But will they? Will they allow their Democratic primary to be bought by a wealthy man who is hated in Frankfort, hated by many over the Vencor scandal, endorsed Ernie Fletcher in 2003, and seems to be more interested in making movies these days than serving Kentucky? Polls indicate that they will choose Bruce Lunsford to lose to Senator Mitch McConnell, but why would they?

Greg Fischer is clearly a man with whom I have many ideological differences. However, when you hear Fischer speak, you know immediately that he is an honorable man who sincerely cares about the well-being of Kentuckians and the United States. He clearly understands the family-rooted community interconnectedness that so many Kentuckians consider a vital part of their very lives. While Bruce Lunsford undoubtedly loves his family, he seems to be more concerned about self-aggrandizing and self-glorifying undertakings than the important task of running for (and presumably serving in) the United States Senate.

I would never personally support Greg Fischer over Senator McConnell because I believe that Fischer would pursue many changes that would harm the United States of America’s economic and national security, and tear the moral fabric that binds the U.S. together. Lunsford would undoubtedly pursue many of these same damaging policies, however I expect that I would actually agree with Lunsford on a limited number of pro-business, economic initiatives. The lack of honor that I sense in Lunsford, however, is a serious negative, and while theoretically I may agree with Lunsford more on policy matters, Fischer’s honor and dedication to doing what is right (despite the fact that much of what Fischer believes is right is actually wrong) makes him a much more palatable Democrat to me. If I knew for certain that Mitch McConnell were to lose the election in November, I would prefer to be represented in the Senate by the honorable Greg Fischer than the self-obsessed, arrogant Bruce Lunsford, even though Lunsford is probably closer to the Republican platform than Fischer.It’s almost like the Lunsford campaign itself is his job creation plan, and there a lot of Democrat operatives out there who want the consulting fees, NOW!

It takes some serious nerve for Bruce Lunsford to abandon his party in 2003, endorse the Republican candidate Ernie Fletcher for Governor over current U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (D), run for Governor again in 2007, get handily rejected, and then come back in 2008 to run for Senate - at the very last minute before the filing deadline after months of ignoring requests for information regarding his plans.

Greg Fischer is a fighter, and he would fight for Kentucky Democrats if they would give him a chance. While he has been reluctant to directly attack Lunsford for political gain, his latest actions have clearly been honorable attempts to get the truth across to Kentucky Democrats. Bruce Lunsford is unelectable and undesirable.

The attacks the Greg Fischer has withstood from his own party are absolutely despicable. Governor Steve Beshear’s interference in driving Andrew Horne out of the race was unfathomable and ridiculous, and now everyone seems to want Fischer out so they can all start enjoying Bruce Lunsford’s millions of dollars of campaign cash. It’s almost like the Lunsford campaign itself is his job creation plan, and there a lot of Democrat operatives out there who want the consulting fees, NOW!It’s not negative. It’s truth

When four prominent but incredibly foolish Kentucky Democrats sent a letter to Fischer telling him to tone down his message of truth to Kentucky Democrats, Fischer responded concisely and correctly. The letter, signed by Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo (D), Rep. John Yarmuth (D), Attorney General Jack Conway (D), and Auditor Crit Luallen (D) stated:

We urge you to remove your personal attack ad from the air immediately, take the high road, and spend the final weeks of the primary running a campaign focused on why you are right for the job, not divisive character attacks that are part of the reason Washington needs to change.

Greg Fischer’s response was correct. Brevity is the soul of wit:

It’s not negative. It’s truth.

The attacks from within his own party do not stop there. Kentucky Democrats’ biggest supporters, The Courier-Journal, ran an OpEd last week along with The Paducah Sun titled “Fischer’s Unfair Attack Ad” which stated “Greg Fischer has taken a page out of Hillary Clinton’s playbook.” C-J justified Lunsford’s role in the Vencor scandal this way:

The TV ad unveiled last week portrays Lunsford as an evil nursing home owner who kicked out Medicaid patients to make room for private-pay residents. Although there were abuses within the company, there is no evidence that Lunsford himself was aware of them until after the fact.

The reality is, Lunsford’s business model failed when the federal government altered the way it reimbursed Medicaid in the late 1990s. The small company Lunsford started in 1985 had grown to include nearly 300 nursing homes in 31 states and more than 50 hospitals in 23 states when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999. The government-created crisis that killed Vencor hit health providers coast to coast.

That’s not the way former Kentucky political blogger Mark Nickolas of Bluegrass Report (and architect of Ernie Fletcher’s downfall) put it in 2003 when he opposed Lunsford as Ben Chandler’s campaign manager. This is how he put it:

The Kentucky Women Democrat political blog questions Fischer’s commitment to issues women care about. Page One Kentucky calls Fischer a hypocrite - a very weak argument. However, the most despicable attacks from his own party of all have to be those of New York Senator Chuck Schumer, Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, who has done everything in his power to clear the way for Bruce Lunsford’s multi-million dollar losing campaign. Schumer knows Lunsford will lose, but wants Lunsford’s millions to at least keep Mitch McConnell busy this year. Greg Fischer, however, wants to win. He wants to run a race to win it, not just to run it. Yet, unbelievably, Kentucky Democrats continue attacking him.

I thought Fischer was right to go public with his disapproval of Schumer’s meddling in this video.

Bottom line: Kentucky Democrats should choose Fischer, because he genuinely cares about people, is ideologically aligned with them, and wants to win the race. They probably won’t, though. Lunsford’s millions are just too tempting for the party who wants so desperately to eject money from politics.

• Tuesday Morning Joe
• Kentucky Democrats Should Choose Fischer (Redux)
• McConnell Polling Out
• Election Results - UPDATE POST
• Lunsford Whacks Beshear’s Political Skills, Strangely