Is Bunning out of it?

[akhhorus]

You can read the whole artice by gettting the free pass:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/12/bunning_kentucky/index_np.html

Weirdness in Kentucky
The increasingly strange behavior of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning has led to speculation that he is suffering from some kind of dementia -- and tightened a race he once had in his pocket.


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By Mary Jacoby

Oct. 12, 2004 *** ****|*** **** It's no secret in Kentucky that Sen. Jim Bunning, a Republican who was expected to coast to reelection on Nov. 2, has been acting strange. Over the past few months, Bunning has angrily pushed away reporters, exchanged testy words with a questioner at a Rotary Club and stuck to brief, heavily scripted remarks at campaign events, delivered in a halting monotone. The former major league baseball star now travels the Bluegrass State with a special police escort, at taxpayer expense. His explanation? Al-Qaida may be out to get him.

More substantively, the incumbent would agree to only one debate with his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo. And the rules Bunning negotiated were bizarrely rigid: The encounter could not be live; the taping has to occur in the afternoon, not the evening; no audience could be present in the studio; and, under threat of legal action, Mongiardo could not use any sound clips or video of Bunning's debate performance in campaign advertisements

[Spence]

I made some calls yesterday about that. Everyone who follows the Hill has heard about Bunning's weird behavior and the fact that he thinks Al Qaeda hit teams are following him around everywhere. The word I'm hearing is that Bunning is probably suffering from some form of dementia, possibly due to his age. The GOP is just trying to walk him thru this election so he can stand down almost immediately and then the Republican governor will appoint himself as Bunning's replacement.

[MrWiggles]

On a non-political note, I hope the guy is ok. The only thing worse than slowly losing your mind is having to do it in front of the media.

Back to politics ... MUST ... CRUSH ... FEEBLE ...MINDED ... REPUBLICAN.

[Spence]

An update: Bunning violated the rules of the debate he was to have with his Democatic opponent, Daniel Mongiardo, by fleeing to DC and insisting the debate occur via satellite. Senator Bunning claimed he had to be in DC to cast some votes, even though no votes in the Senate were scheduled or held during that time. Now we know the real reason Senator Bunning fled to DC and insisted the debate occur via satellite.

He cheated. It turns out Senator Bunning used a TelePrompTer during the debate, breaking a rule against not using props. I wonder if he's the only Republican using electronic props during debates this year.

Source (http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/13/loc_kysenate13.html)

[lakewinola]

what are the polls looking like here?

[akhhorus]

what are the polls looking like here?

Bunning was up big(20+ points), now its much closer. The Dems' private polls have it around Bunning by 8. The other polls have it about Bunning by 10.

[fent]

what are the polls looking like here?

haven't seen any of late, but if i remember correctly he has quite a lead

[akhhorus]

haven't seen any of late, but if i remember correctly he has quite a lead

electoral-vote.com/info/senate.html has Bunning only up by 6. And if the people who have seen Bunning's performance in the debate are right, it could be closer.

[Jimreaper007]

So this guy is two nuggets short of a happy meal and he has an 8-10 point lead???? :smash::crazy:

Either the residents are so anti-democratic that they would rather walk through hell with gasoline thongs than vote for a democrat or collectively they are dumber than a bag of hair.


This sounds like a lose-lose situation

[fent]

So this guys is two nuggets short of a happy meal and he has an 8-10 point lead????

Either the residents are so anti-democratic that they would rather walk through hell with gasoline thongs on than vote for a democrat or they are dumber than a bag of hair.

This sounds like a lose-lose situation

it's kentucky...strange things happen there

[Spence]

That's for damn sure. My dad is from Kentucky, though he fled across the border to safety many years ago and is now allowed to indulge his very un-Kentuckyian tastes for reading and opera. Kentucky is the heartland of America and I say that because they don't have the brain there.

[MrWiggles]

That's for damn sure. My dad is from Kentucky, though he fled across the border to safety many years ago and is now allowed to indulge his very un-Kentuckyian tastes for reading and opera. Kentucky is the heartland of America and I say that because they don't have the brain there.

Reminds me of the description of Pennsylvania ... Its Pittsburg and Philadelphia with Kentucky in between.

[akhhorus]

That's for damn sure. My dad is from Kentucky, though he fled across the border to safety many years ago and is now allowed to indulge his very un-Kentuckyian tastes for reading and opera. Kentucky is the heartland of America and I say that because they don't have the brain there.

ok, this is getting weird Spence. We were born in the same hospital. We're from cities right next to each other and both our fathers are from Kentucky.....creepy...

[Spence]

UPDATE: There have been new developments in the Jim Bunning is Nuts story.
U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning said yesterday that he was unaware of reports that a unit of Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq had refused an order to deliver fuel for reasons including that their trucks were lightly armored.
"I don't know anything about that," Bunning said during a news conference after a speech he gave to the Rotary Club of Louisville.

Bunning added that Congress had approved money to upgrade body and vehicle armor. "And I believe that has all been accomplished. And I don't know about your reservists," he said. "Unfortunately, we've had some reports, but I don't know the one you're specifically talking about."

When reporters told him that the unit's refusal was a national news story and involved a soldier from Louisville, Bunning said, "Let me explain something: I don't watch the national news, and I don't read the paper. I haven't done that for the last six weeks. I watch Fox News to get my information."That last bit about Fox is just priceless. Of course, even Fox broadcast that story so...Poor Jim Bunning.

Source (http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/10/22ky/A1-senate1022-8036.html)

[Jimskin]

Sad. Very Sad.

[SkinsKY]

Either the residents are so anti-democratic that they would rather walk through hell with gasoline thongs than vote for a democrat or collectively they are dumber than a bag of hair.

I think that on the gasoline thong/ bag of hair continuum, most Kentucky residents fall evenly between the two.