Ashley Judd Out, A Former Miss America May Challenge Mitch McConnell

[DonViejo]

by Jonathan Miller May 26, 2013 4:45 AM EDT

Heather French Henry, the 2000 pageant winner and wife of the former Kentucky lt. governor, mulls a run for the U.S. Senate. Jonathan Miller reports.

-snip-

It’s no wonder that so few Kentucky women jump into the muddy political ring: Women represent less than 20 percent of the state legislature, only four have ever been elected to statewide office, and we’ve never had a female U.S. Senator. Even as both national parties have furiously recruited women to run in the 2014 midterm elections, the Democratic women who have considered challenging Kentucky’s U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell have faced furious gender-based bashing, some of it from members of their own party.

First out of the gate was the actress Ashley Judd, who was pelleted with smarmy critiques of her film nudity, and whose words were continually taken out of context to make her sound like a radical, unpredictable woman. In reality, many in the Democratic Establishment feared a Judd candidacy, because as the very antithesis of the good-ole-boy club — with direct access to energized grassroots activists and unlimited campaign funds — Judd didn’t need them; and they understood the maxim that you cannot control what you did not create.

When Judd bowed out, the race was supposedly cleared for a “safer” female choice, Secretary of State Alison Grimes, the scion of a well-connected political family. But Grimes’ two months of telegraphed hesitancy, however, have prompted some moneyed interests to pressure her to run instead for Attorney General in 2015.

Should Grimes move down ticket, Miss America stands ready to step in. Heather French Henry, that is, the Northern Kentucky resident who won the famous beauty pageant–ahem, scholarship contest–in 2000, and later married the then-Lt. Governor in a fairy-tale, televised wedding. Henry, who last week announced that she is considering the Senate race, doesn’t fit the beauty-queen stereotype: She is a dynamic, charismatic speaker, boasts Clinton-ian retail politicking skills, and has developed a policy platform that no one dares criticize as a passionate and successful advocate for disabled veterans for more than a decade.

full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/26/ashley-judd-out-a-former-miss-america-may-challenge-mitch-mcconnell.html

[bigdarryl]

1. Jesus!!! Can't the Democrats find any credible candidates

Why are they running all these woman across the country for Governorships

[BlueToTheBone]

2. By credible, do you mean male?

If so, that is an incredibly sexist statement. Women are very credible and will make a great contribution to politics.

[bigdarryl]

3. It's a fact that woman have a harder time being elected

Look what just happened to Culbert Bush dispike being an excellent candidate she lost by a wide margin against an adulter and stalker. Im not saying woman can't be good Governors but in a place like Kentucky I don't think so

[BlueToTheBone]

4. Well, she's running for senator, not governor

so your political acumen doesn't impress me. And that was still an incredibly sexist comment. Colbert-Busch was a repub lite and that is why she failed. If you have a choice between a pretend and a real, people tend to the real; even if it is against their best interests.

[saidsimplesimon]

9. blue2theb, I agree. Every Democratic candidate would do well to follow your

advice.

[BlueStreak]

5. Tell that to the last female senator elected from Kentucky, who was

um, er, well ..

OK. Three haven't been any, ever. And likewise for the surrounding states: Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The problem with "the heartland" is that there are a lot of women who actually believe this is "man's work". That makes it very difficult for a woman to overcome the numbers.

HOWEVER

Running a good ole' boy against McConnell will be certain victory for McConnell. There is zero probability of "system-Democratic-man" beating McConnell. If ever there was a time to put a whole new dynamic into the mix, this is it. There is nothing to lose and a huge victory to gain. Imaging how different the world would be if the right-wingers had to face a reality:

1) Their leader just got taken down

2) Losing that last seat that prevented Republicans from taking over the Senate

3) And it was a woman.

Because of the stakes, this would become the highest of high-profile elections, and that is exactly what is needed to take McConnell down, IMHO.

Is Kentucky ready for Sisterhood? I don't know, but they certainly did not follow the conventional path by electing Rand Paul, so maybe they are just open-minded enough for this to work.

[pnwmom]

13. With that kind of attitude, no woman would even try. n/t

[karynnj]

14. Was there a man who would have done better in that district?

This is a district won by Romney by about 18 points. Not to mention, Sanford, bad as he is, was considered a possible Republican Presidential candidate before his misbehavior and his political positions matched the district.

I seem to remember you are from NJ, I suspect, like me, you had resigned yourself to having to vote for the corrupt Torricelli rather than not voting (or worse, voting for the RW Forrester.) If I am wrong on NJ or you were too young then, my apologies for personalizing the question.

[cyberswede]

8. How is she not credible?

She is a dynamic, charismatic speaker, boasts Clinton-ian retail politicking skills, and has developed a policy platform that no one dares criticize as a passionate and successful advocate for disabled veterans for more than a decade

[Chan790]

24. Other than all the very-credible reasons Wonkette gave earlier this week?

http://wonkette.com/517238/with-big-hollywood-feminazi-out-of-kentucky-senate-race-dems-eye-former-miss-america-married-to-total-felon

How about:

*She struck and killed a pedestrian while driving distracted in 2003. (In 2003, she was not charged. Under current law, she'd almost certainly have gone to prison for vehicular homicide.)

*Her husband is widely-considered to be one of the most-corrupt politicians in the history of the state of KY...and it's widely suspected this is his proxy campaign since he can't run himself due to his history of Medicare fraud, pleading guilty to campaign finance fraud and a half-dozen other "irregularities".

*She's never run for or held elected office in her life, is almost totally unqualified and is already becoming yet another embarrassment for one of the most-inept state Democratic parties imaginable.

[cyberswede]

25. I didn't see any of those reasons in the post to which I replied.

Perhaps if the poster had included them, his objection wouldn't have looked merely sexist.
Thanks for the info.

[karynnj]

12. Where is the sarcasm symbol - I hope this is sacasm or it is quite alertable

Not to mention - if she challenges McConnell, she is running for Senate. I have never heard of her, but it sounds like she has some pretty credible accomplishments.

[longship]

6. Here's Heather French Henry.

From her Web site:
_1024

[Cha]

7. She sounds like she'd be a good candidate and a

Good Senator from Kentucky. I bet the thought is making mitch quake in his little boots.

[Tx4obama]

18. See link in Comment #17 n/t

[saidsimplesimon]

10. Thanks for the update Don...I've been waiting for the appropriate time

to suggest that all our Democratic candidates read " The Art of War", attributed to Sun Tzu, from 500 BC. (That's just my short list.) All our Democratic candidates will need Campaign Managers who are also knowledgeable on running campaigns.

You can read, print, download the entire wisdom at the link below:

http://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html

The Art of War

By Sun Tzu

Translated by Lionel Giles

snip.....

I. Laying Plans

2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

14. By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat.

15. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!

[Nedsdag]

11. Wasn't she in a car accident a few years ago?

I believe that someone died in the accident and she took the blame.

[premium]

16. Yep,

http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/miss-america-kills-cyclist-in-car-accident

From reading the article, it sounds like it wasn't her fault, it was the cyclist's fault.

[A Little Weird]

15. NO!!!

Please tell me this is a joke. She has absolutely no qualifications. Unless one considers being married to a politician to be a qualification, but if that's so then she would have to be tied to his record and he was about as crooked as they come (election fraud, defrauding medicare and medicaid, improper use of state resources, etc.).

I would love to finally have a female senator but not if it's going to be Kentucky's version of Sarah Palin.

[whistler162]

26. You just described a former senator and former secretary of state!

who happens also to be a former first lady! Hillary <something or the other>

[Tx4obama]

17. Her resume` is too thin. Link to bio below

Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_French_Henry

She ran over and killed a woman (a mother of four).

A publishing company is suing her for $350,000 in damages for not fulfilling contractual obligations.

Does NOT look good.

[Cha]

19. thanks for more info, Tx.. Don't know about the publishing company but the accident

could happen to anybody and it takes a strong person to forgive yourself.

In October 2003, French Henry struck and subsequently killed Karola Stede, 44, a native of Germany and mother of four who was crossing against the traffic light in a Louisville intersection. French said that the accident deeply affected her, and she subsequently recounted her story in venues such as The Oprah Winfrey Show.[6]

We have another woman who's interested, too. I'm sorry I forgot her name?

[Tx4obama]

20. Alison Lundergan Grimes (?)

Kentucky
Main article: United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2014

Five-term incumbent and Senate Minority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell was re-elected with 53% of the vote in 2008. He will be 72 years old in 2014. McConnell will seek re-election to a sixth term and is already beginning to prepare for his campaign by hiring key staffers and building a fundraising operation. Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is a potential Democratic candidate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2014#Kentucky

Alison Grimes, BIO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Lundergan_Grimes

[Cha]

21. Ah, yes.. thank you for the info, Tx.

Good Luck to whomever the Dem candidate is.. be so Kismet if it were a woman beating the misogynist.

[davidpdx]

23. Very true

10 years ago I was driving down a busy street in the suburbs of Portland and an idiot ran out in front of my car. He bounced up on my hood on to my windshield. I stopped and immediately called 911. The police and an ambulance came. I talked to the officer and he stated he was going to cite me for reckless driving. I told him he needed to cite the idiot for J-walking and he did. It probably turned out to be a good move. The guy was a tweaker and I was able to do a little investigating. When it came time to appear for my ticket I presented the evidence of what happened and it was dismissed. I did have to pay a $500 deductible for fixing my car even though it wasn't my fault. The guy had a few stitches and lived. I just hope he never reproduces.

[NewJeffCT]

22. what's the problem with Grimes?

I thought Judd bowed out to make room for her?

[A Little Weird]

27. It looks like she's getting cold feet

Plus she's being pressured to run for AG instead. I swear I am beginning to think the state democratic party wants McConnell to win.