Well, McConnell is finally spending his millions on his long expected attack ads on Bruce Lunsford. And, as expected, they have no regard for the truth.

Fortunately, Ryan Alessi is there to point out the inaccuracies (lies).

By saying Lunsford wants to “pump taxpayers for even more,” it leaves the impression that Lunsford supports another increase in taxes on the price of a pump. However, the ad cites a May 21 Pol Watcher’s report in which Lunsford said he favored a windfall profit tax on oil companies in order to cover a gas tax holiday this summer for consumers — a plan that became a political football during this spring’s presidential primary.

Technically oil companies are tax payers but not exactly the type of taxpayer hurt by high gas prices, which is what the rest of McConnell’s spot is about.

This has been McConnell’s entire campaign strategy so far (gas prices), after he ditched the fabulously unsuccessful and idiotic strategy of portraying himself as the ultimate Washington insider (can’t belieeeeeeve that one didn’t work).

Once more, this is an absolute head-scratcher. George Bush has been running things for the last 7+ years and is a tool of the oil industries making record profits. McConnell has been their tool for even longer, taking in $650,00 for them in campaign contributions. And they’ve done NOTHING to bring about alternative energy. They’ve done NOTHING to improve fuel efficiency standards. And they’ve done NOTHING to put the heat on price speculators. And their solutions are simply doing more of the same, with more oil coming 10 years down the road? And not pressuring oil companies to drill on the land that they already have and don’t use?

And you think that Kentuckians are going to blame somebody who hasn’t been in government for 20+ years?

Shocking incompetence in campaign strategy.

Justin Brasell: Hunter Bates, you’re not.

Some Republicans actually grew a heart today, cutting the unholy umbilical chord that attached themselves to President Bush, and voting to override his veto of the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act”. This bill prevents a 10.6% cut in pay for doctors under Medicare, as explained here.

But here’s the least shocking news, ever: Mitch McConnell once again voted with Bush and the extreme right-wing fringe in a losing effort.

Just how much of an extremist has McConnell showed himself to be? Take a look at how the Congressional representatives of KY voted. While Reverend Ron Lewis voted against the veto override, look who voted for it: Geoff(erson) Davis, Exxon Ed Whitfield, and Hal Rogers.

That’s right. Mitch McConnell is such a fringe extremist that he is too the RIGHT of Davis, Whitfield and Rogers.

We are in for a tidal wave election this November, and fringe, extremists Republicans like Mitch McConnell are going to be swept away into political oblivion.

Beaker, from Muppet Show

• Get into the, "Baby Momma ", oil business.
• Put on your bib overalls and become a, " Baby Momma ", farmer.
• Put on your shirt, tie and Armani suit and become a, "Baby Momma ", banker.

I suggest your chance for a government hand is not so good if you own a small business or you’re a regular guy/gal with 1,2 or 3 jobs and don’t even think about asking the government to help with healthcare.

Phil Gramm:
"You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession, we have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline."

John McCain described Gramm, one of his top economic advisors this way.
"No one who is more respected on the issue of economics than Phil Gramm," McCain said.

Read more about IndyMac .

Keith Olbermann, Phil Gramm May 27, 2008

Telegraph.Co.UK
George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan. The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter."
He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.
Mr Bush, whose second and final term as President ends at the end of the year, then left the meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Hokkaido where the leaders of the world’s richest nations had been discussing new targets to cut carbon emissions.
One official who witnessed the extraordinary scene said afterwards: "Everyone was very surprised that he was making a joke about America’s record on pollution."
Mr Bush also faced criticism at the summit after Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, was described in the White House press pack given to journalists as one of the "most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice".
The White House apologized for what it called "sloppy work" and said an official had simply lifted the characterization from the internet without reading it.
Concluding the three-day event, leaders from the G8 and developing countries proclaimed a "shared vision" on climate change. However, they failed to bridge differences between rich and emerging nations on curbing emissions.

Also, why not check out my favorite new blog and save your soul?

As we all know by now, a couple weeks ago Mitch McConnell and his fringe minority in the Senate managed to block the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act”, which would prevent a 10.6% pay-cut to doctors. As Americans United for Change said- “A cut in payments could lead to doctors across the country refusing to see some of the 42 million seniors and people with disabilities who depend on these doctors and Medicare for their care and prescriptions. The Senate will re-vote on the same measure today, and if Senate Republicans once again stand in the way and the cuts go through, 60 percent of doctors will likely drop Medicare patients, according to the American Medical Association.”

Well, today they had the vote, and the overwhelming bi-partisan majority of 69 Senators voted to pass the bill.

Big surprise… Mitch was one of the fringe (attempted) obstructionists.

A pathetic man.

And just what would these pay cuts mean to us in Kentucky? According to those wacky America-hating Communists at the American Medical Association:

• Kentucky physicians will lose $190 million for the care of elderly and disabled patients over the 18 months from July 2008 through December 2009 due to a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments in July 2008 and an additional 5 percent cut in 2009. On average, each Kentucky physician faces a Medicare cut of $20,000 over this 18-month period. In addition, the state’s physicians will lose $3.7 billion for the care of elderly and disabled patients by 2016 due to nearly a decade of cuts for this important medical care.

• 41,528 employees, 655,883 Medicare patients and 159,979 TRICARE patients in Kentucky will be affected by these cuts.

• Compared to the rest of the country, Kentucky, at 16 percent, has an above-average proportion of Medicare patients and, at 23 percent, has one of the highest proportions of disabled beneficiaries of any state. In addition, at 14 practicing physicians per 1,000 beneficiaries, has a below-average ratio of physicians to Medicare beneficiaries, even before the cuts take effect.

• 42 percent of Kentucky’s practicing physicians are over 50, an age at which surveys have shown many physicians consider reducing their patient care activities.

• In July 2008, Kentucky physicians face cuts of an additional 1.8 percent on top of the 10.6 percent cuts across the country. The 2003 Medicare law provided a temporary increase in geographic payment adjustments for certain states. This increase also will expire on June 30, 2008 under current law.

But let’s be serious… does Mitch really care about all these Kentucky commoners getting the shaft? His insurance lobby buddies pay Mitch well, and he has his own Free Government Health Care.

Well, he has it for another 6 months.

Here’s a new advertisement and press release from Americans United for Change on McConnell’s new “Operation Wither Grandma”:

Click here to listen to: Why does Mitch McConnell want grandma to die?

Washington D.C. – Late last month, 39 Senate Republicans, including Roger Wicker (R-MS) and minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) managed to block by a single vote the ‘Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act’ - critical and urgently needed legislation that will prevent a 10.6% pay-cut to doctors and thereby ensure the disabled and seniors on Medicare have access to the doctor they know and trust. A cut in payments could lead to doctors across the country refusing to see some of the 42 million seniors and people with disabilities who depend on these doctors and Medicare for their care and prescriptions. The Senate will re-vote on the same measure today, and if Senate Republicans once again stand in the way and the cuts go through, 60 percent of doctors will likely drop Medicare patients, according to the American Medical Association.

In advance of the vote, Americans United for Change launched an aggressive radio ad blitz in the Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi and the Lexington and Louisville media markets today that urges Senators McConnell and Wicker to change course and put seniors first. Despite the bill receiving broad bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives, passing by a 355-59 margin, Senator McConnell and Wicker stood in the way at the behest of President Bush and the big insurance companies. McConnell has taken $817,757 and Wicker has taken $173,004 in campaign contributions from the insurance industry, according to OpenSecrets.org.

“After receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. House, this critical and urgently needed legislation fell just one vote shy of moving forward when Senator Roger Wicker and Obstructionist-in-Chief Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Bush-Republicans decided they were more interested in their loyalty to the President and insurance companies than standing up for seniors, people with disabilities, pharmacists and doctors,” said Jeremy Funk, of Americans United for Change, which has been working to eliminate wasteful insurance company subsidies under the Medicare Advantage program. Cuts to such subsidies, in part, would have been used to prevent cuts to physicians’ reimbursements under Medicare that are still scheduled to take place this month thanks to Republican obstructionism. “Their obstructionism was a microcosm of the Bush-Republican Legacy: put the corporate interests first and everyone else be damned. Of course, after eight years where Bush-Republicans have tried every maneuver to dismantle the safety net for seniors – from the failed effort to privatize Social Security, to the giveaways to big Pharma in the Medicare prescription drug program – should anyone really be surprised?”

“Senator Wicker, McConnell and the rest will get one more shot to do the right thing today. The question is – this time, will they stand with seniors, people with disabilities, pharmacists and doctors — or with Bush and the insurance companies which have put us in this healthcare mess in the first place.”

The toxic legacy of Jesse Helms
His notorious race-baiting and Red-bashing political campaigns molded the modern Republican party

It is almost fitting that Senator Jesse Helms - longtime US Senator from North Carolina, onetime right-wing political commentator and a constant conservative voice on both domestic and foreign policy issues in American politics for the past half decade - passed away during an election year that may indeed see the demise of the conservative coalition that he was a key player in building.

[...]

Jesse Helms may be gone. But if you follow politics, he cannot be forgotten. For every time Republicans win a state in a presidential election by placing a gay marriage ban on the ballot. Every time you hear a member or associate of the McCain campaign question Barack Obama’s patriotism. Every time Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConell sets a new record for obstruction by filibustering another bill. The presence of Jesse Alexander Helms on the American political stage can still be felt.

###