They are gambling their political future if they decide to abandon a conservative like that. Let them eat dust.

might just be. Since he has been fighting against “established” republicans and the Bush Administration, they would have to be those RINO’s, people like Collins, Snowe, Specter, Graham, etc.

of the growing power of the “moderate” Republicans within the party. It’s time to use Operation Leper and get the word out on every single one of these non-conservative Republicans.

Agreed. If a Republican Senator throws a conservative Senator under the bus — that member should be chucked under a bigger bus.

has been one straw short of a slurpee for a long time. He may be good on some red meat issues that others are weak, but he is inarticulate and by no means a shining example of what I would want in a republican senator (see Coburn and to a lesser extent,Thune). If we want to become the dems and let people keep their seats regardless of ability, senility, or competence so be it, but I for one think its better to get a younger, more energetic senator in there then have him stick around until he is Bobby Byrd or Tim Johnson.

I really disagree with the basic thrust of this post. When Bunning gets in front of the press, he says stupid stuff. 2004 was the best GOP election in a long, long time and he nearly lost to a guy who nobody had ever heard of and who spent less than half a mil. Now that the Dems know how gaffe-prone he is, how much money do you think they’ll pour into this one in 2010?

Furthermore, if they could find someone who irritated George Allen into making a remark that doomed his campaign, how do you think Bunning is going to respond to whichever annoying netrooter(s) they assign to harass him?

I don’t know that we have a better option than Bunning out there, but I certainly get being scared about his electoral chances.

2006, now 2008 and these fools still don’t get it!

The “Big Tent” analogy isn’t the correct one…the correct one is a MAGNET…we need to be a MAGNET that draws these independents in who are sick and tired of what’s going on in Washington—Fred Thompson

I am from Kentucky and voted for Jim Bunning before. I like him. I have met him multiple times on the campaign trail. I think he is fine, and the stories about his competence are completely overblown. But the only problem is that isnt what the perception is in KY. Even GOP friends of mine sometimes make comments comparing him to a bumbling old ucle. Fair, of course not, but since when is politics fair. I think some in the state GOP want him to retire, not because he is too conservative; but because they honestly see him as vulnerable, If Sec of State Trey Grayson would run I concur that he might be the better cabdidate.

Bunning is a good conservative but if he is going to be vulnerable we can hardly afford to lose another seat. Is there someone younger with good fundraising ability who could win? As someone else said, Bunning nearly lost in ’04 even as GWB was carrying KY by a large margin. I suspect they will target him very strongly, especially since ’06 and ’07 were good Demo years in KY.

for those in the GOP who ask conservatives to resign (you RINO’s) those people should leave the conservative alone, stay out of the conservatives way, take their own advice and pack it up and go home. RINO’s are killing the GOP. I personally am getting fed up with the McCains and Lindsey Grahams and other spineless, pansy, clueless group of people that thanks to their cluelessness gave us President Obama.

I heard McCain’s daughter on Fox the other morning say she did not want to comment on Sarah Palin because she wanted to focus on the future of the GOP and not the past. Are you kidding me – Sarah Palin and Conservatives are the future of the GOP or I will not be a part of it. I guess McCain’s daughter was just listening to her daddy.

The accusations of Darling and some other commenters here that this is some RINO conspiracy is TOTAL B.S. No one is saying that we shouldn’t run another conservative in his place, so stop acting like a bunch of paranoid lunatics! That fact is that Bunning’s time has passed. His reputation as an effective legislator is almost nonexistent and there is not one single poll that shows his approvals anywhere but in the toilet. Find someone conservative, energized, intelligent, ambitious and run him/her instead so we can prevent a takeover of the rising KY Dems. And stop the ridiculous paranoid accusations. You make us all look like fools!

Trey Grayson is the candidate.
He is young, energetic, has an accomplished record, and is a proven statewide vote getter.

For whatever reason Bunning has never been able to crack above 51% of the vote and with the Senate so close to 60 seats for Democrats we have to be so careful.

I like Bunning he showed a lot strength and vigor in questioning new Treasury Secretary but he is poor campaigner and is showing no life or forming a campaign yet or even raising funds.

You know you are a target for the Dems then u better be raising funds

I agree age is not a disqualifier,but the Reagan comparison is slightly off base.
Bunning will be two years older on election day than Reagan wa when he left the Oval Office.

And as I’ve said the candidate is Trey Grayson. He has won statewide twice now, the second time with 57 percent while the top of the ticket was getting trounced.