The Bunning Rally: Real Passion Confronts Politics As Usual

Daniel Mongiardo accompanied by his security staff rolled out a made for TV press event in front of Jim Bunning's Lexington Kentucky office today with hand made signs denouncing Bunning's insistence on "Pay As You Go" in regard to the Temporary Extension Act of 2010.  His very small group was out shouted and outnumbered and soon they left.

But not before Mongiardo got some attention.  First he called out Bunning for being insensitive, and then tried to paint all republicans with the same brush.  But GOP US Senate candidate Bill Johnson was having none of that.  With a bull horn of his own he made it very clear, Bunning was right, Mongiardo was wrong and that the three republican candidates were all behind Bunning while Mongiardo stood there alone playing politics as usual.

Rand Paul's campaign manager David Adams was being interviewed by a number of television stations, newspapers and others as Mongiardo high tailed it in his SUV with security standing guard at all four corners of his vehicle.  For the most part it was a tame event, but no doubt the passions were severely out of balance.

Mongiardo put on a press event.  The Bunning supporters who were there to rally around Jim were far more enthusiastic, vocal, animated and ready to get out the vote than the "people props" who came with Mongiardo and who, by the way, all promptly left immediately after Mongiardo stepped away from the microphone.

Oh, and as Dan was speaking, the news on the radio was that Bunning was close to making the democrats in the US Senate cave in to his determination that the "Pay Go" bill, signed into law just weeks ago and touted by the president as "his idea", would apply to this legislation. 

As the rally concluded the news of the day was that Bunning was in negotiations with Harry Reid to find cuts in other programs to pay for the extension bill, precisely what Bunning has been asking for all along, and what the hundred or so people many holding Rand Paul signs were shouting.

All in all the message which every candidate in this race surely got loud and clear from today's events was that the Rand Paul campaign has the ability with barely more than a days notice to assemble on the Lexington Green what can be legitimately called the new "Minutemen" of the Rand revolution, ready, willing and able to stand together for what they believe is right.

That kind of passion is a force to be reckoned with.

Comments

[Dr. David Duncan]

I'm thankful to have been joined by a few here with reasonable voices. I can assure you of one thing. Rand Paul could have rescheduled. It's done all the time. He made a choice. It turns out that it was the wrong choice from a PR standpoint.
Bill Johnson's picture of him challenging Mongiardo was priceless, was heralded by Leland Conway as "a picture is worth a thousand words," and has made it around the globe.
Mongiardo was on state time. He was ineffective. He came and he left.
Johnson joined ALL conservatives together by the use of a bullhorn.
Adams was too busy passing out signs to WHOMEVER would take them and trying to get on camera. He had plenty of lrft over signs!
"pfft" wrote a foul and obscenity laced comment so relective of many Paul supporters' anger, hate, and ire that several of us at the rally arranged to have moderate "former" Paul supporters contact the Johnson campaign.
I think that the extreme Paul wing's emotional lability comes from their Stormfront influences.
That supremist, anti-Semitism is a bad thing. Chris Hightower tried to put it on me once, unsuccessfully. Bad thing, indeed.

[Tim]

Marcus,
Also I saw Maurice Sweeney there and talked with him for a minute.

[BJefferson]

I enjoyed the Rally and thought it was a unifying moment for GOP. Let's not rain on the Conservative parade here. I went over and shook a lot of hands of the Democrats and thanked them for coming out. I commend EVERYONE who came out and showed an interest in the future of our country.

[Tim]

I held a sign for both Rand Paul and Jim Bunning. This rally IMO was about fiscal responsibility. Rand Paul is the real deal when it comes to knowing about how to handle that issue IMO.

[a_reader]

Folks, we are on the same side on this one. Why take pot shots? Most of what Marcus reports is what I saw as well: the organization and sheer numbers were for Rand. However, I also saw John Kemper, who is running for the CD6, and Bill Johnson there: both of whom were on the right side of this issue. There were several active Johnson supporters and a few signs as well. All the folks I talked to or heard on the conservative side were there to support Bunning doing the right thing in insisting that the federal government not add to the deficit. We need to take some of the heat out of this primary and start shedding a little light instead.

[ProudConservative]

Thanks for the report!

Rand Paul!

[pfft.]

Outnumbered them by the hundreds??? What the hell is up with tea baggers and miscounting? It's like the 9/12 project and it's "2 million supporters..." Fucking insane, you people.

P.S. Bill Johnson is the worst kind of retarded.

[mefford eversole]

"It's pretty lame for a candidate to bring campaign signs to a rally..."

Lisa, what's your beef, did you forget to bring the McConnell signs; since that's who pays you to disrupt?

[Trent Hill]

"Apparently Rand was obligated elsewhere and Bill Johnson was able to be there!"

Rand Paul had a job to be at. Johnson is unemployed. So yes, he was "able" to be there.

"Bill Johnson showed a HUGE amount of class and leadership by leading EVERYONE there to support Bunning in a joint rally of support! He called Dr. Dan out and called for him to "Go back to work!""

Again, calling for a Doctor to "go back to work" seems pretty self-defeating when our "businessman" is unemployed.

[KYFirst]

Johnson sign seen on the way to the May 18 Primary:

"Welcome to all disillusioned, conservative, serious former Rand Paul supporters who are concerned about the future of this nation, not a Libertarian would be Republican poliyical opportunist.
DUTY-HONOR-COUNTRY: Bill Johnson, a proven leader who stands with the people, not above them!"

You'll know just how disposable you are to Rand Paul when the Campaign for Liberty Spring Breakers are put in charge of your ranks. Trust me. You're just warming their spots.

[KyGuard]

Rand Support For Bunning: 70
Bill Johnson support for Bunning:10

Bunnings position on this issue is the position Rand Paul has always taken to reign in out of control debt.

Johnson's vocal perfomance earned him a pat on the arm, but is the campaign needing all the free media it can get. Acceptance that his is not a viable campaign,and concessions should made if the democrats are to be beaten in November.

Bill's a decent guy but should save his kids inheritance and throw his support behind the frontrunner Paul. Bill Johnson, stop these shenanigans!

Grayson's lame duck campaign. Mitch dodged the questions. Blowback.

[BG]

Gerard do not call Lisa a liar. She's not very receptive to truth and seeing her faulty arguments.

As for Rand Paul supporters.... they are everywhere. His supporters have no class though. All those signs for Rand Paul I see in their yards in Somerset, Owensboro, Paducah, Bowling Green, Maysville, Lexington and Louisville supporting Dr. Paul. Classless and unfair to Johnson. Don't they know this man may have enough supporters to win the election but, he also has out of state supporters as well. GASP! We like our candidates without marketing, support or being relevant.

[Dr. David Duncan]

We have a nation in crisis. We have a leader in the Seanate under fire. We have a government in Frankfort whose 2nd in command might actually go to Washington. We have Marcus writing a very fair account of today (I was the guy with the German Shepherd, Marcus). We had a whole lot of people who were engaged passionately on both sides. We saw Johnson effectively raise the battle cry of true conservatives against Mongiardo and the tax and spent liberals. We had Johnson-Grayson-Paul supporters united in one cause for a short while (Yes, there were Graysons. Maybe 3-4?)at the call and under the command of Johnson, a truly gifted leader.
And you folks are focused on who had signs and who didn't?
No wonder this state is so messed up. To think, you guys are the literate ones!
Priorities everybody, please.

[Gerard Burke]

'Your claiming this was a Paul campaign event won't win you any brownie points with your maker who knows better, Mr. Carey.'
Posted by: Lisa Graas | March 02, 2010 at 07:29 PM
Followed later by:
'I never said you called it a "Rand Paul rally" and I didn't see anyone else saying that either.'
Posted by: Lisa Graas | March 02, 2010 at 08:33 PM
Oh come on! We all know that Marcus is a straight-arrow when it comes to reporting the FACTS. He doesn't have an agenda unlike the above comments, which have ZERO credibility.

[Steve Hamlin]

Well I was at the rally and I saw a lot of things. I saw some people standing up for Jim Bunning and our country! I saw some very unintelligent people crying that Jim Bunning was hurting people! The point is Rand Paul did not call for this rally Bill Johnson did not call for this rally Dr. Dan did. The Paul and the Johnson campaigns joined forces to stand up for what was right! Apparently Rand was obligated elsewhere and Bill Johnson was able to be there! David Adams handed out plenty of signs that is for sure (BTW he looked at me and knew better) but that is not the point! Bill Johnson showed a HUGE amount of class and leadership by leading EVERYONE there to support Bunning in a joint rally of support! He called Dr. Dan out and called for him to "Go back to work!" I think it was a great day for at two of the three campaigns! To me the winners were Conservatives that proved we are fed up with unbridled spending in DC! Dr. Dan sent out 40K emails and we out numbered them by hundreds!

[Sue Jaycox]

Mr. Carey, Does it occur to you that we Johnson supporters weren't there to make it an opportunity to do a photo op, but to actually support fiscal conservancy? This event was supposed to be about Jim Bunning, not Rand Paul, or Bill Johnson.

[Crimefyter]

Oh, @TJ, I was one of the supporters who refused to take a sign, I'll let the other ID themselves if they wish...ask David Adams...we discussed it. Now you can laugh out loud about that too.

[robbie]

Watched the local news and saw a huge poster in support of Senator Bunning (the REASON for this gathring) with a Bill Johnson decal discretely at the bottom. I am a supporter of Mr. Johnson's and would have loved to have been there to increase the overall support of Senator Bunning (I couldn't get off work.

From the view of the local TV cameras, it did look like a Rand Paul convention, which, admit it folks, is kinda opportunistic, but I reckin' that's politics.

[TJ]

Lisa said: "There were Johnson supporters there who were handed signs and refused them."

That's hilarious. I literally laughed out loud when I read that.

[TJ]

Thanks for the update, Mr Carey. Lisa is going to whine and cry no matter what. Pay no attention to her. But again, thanks for the updates. Looked exciting from the videos I've seen.

[Crimefyter]

What a bunch of bulls**t! I spent 24 years working violent crimes in Chicago, I knew bulls**t then when I saw it and I know it now when I see it.

[Lisa Graas]

It's pretty lame for a candidate to bring campaign signs to a rally like this that was supposed to be in support of Jim Bunning. There were Johnson supporters there who were handed signs and refused them........but that's not the point. The point is that Rand Paul's people were there for Rand Paul, apparently, not for Jim Bunning. I never said you called it a "Rand Paul rally" and I didn't see anyone else saying that either. My problem is with the fact that a candidate would bring his campaign signs to a rally that was for ANOTHER PERSON! Hello?

[BG]

Bravo Marc. I applaud Bill for showing up today and helping David Adams and the Rand Paul coordinated event to support Jim Bunning.

Don't listen to the "look at me" crowd known as the Bill Johnson "Delta Farce." Instead of uniting they are constantly trying to overthrow GOP unity.

[Marc Carey]

Have you all gone daffy? Where did I call it a Rand Paul Rally? I reported what I saw. I saw Bill Johnson being very active, and a ton of Rand Paul Signs. I saw David Adams being interviewed and Mongiardo high tailing it outta there. If you are telling me that Bill Johnson's troops were there due to an organized effort, quite frankly I didn't see a lot of evidence of that. Not that Bill, or Trey or just plain uncommitted Bunning fans weren't there too, but the number of Rand Paul signs made an impression. What did I miss?

I have worked alot of campaigns over the last 40 years. I received more than a dozen pushes from the Rand Paul campaign and only a couple of Twitter and Facebook posts from Bill.

Look guys, if Bill has an army of people out there as you contend, where are they?

I put out the call for this thing, the Paul campaign jumped on it and pushed it harder than Bill did.

Folks, I just call them as I see them and I saw tons of Paul signs, no Johnson signs and several Rand Fan buttons on people.

In the only photo I took I see Paul signs, a "Go Jim" sign but no Johnson signs.

[Erica Coyle]

Marcus, the Johnson Campaign was clearly represented not only in Lexington but in Louisville as well! Rand Paul isn't the ONLY one able to rally the troops when a need arises to stand up for conservative values and principles and to suggest so is an insult to Kentuckians across this state!

[Tea Party fan]

This was about support for Senator Bunning. Oh, thats right Dr. Dan was opposed to having money to pay for the legislation, lets get in more debt. He said it wasn't about the debt, but about which "side" you were on. Wrong !! Bill Johnson was the conservative republican candidate that was at the Rally, supporting Sen. Bunning on his Megahorn with all rallying behind him. Probably 10 to 1, in support !!!!!!

[AngelaTC]

I'm a Rand Paul supporter, but there are times, even during campaigns, when it's ok for politicians to stand together. I'm glad the event turned out to include at least 2 of the 3 GOP candidates.

[Lisa Graas]

The Rand Paul campaign??? Oh, please. We were all talking about this yesterday in the Johnson campaign and were mobilizing people to get there via phone. This was a UNITED EFFORT of CONSERVATIVES. Your claiming this was a Paul campaign event won't win you any brownie points with your maker who knows better, Mr. Carey.

[BG]

I'm glad Johnson showed up. It was like a Republican anti-smear machine. Rand on CNN to broadcast our voice to the nation, Bill on Bullhorn to distract and attack Dr. Dan, David Adams in front of local media to set the record straight and Trey Grayson............ um, well at least his supporters were there, right? I understand he gave a statement to the press but, no supporters or media interviews? Come on Trey. This is where we unite!