Kentucky Democratic Candidates For Governor Should Pledge To Campaign Against Mitch McConnell

Having an incumbent Democratic governor to campaign against Sen. Mitch McConnell will be a key part of his defeat in 2008, but one candidate in the primary was a top contributor to Mitch McConnell in the past. That McConnell supporter is named Bruce Lunsford. A new article in The Nation has some disturbing sections on Bruce Lunsford’s lead strategist Mark Penn:

A variety of controversial clients enlisted PSB. The firm defended Procter and Gamble’s Olestra drug from charges that it caused anal leakage, blamed Texaco’s bankruptcy on greedy jurors and market-tested genetically modified foods for Monsanto. Penn invented the concept of “inoculation,” in which corporations are shielded from scandal through clever advertising and marketing…

The massive PR empire WPP Group acquired Penn’s polling firm for an undisclosed sum in 2001 and four years later named him worldwide CEO of one of its most prized properties, the PR firm Burson-Marsteller (B-M)…

Burson-Marsteller is hardly a natural fit for a prominent Democrat. The firm has represented everyone from the Argentine military junta to Union Carbide after the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India, in which thousands were killed when toxic fumes were released by one of its plants, to Royal Dutch Shell, which has been accused of massive human rights violations in Nigeria…

A host of prominent Republicans fall under Penn’s purview. B-M’s Washington lobbying arm, BKSH & Associates, is run by Charlie Black, a leading GOP operative who maintains close ties to the White House, including Karl Rove, and was former partners with Lee Atwater, the political consultant who crafted the Willie Horton smear campaign used by George H.W. Bush against Michael Dukakis in 1988.

The question of the day is: Will all candidates in the Democratic primary for Governor pledge to actively campaign against Mitch McConnell in the 2008 elections?

Cross-posted at DitchMitchKY.com

Comment From Cliff: Our friend The Houndog could not be more correct. GO READ ARI'S ARTICLE. There are two very important reasons I am glad I am in a position to chose who I consult for these days. Yes, I had the pleasure of working for both Mark Penn and Bruce Lunsford (I promise I worked for mostly good people--please still love me). Neither is a Democrat. Period. Neither is a progressive. Period. Lunsford must NOT win the Democratic primay in Kentucky, or we will be in worse position to beat McConnell in 2008 and for redistricting in 2010. Once again, go read Ari's piece.