2007 Bluegrass Rooties!!! Our best and worst of the year

Ok, the votes have been tallied, the chads punched, the butterflies balloted. It’s time to document the highlights and lowlights, the heroes and villains of this foul year of our lord, 2007. Here are the winners of the 2007 Bluegrass Rooties!!!

Best Campaign

Runner up:

David Williams- Williams managed to win the Democratic primary for Agriculture Commissioner with no campaign at all. We need to find some guy named Steve Beshear to run for Secretary of State in 2011. Only he must be less crazy than Williams (that part shouldn’t be hard).

Winner:

Crit Luallen- Amazing! A candidate that actually addresses issues of importance and gives her policy positions! Who actually gives specifics on what she would do if re-elected! With a long video on her campaign site that lays everything out there for voters to see! Crit proved you can run a very candid campaign and still win by 18 points. (even though she refused to criticize Hollenbach over the Frank Simon fiasco)

Worst Campaign

Runner ups:

Steve Beshear- OK, so he won by 18 points, how bad could it really be? Yet, when someone has such an obviously insurmountable lead, why not be more substantiative on policy positions, give alternatives if gaming doesn’t pass or work, and try not to pander so much on abortion. Anyway, a blowout’s a blowout, right?

Bruce Hendrickson-How exactly do you lose by 17 points when your gubernatorial candidate wins by 18? Apparently, when you have the charisma and fundraising abilities of one Bruce Hendrickson. Or campaign in a T-shirt. Getting the endorsement of Frank Simon and refusing to renounce it doesn’t help matters, either.

Winner:

Ernie Fletcher- This is just a no-brainer. When 80% of the public wants to vote on expanded gaming, what’s a good issue to build your campaign around? NO CASINOS!!! From the laughable mailers of Steve Beshear ripping down the 10 Commandments and smashing them like Hulk, to the endless wave of Casino ads that resembled someone running into a brick wall over and over again, Fletcher’s mind-blowing campaign was a joy to watch, from start to finish.

Worst. Campaign. Ever.

Most Blatant Lie

Runner up:

Ernie Fletcher- When you’ve already signed a plea agreement saying that Stumbo wasn’t on a witch hunt, and then you repeatedly call it a witch hunt in the next year’s campaign? Lie, lie, lie.

Winner:

Mitch McConnell- This one goes to the Grim Reaper, hands down. And it’s even on film! After being told on Thursday by Don Stewart that he sent out an email to the media smearing Graeme Frost’s family with lies from right-wing blogs, WHAS’s Mark Hebert caught him on camera the next day. When asked if his office had anything to do with spreading this to the media, McConnell denied any involvement whatsoever. LIE! A damned dirty lie, and on film to boot. The campaign commercial just writes itself, doesn’t it?

Biggest Waste of Ink:

Runner up:

Missing white women Paris Spears Lohan Sanjaya (NYT)- this one wins every year, but the New York Times remarkably elevated this story to its front page this December. The Gray Lady is apparently turning tricks now.

Winner:

Kentucky Central (Herald-Leader)- This one’s a no-brainer. While a 14-year old court case might be worthy of some coverage, the front page ink wasted on this story that no one cared about or even understood could fill the KY River. Oh, and there was nothing there, no smoking gun, or even a squirt gun for that matter. The ironic part is that their coverage of this non-story might have helped Beshear, as it shifted the focus away from possible angles that might have actually hurt him.

Best Moment

Runner up:

Victory Night, Frankfort, Beshear’s victory speech- The only thing keeping this from winning the Rootie is that everybody and their mother knew that this blowout victory was coming from a mile away. Still, watching Beshear’s comeback to politics end in the righteous beat down of little Ernie was a site to behold. But, as a good friend told me as he walked past me after the speech- “should have been 20″. I’ll take it.

Winner:

Take a Stand march to McConnell’s front lawn, 8/28- I really have trouble puttingthis event into words, both in terms of it’s friggin-awesomeness and its impact (see, I told you).  First, Lt. Col. Andrew Horne’s keynote speech in front of 800-900 people at Bellarmine U., ripping Mitch McConnell for carrying Bush’s water on Iraq and torture. After his speech, 300 people marched for 15 minutes from the auditorium to Mitch McConnell’s front lawn. In front of Mitch’s apartment stood 20 bikers, paid by McConnell, holding signs saying “I heart Mitch”. When the bikers saw 300 people across the road screaming for Mitch to bring the troops home, they pissed their pants, put their tails between their legs, and rode away. The protesters stayed for two hours chanting, while Mitch McConnell cowered in the dark in his apartment, trembling. This was one of the more inspiring events I’ve witnessed in my life. I kept thinking to myself, “This isKentucky, right?!?” Yes, it is Kentucky, and we’re not putting up with your shit anymore, Mitch.

Almost overnight, the mainstream media’s meme on McConnell switched from “safe and invulnerable” to “in big trouble”. The DSCC started to believe that McConnell’s seat was in play in 2008, and started running ads in KY. And perhaps the most dramatic change was the behavior of McConnell. His strategy towards criticism has always been to completely ignore it until it inevitably goes away. But he suddenly became paranoid, whining about “liberal blogs” and “radicals” that were saying mean things about dear old Mitch. He began making huge gaffs in speaking appearances. He was rattled.

I genuinely believe that August 28th, 2007 will be viewed as the beginning of the end of Mitch McConnell’s political run.

Most unintentionally funny moment:

Runner ups:

Brett Hall’s fake poll says the Gov. race is tied- The poll that made Democrats around the state tremble. With belly laughter. Just weeks before the election, with every poll known to man showing Beshear up 15-25 points, this magical poll showed the race was dead even. Of course, the phony numbers weren’t actually shared with anyone. Wonder why?

Fletcher’s 10 Commandments mailer- On one side it showed a crazy-looking Steve Beshear laughing maniacally as he literally ripped the stone tablets off of the school wall. On the other side, in a Satanic fit of ‘roid rage, Beshear has smashed the stone tablets into rubble, as he stood with his back turned to the Elementary school. Hulk smash! I thought it was a very classy ad.

Incorrect 10 Commandment display- After “fighting” to get the 10 Commandments posted in the capital right before the election, the display was, uh, a bit off.

Stan Lee’s open letter to Conway- I love it when Stan lets his freak flag fly in public. This summer, Stan sent out an open letter to his opponent for Attorney General, Jack Conway. In the letter, Stan claims that casinos will lead to increases in rape, robbery, drugs, aggravated assault, embezzlement, prostitution, divorce, motor vehicle theft, murder, suicide and abortions. The causal link between casinos and abortion was not elaborated on. Further, Stan claims that Indiana casinos send attractive women down to Lexington bars to bring men back up with them. Sorry fellas, he didn’t name the bars. Stan, write more public letters, please!

“Fear the ‘stach!!!”- Fancy Farm. Stan Lee. Facial Hair. Crazy Person. ’nuff said.

Dr. Dan’s used car saleswoman- One of the downsides of Crit Luallen not running for Senate is that she would have been a great role model for young women in KY. Specifically, she would have shown them that you can be a woman in the political sphere and not be merely an eyecandy-pitchwoman for milk and used cars.

Judy makes Cassarro cry- I saw it happen with my own two eyes. I felt sorry for the poor guy, but if he can’t take 5 minutes with Judy laying down the facts to him, he definitely can’t take $20 million of Mitch’s attack ads.

Chuck Norris fills in for Sean Hannity- No, this really happened. As an added bonus, he got thoroughly schooled by… an Iraqi rapper??? Surreality TV.

Winner:

Pat Boone’s San Francisco robocalls- Hey, it’s Pat Boone! I thought he was dead?!? Well, most of his fans are dead, I suppose. Kind of makes the effectiveness of his gay-baiting robocall ads for Ernie Fletcher at the end of the campaign a bit impotent, eh? Plus, who the hell wouldn’t want to live in San Francisco? Bring it on, Governor Beshear: extreme KY makeover!

Most intentionally funny moment

Runner ups:

PCAF parody ad on Mitch- Mitch’s first TV ad (starring a creepy sexual harasser) is an ode to big government pork he brings to KY. But the PCAF decided to tweak his ad and show the pay-for-play nature of these earmarks, as Mitch will scratch your back if you stuff campaign cash in his back pocket.

Pence’s Stan Lee/Ned Flanders video- Hi-dilly-o, homophobe! (see above)

Joe B. Hall calls Republicans “scum”- Joe B. Hall spoke at a big Democratic rally in Lexington right before the election and had the audience in the palm of his hand. I thought I was hearing things when he said it, but he really did. Let’s get those Scum out of Frankfort. Yes, Joe B. Hall has entered the order of the shrill. You’re most welcome here, Coach Hall.

Winner:

“Special Times” interviews Ken Ham at the Creation Museum- The most political incorrect moment, ever. Possibly the funniest moment ever. I suggest you go and read the whole story, but let me just give you a teaser. A mentally challenged man beats Ken Ham in a debate in front of a group of reporters at the Creation Museum. Priceless.

Phoniest exploiter of religion:

Runner ups:

Ernie Fletcher- Ugh. Take your pick here. I’ll pick Ernie’s sudden turnaround on the evils of casinos in the general, after taking big casino $$$ and being open to a referendum on it beforehand.

Stan Lee- This one’s a tough call, because it’s unclear to me whether Stan’s shtick is an act or he’s just that crazy. I’ll go ahead and put him on this list for two reasons. First, Stan’s efforts to help his insurance company client not pay damages on the viable 8 1/2 month fetus killed in the Lexington parking garage accident. Nice one Stan. Secondly, I wrote Stan’s office countless times asking him this question: “Since you believe that an abortion is the murder of a human being and we are experiencing a worldwide genocide, how long of a prison sentence would you ideally recommend for a woman who has an abortion or a doctor who performs one? And do you think the death penalty would ever be an appropriate sentence?” Never got a reply. Until he answers that, it’s up for debate.

Working Families for Kentucky- Taking a page out of Stan Lee’s book is wrong, no matter what your end goal is. So telling voters that Jesus doesn’t like Ernie and Stan in a radio ad is just plain tacky.

Winner:

Jonathan Miller- The book. That damned book. If there’s one thing in politics that I hate more than anything else, it’s people who either (1) base their policy positions and votes on what the invisible people in the sky tell you, or (2) people who try to sell their faith to voters like they’re in a cheap infomercial in order to get votes. Jonathan, you might be an OK guy, but you fail on both counts with me. As for the book, I don’t believe you.

Best wardrobe/ accessory item

Runner up:

Mitch McConnell’s tux- Fancy dress Mitch!

Jim Pence’s tie- Documented by Jake. He’s gone Hollywood on us.

Shirtless Papa Putin- Do you think Putin shaves his own chest, or has someone do it for him?

Winner:

John Yarmuth’s Article 1 button- After 7 years of Congress helping Bush shred our constitution, it’s an honor to have someone from Kentucky standing up for it andspreading the word to his colleagues.

Best KY blog and Best KY blogger

Runner up:

Page One Kentucky- No one scoops big stories in the KY blogosphere faster than Page One. Not even My Hannah Montana (see below).

Winner:

Ditch Mitch and Matt Gunterman- On April 6th of this year, Matt Gunterman changed the face of the KY blogosphere. He introduced Team Ditch Mitch, inviting other bloggers from around the state to join together at DMKY and take on Mitch McConnell together. Whereas the other big KY blog and its creator had no intention of building a lasting movement of KY’s left online, Gunterman had the foresight to know that by joining forces, our effectiveness would grow by leaps and bounds.

And that is just what DMKY was able to accomplish. DMKY’s traffic rapidly increased, as did the attention paid to it by Mitch McConnell, himself. His amazingly comic fundraising letter this summer shows this, as Mitch bitches and whines about the “liberal radicals” at Ditch Mitch, who say such mean things about him. Additionally, Gunterman’s brilliant analysis and criticism of Mitch McConnell is unmatched in the blogosphere.

When Mitch McConnell goes down next year, one of the people that you will have to thank is Matt Gunterman. Because he’s just getting started.

Best Montana blog

Runner up:

Left in the West- Great stuff from great local bloggers.

Winner:

My Hannah Montana- I hear Greg Stumbo reads it every day.

Hardest working KY blogger:

Winner:

Jim Pence- Criss-crossing all over state to cover every big event. Luggiing all of that heavy equipment everywhere he goes. Spending endless hours editing his great footage into the masterpieces that his videos are. This award goes to Jim Pence, the Hillbilly, hands down. As Gunterman said in the Nation cover story that featured Jim prominently, he is the heart and soul of the KY blogosphere.

Most followed voting guide

Winner:

Atheist Voting Guide- Frank Simon’s voting guide? He picked a bunch of losers. The KYAtheist Voting Guide? 100% winners. Coincidence? I think not.

Most disturbing image

Runner up:

The mysterious pictures of one “Bobby Conn” that appeared and disappeared in the diary section one week. They have vanished off of the face of the earth. The disappearance is said to be Rootie-worthy for funniest moment, but that’s another story.

Winner:

The Stan Lee of the Pacific, seen in a rare non-surfing moment.

Most humiliating representation of Kentucky

Runner ups:

The Duct Tape Bandit- A legend in his own time, who apparently took Tom Ridge’s recommendations a bit too seriously.

Jim Gooch on GMA- ABC viewers got a big laugh out of the crazy KY representative as he spewed his coal-funded nonsense on global warming on national TV. Can we get a primary challenger, please?

Winner:

The Creation Museum- The $28 million monstrosity dedicated to human stupidity was great humor for some (like me), but a humiliating embarrassment to the rest of us. On a positive note, it helped put BlueGrassRoots and Ditch Mitch on the national map. (My post reviewing the “museum” has more hits than all other posts on BGR in its history combined. Freak shows draw crowds, what can I say?)

Most disgusting quote

Runner ups:

Mitch McConnell- January of 2007. Disgusting in his blind support of the chimp, and the very hollow “last chance” statement, as the Iraqi government still hasn’t taken the necessary steps.

“The president doesn’t have a stronger supporter in the Senatethan the person you’re looking at, but I repeat, this is the last chance for the Iraqis to step up and demonstrate this government can function”

Mitch McConnell- 18,000 Americans die every year because they don’t have health insurance. 900 American soldiers died in Iraq this year. Mitch voted to block legislation to expand health and bring our troops home. Then he says this:

“The Senate is the place where legislation goes to die, and some would say you’re looking at the Grim Reaper”

Frank Simon- Libraries are Satanic, don’t you know?

“(The library tax is) just another ever-increasing income tax which gives another $38 million/year to promote anti-Christian thinking”

Robbie Rudolph- Well, they certainly don’t want you, Robbie.

“Do you want a couple of San Francisco treats, or do you want to re-elect Governor Ernie Fletcher?”

Billy Piper (McConnell aide)- His comment on the ultra-corrupt earmark that Mitch set up to enrich Hunter Bates’ client:

“This, frankly, is a lesson in how government should work”

Winner:

Mitch McConnell- Heartless. Callous. Disgusting. On losing American soldiers in Iraq:

“Nobody is happy about losing lives, but remember, these are not draftees, these are full-time professional soldiers”

Funniest quote

Runner ups:

Jim Bunning- As Dan Quayle once said to the NAACP, “What a terrible waste it is to lose one’s mind”

“I had little green doctors pounding on my back”

Jack Cafferty- Jack calls out the hackery that is Wolf Blitzer.

CAFFERTY: Is Anna Nicole Smith still dead, Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes. We’re going to be updating our viewers shortly on-

CAFFERTY: (deadpan) Can’t wait for that.

BLITZER: -the mysterious circumstances surrounding that. Jack, thank you.

Larry Forgy- Forgy for Senate! Here he is commenting on Mitch McConnell stabbing Ernie Fletcher in the back:

“The only difference between that and cannibals is that cannibals normally don’t eat their friends”

Steve Nunn- Asked why he wasn’t supporting his former Republican House colleague state Rep. Stan Lee for attorney general:

“Because I know Stan Lee”

Frank Simon- At an American Family Association meeting that I attended this October:

“Sure, kids would drink back in my day. But it wasn’t until the gays that they started smoking the dope!”

Keith Olbermann- On the worst person in the world, Mitch McConnell, after his disgusting “professional soldiers” statement:

“Senator, you need to resign. And then you need to go look for a soul, so you can have it implanted in your body.”

Winner:

Jim Bunning- I’ll miss the bluntness of this crotchety old nut in 2011.

“Brett Hall is a liar.”

Best KY MSM political reporter

Runner up:

Mark Hebert- He gets the scoops, he’s not afraid to be blunt and he was the only person to pursue Mitch McConnell about his office’s role in Frostgate, getting Mitch to lie on camera, for all of the state to see what kind of guy he is. A lying coward.

Winner:

John Cheves- Cheves followed up his take-no-prisoners series on Mitch’s dirty money last year with another series showing Mitch’s shady dealings with BAE, a company under investigation from a billion different countries, including our own, for bribing public officials. The shady dealings being BAE’s folks giving him big $ and Mitch scratching their back by sneaking in a $25 million earmark to BAE. And you can tell that Mitch is scared to death of him by his dishonest smearing of Cheves.

Most spineless KY Democrat

Runner ups:

Jerry Abramson- Jerry sat silent and did nothing while police tackled, roughed up and arrested Carol Trainer for holding up a piece sign at a friggin’ Beatles concert at the state fair. Then Jerry lied about witnessing it. We won’t forget this one.

Todd Hollenbach- As I told Todd to his face a few weeks ago, it’s never a good idea to associate yourself with bigots. Todd, however, doesn’t feel this way. After winning the endorsement of nutjob homophobe Frank Simon in the general election of State Treasurer, Todd refused to renounce the endorsement publicly. Todd told David Hawpe that he wrote a letter to Simon asking him not be so gosh-darn controversial, but begged Hawpe not to publish that, out of fear of losing the crazy/bigot/Simon vote. Then on election night, he ran from me faster than Bunning from little green men. Get some damned spine Todd, and do the right thing.

Winner:

When historians look back at this era of American history, they will not be kind to those who caved in to fear. Who caved in to fear while they voted to abandon the principles of our Constitution. Abandoning our respect for the rule of law. Abandoning our system of checks and balances in favor of George W. Bush’s idea of a unitary government.

George W. Bush blatantly and willfully broke the law by spying on American citizens without notifying the FISA court. His excuse? It was an old law. The response of Congress? Give Bush’s law-breaking a big stamp of approval, by making such actions legal. The new FISA bill was passed with the help of Blue Dog Democrats who were much more interested in what Republicans might say about them, than standing up for the Constitution and the rule of law.

Along with his caving on torture and habeas corpus, this is just another sad chapter in Ben Chandler’s acquiescence to Bush’s goal of throwing what America stands for out the window.

And that’s not even mentioning his votes on Iraq….

Best national representative of KY (non-elected)

Runner ups:

My Morning Jacket- Damned fine Louisville band that keeps making great music and is getting bigger and bigger.

Winner:

Lt. Col. Andrew Horne- Andrew Horne repeatedly stood on the national stage and represented Kentucky with class, intelligence and fortitude. Horne delivered the national Democratic response to George W. Bush, giving a great counterpoint to the failures of Bush. Horne also was an advocate of soldiers on national TV, as he appeared on MSNBC detailing the horrible toll that inadequate rest between tours was having on military families, including a 35-year high in Army suicides.

In two years, Horne’s my pick to win the Rootie in the next category…

Best KY Democrat (office holder)

Runner ups:

Crit Luallen- Though the party is starting to change for the better, the typical mold of a KY Democrat is to be corrupt as hell. Well, not Crit Luallen. She’s above the board and a class act all the way, calling out whoever is cooking the books, no matter what party they’re from.

Ernesto Scorsone- Liberal and proud. Un-bought and Un-bossed. Where have I heard that before?

Winner:

John Yarmuth- The anti-Ben, who tells it like it is and votes his conscience in Congress. Standing up to Bush on Iraq. Standing up for our Constitution. Refusing to cower in fear when faced with controversial votes. John Yarmuth has made us proud.

Best KY activist

Runner up:

Dave Newton- KFTC activist set to have another big year on mountaintop removal and restoring felon’s voting rights.

Winners:

Judy Munro-Leighton- Continuing her tireless efforts with LPAC to end the Iraq War, which began long before the rest of the state came around to agree with her.

Carol Trainer- Arrested and roughed up at the State Fair simply for holding a peace sign, Carol started off the tidal wave of protests that dogged Bush/McConnell the rest of the year in KY.

Aniello Alioto- Aniello ran the show on the 8/28 Take a Stand rally and march to Mitch McConnell’s house, which made national headlines. He also got under the skin of Mitch McConnell like no other person did in 2007. His best compliment was from the Senator himself in a fundraising letter, as he claimed to be targeted by “the 60′s anti-war movement on steroids.” Indeed, Mitch.

Best schadenfreude moment

Runner up:

Larry Craig’s arrest- Don’t you just love it when politicians who consistently vote against gay rights and build their party’s power by playing on homophobia turn out to love the dirty gay sex in their private lives? Me too. Maybe we’ll have some more Craigs in 2008, eh?

Winner:

Ernie Fletcher’s concession speech- Watching Ernie’s speech on the big screen at the Frankfort victory celebration after his humiliating 18 point loss, I could only think one thing: couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy. Schadenfreude-tastic!

Best drunken interview

Loser:

Unfortunately, the part where I give Lt. Dan shit about co-sponsoring the 2004 Marriage Amendment and he gives me a death stare is locked away in a vault somewhere, never to be seen. Can’t blame him though, it was a pretty bad scene. From what I remember, that is.

Best blogger outreach

Runner up:

Ben Chandler- An angry, red-faced, voice-raised Ben Chandler, as he was poking me in the chest. That can be considered outreach, technically.

Winner:

Elizabeth Edwards- Elizabeth Edwards manages to balance a take no shit attitude with class, and as I’ve said before, I’d probably prefer her over her husband in an election. Edwards also follows up on her embrace of the netroots, as she gave Jim Pence and I the only one-on-one media interview during her appearance in Lexington this August. She talked to us for 10 minutes, answered all of our questions candidly, and then ran back to the set to tell Wolf Blitzer what a heartless bitch Ann Coulter is.

Biggest promoter of negative KY stereotypes

Runner up:

Mitch McConnell’s teeth- I mean, seriously.

Winner:

Creation Museum’s incest display- Yes, Cain fucked his sister. But, as this display at the Creation Museum explains, incest is OK, because we’re all related. And they didn’t have birth defects back then because there was no gay marriage and no Planned Parenthood. Did I mention that this idiotic monstrosity is an embarrassment?

Best use of political strategery (in the good sense)

Winner:

Jonathan Miller- His move to drop out of the Gov. Primary and endorse Beshear is what ensured there was no run-off and Ernie Fletcher would be sent packing.

Batshit craziest

Runner ups:

Jim Bunning- So say 4 out of 5 little green doctors.

Frank Simon- Did you know that the reason for poverty and drug use among blacks in Lexington is because of the “Homosexual Hegemeny“? What’s that, you say? Well, you see, all of the powerful blacks in Lexington are gay. Therefore, the only way to gain access to that power is to befriend them. Or fuck them. In doing so, the black community turns to immorality, drugs, poverty and the dirty gay sex.

Yes, that is the world according to Frank Simon. Todd Hollenbach’s good buddy.

David L. Williams- Keep him away from your nieces. Or his own niece, for that matter. Well, how about all Democratic primaries, for that matter.

Ken Ham- The man built a museum based on this premise- 4,000 years ago, men rode on the backs of saddled vegetarian dinosaurs in the Grand Canyon, which was created in 2 days during the great flood, and the ACLU and gay people will bring his wrath again soon. Therefore, the label fucking insane applies.

Winner:

Stan Lee- Stan didn’t let his freak flag fly as much as usual in his race for Attorney General, but this excerpt from Politics, Religion and Death: Memoir of a Lobbyist, by Carl Wedekind, seals the deal for Stan.

Pat took it up at that point and began to talk about the position taken by the various Christian denominations and about how this religious anti-death penalty movement had developed. Very suddenly our new legislator interrupted; it was such an abrupt change. His eyes were very dark. Both his hands were raised in the air as he started speaking.

“All your worries, all your concerns, will soon be over” he announced solemnly.

We stopped and waited. He stared at us intently.

“With the coming of Christ, there will be a circle of judges who will decide…who is good, who is evil…and,” (looking at us knowingly) “there will be NO APPEAL.  Then there will be a thousand years of goodness–of bliss!” His voice trailed off, his head now raised, and he looked off in the distance.

We stared. This proclamation of judgment was not put forth for debate. It was Representative Stan Lee’s answer to our concerns about the death penalty. He was saying it didn’t matter. We were stunned. Pat nervously got up, and I think he mumbled something, and the two of us left. Representative Lee was not a likely ally on the House Judiciary Committee.

Game. Set. Match. You win, Stan.

Best eulogy

Winner:

Tinky Winky- His intelligible squeaks and heartfelt wave goodbye to Jerry Falwell brought a tear to my eye.

Best Monday open thread host

Winner:

Kenny “Sky” Walker-  ‘nuff said.