The Joe Cunningham Show airs 3-4 p.m. every weekday on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL. The daily show notes offer you a look into the topics of the day and the links to the top stories and Joe's own writings on the state of politics in Louisiana and around the country. Follow Joe on Twitter at @JoePCunningham and Like the Joe Cunningham Show on Facebook. You can also subscribe to the Joe Cunningham Show podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or Amazon.
R.I.P. Kevin Conroy
As a huge Batman nerd, I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t mention this today. Kevin Conroy is probably the most iconic voice of Batman, and has been since the 90s. He passed away after a short battle with cancer. He voiced the Dark Knight for the entire run of the animated Batman series from the 1990s, the animated Justice League series, and several animated movies. He also voiced Batman in three of the four Arkham video games.
Absolute class act. He will be missed, especially in the world of nerds. Here’s a longer write-up I did earlier.
Kemp and McConnell Meet Up
This will absolutely not sit well with Donald Trump, but here we are. Because Brian Kemp’s ground game in Georgia was absolutely on point and successful, Mitch McConnell and his Senate Leadership Fund are teaming up to get Herschel Walker across the finish line in the Georgia run-off.
Under an agreement that was finalized Thursday, Kemp will transfer his door-knocking, data analytics, phone-banking and micro-targeting program to the Senate Leadership Fund, the McConnell-aligned super PAC that is bolstering Walker. The super PAC will provide the funding for the $2 million-plus effort, which will be run by Kemp’s senior advisers and staffed by more than 100 field workers.
It’s the first time that Senate Leadership Fund, which spent more than $230 million on advertising this election cycle, has ever funded a get-out-the-vote effort on the ground. But the party has reason to invest heavily in turnout operations in Georgia: Just two years ago, Republicans lost the Senate majority after falling in a pair of runoffs in the state, in part because some GOP-aligned voters decided not to vote.
Trump’s Meltdown
Yesterday, Donald Trump sent out a tirade masked as a statement against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Today, he’s out attacking Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin. Trump is trying to clear the field, but he’s doing so out of desperation. Both of those Governors have been very successful in the post-2020 era, something Trump has not been. And but it’s not going over very well with Republican voters, particularly older ones.
Young “bro-publicans” continue to adore the Trumpy behavior, but 2020 and 2022 are pretty clear signs that it isn’t going over with the masses very well. I really do think these are the last gasps of a desperate political career.
Three More Amendments
Just when you thought it was over, we have more amendments on the ballot in December. These are arguably the most important amendments this cycle - were they were put on the ballot for December to decrease their chances of passing? Louisiana residents should vote for all three.
Amendment 1: Do you support an amendment to provide that no person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be allowed to register and vote in this state?
A vote for would: Ban people who aren’t United States citizens from registering to vote or casting ballots in Louisiana elections.
A vote against would: Keep current language governing voting rights, which requires a person to be a Louisiana citizen to register to vote or cast ballots in elections.
Amendment No. 2: Senate confirmation of Civil Service Commission members
A vote for would: Require Louisiana Senate confirmation of the governor’s appointees to the State Civil Service Commission.
A vote against would: Continue to let the governor appoint members to the State Civil Service Commission without needing confirmation of those choices from the Louisiana Senate.
Amendment No. 3: Senate confirmation of State Police Commission members
A vote for would: Require Louisiana Senate confirmation of the governor’s appointees to the State Police Commission.
A vote against would: Continue to let the governor appoint members to the State Police Commission without needing confirmation of those choices from the Louisiana Senate.
Headlines Of The Day
Is It Time to 'Ditch Mitch?' Rubio Calls for Delay in GOP Senate Leadership Vote (RedState)
Florida Democratic operatives say it could take a decade for the party to recover from disastrous midterms (Fox News)
Ukrainian troops enter Kherson city after Russia retreats (NPR)
Trump voters are ‘done’ with ex-president: ‘He needs to disappear’ (New York Post)
What student loan borrowers need to know after a federal court struck down Biden’s forgiveness program (CNN)