Jim Bunning
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jim Bunning | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1999 Serving with Mitch McConnell |
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| Preceded by | Wendell Ford |
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| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Gene Snyder |
| Succeeded by | Ken Lucas |
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| Born | October 23, 1931 Southgate, Kentucky |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Catherine Theis |
| Residence | Southgate, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | Xavier University |
| Profession | baseball player, investment broker |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Jim Bunning | |
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| Pitcher | |
| Born: October 23, 1931 Southgate, Kentucky |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 20, 1955 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 3, 1971 for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win-Loss record | 224–184 |
| Earned run average | 3.27 |
| Strikeouts | 2,855 |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1996 |
| Vote | Veterans Committee |
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning (born October 23, 1931) is an American politician and former pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Bunning pitched in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career strikeouts in Major League history; he is currently 17th. Bunning pitched a perfect game in 1964, a feat that has been accomplished only eighteen times in Major League history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
After retiring from baseball, Bunning returned to his native northern Kentucky and was subsequently elected to the city council, and then the state senate, in which he served as minority leader. In 1986, Bunning was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district, and served in the House from 1987 to 1999. He was elected to the United States Senate from Kentucky in 1998 and has served there since 1999 as the Republican junior U.S. Senator. Bunning is currently the sixth oldest U.S. Senator and the oldest Republican in the Senate. In July 2009, he declined to run for re-election in the following year, citing difficulty in raising sufficient campaign funds.
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[edit] Education and family
Bunning was born in Southgate, Kentucky to Gladys Best and Louis Aloysius Bunning.[1] He graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1949[2] and later received a bachelor's degree in economics from Xavier University.
In 1952, Bunning married Mary Catherine Theis. They had five daughters and four sons.
[edit] Major League Baseball career
Bunning's first game as a major league pitcher was on July 20, 1955, with the Detroit Tigers, after having toiled in the minor leagues 1950–1954 and part of the 1955 season, when the Tigers club described him as having "an excellent curve ball, a confusing delivery and a sneaky fast ball".[3] Bunning pitched for the Detroit Tigers (1955–63). He then went to the Philadelphia Phillies (1964–67), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968 to mid-1969), and finished the 1969 season on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bunning then returned to the Phillies in 1970 and retired in 1971. He wore uniform number 15 on the 1955 Tigers, and then switched to 14 in 1956 for the rest of his time with Detroit. He stayed with number 14 on his jersey with the Phillies and Pirates. When he was traded to the Dodgers in 1969 he wore number 17. The Phillies, retired his number 14 jersey after his election to the Hall of Fame in 1996 (jersey retired in 2001, see below).
Bunning is remembered for his role in the pennant race of 1964, in which the Phillies held a commanding lead in the National League for most of the season, eventually losing the title to the St. Louis Cardinals. Manager Gene Mauch used Bunning and fellow hurler Chris Short heavily down the stretch, and the two became visibly fatigued as September wore on. The collapse of the 1964 Phillies remains one of the most infamous in baseball history. With a six and a half game lead as late as September 21, they lost 10 games in a row to finish tied for second place.
Bunning would routinely shake off catchers' pitch signs that he knew to be signaled into the game from the dugout by Mauch. This would have the effect of irritating Mauch, who broadly applied the practice of signalling pitches from the dugout to his catchers at a time when this was not typically done.[4]
Bunning pitched his first no-hitter on July 20, 1958, for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox. His second, for the Philadelphia Phillies, was a perfect game, which came against the New York Mets on June 21, 1964, Father's Day.[2] Bunning's perfect game was the first in the National League in 84 years. He is one of only six pitchers to throw both a perfect game and a no-hitter, the others being Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Addie Joss, Cy Young, and most recently Mark Buehrle.[2] He is also one of only five players to throw a no-hitter in both leagues. He played in the All-Star Games in 1957,[2] 1959, every year from 1961 through 1964, and in 1966.
On August 2, 1959, Bunning struck out three batters on nine pitches in the ninth inning of a 5–4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Bunning became the fifth American League pitcher and the 10th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-pitch/three-strikeout half-inning. Bunning's 2,855 career strikeouts put him in second place on the all-time list at the time of his retirement, behind only Walter Johnson.[4] His mark was later surpassed by a number of other pitchers, and he is currently 17th all-time.
In 1996 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee.
[edit] Career stats
| Wins | Losses | PCT | ERA | G | GS | CG | SV | IP | Hits | ER | R | HR | BB | K | WHIP |
| 224 | 184 | .549 | 3.27 | 591 | 519 | 151 | 16 | 3,760.1 | 3,433 | 1,366 | 1,527 | 372 | 1,000 | 2,855 | 1.179 |
[edit] Political career
Bunning is one of the Senate's most conservative members, gaining high marks from several conservative interest groups. He was ranked by National Journal as the second-most conservative United States Senator in their March 2007 conservative/liberal rankings, after Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)[5].
[edit] Local and state positions
First elected to office in 1977, Bunning served two years on the city council of Fort Thomas, Kentucky before running for and winning a seat in the Kentucky Senate as a Republican. He was elected minority leader by his Republican colleagues, a rare feat for a freshman legislator.
Bunning was the Republican candidate for governor in 1983. He and his running mate Eugene P. Stuart lost in the general election to Democrat Martha Layne Collins.
[edit] House of Representatives
In 1986, Bunning won the Republican nomination in Kentucky's 4th District, based in Kentucky's share of the Cincinnati metro area, after 10-term incumbent Republican Gene Snyder retired. He won easily in the fall and was reelected five more times without serious opposition in what was considered the most Republican district in Kentucky. After the Republicans gained control of the House in 1995, Bunning served as chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security until 1999.
[edit] First Senate term
In 1998, Senate Minority Whip Wendell Ford decided to retire after 24 years in the Senate—the longest term in Kentucky history. Bunning won the Republican nomination for the seat, and faced fellow Congressman Scotty Baesler, a Democrat from the Lexington-based 6th District, in the general election. Bunning defeated Baesler by just over half a percentage point. The race was very close; Bunning only won by swamping Baesler in the 4th by a margin that Baesler couldn't make up in the rest of the state (Baesler barely won the 6th).
Bunning was 67 years old when he entered U.S. Senate.
Among the bills that Bunning sponsored is the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004.
In a quote from Pulitzer-prize winner Taylor Branch's book of interviews with former President Bill Clinton, David Corn, of Mother Jones magazine characterizes Clinton's opinion of Bunning as:
In describing an interview with Bill Clinton after the 1998 Senate elections, Taylor Branch wrote of Clinton, "He said Bunning, a former baseball player, was so mean-spirited that he repulsed even his fellow know-nothings. 'I tried to work with him a couple times,' said Clinton, 'and he just sent shivers up my spine....I know you're a baseball fan and everything, and you don't like to hear it, but this guy is beyond the pale.'"[6]
[edit] 2004 Senate race
Bunning was heavily favored for a second term in 2004 after his expected Democratic opponent, Governor Paul Patton, saw his career implode in a scandal over an extramarital affair, and the Democrats chose Daniel Mongiardo, a relatively unknown physician and state senator from Hazard. Bunning had an estimated $4 million campaign war chest, while Mongiardo had only $600,000. However, due to a number of controversial incidents involving Bunning, the Democrats began increasing financial support to Mongiardo when it became apparent that Bunning's bizarre behavior was costing him votes, purchasing more than $800,000 worth of additional television airtime on his behalf.
During his reelection bid, controversy erupted when Bunning described Mongiardo as looking "like one of Saddam Hussein's sons."[7] Public pressure compelled him to apologize. Bunning was also criticized for his use of a teleprompter during a televised debate with Mongiardo where Bunning participated via satellite link, refusing to appear in person.[8] Bunning was further criticized for making an unsubstantiated claim that his wife had been attacked by Mongiardo's supporters,[9] and for calling Mongiardo "limp wristed".[7] Bunning's mental health was also questioned during the campaign.[7]
In October, 2004 Bunning told reporters "Let me explain something: I don't watch the national news, and I don't read the paper. I haven't done that for the last six weeks. I watch Fox News to get my information."[10]
The race turned out to be very close, with Mongiardo leading with as many as 80% of the returns coming in. However, Bunning eventually won by just over one percentage point. Some analysts felt that had it not been for George W. Bush's 20% victory in the state, Mongiardo would have won.
[edit] Second Senate term, 2005–2011
As was expected in light of Bunning's previous career as a baseball player, he has been very interested in Congress's investigation of steroid use in baseball. Bunning has also been outspoken on the issue of illegal immigration taking the position that all illegal immigrants should be deported.
Bunning was also the only member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to have opposed Ben Bernanke for Chief of the Federal Reserve. He said it was because he had doubts that Bernanke would be any different from Alan Greenspan.
In April 2006, Time magazine called him one of "America's Five Worst Senators".[11] The magazine dubbed him The Underperformer for his "lackluster performance", saying he "shows little interest in policy unless it involves baseball", and criticized his hostility towards staff and fellow Senators and his "bizarre behavior" during his 2004 campaign.[12]
On December 6, 2006, only Bunning and Rick Santorum voted against the confirmation of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, with Bunning saying that "Mr. Gates has repeatedly criticized our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan without providing any viable solutions to the problems our troops currently face. We need a secretary of defense to think forward with solutions and not backward on history we cannot change."
Jim Bunning reportedly has blocked[13] the move to restore public access to the records of past United States Presidents which had been removed under Executive Order 13233.
A statewide opinion poll said Bunning had a 35% approval rating, with 55% disapproving as of September 2009.[14]
In January 2009, Bunning missed more than a week of the start of Congress in January 2009. Bunning said by phone that he was fulfilling "a family commitment six months ago to do certain things, and I'm doing them." Asked whether he would say where he was, Bunning replied: "No, I'd rather not."[15]
In February 2009, at the Hardin County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner, while discussing conservative judges, Bunning predicted that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would likely be dead from pancreatic cancer within nine months.[16] Bunning later apologized if he had offended Ginsburg with his remarks and offered his thoughts and prayers to Ginsburg; his press release misspelled the Justice's last name twice.[17]
[edit] Aborted 2010 re-election campaign
In January 2009, when asked if Bunning was the best candidate to run or if there were better GOP candidates for Bunning's Senate seat, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn said "I don’t know. I think it’s really up to Senator Bunning." Bunning said in a statement that “Anybody can run for anything they choose. I am gearing up, and I look forward to the challenge of taking on whoever comes out of the Democrat primary in May of 2010."[18] Kentucky State Senate President David Williams was reportedly considering running against Bunning in the primary. [19] Bunning responded by threatening to sue the National Republican Senatorial Committee if they recruited a candidate to run against him in the primary. He also attacked NRSC Chairman John Cornyn, saying "The NRSC never helped me last time and they’re probably not going to help me this time" and claimed that David Williams "owes me $30,000 and he said he’ll repay me. I was short in my FEC money and he asked me if I would help save two state senate seats… I told him if I did it I would have to have it replaced at the first of the year. So far he has not."[20]
As of the end of September 2008, Bunning had $175,000 in his campaign account. By comparison, all other Republican senators facing competitive 2010 races had at least $850,000 at that point. [18] In the last quarter of 2008, Citizens for Bunning, as the senator's campaign committee is known, raised $27,000 from 26 separate contributions, ending the year with $150,000 in cash.[21] In mid-April, KYWORDSMITH.com reported that of the $263,000 that Bunning collected during the first quarter of 2009, over 77% ($203,383) was received from out of state, while over 10% ($28,100) was actually untouchable for another 13 months as it was contributed exclusively for use in a general election.[22] Bunning had two fund raisers scheduled in the first half of April.[23]
In an April 2009 poll, Bunning’s approval rating was just 28%, and he trailed the four most likely Democratic candidates in hypothetical contests. 54% of voters in the state disapproved of Bunning’s performance. [24] Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson announced April 30, 2009 that he would form an exploratory committee to run for Bunning’s seat. It was speculated that this was a precursor to Bunning's retirement. “He (Bunning) told Trey to do this,” one senior congressional official said of Bunning. “Why else would he tell his main rival to prepare for a run?” [25] However, Bunning said at a Lincoln Day dinner in Kentucky on 9 May that he still planned to run: "The battle is going to be long, but I am prepared to fight for my values."[26]
In a press conference on May 19, Bunning called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a "control freak" and that "If Mitch McConnell doesn’t endorse me, it could be the best thing that ever happened to me in Kentucky."[27].
On July 27, 2009, Bunning announced he would not run for re-election in 2010, blaming fellow Republicans for doing "everything in their power to dry up my fundraising."[28]
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Finance
[edit] Jim Bunning Foundation
On December 18, 2008, the Lexington Herald Leader reported that Sen. Bunning's non-profit foundation, the Jim Bunning Foundation, has given less than 25 percent of its proceeds to charity. The charity has taken in $504,000 since 1996, according to Senate and tax records; during that period, Senator Bunning was paid $180,000 in salary by the foundation while working a reported one hour per week. Bunning Foundation board members include his wife Mary, and Cincinnati tire dealer Bob Sumerel. In 2008, records indicate that Bunning attended 10 baseball shows around the country and signed autographs, generating $61,631 in income for the charity.[29] "The whole thing is very troubling," said Melanie Slone, Executive Director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
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| 1986 | Terry L. Mann | 53,906 | 44% | Jim Bunning | 67,626 | 56% | * | ||
| 1988 | Richard V. Beliles | 50,575 | 26% | Jim Bunning | 145,609 | 74% | |||
| 1990 | Galen Martin | 44,979 | 31% | Jim Bunning | 101,680 | 69% | |||
| 1992 | Floyd G. Poore | 86,890 | 38% | Jim Bunning | 139,634 | 62% | |||
| 1994 | Sally Harris Skaggs | 33,717 | 26% | Jim Bunning | 96,695 | 74% | |||
| 1996 | Denny Bowman | 68,939 | 32% | Jim Bunning | 149,135 | 68% |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Scotty Baesler | 563,051 | 49.2% | Jim Bunning | 569,817 | 49.7% | Charles R. Arbegust | Reform | 12,546 | 1.1% | ||||
| 2004 | Daniel Mongiardo | 850,855 | 49% | Jim Bunning | 873,507 | 51% |
[edit] See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
[edit] References
- ^ Learning Centers at ancestry.com
- ^ a b c d Coffey, Michael (2004). 27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games. New York: Atria Books. pp. 79–95. ISBN 0743446062.
- ^ Official Profile, Photo and Data Book, Detroit Tigers (1957), p. 13.
- ^ According to Clay Dalrymple, who was a catcher with the Phillies from 1960 hrough 1968.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Clinton on Gore: "I Thought He Was in Neverland"
- ^ a b c [2]
- ^ Mary Jacoby (October 12, 2004). "Weirdness in Kentucky; The increasingly strange behavior of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning has led to speculation that he is suffering from some kind of dementia – and tightened a race he once had in his pocket". Salon Magazine. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/12/bunning_kentucky/print.html.
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/23/loc_kysenaterace23real.html
- ^ Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon, Jr., "America's 10 Best Senators", Time Magazine, April 16, 2006
- ^ Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon, Jr., "Jim Bunning: The Underperformer", Time Magazine, April 24, 2006, page 36.
- ^ "Court Rules Delay in Release of Presidential Papers is Illegal; Fails to Address Authority of Former Vice Presidents to Hold Up Disclosure of Papers". National Security Archive. October 1, 2007. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20071001/index.htm.
- ^ http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=582c3ab1-14cb-415c-a754-6593595ce7e4
- ^ James R. Carroll (January 16, 2009). "Bunning absent from Senate, says family more important; Says his absences are inconsequential". Louisville Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090116/NEWS01/301160012&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL.
- ^ Gerth, Joseph (2009-02-22). "Bunning: Justice Ginsburg likely will be dead in 9 months". The Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090222/NEWS01/902230303. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ Carroll, James R. (2009-02-23). "Bunning apologizes for Ginsburg comments". The Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090223/NEWS01/90223035/-1/NLETTER05?source=nletter-breakingnews. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b Josh Kraushaar and Manu Raju (January 22, 2009). "GOP pressures Bunning to quit". The Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17785.html.
- ^ Al Cross (April 12, 2009). "As Conway announces, Senate race sharpens". Louisville Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090412/COLUMNISTS12/904120352.
- ^ John Stamper (February 24, 2009). "Bunning: ‘I would have a suit’ if Republicans recruit an opponent". bluegrasspolitics. http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2009/02/24/bunning-i-would-have-a-suit-if-republicans-recruit-an-opponent/.
- ^ James R. Carroll (January 24, 2009). "Bunning's weak '08 fundraising raises more questions about 2010 run; Doubts continue growing despite vow to run in 2010". Louisville Courier-Journal. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090124/NEWS01/901240456.
- ^ http://kywordsmith.com/#/exclusive-3/4533522960
- ^ Ronnie Ellis (March 31, 2009). "Bunning says fund raising picking up after 'lousy' start; Has two upcoming Kentucky fund raising events". New Albany Tribune and Jeffersonville Evening News. http://www.newsandtribune.com/statenews/kentuckystatehouse_story_090144819.html.
- ^ "Bunning in big trouble", Public Policy Polling, April 8, 2009, retrieved 2009-04-08
- ^ JOSH KRAUSHAAR & MANU RAJU (April 30, 2009). "Bunning poised to retire". Politico.
- ^ http://kywordsmith.com/#/gopdinner/4533687284
- ^ Politico (May 19, 2009). "Bunning calls McConnell a control freak".
- ^ Ben Pershing and Chris Cillizza (July 28, 2009). "Bunning Will Not Seek Third Term; GOP Leaders Urged Senator to Retire". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/27/AR2009072703026.html?hpid=politics.
- ^ John Cheves (December 18, 2008). "Non-profit profits U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky". Lexington Herald Leader. http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/630621.html.
- ^ a b "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
[edit] Further reading
- Joe Biesk. "Bunning Apologizes for Saddam Remark." Associated Press. October 11, 2004.
- Dave Espo. "Democrats Take Aim at Bunning in Kentucky." Associated Press. October 22, 2004.
- Paul Nussbaum. "Bunning's Mental Health Questioned." Philadelphia Inquirer. October 17, 2004.
[edit] External links
- United States Senator Jim Bunning Official Senate site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- New York Times — Jim Bunning News collected news and commentary
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Jim Bunning profile
- Articles
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Baseball Hall of Fame – Member biography
- Box score of Bunning's perfect game
- "Weirdness in Kentucky" by Mary Jacoby, Salon.com, Oct. 12, 2004
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