Subject: [big campaign] McConnell gets heat at home from R's re: obstructionism
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 18:30:20 -0500
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Friends -

A friend pointed me to this today during some of my Bunning pushback
conversations. If anyone is working on hitting McConnell & R obstructionism,
please feel free to push this as appropriate. Also, I know Craig Scherman -
if it is of use to anyone, I can reach out and see if he is willing to speak
on larger platforms.

FYI - WAVE-3 is the NBC affiliate in Louisville (my hometown).

~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=12008813
Kentucky Republicans question McConnell on partisanship *Posted: Feb 18,
2010 6:51 PM EST **Thursday, February 18, 2010 6:51 PM EST* *Updated: Feb
18, 2010 7:17 PM EST Thursday, February 18, 2010 7:17 PM EST*

By Janelle MacDonald - bio <http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=2580479>|
email <[email-masked]>

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Frustration is simmering for many voters upset with
our elected leaders. On Thursday, Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell heard
it from a hometown crowd.

In addressing the Louisville Rotary Club, McConnell (R-Kentucky) took aim at
the administration's agenda during President Barack Obama's first year in
office - which he said was an attempt to ride the President's popularity.

McConnell told reporters the push seemed to be: "Every liberal idea that
we've had over the years, we're going to try to get through."

On the failed healthcare reform package, McConnell said Republicans had to
stand united.

"It was important to send a signal to the American people that not everybody
thought all this stuff was a good idea," McConnell said.

As for stimulus bill, McConnell says it had not created many jobs in the
private sector.

"What it basically did - and I'm sure it was greeted with great relief in
Frankfort and every other state capitol in the world - was to transfer money
from our grandchildren down to state government so that they wouldn't have
to layoff state employees today," McConnell said.

McConnell continued: "Let me just sum it up by saying that John Edwards and
Tiger Woods have had a better year than the stimulus bill."

But voter rancor made an appearance even in McConnell's hometown, and
Republican Craig Scherman told McConnell that people are counting on him to
find a way to work together.

"We've got to figure out a way in which we can work together," Scherman
said. "I don't have the answer. That's why I've elected you. I've been your
supporter, I've voted for you, financially supported you and everything
else, but my God, we've got to change this."

McConnell's response: politics used to be nastier, but it wasn't magnified
by the Internet and television.

"I know you feel the way you do," McConnell said. "I know a lot of other
people feel that way, but these are serious debates over important issues."

That answer wasn't enough for self-described lifelong Republican Michael
Tague.

"It feels like it's just a political cage match," Tague said. "You're
captain of your team, there's somebody captain of their team and you guys
are going at it and the only thing you seem to care about is in the end:
'Do I have one or two more Republicans than they have Democrats? If so I
won, they lost.' Never mind that the house has burned down in the meantime."

McConnell replied by saying: "All I can tell you, this is not some kind of
food fight. This is an argument over principle and over the future of the
country."

For McConnell, the correct direction for the country's future is less debt
and no government controlled healthcare.

"It was not because we enjoy having a big fight," McConnell said. "This was
a matter of principle. We felt very strongly this was the wrong direction
for the country."

When McConnell was asked about the Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh's surprise
retirement, with Bayh citing partisan politics and a gridlocked Congress for
his reasons for leaving, McConnell said Bayh could speak for himself, but
the he sees it as a reaction to dissatisfaction with Bayh's own party's
leadership - not Republicans.

*Copyright 2010 WAVE News. All rights reserved.*

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

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**

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