Frankly, this quote alone, upon the passing of David Jones, Sr., straight from Mitch McConnell’s lips is alarming, and should be the end of any debate about whether having ties to the Joneses is like having ties to McConnell.
“I can say without exaggeration, that David Jones was the single most influential friend and mentor I’ve had in my entire career.”
Mitch McConnell, Senate Floor, Sept. 18, 2019
But, alas, it’s not. Most people never even heard it. Most people around Louisville also know that Senior’s contributions and PAC monies contributed greatly to the reddening of the state legislature. And yet, we keep welcoming them into “liberal” back rooms and whatever our local version of cocaine-fueled orgies is.
But then there’s this:
One Nation, the dark money group run by close allies of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), raised more than $172 million in 2020… The massive sum, which exceeds what the nonprofit raised in any prior year by more than $100 million, was bolstered by several eight-figure contributions from anonymous donors, including one who gave $33 million and one who gave $13.5 million.
CREW, Dec. 21, 2021
This doesn’t bother us? Hey, who is going to the Derby? Trump is, that’s who. Did we mention Louisville, KY is a sex-trafficking hub? And we are rolling out the red carpet for even more outsiders, predators and grifters. That’s pretty bold, really. Did you know the trades unions pretty much run that show? And for what? They get “free tickets” last I heard. That’s it. I don’t even think they get paid. Boy we sure know how to exploit our own labor around here, and our own white moderate Dems are just as complicit. Hey, they like going to those parties, too.
Whether it was the generous donations or the mentorship, David Jones, Sr., no doubt, played a role in the shifting of politics across the state of Kentucky, as well as the ability for Mitch McConnell to remain in power and push the privatization of public education agenda. Here is a recent tweet from Dark Money author, Jane Mayer, with more documentation of the Jones family’s relationship with Senator Mitch McConnell.
From the obituary in the NY Times, their relationship is also confirmed.
Over more than 40 years at Humana, Mr. Jones became an influential business and civic leader and a confidant to the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Humana co-founder David Jones, Sr. and his family have been strong supporters of Mr. McConnell’s political career, Politico has reported.
NYTimes Obit
And there’s the interactions we’ve had with KY Senate Minority Leader, Morgan McGarvey, and candidate for John Yarmuth’s seat, who admitted Junior was behind SB250 in 2019. And later, JCTA President Brent McKim (behind the scenes) and Senator Julie Raque Adams (the bill’s sponsor) played a key role in facilitating SB250 to its final passage, instead of refusing to conspire with such a sinister agenda and exposing it for what it was. What was in it for them, I wonder?
It’s a real shame that Senior pushed such a racist and harmful agenda up until the time of his death. But it’s an even bigger shame the community of Louisville sees Junior’s philanthropy as something good and kind, when in fact, it’s shady, overbearing, hurtful and tone deaf. Making back room deals to finish your agenda after being voted off the local school board ought to be illegal.
But once again, we are all just volunteers and not hired guns like ALEC can afford. And the people we want to take on here are some of the most powerful in the nation. Disenfranchised voters and taxpayers are experiencing taxation without representation. I will link to another page once it’s ready that shows the demographics of the state, city and district, as well as the red counties that surround Jefferson County that voted to force bills onto our district, even though they don’t impact them either way. I wonder how their constituents would feel if they knew they did this to us and it was likely based on the color of skin of the majority of our students. Maybe they won’t care, but I bet someone will. If you are a non-Louisville lawyer who sees the merit in this case, please contact us at moderator@alleyesonkentucky.org. We could use your help. Thank you.