Yahoo! This guy is an absolute fucktard and an embarassment to the Bluegrass State and, therefore, me.
OTOH, he's our company's bitch and responds well to our tireless lobbying. :cool:
QuoteBunning Will Not Seek Third Term
GOP Leaders Urged Senator to Retire
By Ben Pershing and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) announced Monday that he would not run for a third term in 2010, unhappily bowing to pressure from Republican leaders who had urged him to retire.
After a decade in the Senate, Bunning, a baseball Hall of Fame member, had seen his political star fade in the Bluegrass State, to the point that Republicans feared his seat would fall to Democrats next November if he remained on the ballot. Led by fellow Kentuckian and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, GOP leaders mounted an unsubtle campaign in recent months to persuade Bunning to hang up his spikes.
Bunning, 77, gave in to their entreaties Monday, but not before making sure to assign some blame, particularly for his anemic campaign war chest.
"Over the past year, some of the leaders of the Republican Party in the Senate have done everything in their power to dry up my fundraising," Bunning said in a statement. "The simple fact is that I have not raised the funds necessary to run an effective campaign for the U.S. Senate. For this reason, I will not be a candidate for re-election in 2010."
Bunning's fundraising had lagged for months. After collecting just $263,000 in the first three months of the year, Bunning brought in a meager $305,000 from April 1 to June 30. By contrast, state Attorney General Jack Conway raised $1.3 million in the latest quarter as he battles Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo in the Senate Democratic primary.
Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, whom Bunning had encouraged to open an exploratory committee while he mulled retirement, is now the most likely GOP nominee.
Known for being irascible toward colleagues, aides and the press, Bunning has made a series of controversial remarks over the years that helped erode his standing at home. In February, he had to apologize after saying at a Republican event that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has "bad cancer. The kind that you don't get better from" and predicted she wouldn't live more than nine months. (Ginsburg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer weeks earlier.) In 2004, running for reelection against Mongiardo, Bunning suggested his opponent looked like one of Saddam Hussein's sons and called him a "limp wrist."
Bunning won that contest by just two percentage points, even as President George W. Bush won Kentucky by 20 points. The state still leans toward Republicans, but recent polling showed Bunning trailing badly in a 2010 matchup against either Conway or Mongiardo.
"There is a sense of welcome relief that he did the right thing and, particularly, did not wait any longer," a Senate GOP strategist said of Bunning's decision, speaking on the condition of anonymity so he could be frank regarding a fellow Republican. "The dynamics of this race have now changed drastically, and Republicans' chances of holding this seat have grown far stronger."
Democrats say they still plan to target the race next November, arguing that Grayson is unproven in a major race.
Bunning is the sixth Republican senator to announce he will not seek reelection in 2010, after Sens. Christopher S. Bond (Mo.), Judd Gregg (N.H.), Sam Brownback (Kan.), George V. Voinovich (Ohio) and Mel Martinez (Fla.). Two Democrats -- Roland W. Burris (Ill.) and Ted Kaufman (Del.), both appointed -- have announced that they are not running next year.
I am ENRAGED that nobody cares. :mad:
Ed would have cared. Goddamn Denmark! :(
So, was that guy really senile in 2004, or was it just hysterical liberal propaganda? Is it easy to tell?
He's either stupid or crazy, and has been so for quite some time. I'm sure there are plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating this.
Quote from: Caliga on July 28, 2009, 04:33:39 PM
I am ENRAGED that nobody cares. :mad:
I'd be more excited if there was some way of revoking his terrible Hall of Fame selection.
:huh: Didn't he pitch a perfect game, among other accomplishments?
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 28, 2009, 05:35:03 PM
Quote from: Caliga on July 28, 2009, 04:33:39 PM
I am ENRAGED that nobody cares. :mad:
I'd be more excited if there was some way of revoking his terrible Hall of Fame selection.
His stats are similar to several other post WW2 hall of famers.
Quote from: Caliga on July 28, 2009, 05:25:56 PM
He's either stupid or crazy, and has been so for quite some time. I'm sure there are plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating this.
Indeed. His fellow GOP Senators have been pressuring him to retire since last fall because he's such an embarrassment.
I can think of several retired pro players who held or ran for office as Republicans. Have there been any Democrats?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 28, 2009, 06:47:03 PM
I can think of several retired pro players who held or ran for office as Republicans. Have there been any Democrats?
Heath Shuler of NC? I'm not sure if he ever played pro tho.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:48:19 PM
Heath Shuler of NC? I'm not sure if he ever played pro tho.
Coulda sworn billion dollar Heath was a Republican.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 28, 2009, 06:49:45 PM
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:48:19 PM
Heath Shuler of NC? I'm not sure if he ever played pro tho.
Coulda sworn billion dollar Heath was a Republican.
Conservative democratic and was a horrible pro quaterback.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 28, 2009, 06:47:03 PM
I can think of several retired pro players who held or ran for office as Republicans. Have there been any Democrats?
Bill Bradley. :smarty:
But yeah, as against him I can think of quite a few Republican counter-examples.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:48:19 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 28, 2009, 06:47:03 PM
I can think of several retired pro players who held or ran for office as Republicans. Have there been any Democrats?
Heath Shuler of NC? I'm not sure if he ever played pro tho.
I suspect there are several Redskins fans who wish he hadn't ;)
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 06:52:42 PM
Bill Bradley. :smarty:
Nice one by the foreigner! :cheers:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 28, 2009, 06:51:28 PM
Conservative democratic and was a horrible pro quaterback.
The most infamous pick in Redskin history.
The dude is definitely a Democrat though. I am so ENRAGED they let him back into DC.
Quote from: Vince on July 28, 2009, 07:01:42 PM
I suspect there are several Redskins fans who wish he hadn't ;)
:grr:
One of the main reason so many are Republicans is because Oklahoma loves to elect ex-football players to high office.
In Texas we elect ex-cheerleaders. I am not sure what that says about it but it isn't good.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 28, 2009, 06:37:56 PM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 28, 2009, 05:35:03 PM
Quote from: Caliga on July 28, 2009, 04:33:39 PM
I am ENRAGED that nobody cares. :mad:
I'd be more excited if there was some way of revoking his terrible Hall of Fame selection.
His stats are similar to several other post WW2 hall of famers.
For the most part, the guys who are similar to him aren't in the Hall. He's borderline at best.
He threw a no-hitter, and a perfect game; one in each league. Only six people have ever done that, and three of them did it after Bunning did it (Koufax, Randy Johnson and Buehrle).
When he retired only Walter Johnson had more strikeouts than Bunning.
Sounds good to me.
Quote from: Caliga on July 28, 2009, 04:33:39 PM
I am ENRAGED that nobody cares. :mad:
Ed would have cared. Goddamn Denmark! :(
Not really. I would have taken the opportunity to make fun of you, but care? nah.
Listen mister, I tell you what you're supposed to think and do. :mad:
Quote from: Caliga on July 30, 2009, 08:07:07 AM
Listen mister, I tell you what you're supposed to think and do. :mad:
Stop pointing that sausage biscuit at me. You'll put an eye out.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 28, 2009, 06:37:56 PM
His stats are similar to several other post WW2 hall of famers.
His top two similarity scores are Luis Tiant, Mickey Lolich, and Rick Reuschel. Those are actually very close comps - that's the level of pitcher that Bunning was. All those guys were very good but none of them are even borderline Hall of famers. You could probably fill up a couple of Hall of fames with guys at that level -- guys like Billy Pierce (another very close comp), Tommy Bridges, Dave Stieb, Vida Blue, Bob Welch, and so on. Kevin Brown was at the level - actually he was quite a bit better than Bunning - he had a better W-L record and a better ERA in a much tougher era for hitters.
The only HOF pitchers in his top 10 similarity scores are Hunter and Drysdale. Both were very borderline selections at best. Catfish made it in because he was a big personality who played a big role on two successful, high profile teams. I agree that Bunning was his equal as a pitcher. But if Catfish is a legitimate standard for a HOF pitcher, we would have to admit about another 50 guys in.
Drysdale is not a particularly good comp - his career line has some similarities, but he achieved it in a considerably shorter time frame and in fewer starts. He won a Cy Young, which Bunning never did, and had two top 5 MVP finishes, which Bunning never came close to. FWIW I think Drysdale is at best a borderline HoFamer (i would not have selected him either) - he basically owed his selection to the fact his association with Koufax and being a high profile player on a high profile team in a big media market.
As for the perfect game stuff, well if want to open the doors to Don Larsen and Len Barker, I suppose that is relevant. Hall of Fame is a lifetime acheivement award - one game doesn't get you in, no matter how impressive it was.
Quote from: sbr on July 28, 2009, 09:45:35 PM
When he retired only Walter Johnson had more strikeouts than Bunning.
Lolich has almost the exact same number of Ks . . . the likes of Frank Tanana and Chuck Finley are hot on their heels.
It was considerably easier to strike out lots of guys in the 60s then in the 30s when Lefty Grove was pitching.
Senator Bunning strikes again! :menace:
:frusty: :blush:
?
The suspense is killing me.
I know! :smarty:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on March 01, 2010, 08:47:12 PM
I know! :smarty:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi195.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz133%2Fsbr32%2Fsmilies%2Fnutkick.gif&hash=5a365e587ea0de7e5f94ff2cf3995bf5ff8648f7)
Nobody follows the news anymore? :huh:
Bunning has put a hold on legislation that would extend the unemployment time limits and the federal subsidy for COBRA. :smarty:
Quote from: Caliga on March 01, 2010, 08:59:03 PM
Nobody follows the news anymore? :huh:
They come to Languish for news, you must provide it to them. :contract:
not surprised. first time i heard of the guy was last fall. an LC had me do research on the issue of steroids in baseball mccain and him brought up to the senate a few years ago. from what i read, the guy only ever cares about anything related to the sport. he looked pretty bored during the health-care mark-up, and i heard even his own staff hates him
Quote from: Caliga on March 01, 2010, 07:31:07 PM
Senator Bunning strikes again! :menace:
:frusty: :blush:
Well, to be fair just two weeks earlier Congress had voted to reinstitute PAYGO, only to immediately waive PAYGO for this bill. Bunning was only insisting that Congress followed its own rules.
Ed can't watch the news today
the stuff on it is making him cry
Quote from: Caliga on March 02, 2010, 08:19:05 AM
Ed can't watch the news today
the stuff on it is making him cry
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cynical-c.com%2Farchives%2Fbloggraphics%2FCryingIndian.jpg&hash=ba9ac9f4f45e661202a3be0d78f3502957da343e)
I'm allergic to all three networks. And fuck the internet.