Berry Craig is a professor of history at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, a member of AFT Local 6010 and the author of "True Tales of Old-Time Kentucky Politics: Bombast, Bourbon & Burgoo" and "Hidden History of Kentucky in the Civil War."
by Berry Craig, Jul 15, 2010 Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo (D) didn’t quite pull a “Happy” Chandler when he told the Lexington Herald-Leader he is “not taking a position” in the U.S. Senate race between fellow Democrat Jack Conway and Tea Party-backed Republican Rand Paul.
Jack Conway won the Kentucky Democratic primary for the US senate and my question is this: Is Jack Conway, as he proclaims "One Tough Son Of A Bitch" We'll See! I'm one of those folks out here in Red State Kentucky looking for a real progressive to vote for. Is Jack Conway the man?
As many know I stayed neutral in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Basically I like both guys in that race that have a real chance to win and I have been watching with amusement the drama on the Republican side as Conway and Mongiardo duke it out. I have no desire to attack either one. However, now that race is being sorted out as we speak, and Rand Paul seemingly will win on the Republican side. Now the amusement is over and I must look at Paul as a candidate I must say whomever between Conway and Mongiardo emerges we must work hard to elect them because Rand Paul represents an ideology that quite simply put is dangerous.
Yesterday, Friday May 14, 2010, several people told me they had received robo calls from what they thought was the Jack Conway campaign. However the Conway campaign is saying it's not from them.
Ryan Alessi cn|2 Allison Haley, spokeswoman for Conway, said the Conway campaign wasn’t aware of the call until alerted by reporters. “I can categorically deny that that’s ours,” she said. “It’s not a claim we’re even making.” Kim Geveden said the Mongiardo campaign plans to file a complaint about the call to the Federal Election Commission and will include the campaign of Jack Conway, Mongiardo’s chief rival in the Democratic primary, in the complaint.
FRANKFORT --- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Daniel Mongiardo picked up a key endorsement in Central Kentucky today, when the Central Kentucky Building & Construction Trades Council announced their support for Mongiardo in next Tuesday’s primary.
NEWS RELEASE May 4, 2010 from the Mongiardo Campaign: FRANKFORT --- Lt. Governor and Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Daniel Mongiardo today filed a formal complaint against Attorney General Jack Conway with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission stating that Conway has “violated the public trust” by accepting over $70,000 in campaign contributions from utility companies, their executives, and lobbyists while approving millions in rate hikes. In addition, the complaint charges Conway’s approval of higher rates for Atmos Energy financially benefits Conway, since Atmos Energy is a business partner of Kinder Morgan, a Texas natural gas company, in which Conway has invested millions.
In the race to replace Kentucky's "Crazy Uncle" Jim Bunning in the United States Senate a new poll is out. It has found that Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo and radical eye doctor Rand Paul with significant leads in the Democratic and Republican primaries. Besides the top four of Mongiardo, Conway, Paul and Grayson no other candidate seemed to garner much support.
The Kentucky Senate race was getting quite boring. Leave it to eccentric, Looney Tune Jim Bunning to heat things up. One would like to think that the outgoing Senator who was shunned by the McConnell machine because he is a can or two short of a six pack decided to shake up this race but then you realize that well, Bunning is a can or two short of a six pack. However, his callous, uncaring and hypocritical "stand" earlier this week against the nation's unemployed has indeed ignited the Kentucky Senate race, which quite frankly was becoming a yawner.
Mongiardo Press Release March 5, 2010 FRANKFORT --- The United Auto Workers Region 3, representing Kentucky and Indiana, endorsed Democratic candidate Dr. Daniel Mongiardo for the U.S. Senate this week. "As a doctor, Dan Mongiardo clearly understands America's patchwork health care system is broken. He knows first-hand how people suffer when they do not have access to health care. More importantly, he has the vision and the courage to do something about it,” said UAW Region 3 director Maurice “Mo” Davison.
March 2, 2010 Lexington, Kentucky Democratic candidate for the US Senate Daniel Mongiardo, standing in front of senator Jim Bunning's Lexington, Kentucky's office, let Jim Bunning and Rand Paul know exactly how he feels about the unemployment extension block. Rand Paul supporters were there to support Senator Jim Bunning. Both the Mongiardo and the Bunning supporters were very vocal. I didn't do a head count, but it appeared to me there was an equal number of people there for both sides of this issue. Click here to view Mongiardo's video. We also shot video of the Rand Paul and Jim Bunning supporters, click here to see that video. Click here to view photos of the event. Joe Sonka over at Barefoot and Progressive was also there, click here to see his post and video. His video is also after the fold.
I even got in the mix.
Bluegrass Politics James Pence and Earl Newberry exchanged words during protests outside U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning’s Lexington office.
With all the hoopla made by Republican looney-tunes who demand even nuttier candidates than they already have one expects a very lively primary season. However, it is not only the Republicans who are promising to have a lively primary season. In a couple of states at least including my own of Kentucky primaries are firing up and getting ugly. Then of course, there is always the chance of new primaries if Democrats stab their Progressive bases in the back.
Fired up and ready to go? Only if you're a Tea Bagger or a Right Wing Coservative. Gotta hand it to these folks, they are fired up and ready to go and the Progressive Democrats seem to be lazy, ready to sit on their rear ends and whine. Virginia, New Jersey and Maine are proof positive of lackadaisical, lazy, carefree Progressive Democratic efforts. When I wrote this April 15, 2009, I wasn't kidding:
Before I begin let me say this. I'm not taking sides in the Democratic Primary, but I am taking sides with right and wrong.
After listening to Daniel Mongiardo many times and shooting video of him on many occasions, I've come to the conclusion the voice in the recordings, here and here are not Daniel Mongiardo's.
Let me make my case. If you disagree there's a place to at the end of this post to express your disagreement.
Much has been said about the two audio recordings posted on Youtube by anonymous users. I've listened to the two audios of and listened to the 5 videos I've shot of Daniel Mongiardo. The question is: Are the alleged Daniel Mongiardo audios legit? Is it really Daniel Mongiardo speaking? Decide for yourself. The 2 audios and 5 videos I've shot of Daniel are below. After listening to the audios and the videos and comparing Daniels voice, let us know what you think by participating in our poll, after the hump.
Berry Craig 
