Grimes (D-KY) didn't do herself any favors by being coy about who she voted for president

[WI_DEM]

She really should have just said, "Yes, I'm a democrat" and moved on. I know that Obama is unpopular in KY, but this video makes her look weak and vacillating. Also, there are Obama supporters, especially African-Americans, in KY, who will be disappointed. She will need their votes, too. The racists will vote for McTurtle anyway.


Grimes Won't Say If She Voted for Obama
Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), who is running against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) this fall, refused to tell the Louisville Courier-Journal if she voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. It's a painful exchange.

Here's the video:
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2014/10/10/grimes_wont_say_if_she_voted_for_obama.html#disqus_thread

[FLPanhandle]

1. I remember when it was considered impolite to ask who you voted for.

I guess those days are gone.

[femmocrat]

3. For sure.

I always answer, "Last time I checked, we had a secret ballot in this country."

[packman]

7. Well, at least they didn't ask her about her underwear

Remember the Bill Clinton, "Do you wear boxers or shorts?" question. If this becomes a hinge-type question that will determine voters preferences - screw them. She deserves better constituents.

[Tatiana]

2. I'm inclined to agree. It's a small misstep.

Obama is vastly unpopular in Kentucky and I think she didn't want to give McConnell any ammo to tie her to Obama. Plus, people would have heard her say she voted for Obama and immediately concluded that they couldn't vote for her. Sad, but true.

[CK_John]

4. They were never going to vote for her anyway.

[CK_John]

5. She'll lose by 6%.

[Octafish]

6. She should have said, ''None of your business.''

Because she didn't, thanks to Corporate McPravda, everyone who learns the story will be left to wonder why she didn't vote for Obama or not.

[angel123]

8. grimes would not say if she voted for obama.

I don't care if she did not say she voted for Obama. the alternative to grimes is unthinkable. nuf said.

[JaneyVee]

9. Prediction:

Everyone who distant themselves from Obama will lose and everyone who embraced will win.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

16. Probably, but not for the reasons you think

Candidates in blue or bluish states will embrace President Obama because the voters in their state already support the President, so it's helpful to them to do the same.

Candidates in red or reddish states don't embrace President Obama because the voters in their state don't care for the President, so it won't help them to embrace him.

If you're thinking that Democratic candidates in red states should embrace the President in order to help their own, chances, I think you're very wrong. .

[Major Hogwash]

17. One of the reasons GOTV efforts are so important is because . . .

. . . we are trying to attract new, young voters to vote for Democrats because these young voters have seen President Obama trashed by the Republicans ever since some of those young people were 12 years old!!!

I didn't really start to pay much attention to politics until I was 12 years old, the age at which I was told I was old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.
That is the age that some child psychologists refer to as the time when children reach the "age of reason", when kids begin to form their own opinions based on their ability to tell the difference between right and wrong.
Some churches even allow 12 year-olds to become full-fledged members of their church at such a young age.

And now that these 18 year-olds are old enough to vote, we want them to vote with us, for Democrats!
And there are millions of potential new voters out there, who have never had the chance to vote yet.
They've never had a say in how their country is managed, or who gets to help run it.
It's a very exciting time in some young people's lives for some young people when they first get to vote.
It was in mine.

I'm jus' sayin' . . .

[JaneyVee]

18. Damn right they should

With all of his accomplishments they should be defending and explaining the facts. Instead they're going to run like cowards and lose anyway.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

19. I want to retain the Senate

If holding the President at arm's length is needed in order for some candidates to win, then I'm fine with them doing.

I don't mean disrespecting him, or denigrating his many accomplishments, but keeping their distance? Then they need to do what they need to do.

[IL Lib]

24. +1 n/t

[BeyondGeography]

10. She would have said yes if Obama was a genuine progressive

[JustAnotherGen]

11. One of the best things I've read at DU in a long time!

[JustAnotherGen]

12. I know at DU

We sometimes get stuck in our bubble - especially those of us that don't live in that region of the US. But she was being realistic about how people are influenced down there . . .


Now McConnell's team has to 'piece together' something - they don't get a neat little sound bite to throw around the air waves.

I'd bet she DID vote for Obama - not once but twice. But I read/listen/watch things that are not from Right Wing and Leaning sources. The people that would hear that 'sound bite' - on one of those sources - will run with it.


She's proving herself to be a very adept political campaigner.

[on point]

13. BS. it is nobody's business to know who you voted for and rude to even ask!!

That is one reason vote is secret

[JI7]

29. not if the person is running for political office , we do have a right to ask

they don't have to answer of course.

[on point]

41. That's my point, NO YOU DON'T !!!! You have a right to ask them on their policies, nothing more

[Cali_Democrat]

14. ...blacks are used to being thrown under the bus by white Dems.

Trying to cater to the racist voters certainly will not endear you to African Americans.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

31. Worked for Hillary in KY and WVA whose voters admitted that it was about Obama's race.

Now they want us to believe that Obama's race has nothing to do with why Grimes is having problems.

[Cali_Democrat]

33. Yep

Those voters are very prevalent throughout Appalachia.

Racism runs though their veins. The fact that Dems try to cater to these assholes is sickening. Fuck 'em.

Dems should stand on principle and reject these fuckers outright. Begging for their votes just makes people like Alison Grimes look pathetic.

[kentuck]

15. Reporters are really treading on some shaky ground.

How long before people start asking who they voted for in the last election? We can guess but they have gotten the benefit of the doubt because people consider it a private issue and none of anyone's business.

Did they not know the answer when they asked? There were only two people on the ticket - Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Did they really think that she voted for Mitt Romney? She's a Democrat. It is assumed that she voted for the Democratic candidate. The reporters knew the answer but they were simply carrying water for Mitch McConnell. A sorry excuse for journalism, in my opinion.

[LawDeeDah]

22. right on. I do wish she said 'I didn't vote for Mitt Romney' tho.

but then it was Bill Clinton who supported her for the run (and he always has his own interest above all others) and Ashley Judd ducked out, quietly. I still think Ashley would have been a much stronger and honest voice, but who knows how these sausages are really made.

[AverageJoe90]

20. I might have agreed initially....

But, to be honest, it seems to be working; Grimes is now beginning to pull ahead of McTurtle, as of the latest poll from the Louisville Courier-Journal:

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2014/10/06/mcconnell-grimes-bluegrass-poll-due-tonight/16798721/

[spanone]

21. she should have applauded the affordable care act that has made a difference in so many ky lives

and that her opponent would trash in a heartbeat

[kentuck]

25. Mitch and the Repubs will overplay their hand on this...

...after a few days, most people will see that no one else is asked who they voted for, not politicians and not reporters, and it will rebound in her favor.

She should continue to smartly deflect this question, in my opinion. She should not mention Barack Obama's name. Instead, she should say, "I am a Democrat. I could not bring myself to vote for John McCain or Mitt Romney..." In effect, she is saying she voted for Barack Obama. Without saying his name.

It will drive the right-wingers nuts. They will over-play their hand to Grimes advantage.

[Kalidurga]

26. I don't think she hurt herself by not saying who she voted for.

It was a stupid question IMO. But, if they are going to ask the question they should ask all the candidates. Mitch has a much more embarassing vote to explain.

[kentuck]

27. She needs to be patient fora few days.

This will backfire on Mitch and she will gain in the polls.

[Kalidurga]

28. It should backfire on Mitch

Romney was an embarassment. I can only hope he will run again and that he has learned nothing from his well I would say mistakes, but really it's his personality. He is one of those guys that I would say yeah, um don't be yourself, be anyone but yourself you will do a lot better that way.

[Cali_Democrat]

34. You've gotta be kidding me

This makes Grimes look like an idiot.

Instead of embracing the first black president and policies like Obamacare, she's decided to run away from him and run to his right because she thinks she can get racist voters who will never vote for her anyways.

Meanwhile blacks are thrown under the bus.

She's toast.

[kentuck]

37. Bottom line:

It's an easy surrender to the likes of Mitch McConnell. I don't think she looks like an idiot. Nobody has the right to demand that you tell them who you voted for. I doubt that she voted for Mitt Romney or John McCain. She probably voted for the Democrat? Who was that Democrat? What idiot cannot figure that out?

But it is about a bigger issue, one of privacy, one of basic right. It is not about an "R" or a "D". I hope she stands her ground. Once people have had a few days to reflect upon it, it will show that Alison is on the right side of this issue.

Let's not be too quick to give this seat to Mitch McConnell.

[Cali_Democrat]

39. You're missing the big picture here

She repeatedly referred to herself as a Clinton Democrat after she was asked the question. I'm an Obama supporter and I'll admit, there ain't a huge difference between Clinton and Obama in terms of how they governed as Presdient.

Look at their policies. In fact, Bill and Hillary actually tried to get universal healthcare for Americans. Obama never attempted this because he knew it was impossible. Obama and Clinton are very similar in a lot of ways.

The only big difference is the color of their skin. Alison knows this and so what she's doing is running away from Obama because she considers him to be a liability in a state like Kentucky.

How can you run away from Obama and embrace Clinton when they had similar policies? She's running away from Obamacare, a law which has helped over half a million Kentuckians get health coverage.

It's the color of his skin that's the real issue here and instead of embracing Obama, she's running away from him and, in the process, she's throwing American blacks under the bus.

Sickening.

Blacks see what's going on, crystal clear. We're very astute politically and anyone who does this is no friend of the black community IMO.

Blacks are tired of being treated like some virus.

We're human beings.

[kentuck]

40. You make very valid points.

But I do not think Alison Grimes is a racist. And I don't think Alison Grimes fits real nicely into our labels, such as "R" or "D". She calls herself an "independent, Kentucky woman". However, on most of the issues I have heard her speak on, she sounds like a Democrat.

Who do I think she voted for? I think Obama. But she has no obligation to prove her loyalty to the Party or to any individual, black or white or other, by responding to such a question. It is nobody's business who she voted for. That's why we have the secret ballot.

[IL Lib]

42. Why did she feel the need to explain she's a "Clinton Democrat?" n/t

[IL Lib]

43. Agree 100% n/t

[Cha]

30. "No dumbass, I voted for mitt romney.. I'm a dino.. is that what you want to hear"..

Brawaaa, Chucky Todd thinks she's disqualified herself.. so she's in!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

32. Of course he does. He's so transparent.

[Blue_Tires]

35. +1

Once she showed that she can be cowered on that question, she can expect nothing else but "difficult" questions from now on...

[dballance]

36. As if anyone thought she'd voted for Mitt?

Seriously? Can we get back to real issues?

[kentuck]

38. A low-point for the Louisville Courier-Journal....

...carrying water for the Mitch McConnell campaign. It's a political con-game on the voters of the state of Kentucky.

[Lee-Lee]

44. It's pretty sad

that a Democratic candidate can't be proud of having voted for the sitting Democratic President.

I am not sure if it is sadder if she is hiding it because she thinks it helps her and isn't willing to snap her pride or if she really isn't proud of it.

[kentuck]

45. She never said she didn't vote for Obama...

She is savvy enough to know that as soon as she says she voted for Obama, she has lost the race. But she can have a moral victory. And Mitch McConnell returns to Washington, probably as the Majority Leader. Obama put her in a very tough situation by announcing his new environmental plan when it wasn't necessary. Why did he do that? I don't blame her at all.