Only 100 Show Up, 15 From Out Of State, For “Big” Rand Paul/Mitch McConnell Rally

Mitch McConnell

Amanda VanBenschoten, a news columnist for Enquirer Media from Kentucky, noted that there wasn’t much enthusiasm for Senator Mitch McConnell at Monday’s rally. The 15 or so young people may or may not be local, as they took off in vans with non-local plates.

Overall, the big joint rally with Rand Paul drew 100 people. Though Amanda VanBenschoten estimated the crowd at an even smaller 80:

And a lack of Tea Party folks:

And from their own mouths, Scott Hofstra, the Spokesperson United Kentucky Tea Party & Chairman of Central Kentucky Tea Party Patriots:

So maybe they hate Grimes enough to vote for McConnell but hate McConnell so much that they won’t show up at rallies for him. To bank on this, you have to put a ton of stock in enormous hatred. Much fear and hatred has been ginned up, but I wonder if it is as compelling as Republicans think it is. Liberals stayed home when they were not impressed by the offerings, and while Republicans don’t play that way, what other choice does the Tea Party have at this point if they want to be taken seriously?

The Kentucky Republicans claim no one showed up because they all had to “work” (yet another attempt to falsely paint the Democrats who support red states as lazy people who don’t work – nice try, but inaccurate):

NKYRepublicans, “@avbnky a number of our members were in attendance and many more would have loved to come but had to work”. Oh, of course. That explains paying people from other states to come. Not.

So the question is, as it has been for days since word first got out that McConnell’s events are sparsely attended and some of those who attend have been paid via travel and/or hotel expenses just to attend, who is going to vote for Mitch McConnell? Who is going to turn out for him?

McConnell has even tried to pass off his paid supporters as sound crew. McConnell has resorted to sending out illegal fliers to coal country trying to intimidate Democrats from voting.

This question has been plaguing me for days, especially as polls showed McConnell up in the last few days while on the ground, it looks like only money can buy him a semblance of love. Yes, there are folks who hate Obama so much that they will show up to vote against him. But why aren’t even a small portion of actual Kentucky residents showing up at McConnell’s events, and how many of them will turn out on election day if even a small percentage of them can’t be bothered to show up?

Is the Tea Party holding out against McConnell or have they slid into irrelevance in Kentucky? If McConnell can’t count on the Tea Party vote, whose vote can he count on? McConnell had to use a Pennsylvania woman in his ad on how he’s a great Senator for women, so even with money, he can’t drag Kentucky women in front of a camera to vouch for him.

Meanwhile, in the face of grim polls, Alison Lundergan Grimes continues to express her faith in Kentucky voters (over dark corporate money). And on Monday, she told a crowd, “You are the messengers that Mitch McConnell can’t buy. He can buy the airwaves.”

And that is really the point that has been bothering me about the polls. Only people can vote, and while we expect the negative ads against her to take a toll, she and McConnell were tied days ago. Suddenly she’s dropped in the polls for no reason, and yet her events are packed and McConnell has to bus them in and pay them. This simply doesn’t make sense.

Something odd is going on in Kentucky. Fifteen enthusiastic young people brought in a van with out of state plates do not an election win.



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