Alison Lundergan Grimes Dodges Questions On Whether She Voted For Obama...Says She's a Clinton Dem

[Cali_Democrat]

Is Obama's black skin really this much of a liability in a state like Kentucky?

She really is running to the right of Obama:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/09/alison-grimes-obama_n_5961528.html

Alison Lundergan Grimes Dodges Questions On Whether She Voted For Obama

Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes on Thursday repeatedly dodged inquiries as to whether she voted for President Barack Obama, who remains extremely unpopular in the Bluegrass State.

Sitting down for an interview with The Louisville Courier-Journal editorial board, the Kentucky secretary of state refused to answer the question and stressed her support for Hillary Clinton in 2008's presidential race.

"You know, this election isn't about the president. It's about making sure we put Kentuckians back to work," she said.

Asked again, Grimes said, "I was actually in '08 a delegate for Hillary Clinton and I think Kentuckians know I'm a Clinton Democrat through and through. I respect the sanctity of the ballot box and I know that the members of this editorial board do as well."

[bigwillq]

1. I won't dodge it. I didn't vote for Obama in 2012.

I did vote for him in 2008, though.

[bigwillq]

8. I voted for Rocky Anderson.

You have a good day.

[Blue_Tires]

11. Really?...That takes some stones to actually admit openly...

[bigwillq]

16. Not really.

I don't think I have ever tried to make it a secret that I didn't vote for Obama in 2012. That's the good thing about living in CT. I can explore other options. Obama would have won CT with or without my vote so it was low risk to vote for someone else.

[Cali_Democrat]

12. I don't think people really care who you voted for. LOL. nt

[bigwillq]

13. Obviously you care who people vote for.

See OP.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. Alison Grimes is a major Senate candidate. You? You're an anonymous poster on a message board

[bigwillq]

18. I am major.

[JI7]

2. can you believe there are dumbfucks who actually think these people don't want to be

associated with Obama because he is not liberal enough ?

like the teabagging dumbfucks who think romney lost because he was too liberal.

[Marr]

22. There are people who believe just about everything. Are you suggesting the

opinion you described is a prevailing one at DU? Because I haven't seen it.

[gordianot]

40. If Obama were a white male Republican his bust would already be started on Mt. Rushmore.

Obama Care would be touted as the greatest accomplishment of a life time with universal Republican support, cutting the deficit as a modern miracle, finding and killing Bin Laden the pillar of justice, recovery of the DOW from the Great Recession the toast of the Ultra Rich, and unemployment below 6% in 2 years (as opposed to the Romney 4 year promise) Obama would be given the title of Job Creator. No Tea Party would have been formed with crowds of happy white people still sitting in front of the TV with smiles. Wonder why that has not come to pass in our post political, post racial America?

[AngryAmish]

3. Go Grimey Go!

[Cha]

4. Wtf.. she either voted for Obama or she voted for mittload.. or she didn't vote. What kind of

Democrat doesn't vote? Or votes for mittload?

Congratulations to Kentucky for having such an outstanding fucking brainwashing system. Got so many voting against themselves.. Outfuckingstanding.

[bigwillq]

5. You could vote for another candidate

Like I did. Not sure which other candidates were on the ballot in KY, but we had quite a few in CT.

[Cha]

7. Like I said.. BFD.

[Thinkingabout]

55. Hey, cha, a vote for anyone than Obama was a vote against him in my book, they are either with him

Against him.

[bigwillq]

59. Mr. Bush

Is that you?

[Thinkingabout]

60. Is this cha?

[AnalystInParadise]

15. I didn't vote for Kerry in 2004

I voted for every other Democrat on the ballot that year, but I did not vote for John Kerry. He is not my cup of tea and I lived in Hawaii at the time, so there was no need for me to waste my vote on someone I personally did not care for.

[bigwillq]

20. No one cares who you voted for.

[AnalystInParadise]

23. Ok

Just wanted to provide a counter point that a lifetime Democrat like me has chosen to not vote for President in one campaign or the other. Just because I am a registered Democrat does not mean I have to vote for every single person with a D after their name.

[bigwillq]

27. I am joking. See above thread.

I am the same.

[Marr]

24. What kind of Democrat doesn't vote?

Self-described "centrists", apparently. They're the ones who failed to come out last time around, according to the data.

[JI7]

25. exactly, the ones who have a hard time supporting Democrats are CEntrists

[Blue_Tires]

9. To answer your question, yes

dark skin is that much of a liability...

I've seen similar song-and-dances play out in previous races here in VA...

[AnalystInParadise]

21. Doubt it is racism

Kentucky has voted at nearly the same rate for Republicans over the last twenty years. I see nothing racist in these numbers other than Kentucky is a red state.

http://www.270towin.com/states/Kentucky

[Blue_Tires]

28. So why is she admitting she's a "Clinton Dem", then?

Kentucky loves Hillary all of a sudden?

If being a Dem in Kentucky is that much of a touchy issue, why would Grimes admit she ever supported *any* Democratic candidate?? Wouldn't she draw more followers if she renounced the party and ran as an independent??

[AnalystInParadise]

31. Because

the last Dem to win Kentucky was Clinton.......This really isnt that hard to figure out.

[Blue_Tires]

35. You're getting warmer...

Now think real hard and figure out why on Earth the state of Kentucky would like Clinton but hate Obama...

Hint: It has little to nothing to do with their individual politics...

[AnalystInParadise]

39. LOL

I get it, you think it is racist. PBO is from Chicago Illinois, John Kerry was from Massachusetts. Al Gore was from Tennessee but was born to privilege.....Bill Clinton was born a poor kid in Arkansas. If you can't wrap your mind around the differences and why one would be appealing and the rest would not be, I can't help you. As I said before, PBO received votes in Kentucky at the same rate that Al Gore and John Kerry did. But don't the facts get in the way of your rant.

http://www.270towin.com/states/Kentucky

[Blue_Tires]

42. Don't go yelling at me because you're too blind to see it

Curse your own shortsighted worldview instead...

Which state DO you live in, anyway?

[AnalystInParadise]

44. Got it

I don't believe you, I posted data that backed my points up and I am shortsighted. There really is no helping you, is there?

I split my time equally between Arizona, Hawaii and Orlando, Florida.

[yeoman6987]

54. I am not sure if it is race

I think they really just don't like President Obama. I say this because if Ben Carson or Allen West runs for President on the Republican ticket. Kentucky would vote for either one of them.

[madokie]

10. I want to see her win

if it requires she run away from the President to do that then I'm fine with that. She's a good democrat and I believe that she will make us Democratic Party faithfuls happy if and when she gets in the Senate. I don't care what it takes for her to get there cause if she doesn't all this is mote anyway.
Run Alison run

[Cha]

17. I know.. it's just sad. They're are so many fucked brainwashed racists in Kentucky. Rand Paul ffs.

Michelle campaigned for Wendy.. not so fucked up in Texas.

[madokie]

26. right now we just want Alison and Wendy to win

along with all the rest of our democratic candidates where ever they happen to be. we can't get shit done if we're not in the drivers seat.
But back to Mitch, he's an extra nasty one and really needs to go same with good hair. It will be two steps in the right direction if they can pull it off.
Here in Oklahoma its starting to look like Joe Dorman has a chance in unseating our sorry ass mary fallin from the governors mansion

[Cha]

30. The Very Best of Luck to Joe Doman and Oklahoma, madokie!

[madokie]

32. Thank you

we need a little luck and some love too. I'll be up early on election day

[AnalystInParadise]

33. Where is your proof they are racist

the last Democrat to win Kentucky was Clinton. PBO got the same % of votes as Al Gore and John Kerry. Don't let data points get in your way

http://www.270towin.com/states/Kentucky

[Blue_Tires]

38. If you're a Kentuckian trying to stick up for the honor of your commonwealth

I can sympathize...

Just don't tell me that this has nothing to do with race...I've heard, seen and known too many red state voters to know this isn't the case...

[AnalystInParadise]

41. Nope

Texan by birth, but my wife is from Kentucky and her family says the same thing to me. If PBO was a guy from the South it would be a lot easier to vote for him than a Upper Middle Class man from Chicago who went to Harvard.

You can say it is racism, but the data says otherwise. If it was racism, PBO would not have gotten the same percentage of voters as white candidates did in 2000 and 2004.

[Blue_Tires]

48. The data says otherwise

because most southern voters have the common decency to never say publicly that they voted for or against someone strictly for ethnic reasons...

But a little digging turns up some interesting stuff:

http://www.kentucky.com/2008/10/19/560655/the-obama-question-will-his-race.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/us/politics/behind-roar-of-politics-whispers-of-race-persist.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2008/05/kentucky_explained_in_black_an.html#more
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/26/1302147/-Trying-to-Discern-the-Mind-of-Kentucky-Voters#
http://migration.kentucky.gov/Newsroom/kchr/Release+of+report+on+status+of+blacks+in+Kentucky.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-k-wilson/the-clinton-vote-and-the_b_102826.html
http://www.thenation.com/blog/170002/votings-outcasts-why-one-five-blacks-kentucky-cant-cast-ballot
http://wonkette.com/448772/kentucky-tea-party-sells-patriotic-yup-im-a-racist-fourth-of-july-t-shirts


I dunno...Seems pretty clear-cut to me at least...But I admit it's easy for me to see this stuff when it happens...

[AnalystInParadise]

49. Lordy

Results speak for themselves


http://www.270towin.com/states/Kentucky

[Blue_Tires]

50. You're a fast fuckin' reader is all I'll say

Sadly your rebuttal left me a little wanting...

But either way, we're done here...Cheers m8

[AnalystInParadise]

52. What is there to read?

I posted that PBO ( a black man) got the same percentage of votes as John Kerry (a white man) did in 2004. Your magical racist hypothesis is clearly wrong, I need not read anything else.

[Cali_Democrat]

19. You make a good point!

[madokie]

29. At this point in the game its win or nothing

I'll go for a win no matter what it takes. Our country is in dire need of some leadership and we ain't getting it from the republiCONs. When we do get leadership from them its always a race to the bottom so what the hell is good about that I'm a down and dirty cut to the bone yellow dog democrat myself. Win whatever it takes, just win, then we can start taking care of business

[gratuitous]

36. "Win-ning"? What is this word you use?

Reading through the thread, it's almost as if folks want Grimes to stick her foot in it. She parried the question deftly enough, and I'll trust Grimes to know the Kentucky electorate better than me. She's been around them enough to know them, and I daresay she's been around them more recently than her opponent, who seems a bit tone-deaf.

[Cha]

34. Yes, and I agree.. they have to do or say or not say anthing to get around the brainwashed to win.

but, it just seems weird Allison has to be put on the spot as to whether she voted for President Obama or not. That doesn't mean she has to vote with him in the Senate.. although it's either that or follow in Mitch the Idiot's footsteps.

[JI7]

43. i agree, but lets not pretend we don't know why she has to do this in order to win

[madokie]

45. trust me when I say I know why

I'm one of the first people here to call it what it is and what it is is Racist assholes, a bunch of them. I was surprised at the numbers of 'm we have though

[hrmjustin]

37. i want her to get elected so this does not bother me.

[alcibiades_mystery]

46. She's going down in flames

The timid Dems who are afraid to stand up for their positions.

After three weeks from now, we'll likely never hear of this Clinton Dem again.

[Cali_Democrat]

51. Obamacare has done so much for Americans

Look how much it helped Kentucky...a red state! I think about 500,000 additional people were able to get covered under Obamacare in Kentucky alone!

Yet Dems run away from this...a policy which will literally save thousands of lives in that state.

The mind wobbles.

[alcibiades_mystery]

58. Instead of buckling down and making the case, they run like hell from the present

[RobertEarl]

47. If she says yes, she voted for Obama

Then she opens herself up to attacks like we have seen on DU. To whit:

"If you voted for Obama then you have to support everything Obama has said or done or you are a racist, and not a good Democrat"

I hope you ""Obama is everything"" people are happy now. You have chased many people away from openly expressing how they feel.

[Savannahmann]

53. It's less Obama's skin, and more his favorability ratings.

President Obama's approval rating is at 42%. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

President Obama lost Kentucky in 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Kentucky,_2012

In 2010, when Democrats were losing the House, Kentucky went for Rand Paul. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky,_2010

So what caused this disastrous interview? What caused Grimes to back away from the President? Was it race? Not so much. The racists vote Republican already by a wide margin. So why?

The same reason the rest of the Democratic Campaigns have been floundering. Democrats expected Republicans to lose the election with more of the "legitimate rape" type of quotes. The Democrats didn't want to run on the Economic success, because that success is felt on Wall Street, not main street. Without some sort of plan to address Economic issues for the average people, then there was no way to do more than keep pumping out the propaganda that the economy is doing great, despite a record high number of people not in the labor force. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm

Running on all the distraction issues, Gun Control for example. Remember Sandy Hook? It was going to be that alone that drove the Republicans out of Washington. The 90% support background checks thing? Anyone remember that? http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022763946

Or how about the shutdown? Remember how the Shutdown was going to hand us the House on a silver platter? Why we were even talking about how this would give us the super majority we needed in the Senate to approve Judges without any input from Republicans.

Citizens United? Anyone remember how that was going to win the election of 2014 as people got furious and woke up to the fact that the Supreme Court was important?

Should I go on? I could. Minimum wage. Abortion rights in Texas and the larger war on women. Every one of these was going to be the thing that drove the Republicans out of office once and for all.

Our entire plan to win in 2014 has shifted from issue to issue, incident to event, and always it's the Republicans who were going to lose the election, and just hand the majority to us. We wouldn't have to lift a finger. We were rolling down hill while the Republicans were digging themselves into a hole.

So we went into the election with no plan, other than letting the Republicans lose the election. Senator Landrieu just figured out that she is in danger of losing the election. She apparently has decided to come up with a plan to win it. First step fire the Campaign Manager, and put someone in who will come up with an idea. Come up with an idea with how many days left? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/mary-landrieu-bill-cassidy_n_5956078.html

For months now a handful of us have been calling on the Democratic Party to campaign and run on issues and stand for something. Recognize that the economy isn't that awesome, and come up with a plan. Recognize that the Republicans were not stupid enough to make the same mistake again. Now, we've gone from coasting to victory, to scrambling to try and spin the upcoming defeat. It isn't racism, sexism, or anything like that. It's that the Republicans were smarter than we were, and coached all their arguments for more than a year for this election. Job Killing Obamacare. Job Killing Minimum wage hike. The Republicans would have objected to the Job Killing Daylight Savings Time if they could have figured out how to work it in there.

They set the election up, and now we're on the defensive. Because all we did was sit around and wait for victory to be handed to us. We couldn't lose we said. We mocked the Benghazi stuff, the Fast and Furious stuff, and we laughed as Congress voted to hold Holder in contempt. But each little piece, each thread were all woven into the tapestry that the voters saw. What the average voter sees, is people out of touch, and answering questions with the same tired slogans that they've always used.

We tried to get some traction, but we overuse those slogans so they lose their impact, and effectiveness. Pick a day, any day, and look at the news. I promise you that somewhere there is an article in the news that mentions the "War on women". I'm not saying that the Republicans are in favor of women's equality and women's rights. I'm saying that people got sick of hearing war on women every time they turned around, and they started to doubt it, and they started to discount it. So now, when they hear it, going into this last vital month, their eyes practically glaze over.

If we manage to cling to a slim majority in the Senate by our fingernails, people here will cheer and announce that the Republicans are really on the ropes for 2016. When that happens, realize this. We're the ones who aren't learning, aren't adapting, and aren't keeping up. But I believe that we have lost the majority, and while I desperately hope I am wrong, I fear that I am witnessing the next shift in American Politics.

Because the danger is this election, and worse, the next. What will we do if we lose the Senate? We won't learn from our loss, we'll double down on the unsuccessful tactics, assuming that this time the Republicans will play along and say something stupid that we can turn into a national cause to eke out a victory. If we do that, we stand a very good chance of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in 2016.

[tularetom]

56. I'm sure the president understands why she has to say that

But I think it's a shame and doesn't say much for her courage that she won't even say she voted for the president who has done more for the poor people in her poor state than any president for the past 50 years.

I guess she's an improvement over McChinless but I don't have much hope that she will be much of a supporter of Obama's program.

[AtomicKitten]

57. If by Clinton Democrats she means

rightwing, racist, and backstabbing .. yep, seen it

[Thinkingabout]

61. Check the history on the Clintons and Lundergen, also Bill Clinton called ALG the first of 2014 and

Ask her to run against McConnell. It is more important to get McConnell out of the Senate.