In the corner of the rotunda, it’s white marble fading ghost-like into near invisibility with the white marble wall behind it and doomed in perpetuity to look at the back of the 14 foot bronze of Abraham Lincoln who vanquished him and his government. And now with the plaque proclaiming him a patriot removed from the pedestal.
There is a movement to remove it and I understand it. But this is the one Confederate statue I hope can be left in place, because that symbolism always struck me powerfully every time I was in the rotunda. I always thought it could not be a coincidence. The selection of white marble no doubt pleased the ubiquitous odious propagandists of the UDC who (of course) commissioned it but the sculptor could not have been unaware of how the background would wash it out. Tucking it into a corner, facing Lincoln’s back spoke so clearly about Kentucky’s ambivalence and ambiguous place in the Civil War. Lincoln in the center looking to the future he built with the washed out ghost of Davis catty-cornered behind him, fading into the past Lincoln conquered. Coincidence? I think not.
Now if someone wanted to dynamite the ridiculous obelisk they built at Davis’ birthplace, I’d be good with that.
Says it all unfortunately. Wasn’t it Alison Grimes, running against McConnell (2014), who refused to say whether she voted for Obama or not? Why even bother getting out of bed if you can’t answer straight ahead, ‘yes, of course’.
This campaign is going to be won only by finesse. Someone from her staff needs to meet with McCaskill’s former staff. For Amy to upset Turtle will take the same formula as did Claire’s 8 years ago.
It is also going to require an Obama 2008-like effort to get out the vote. Turtle needs to be defeated, no matter what happens in the Presidential election.
Yes indeed but if we can turn out our voters we have a chance. There’s no point in losing the election before the campaign has gotten started by saying she can’t win.
Spend a great deal of time getting the strategy and tactics.
A great deal of time.
There are people who do ethnographies…she will need those folks…and David Ploeffe types…and, quite frankly, the sorts of ad-people who convince different types of people
McConnell is a miserable senator and human being, but pretty much owns the Republican party in Kentucky. The way he does it is he funnels lots and lots of money to Kentucky businesses which they use to prop him up. That and he has unlimited funds from his wife’s relatives. Beating Mitch is not going to be an easy task.
I’ve wondered for a long time now why the Dems don’t just dig deep and pay the Hollywood types who know the demographics of this country like the back of their hand – the very people who sell shows, individual entertainers and specialty products, etc. If you get the right team, they’re worth their weight in gold.
Saw her first campaign commercial this AM. She clearly knows how to thread the needle when it comes to making Progressive issues appeal to kentuckians.
Yes! Thank you. It won’t be easy, but she can at a minimum give McConnell a real run for his life and make him spend every frickin’ campaign dollar he’s got.
Progressive issues always appeal to Kentuckians as long as you label them something else. Don’t believe me look up Kynect. Just like everybody else in the middle of the country they are bombarded with anti progressive propaganda all the time. The local Kentucky media companies make sure rank and file Americans never get anything they need or deserve.