IS SHE TRAPPED? – The soap opera in Kentucky goes on.  The Democrats dream of knocking off Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and their vehicle is one Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is running fairly close to McConnell in a conservative state. 

But Grimes, who does not strike us as the sharpest knife in either the drawer or the dishwasher, has blundered badly in the last few days by refusing to tell Kentuckians if she voted for Barack Obama for president.  Last night Mitch and Alison had their only debate, and Grimes's refusal to say whether she voted for the head of her party was the big issue.  From the Daily Caller: 

Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes has taken heat from the left and right for recently refusing to admit whether she voted for Barack Obama for president.

So it surprised observers when she again dodged the question when pressed during Monday night’s U.S. Senate debate with Republican Mitch McConnell.

“I am not going to compromise a constitutional right provided here in Kentucky in order to curry favor on one or the other side, or for members of the media,” Grimes said when pressed by the moderator on the issue.

Observers note that Grimes’s refusal to say is a result of Obama’s unpopularity in the state.

But asked to explain why she is so reluctant, Grimes replied: “There is no reluctancy. This is a matter of principle. Our constitution grants here in Kentucky the constitutional right for privacy at the ballot box, for a secret ballot. You have that right. Sen. McConnell has that right. Every Kentuckian has the right. And as Secretary of State, the chief election official, I’m tasked with overseeing and making sure we’re enforcing all of our election laws.”

McConnell, the incumbent, shot back: “There’s…no sacred right to not announce how we vote. I voted for Mitt Romney, proudly. I voted for John McCain.”

COMMENT:  Grimes sounds like a fool.  But McConnell symbolizes the Washington insider, and there is an anti-incumbency mood out there, even in Kentucky.  It's hard to assess how much this little episode will cost Grimes, and if it will help seal the deal for Mitch.  But Grimes's repeated refusal is tactically ridiculous.  Just say you voted for Obama, but don't agree with him on a number of things.  That kills the issue.  Everyone knows she voted for him.

Grimes might also learn that "reluctancy" is not a word.  She meant "reluctance."

October 14,  2014