In Apr. 26 issue, Russell County News
By Barbara Sharp Zimmerman, Columnist

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it’s time to ditch Mitch McConnell. Way past time, actually. Same for Jim Bumbling, except his seat is not up for grabs this time.

Mitch has made it his mission to stop everything legislative that does not follow the “Dubya” Doctrine letter for letter. He has worked to obstruct any Democratic measure that might shorten the misbegotten war in Iraq. Supported continuing the administration’s policies on torture. Pushed for the “Surge”. His commercials say he’s the “King of Green” like he’s into saving the environment when the conservation group that checks on such things says he’s actually one of the dirtiest in the Senate.

Since the Democrats became the majority in the Senate, Mitch has made it payback time for any wrong he felt might have been done by the Dems when they were in the minority. When they did it, he called it “playing politics”. Now he calls it responsible action.

How dumb does he think we are?

Here’s how dumb: Mitch and his arrogant, exalted leader think that they can buy their way out of the economic doldrums the war has put all of us in by offering up paltry sums of money which are supposed to relieve people’s financial burdens. Well, they can dream on; a few hundred dollars will not relieve much of anything. And, besides, it was our money to start with.

This war is costing hundreds of billions of dollars a year, and there’s no end in sight. But here’s a couple of hundred dollars to go have a good time with. Sorry, Mitch and W. Most people will use the money to pay some bills, or buy some of the almost $4 a gallon gasoline you’re allowing us to buy. The economy won’t even notice.

So now Mitch is running for re-election, and by the looks of his commercials, he’s running scared because he’s afraid we might notice how closely aligned with the current occupant of the White House he really is. Fewer than 30% of the people still support the prez. But even that many is amazing to me. A man starts an unnecessary war with no plan to get out of it anytime in our lifetime – a war that’s killing our children and bankrupting our country – and people still support him?

Blows my mind.

But it also means more than 70% of the people have had it with all things George W. Bush. And that includes his mini-me, Mitch McConnell. The man started running commercials touting his likeness to practically everybody from Alben Barkley to John F. Kennedy and Jesus Christ months ago.

Then along comes Bruce Lunsford, who seems to have run for everything from dogcatcher to governor. He has plenty of money and supposedly nothing else to do, so why not?

Why not? In six letters: V-E-N-C-O-R. According to Lunsford, he built a great company. Then he bailed out as a multi-millionaire before the company went belly-up, taking a lot of people’s money with him.

So, when Bruce Lunsford talks in his commercials about how discouraging it is to see hard-working families lose their homes and their jobs, he ought to remember the hard-working people who lost money in his company while he was making out like a bandit. Do you think we need another one of those in the Senate?

The truth is Mitch McConnell needs to be replaced, as does Jim Bunning. But Bruce Lunsford is not the right man for the job.