Recollections of a Fundraiser of Yore and Thoughts on Son-of-a-Bitchgate

Dan Mongiardo’s fake puritanical outrage over Attorney General Jack Conway’s recent, shocking use of profanity at the Fancy Farm picnic brought back memories for me of a Democratic State Senate Caucus fundraiser that I and several other UK College Democrats attended some years ago. As you will remember, this was two offices ago for Dan Mongiardo, back when he was still a lowly state senator who had recently lost the last race for US Senate against Jim Bunning, and as such he was expected to allow the rest of the caucus and the attendees at the fundraiser to bask in the glow of his political fame.

The event was held at the Red Mile in Lexington, and I was present in my role as then-president of the UK College Democrats. I had been invited by a staffer in Sen. Julian Carroll’s office who promised I would be given the opportunity to address the gathered pols that night because “Sen. Carroll believes very strongly in what you all are doing to help the Commonwealth.” Regardless of whether or not this was really true (we had our doubts), within minutes of our arrival, we were notified that rather than get a platform to speak, we would simply get a boilerplate shout-out from the former governor turned pension-seeking state senator instead. What were we to say? I wadded up my hastily prepared speech and went with it.

As with any fundraiser, the food was below average and the drinks were weak, but it was all free and the bartenders weren’t carding, so we went hog-wild. Besides, if you’ve ever been in a room with all of the members of the State Senate Democratic Caucus for longer than five minutes, you’ll understand the compulsion to head for the bar each time the final drop from your glass hits your tongue.

The speeches were typical fundraiser talk, preaching to the choir and tossing red meat to the partisans. Chandler exhorted the audience to join him in “fightin’ the Republicans in Washington,” and Mongiardo made thinly veiled references to his humiliating loss to Bunning just a year earlier. Finally Julian Carroll stood to speak and it became clear quite quickly that he would not only fail to reference the College Democrats, but would also befuddle everyone present with his rambling speech, replete with his signature Bible references. Mercifully, after about forty-five minutes, the speeches ended and everyone resumed drinking heavily until it was socially acceptable to haul ass out of the building.

We enjoyed photo-ops all around, including with former governor Paul Patton (who stood most of the night off to the side, conspicuously alone), Congressman Ben Chandler, and finally, State Senator Daniel Mongiardo. To the credit of Chandler and Mongiardo, they took the time to talk to us as human beings even while more lucrative conversations trotted by. They seemed genuinely thrilled to have young people present at a fundraiser that was demographically geriatric.

Eventually Chandler and Mongiardo ran off to talk to others and we young folks stuck to ourselves. As the night wore on people began to take their leave, and within just a few more hours, there were perhaps no more than two dozen people left in the room, including a friend of mine from the College Democrats, me, Ben Chandler, and Dan Mongiardo. With the donors gone and no press present, Mongiardo and Chandler began to have a few drinks and really start talking politics, which is when things finally got interesting. Seemingly unaware of us or considering us trustworthy listeners, Chandler and Mongiardo began trading salacious stories of other Kentucky politicians—both Democrat and Republican—ripping into their hides with glee and with more than a little pinch of salt on their tongues. This went on for nearly an hour, the two grizzly politicians laughing it up and ripping their opponents to shreds, while I and my friend simply soaked up every moment of it with joy. “How cool,” we thought. “Mongiardo and Chandler are cursing in front of us!” We felt like we were on top of the world.

Which is where we get to Son-of-a-Bitchgate. My first reaction upon hearing Mongiardo excoriate Jack Conway for his use of language was to literally laugh out loud. Really? Mongiardo was calling out someone else for their use of a little bit of innocent profanity? Really? The night of that Democratic Senate Caucus fundraiser, I heard Mongiardo utter some of the most profane language I’ve ever heard come out of a politician’s mouth in my life and he did it all while slapping other pols on the back and swilling wine along the way. Mongiardo is standing up for those offended by a little bit of salty language? Give me a break.

Of course, this isn’t breaking news or anything, but someone needs to call Mongiardo out for his hypocrisy on this. We all curse, even….gasp!....people at Fancy Farm! And besides, if Fancy Farm is a religious event, then I’m the Pope.

We all know Conway shouldn’t have said what he said at Fancy Farm, but not because saying “bitch” is inappropriate, and not even because he egregiously misquoted one of the lions of Kentucky Democratic politics in Wendell Ford. No, he shouldn’t have said what he said because it was disingenuous and fake. We all know Conway is from Louisville and we all know he’s a lawyer, and you know what? That’s fine. This was a simple example of a politician getting pissed that another politician criticized him for his lifestyle and upbringing. Conway let Mongiardo get under his skin with his comments about “silver spoons” and “caviar,” and as a result, he threw inhibition out the window.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, one of the amazing things about Barack Obama was how difficult it was to get under his skin. It seemed that no matter what critique Hillary Clinton or John McCain or the fringe wing-nuts threw at him, he would never get riled up. It was simply unbelievable. No matter the critique, Obama and his surrogates, for the most part, trudged forward, blinders on, and stuck to their message. This was mature, and it was obviously a winning strategy, which is why Conway ought to adopt such a principle in his own campaign. The moment you let your opponent get under your skin is the moment you begin to admit your vulnerability, and the moment you begin to slip in the race.

We all know how ridiculous Mongiardo’s criticism is. For Christ’s sake, he went to school in Canada! But the point is that Conway needs to whip Mongiardo in this primary on his own terms, not on terms set for him by Dr. Dan.

So while Conway may be one tough son-of-a-bitch, I’m one skeptical son-of-a-bitch when it comes to sanctimonious, divisive, and provincial politicians like Dan Mongiardo who would rather divide-and-conquer and slander their opponent than show leadership and some good ideas every once in a while.

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