Politics and Looneys at Fancy Farm
UPDATED 3:40. Listen to speeches here. More quotes after the jump.
Candidates to replace retiring Senator Jim Bunning made some speeches at Fancy Farm this weekend. Some were typical politics, and some people sounded like crazy loons.
Below are all the quotes we've collected from various news stories, from speeches at Fancy Farm and presentations elsewhere during the weekend. We offer only direct quotes available in the news (and hybrid direct-indirect quotes), without context. If you want to watch the speeches, the Herald-Leader has them online. You can sort out which are the crazies for yourself:
Jack Conway
"But just like Wendell used to say: 'Go ahead and chew on my hide. Chew on it. It only grows back tougher, and I've been around for a while, and you're looking at one tough son of a b****."
"Daniel, you may be an ear, nose and throat doctor, but you've misdiagnosed me. Because when it comes to me, you can't hear the truth, you can't smell the truth and you sure as hell can't speak the truth."
Trey Grayson
"The only thing stimulated is the unemployment rate."
"But that's a liberal for you. They'd rather punish hard-working Kentuckians than force China or India to deal with their own environmental records."
He said a better idea would be to cap federal spending and trade "this bunch in Washington for some people who understand that we can't tax our way to prosperity."
"I'm a candidate who draws support from all segments of the Republican Party."
He said Kentucky Republicans face a "tremendous burden we owe the rest of the country to keep the seat in Republican hands."
Rand Paul
He said if there is one bi-partisan trait, "I would say it is hypocrisy." He said there are Republicans who wear family values on their shirts sleeves but run off to Argentina with a mistress while there are Democrats "who tell us to pay our fair share of taxes, and yet lo and behold, when they're appointed to high office, they can't seem to pay their own taxes."
He said Republicans "promised to balance the budget and they doubled the size of the debt when they were in charge. Democrats promised to help the working class, and yet lo and behold when the bank bailout passed, there were multi-million dollar bonuses put in the bill because of (Democratic) Sen. (Chris) Dodd."
"He's kind of against it a little bit and he's kind of for it a little bit." He said Kentucky needs a "new leader, you need an outsider."
"The Republican Party is an empty vessel. We have to imbue it with beliefs. You're going to have to decide who's going to lead your party."
Dan Mongiardo
"I certainly wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. In the Senate, I'm going to stand up and fight for the people who eat barbecue with a fork, not caviar with a silver spoon."Bill Johnson
"There's no reason for us to be mean at this point. We pretty much agree on the issues."
He said terrorism is real and the country must remain vigilant. He said his job now is to fight "domestic enemies," and someone in the crowd shouted out "Obama." Johnson responded: "Obama is one of them."
"But the entire Democratic Party is a one-party wrecking crew on our economy. They're trying to get into our lives, they're trying to take over our lives. I'm going to stand up and fight back."
Darlene Fitzgerald Price
She said "crony campaign financing" has led to congressional representatives being bought by special interests, by the "bigs - big oil, big banks, big pharmaceutical companies and big insurance companies." She said she will not take "one thin dime from the bigs."
"Most of our politicians on capitol hill, if they were Nascar, they would have to wear their sponsors on their suits."
Maurice Sweeney
"Why don't we just have one Republican in Washington and that takes care of all the rest of them because they don't seem to have any original idea of their own?"
Jack Conway
Mongiardo has has "a record of showing up. That's a record of going to work and delivering for you."
"You all can holler all you want at me and I can hear you."
"If I seem a little tired, I come by it honestly."
"We need to return to fiscal responsibility. We need to focus on education."
Trey Grayson
"You all will love being parents. The good news is that babies eventually sleep regularly. The even better news is that after November 2010, you will have plenty of time to spend with your newborns."
"Cap and trade" legislation is "a new energy tax levied every time you start your car or flip on a light switch. It's anti-coal, and it's anti-Kentucky."
"I'm a legitimate 6′5."
"Some people in college tried pot. I tried Clinton."
"I am a conservative."
"It's clear we need a real check and balance. I am confident that we are going to keep this seat in conservative hands next November because Kentucky knows better!"
Rand Paul
"He spoke for 20 minutes and I still have no idea where he stands on cap and trade. He's kind of against it a little bit, and he's kind of for it a little bit, but he's not quite certain, and he wants to keep his powder dry."
"I do oppose new taxes. I do oppose new government programs."
"He will have to speak on being a Democrat."
"I pledge on any appropriation bill, to reduce it by whatever percentage it needs to be reduced by to balance the budget. If we're 20% over budget, I will vote to reduce and vote to..."
Dan Mongiardo
"He chooses to fight for the silver-spoon issues preferred by the champagne and caviar crowd."
"We want to protect the environment. Without putting a tax on coal."
Bill Johnson
"A country in debt, can't be a free country."
"Washington is getting far into our lives."
"I feel a responsibility to everyone to make our country great, and I am able and willing to serve as your senator."
Maurice Sweeney
"I don't know about you, but down on the farm a man's word was as good as his handshake."
I'm "a conservative Democrat."..."What does that mean? I bought this tie at Wal-Mart."
