LOYAL BUSH REPUBLICAN SOLDIER (MCCONNELL) CALLS LOYAL BUSH REPUBLICAN SOLDIER (KENNEDY) “INDEPENDE

08/23/2006

Today’s Newest Run In with Reality.  Bush Loyalists Team Up to Tout Kennedy’s Independence, Before Heading to Event with Bush

ST. PAUL (8/22/06) – Perhaps no Democrats, Independents or Republicans with a bi-partisan track record were available to testify on behalf of Congressman Mark Kennedy’s “independence” from his party and President. So instead, Congressman Kennedy held a joint press conference with Senator Mitch McConnell, a likely contender to replace Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and one of the most loyal Bush Republicans, to discuss the importance of bi-partisanship in the Senate.

“Only a Washington insider like Congressman Kennedy would think that having another loyal Bush Republican call him ‘bi-partisan’ could somehow make his loyal party voting record disappear,” said DFL spokesperson Jess McIntosh.

“If Kennedy is so bi-partisan, why did he call on a Republican instead of a Democrat? Today’s latest episode in Mark Kennedy’s battle with reality was another clear victory for reality. While we’ve lost count of reality’s points, Kennedy stands firmly at zero.”

Like Mark Kennedy, Senator McConnell has a long record of putting party loyalty over bi-partisanship. McConnell even fought bi-partisan campaign reform efforts in the Senate. If Senator McConnell places a value on bi-partisanship, he sure has a funny way of showing it. His record of party loyalty according to Congressional Quarterly is as follows:

2005 – 99%, 2004 – 99%, 2003 – 99%, 2002 – 97%, 2001- 98%, 2000- 99%

According to Congressional Quarterly, Mark Kennedy has supported his party in Congress 95 percent of the time since 2001. The Washington Post referred to Kennedy as a “loyal Republican soldier” and political scientist Lawrence R. Jacobs of the University of Minnesota called him a “party guy.” [Washington Post 8/5/06]