One of the most fascinating contests in this midterm election is the senate race between the sitting Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell(R) and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan-Grimes (D). One of the most prominent reasons for the fascination in this race is because it epitomizes the new face of the Republican Party (Tea Party affiliation) and what the majority of the country would like to see from the Democratic Party. Grimes is by no means a liberal Democrat, being far more moderate than she is extreme. This is especially true in terms of the types of job industries in Kentucky, e.g. the coal industry’s prominence there.
If we break down some of the key points in this race I think it will become rather more apparent who should win this race on merit and ability. McConnell is famous for his obstructionism and for declaring that he wanted to make President Obama a single term president. Grimes is known for her affiliation with the Clinton’s and for arguing for equality in pay and presenting McConnell as out of touch with the needs of Kentuckians.
Take McConnell: his primary accomplishment, from where I am sitting in Florida, seems to have been his ability to create a Senate where, up until 2013, few laws or Executive appointments have been passed easily. This creates an environment where the average US citizen feels that congress is inept, like being unable to pass a federal budget and throwing the federal government into a shutdown and costing us billions of dollars as result. These are examples of the effect McConnell’s Republican party has had.
Alison Lundergan-Grimes however has helped facilitate a statewide insurance program, KNECT, through the Affordable Care Act that is actually helping Kentuckians obtain health insurance. Whether you agree with the passing of the ACA or not is irrelevant, because the Supreme Court has already ruled on it and found the majority of the ACA constitutional and legal. The fact is, that more Kentuckians have insurance now, than they did before the ACA. And whether you agree with it or not, it is Grimes’s right to refuse whom she voted for in any election despite being pressed by news organizations. And since McConnell hasn’t disclosed whom he voted for in 2008 and 2012, that kind of makes him a hypocrite for insisting Allison does.
Many people are exhausted from the continuous obstructionism of this congress, both republican and democrat. Additionally, it is probably time to reform our current governmental system of operations, and if Grimes wins this election for the Kentucky Senate Seat, it is pretty clear to me that she will advocate for more citizen’s rights and work toward creating a fair jobs economy for both men and women.
If you live in Kentucky and want to have a fresh perspective, rather than one that is beholden to corporate interests and hasn’t been able to produce a specific set of legislative ideas, the vote for Alison Lundergan-Grimes and legislative reform.