Fancy Farm 2106: GOP leaders dish out red meat

Mary Potter, Photos by Ivan Potter


Fancy Farm 2106: GOP leaders dish out red meat | Mitch McConnell, Matt Bevin, Fancy Farm 2016, politics, Kentucky

Senator Mitch McConnell enjoying GOP dominance on stage of Fancy Farm 2016.

(Fancy Farm 2016) - Governor Matt Bevin was on the speaking schedule to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, which he did the year before when he was a candidate for the office of governor. This year, in addition to appealing to Kentuckians for unity, he went after his foes, his predecessor Steve Beshear and Beshear's son, Andy Beshear the current Attorney General. The Governor then staged a mock service of a subpoena by the Attorney General, a stunt that didn't hit the high spot that the Governor may have hoped.

As thunder rumbled in the background and rain threatened, Governor Bevin told Democratic leaders who passed on the political stump speak that "if you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch"

Supporting GOP candidates, Bevin urged listeners to "flip the House" to further his agenda. If there was a mention of Donald Trump, it was lost in the thunder. Governor Bevin - running with the big dogs

Senator Mitch McConnell, the past ninja master of tossing red meat to a partisan crowd, took the stage at the 2016 Fancy Farm Picnic to brag about his proudest moment in the Senate: when he looked President Obama in the eye and said "Mr. President you will not fill this Supreme Court vacancy."

Majority Leader regaled supporters with a laundry list of Democratic shortcomings, saying Hillary Rodham Clinton's name numerous times .

McConnell said that Dems had to go 500 miles to find a speaker for Hillary Clinton. He told the crowd that the event is the same time every year.

He spoke of Rand Paul as his "partner" and he went on to praise Jamie Comer as a "fighter." He called Democratic candidates a "couple of nobodies" and "no-shows." Democrats, according to McConnell, are hard to find this year. (Jim Gray would answer the "nobody" remark in his biggest applause line later in the program.)

In a telling omission, his only mention of the top of the ticket for the GOP in November came in the last seconds of his speech "send Donald Trump to the White House" and Rand Paul back to the Senate in the last sentence of his seven minutes.