The Republican postion int he United States Senate got worse this year, as we celebrate, I’m sure. Today it looks as if Norm Coleman took the first step towards reality when he signed up as a paid advisor for the Republican Jewish Coalition, and that’s further good news. But this story isn’t celebrating the woes of the Republicans. I am here to celebrate Jim Bunning, phormer Philadelphia Phillie, and all around good guy. I’m hoping he runs for reelection as Senator from Kentucky and wins in his primary there. Because Bunning running is good for Democratic hopes for the Senate seat from Kentucky.

I remember writing about Jim Bunning’s descent into Alzheimers before his 2004 election. That’s a long time ago, and certainly before his native this odd speech Bunning reportedly gave in Kentucky. Still, though I might want to save a phormer Phillie Hall of Phamer from the embarrassment of running and losing in a Senate race, I’m happy to see him act all strange during the race just as he did in 2004. It appears, though, based on an article in Politico, that the Republicans are not too happy to have Bunning defend his seat. Here’s some of the politico reporting on the issue:

Some Republicans are privately urging Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) to step down at the end of his term amid growing concerns that he can’t win reelection in 2010.

According to two GOP sources, leading Republican fundraisers in Kentucky are hesitant to raise money for Bunning and have told him he should not seek a third term.

“They want him to realize he’s had a good run but that it’s time to move on. These people want to win, and they realize he could easily lose this seat,” said one leading Kentucky Republican operative who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

While national campaign officials usually urge their incumbents to remain in office — recognizing it’s tougher to defend an open seat — even leading Republicans seem unconvinced Bunning can win reelection.

Asked if Bunning was the best candidate to run or if there were better GOP candidates, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn of Texas demurred: “I don’t know. I think it’s really up to Sen. Bunning.”

Perhaps more telling is that Bunning is showing no signs of retiring. He’s only 77 years old, and that’s nothing for a Senator, even one with creeping Alzheimers. But this guy is going to be easy for the Democrats to beat, being, as he is, one of the top ten dumbest men in Congress as of 2006. (I’m guessing he’s gotten dumber since.) The cool thing here is that despite being a long way behind in fundraising, Bunning is showing all signs that he wants to run again. Here’s a bit more from the Politico article:

A Senate GOP aide said there are concerns within the conference about Bunning’s plans, but there’s fear that speaking publicly about it would only encourage him to run.

“I’ve heard the concern, but I don’t think anybody can do anything about it,” the aide said.

Kentucky political insiders say Bunning appears committed to running for reelection, despite the sluggish fundraising.

“In no uncertain terms, he says he’s running for reelection, and we take him at his word,” said former Kentucky Republican Party Chairwoman Ellen Williams.

. . .

“He’s showing no signs of backing down,” said one Kentucky Republican strategist. “This is a guy who made his living as a Hall of Fame pitcher who was famous for completing most of his games. He likes to hold the ball and be in control. And he thinks if he can throw it harder, he can succeed. It’s just ingrained in him.

“It’s an interesting personality and one that has led to much success in his career, but now it’s a stubbornness some might argue isn’t serving him quite as well.”

There you go — appealing to Bunning’s pride as a Philadelphia Phillie Hall of Famer just might work. And it should be noted that the Democrats have some good candidates to run against Bunning. For instance, here’s the Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway (and Conway’s wikipedia page), a young and vigorous man who will likely mop the floor with Bunning both in campaigning and in debates, if Bunning deems to enter any debates. Another Senate seat in the south for the Dems will be a mighty good thing, even if that means that the Senator is a blue dog Democrat. We need every single vote we can get to turn this country around after the disaster that was George Bush.