Jim Bunning

James Paul David "Jim" Bunning ( born October 23, 1931 in Southgate, Campbell County, Kentucky ) is a retired American professional baseball player who later career struck as a politician and from 1999 to 2011 for the Republican Party to the Senate of United States belonged.

Sports Career

In the Major League Bunning entered first time in 1955 as a pitcher in the ranks of the Detroit Tigers. In 1964 he moved to the Philadelphia Phillies, for which he took up to 1967, then 1968 and 1969 he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the 1969 season, he played nine games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 1970 Bunning returned back to the Phillies, where he ended his sporting career in 1971. He reached a record of 224 victories in 184 defeats, the ERA on the career of 3:27 in a total of 2,855 strikeouts in his career.

Bunnings skill level can be seen from the fact that he was elected in 1957, 1959, 1961-64 and from 1966 in the "All Star Team". He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Another remarkable achievement of Bunning in baseball was throwing a Perfect Games on June 21, 1964 in New York against the New York Mets. By 2009, this has been achieved in the history of Major League Baseball only eighteen times.

Political career

His political career began in 1977 with the election to the city council of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, where he spent two years exercised his office. Then he ran immediately for the Senate from Kentucky, was elected in 1983 and showed significant ambitions, Governor of Kentucky to become. However, when the Republican candidate he defeated the Democrat Martha Layne Collins. In 1986 he was successful in elections to Congress. He remained from 1987 to 1999 in the House of Representatives before he was elected to the Senate.

Verbal gaffes

2004 met Bunning in the elections to a Democratic challenger Daniel Mongiardo, who as a physician and state senator from Kentucky certainly had chances, after Bunning significantly in word and transgressed tone.

The conflict-ridden controversy spun out of control, as Bunning his Italian -born adversary described in such a way that " he remembered one of Saddam Hussein's sons " ( "like one of Saddam Hussein 's sons. "). Given the great indignation among the public he fought off an apology. His subsequent behavior, such as his accusations against Mongiardo that this Bunnings wife had physically attacked and this doing " green and blue spots" have suffered, and the obvious use of a teleprompter in a televised debate brought various media scholars to the conclusion to doubt Bunnings mental and emotional fitness for office.

Campaign finance and re-election

Bunning stood about 4 million U.S. dollars for his campaign available, while Mongiardo had only $ 600,000 to have. Belatedly realized the Democratic Party, that in the face of Bunnings bizarre behavior had a real choice opportunity and increased Mongiardos budget with $ 800,000, which were mostly invested in commercials.

After a series of illegal campaign contributions, ugly homophobic attacks against Mongiardo, as well as the big vote lead George W. Bush in the presidential election, Bunning narrowly won the election on 2 November 2004, which had previously held none of the election campaign, analysts possible.

In July 2009, Bunning declared declared not to compete again in 2010 for re-election. His successor was re-elected with a Republican Rand Paul.

Single Documents