If you've paid much attention to the liberal blogs over the last few days, you've probably seen a variation on this theme: "Republican candidates are running away from President Bush," "Bush's low poll numbers have caused various candidates to ask the President not to come to events," etc. This story right here is only the most recent example (via Huffington Post). Yep, President Bush is so awful for Republican candidates that, in a first time ever political situation, the candidates don't want to be seen with him! This never happened to a Democrat...like Bill Clinton, right?
Well, it's not quite that way. As they say, I "googled his ass" and found this story among others. Evidently, in 1998 (coincidentally, the last time there was a midterm election in the sixth year of a president's term) there were Democrats who didn't want to be seen with Bill Clinton.
That's why Ken Lucas, the Democrats' best hope in 32 years to win back Kentucky's Fourth Congressional District, made a point of not showing up last week when Clinton arrived at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Instead, Lucas stumped for votes just across the Ohio River. "People wanted me to say I had a scheduling conflict, but I didn't want to make up an alibi," says Lucas, 65. "I made the decision not to see him the moment this mess came down."
The former chief executive of suburban Boone County is running as fast as he can away from Clinton, even though Lucas' own polls show that over the past few months, he has steadily gained on his opponent, Republican state senator Gex Williams, and now enjoys a five-point lead. Lucas is on tough terrain for a Democrat: the district voted 49% to 41% for Bob Dole in the 1996 election, and it has been represented in Congress by beloved Republican Jim Bunning, who this year announced his own bid for the Senate.
Don't expect to see any reporter comparing 2006 to 1998, though. That might actually be good news for Republicans and we can't have that.
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