Alison Grimes Fires a Brilliant Warning Shot at Mitch McConnell

Alison Grimes

Wow. If you’ve been waiting for the war on women to backfire against Republicans, allow me to introduce you to Alison Grimes, the Democrat running against Senator Mitch McConnell for a Kentucky Senate seat.

Be prepared to watch one of the best campaign videos ever made, and I’ve worked on a few of them. Granted, this is long format for the web, and that allows more time, but this is still a prize worthy campaign video.

Watch here:

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Alison Grimes begins speaking in a soft, but authoritative voice, “Hi, I’m Alison Grimes and I’m running to represent Kentucky in the United States Senate. We’re kicking off the campaign next week and I you to be the first to know about it. Now I’m here in this dining room because you could say that it all started right here two years ago, only made this TV ad. ”

Roll clip of an old ad of Grimes with both of her Grandmothers.

“I loved making that ad. I got to introduce Kentucky to two of the strongest women I’ve never known and there was a chance to talk about something I firmly believe in, that the government should either help or get out of the way.”

Sweet smile.

“That’s a lesson a certain Kentucky Senator has never learned. What many people don’t know as that my grandmother Thelma who was sitting here on my left died just a few months after we made that commercial. She was 92 years old and would have been so proud to see this day.”

“It’s really for her and for people just like her all across Kentucky I’m running for Senate. People who don’t come for much, but who work hard every day making Kentucky a better place for all of us. My grandmother knew that if you wanted to get something done you don’t stand in the way, you stand by your principles, but you also figure out where you can agree and how we can come together.”

“But that’s not happening in Washington today and Senator McConnell is the biggest part of the problem. He’s wasted decades blocking legislation that would have helped Kentucky and our country. And over the last few years he’s done it for the worst possible reason — out of spite.”

Oh. She went there.

“I don’t always agree with the president, but that doesn’t mean we can’t put the good of our people ahead of the bad that comes from acting petty and small.”

Petty and small, indeed. Nicely played, Ms Grimes. “Together we can change that next Tuesday July 30th.”

Here comes the power punch right to the gut, “Now this part’s for you Senator. Your campaign wants to play silly games about where I am and where I stand.”

Wait for it…. Okay, “Well I’m right here in Kentucky, Senator, where I’ll be holding you accountable for voting to double Medicare premiums on Kentucky seniors, including our retired coal miners, for being against requiring the Department of Defense to buy equipment that’s made in America first, for failing to stand up for women when you voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and the Violence Against Women Act, and for opposing raising the minimum wage over and over again while you became a multimillionaire in public office.”

Game on, McConnell.

And Alison is so charming whilst delivering her death blows. Such a sweet smile. She’s perfect for Kentucky: A southern lady, taking on a corrupt, greedy, mean old man.

Now for the warning shot, “We’ll have this debate Senator, and as you’ve probably already seen I don’t scare easy.”

Then Grandma comes to sit next to Alison, banging her laptop down on the dining room table, and says ,”And neither do I, Senator! What rhymes with Mitch? It’s time to switch. Let’s get started honey. This one’s for Thelma.”

Yup. The ladies are fighting back, and when they invoke their Grandmothers, well, Senator McConnell has no idea what he’s messing with. Alison Grimes is McConnell’s worst nightmare. She’s a Southern lady, invoking the strong Southern matriarch as her guide. She’s soft-voiced but steely-spined. She is referencing character and principle, neither of which McConnell will want to discuss. And she’s not afraid of him. Not one bit.

Also, we all know what rhymes with Mitch and it’s not just switch or ditch, but it does describe him perfectly.

The more McConnell attacks Alison in personal ways, as is his modus operandi (he can’t talk about his record, for heaven’s sake), the uglier he’s going to look to Kentuckians because Alison is such a lady. He can’t fight Alison the way he would have fought Ashley Judd, as Alison is already well known and popular as the current Secretary of State. She’s a beloved local while he’s a DC insider, and she knows how to fight the patriarch like only a Southern woman can.


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