45 percent were in favor of Grimes.

Grimes told the crowd "Mitch McConnell'sWashington is not working for Kentucky" and claimed McConnell "hasn't made it to a committee meeting in nearly five years." Grimes said "we have a senator who proudly calls himself 'the guardian of gridlock' and promises, if re-elected, another government shutdown."

FactCheck.org, a website from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, reports McConnell made the "guardian of gridlock" statement when he was assistant Senate majority leader in 2006.?

As for Grimes' "shutdown" claim, McConnell told a reporter for Politico that, if he becomes majority leader, he will "include restrictions on the activities of the bureaucracy," such as the Environmental Protection Agency, in spending bills he sends to President Barack Obama. At that point, McConnell told Politico, the president will have to decide "whether there's more in the bill that he likes than dislikes." Such a tactic "could" cause Obama to veto must-pass appropriations bills, McConnell told Politico.

"I don't know whether to call Sen. McConnell Senator No-Show, Senator Gridlock of Senator Shutdown," Grimes said. "But what I do know is he's not working for Kentucky. Kentuckians are ready for someone who's vocabulary goes beyond the word 'no."

Grimes repeated statements she made previously that McConnell is against the minimum wage and against pay equity for women. Grimes also repeated her contention that McConnell said "he doesn't think it's his job to create jobs here in this state."

McConnell was quoted in the Beattyville Enterprise as saying: "Economic Development is a Frankfort issue. It's not my job. It's the primary responsibility of the state Commerce Cabinet,"

McConnell said later his comment was taken out of context and that the Enterprise editor left before McConnell gave his speech, which was largely on coal and jobs.

"Kentucky is ready for a senator who will end those tax breaks that sent our jobs overseas, a senator who's No. 1 priority like (former Sen.) Wendell Ford, will be to put the hard-working people of this state back to work," Grimes said.

McConnell told the crowd that he and Grimes agreed on one thing. "This race is about the next six years and who can be the most effective for America and for Kentucky."

McConnell blasted the Obama Administration for passage of the Affordable Care Act, "a trillion dollar stimulus, Dodd-Frank, which is Obamacare for banks and an army or regulators crawling all over American with the view that if you're making a profit you must be up to no good.

"This administration has been a job killer," McConnell said. "Obamacare is going to cost 2.5 million American jobs."

The 2.5 million jobs claim comes from a February Congressional Budget Office report that said there would be about 2 million fewer workers by 2017 than there would have been if the Affordable Care Act had not been past, with the number expected to rise to 2.5 million by 2017. PolitiFact, which is run by the Tampa Bay Times, said the CBO did not say there would be 2.5 million fewer jobs, but that some Americans would decide to work less because they would be able to buy health insurance "on the individual market (with) government subsidies to pay for it."

"We need to turn this country around. If you're worried about the future of America and Kentucky, the way to do that is to the lead of a new majority and to set a new agenda for America," McConnell said.

McConnell said "my opponent is a new face, but she's a new face for the status quo. A new face to vote for Barack Obama, a new face to make Harry Reid the majority leader of the Senate. A new face for no change at all, and that's not the direction we want to take for Kentucky for the next six years.

"This administration has done an enormous amount of damage to America ... the borrowing, the spending, the taxing, the regulating... the war on coal, led by Barack Obama, and to be stopped by the new majority leader of the senate," he said.?

Taxes did increase for individuals in the top income bracket making more than $400,000 and couples making more than $450,000, in 2013. FactCheck.org reports the tax rate for those earners, as well as the capital gains tax rate and the tax rate for dividends, increased as part of the "fiscal cliff" deal that was supported by both Republicans and Democrats.

"This is a big election about big things," McConnell said. "If you're unhappy with the condition of our country, if you're unhappy with the attacks of our way of life ... In this country, the way you change things is at the ballot box.

"There is nobody Barack Obama wants to beat more than Mitch McConnell and there's nothing I'd like better than for him to have a bad night Nov. 4," McConnell said. "This job-killing administration needs to be stopped."

Grimes and McConnell are expected to hold one debate, on Oct. 13 on KET. On Tuesday, Centre College dropped its bid to hold a Grimes-McConnell debate, with a statement saying no agreement could be made by the campaigns on the debate plans.

Ron Leach, a Democrat who is running against incumbent U.S. 2nd District Rep. Brett Guthrie, a Republican, told the crowd "we need a Kentucky that works for us again."

"We need functional government," Leach said. "We need leaders, not looters ... As your U.S. congressman, I'll focus on empowering workers by broadening the middle class." Leach said he supported an increase in the minimum wage, a statement that got a lot of applause during his speech.

Leach said Washington leaders seem most interested in "partisan bickering and scoring cheap political points."

"We reject the idea that to be elected, you have to be a millionaire or be willing to sell yourself out," he said.?

Guthrie was conducting town hall meetings elsewhere in the district and was unable to attend Tuesday's event. State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, who stood in as Guthrie's surrogate, said Guthrie has been a strong member of Congress.

"He works hard to represent the 2nd District," Comer said. "Brett Guthrie is there for his constituents. I know with Brett Guthrie, you have someone who you know where he stands on the issues. You have someone who actually reads the bills (before he votes) and you have someone who understands the bills when he reads them."

James Mayse, 691-7303, [email protected]

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