Lexington Herald Leader Editorial: Give Lunsford Chance In U.S. Senate.
Give Lunsford chance in U.S. Senate
Incumbent McConnell's power not much help to Kentuckians
If you don't like what's happening to this country, it's only logical and fair to hold Sen. Mitch McConnell accountable.
As McConnell is the first to say, he is a major force in Washington.
The Senate's top Republican has thrown his clout behind most of the bad decisions of the last eight years, from the unnecessary war in Iraq to the anything-goes economic oversight that has the world teetering on the brink of a depression.
Here's the question for voters: Is what McConnell brings to Kentucky worth the damage he has inflicted — and would continue to inflict if elected to a fifth term?
Fortunately, the alternative, Democrat Bruce Lunsford, is a better candidate now than when he ran for governor.
Humbled and honed by two losing campaigns and months of meeting people on the campaign trail, Lunsford seems driven less by his own ego in this race than by a practical view of how he could be of use to the state and country in the Senate.
Creating jobs would be No. 1 on his list, and he would bring lots of hands-on expertise.
Starting with little but ambition and a keen mind, Lunsford has been extraordinarily successful in business, building a Fortune 500 health care company in Kentucky. He has built other large companies and steered them through rough times.
Before that, he served as state commerce secretary under Gov. John Y. Brown Jr., when Kentucky landed UPS and opened its first office in Japan.
Lunsford has far-flung business, real estate and cultural interests now and could buy or do anything he wants. What he wants, what he has poured his energy and money into, is to serve Kentucky as an elected leader.
McConnell, who refused to debate Lunsford on statewide television, is attacking him on a matter that's peripheral at best: the quality of care at a chain of veterans medical clinics for which Lunsford served briefly as CEO and is a director.
If McConnell wants to talk about privatizing government duties such as caring for veterans, profit-driven health care or how to reduce medical malpractice, those are debates we would love to hear.
But in such a debate, McConnell, who blocked expansion of children's health care this year, wouldn't look any better than Lunsford.
Kentuckians should ask themselves why McConnell isn't talking about the economy.
Last week, in one of their few face-to-face match-ups, McConnell tried to pick a fight with Lunsford about nuclear energy.
Last month in a debate before the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, a group whose obvious first interest is economic, McConnell wanted to talk about Russia and Korea.
Economic anxiety is running high. Voters need to hear McConnell's ideas for rebuilding the economy.
But the only message coming from his camp is more of the same: Maintain tax policies that redistribute wealth to the super rich. Stay in a war that's draining taxpayers and burying them in debt. Ignore global warming and drill for more oil. Continue to let health care and insurance costs strangle the economy.
Lunsford has better ideas. He would let the Bush tax cuts for the top income brackets expire and, instead, target tax cuts at working Americans and to spur job creation. He calls for developing a "blue plate special" health plan so all Americans, especially kids, can be insured. He says the government should pool its buying power to lower health care costs. He wants to make preschool available to all kids.
He opposes the onerous bankruptcy law that is one of McConnell's prized accomplishments. The changes, pushed through by McConnell, have worsened the housing crisis by making it impossible for middle-class families to reorganize their debts and pay off mortgages.
Lunsford recognizes the long-term costs of Republicans' decisions to put the Iraq war and their tax cuts on a credit card. "If we leave this debt on our children," says Lunsford, "it's the most selfish thing this generation has ever done."
McConnell is a brilliant strategist who has risen to the top in part because of his success in raising money for his Republican colleagues' campaigns. McConnell's power is built on money from the oil, insurance and finance industries. He says his clout puts him "in the room at the end." But whose interests is he really defending?
Power comes and goes, especially in Washington. McConnell, who has been there 24 years, says not sending him back would waste his power. Voters should ask themselves how much good McConnell's power is doing them.
Lunsford is the better choice.
Editor's comment: I don't agree with the editorial, in the interest of FAIRNESS I have to post it. BTW, but If there are other NOTABLE endorsements I'm missing, please let me know. Thanks.
Incumbent McConnell's power not much help to Kentuckians
If you don't like what's happening to this country, it's only logical and fair to hold Sen. Mitch McConnell accountable.
As McConnell is the first to say, he is a major force in Washington.
The Senate's top Republican has thrown his clout behind most of the bad decisions of the last eight years, from the unnecessary war in Iraq to the anything-goes economic oversight that has the world teetering on the brink of a depression.
Here's the question for voters: Is what McConnell brings to Kentucky worth the damage he has inflicted — and would continue to inflict if elected to a fifth term?
Fortunately, the alternative, Democrat Bruce Lunsford, is a better candidate now than when he ran for governor.
Humbled and honed by two losing campaigns and months of meeting people on the campaign trail, Lunsford seems driven less by his own ego in this race than by a practical view of how he could be of use to the state and country in the Senate.
Creating jobs would be No. 1 on his list, and he would bring lots of hands-on expertise.
Starting with little but ambition and a keen mind, Lunsford has been extraordinarily successful in business, building a Fortune 500 health care company in Kentucky. He has built other large companies and steered them through rough times.
Before that, he served as state commerce secretary under Gov. John Y. Brown Jr., when Kentucky landed UPS and opened its first office in Japan.
Lunsford has far-flung business, real estate and cultural interests now and could buy or do anything he wants. What he wants, what he has poured his energy and money into, is to serve Kentucky as an elected leader.
McConnell, who refused to debate Lunsford on statewide television, is attacking him on a matter that's peripheral at best: the quality of care at a chain of veterans medical clinics for which Lunsford served briefly as CEO and is a director.
If McConnell wants to talk about privatizing government duties such as caring for veterans, profit-driven health care or how to reduce medical malpractice, those are debates we would love to hear.
But in such a debate, McConnell, who blocked expansion of children's health care this year, wouldn't look any better than Lunsford.
Kentuckians should ask themselves why McConnell isn't talking about the economy.
Last week, in one of their few face-to-face match-ups, McConnell tried to pick a fight with Lunsford about nuclear energy.
Last month in a debate before the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, a group whose obvious first interest is economic, McConnell wanted to talk about Russia and Korea.
Economic anxiety is running high. Voters need to hear McConnell's ideas for rebuilding the economy.
But the only message coming from his camp is more of the same: Maintain tax policies that redistribute wealth to the super rich. Stay in a war that's draining taxpayers and burying them in debt. Ignore global warming and drill for more oil. Continue to let health care and insurance costs strangle the economy.
Lunsford has better ideas. He would let the Bush tax cuts for the top income brackets expire and, instead, target tax cuts at working Americans and to spur job creation. He calls for developing a "blue plate special" health plan so all Americans, especially kids, can be insured. He says the government should pool its buying power to lower health care costs. He wants to make preschool available to all kids.
He opposes the onerous bankruptcy law that is one of McConnell's prized accomplishments. The changes, pushed through by McConnell, have worsened the housing crisis by making it impossible for middle-class families to reorganize their debts and pay off mortgages.
Lunsford recognizes the long-term costs of Republicans' decisions to put the Iraq war and their tax cuts on a credit card. "If we leave this debt on our children," says Lunsford, "it's the most selfish thing this generation has ever done."
McConnell is a brilliant strategist who has risen to the top in part because of his success in raising money for his Republican colleagues' campaigns. McConnell's power is built on money from the oil, insurance and finance industries. He says his clout puts him "in the room at the end." But whose interests is he really defending?
Power comes and goes, especially in Washington. McConnell, who has been there 24 years, says not sending him back would waste his power. Voters should ask themselves how much good McConnell's power is doing them.
Lunsford is the better choice.
Editor's comment: I don't agree with the editorial, in the interest of FAIRNESS I have to post it. BTW, but If there are other NOTABLE endorsements I'm missing, please let me know. Thanks.
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