Vote-Movers: Winning Back the Blue Dogs

A piece in the nation offers insight into one of the fundamental philosophical/political questions of the century:

Are Blue Dog Democrats evil or just stupid?

Te-Ping Chen and Christopher Hayes propose that Blue Dogs (aka DINOs) may just be unable to tell the difference between an opinion poll and election results.

Grover Norquist hit upon one of my abiding obsessions in politics, the difference between what issues people respond to in polls and what they actually vote on.

In describing the nature of the center-right coalition he said that all the different groups that make it up have their own "vote-moving issue," the thing that gets them to the polls, motivates them to make phone calls and give money. It's important, Norquist said, to understand "the difference between intensity and preference." That is, between issues that move people's actual votes, and what preferences they might express in polls. He noted that 70% Republicans are skeptical of free trade but, "they don't vote on that issue, so at one level I don't care."

Same with the growth of government under Bush. Since each constituency in the Republican coalition has gotten what it wants on its "vote-moving issues" (judges, assault weapons, tax cuts), they tolerate increased spending even if they don't like it. "Thank you very much for my vote-moving issue and grumble, grumble, you spend too much," they say according to Norquist. But "'spend too much' doesn't make people walk out of the room, it doesn't make people throw heavy objects."

Democrats have a tendency to look at polls and see vast majorities that support all kinds of things from higher minimum wages, to universal healthcare to campaign finance reform, but fail to recognize that very few of these issues are vote-movers. That doesn't mean they can't be turned into vote-movers through organizing and movement building, but on a lot of the most important issues we're not quite there yet.

The worst example of mistaking preference for intensity is on the issue of "fiscal responsibility." Tune into CSPAN at random and you're likely to hear a Democrat railing against fiscal irresponsibility and the budget deficit. The worst offenders are the Blue Dog caucus of Democrats from conservative districts who are positively obsessed, with a kind of monomaniacal zeal, on balancing the budget and matching revenue to expenditures. So much so, in fact, that they're now threatening to block Jim Webb's excellent G.I. Bill because its expenses aren't adequately off-set.

This is asinine. The notion that it will somehow be politically beneficial to go back to a conservative district and crow about killing a bill to give educational benefits to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is loony. And the notion that voters will base their vote on fiscal rectitude is ungrounded both empirically and experientially. Can someone name the last time a member of congress was voted out of office because the deficit was too large?

Blue Dog/DINOs misunderstand the vote-mover concept on more issues than just "fiscal responsibility." And I suspect that some of them really do grasp the concept and just delight in driving the congressional leadership crazy.

But when lobbying your local Blue Dog on an issue, distinguishing voter preference from voter intensity might just tip the decision your way.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

Kentucky Primary Will Determine the Future of the Primary

On Thursday, four former Kentucky governors endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential primary.

There are, however, six living former Democratic governors in Kentucky, and one of the two who have not endorsed Clinton is Martha Layne Collins, Kentucky's only female governor. The other is Brereton Jones, who is the one of the six who is closest to current governor Steve Beshear.

None of which matters to the presidential primary, but all of which matters a great deal to the outcome of the current battle for the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Stephen Shepard started off the speculation on BlueGrassRoots with a plea for Beshear and Kentucky's other super delegates to unite the party by endorsing Barack Obama.

Obama represents the future: a new kind of post-partisan politics that could be revolutionary for Kentucky. After yet another gridlocked legislative session, this is exactly the kind of change in tone that Kentucky must emulate.

(SNIP)

If Beshear wishes to lead Kentucky to a progressive future, then he must take a stand and stop this inward firing squad, uniting our Democratic party under a common banner. Let our Kentucky motto become our rallying cry: United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

Media Czech at Barefoot and Progressive called on Beshear to use an Obama endorsement to break away from the Jerry Lundergan-led Loser Faction of the state democratic party.

Whereas the Lundergan-Governors John Y. Brown and Paul Patton are falling in line between the eventual-loser Hillary Clinton, there is a great opportunity for Steve Beshear to step away from the old guard of Lundercrooks and take a step towards the future of the Democratic Party: Barack Obama.

Many have credited the failure of the current legislative session to Beshear surrounding himself with the old guard Democrats. Wouldn't it send a great message if he turned his back on this crowd and joined the new vanguard of Democrats along with John Yarmuth, Ben Chandler and Dan Mongiardo?

How about it Steve? Would you like to join and score big points with the new wave of Democrats all over this state that reject the Lundergan-era Good ole' boys?

And Ben Ray of What's Required Kentucky clarifies what's at stake.

There are two groups of democrats in Kentucky, and they’re silently doing nothing less than fighting over the soul of the Kentucky Democratic Party–on one hand, you have Lundergan and his old guard, ready to run conservative Democrats all over the state again, and let the RPK resume running us into the ground. The Democrats that depend on party machinery. The Democrats that, when called on to turn out for their presidential candidate, couldn’t muster 1,000 people on a Friday night.

Then there’s the younger generation. The Democrats still seeking a voice in the party. The Democrats that will proudly run on a progressive platform, because they know that even if the voters disagree with them, the respect they earn can win votes in a hostile district. The Democrats that are mastering organizing themselves outside of the party patronage machine, because the machine won’t stand up for what they believe in. The Democrats that, when they knew their candidate was coming to town, showed up on a Monday afternoon in numbers so overwhelming that they had to be turned away by the thousands.

There are more of the first type of Democrats. But they’ve already lost their battle– Hillary Clinton will not, despite the political firepower on her Kentucky Steering Committee, win the nomination. She may lose it right here in the Bluegrass. And so, our uncommitted superdelegates have a choice: they can back a losing candidate, and show that they’re still in the shadow of the party of old, still taking orders from Jerry Lundergan despite his no longer holding the chair, and deal a dangerous blow to the active base of the party…or…they can step out of the shadow. They can complete the break from the horror of machine politics. They can lead the party.

This is, ultimately, what superdelegates are for– when the people are making a bad decision, they can step out from the crowd and make clear that they believe in something different. Something better. To let the vote determine your actions as a superdelegate, as a leader of your party, is not only a cop-out, it’s intellectually lazy. Governor Beshear, Mrs. Moore, Mr. Smith, you have a duty to the KDP to lead us, not merely go along with with the popular opinion because it’s the safe and expedient thing to do. You know what you have to do.

Since Wednesday, there has been a huge CNN truck parked in front of the Kentucky capitol. We hear the CNN folks were not pleased to discover that the Governor is on vacation this week and won't be available for interviews until Monday.

So they've been interviewing everybody they can find with something to say about Senator Clinton's likely plans after winning Kentucky on Tuesday, even though nobody really knows anything.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Kentucky's Turn in the Spotlight

Kentucky's not West Virginia, but it might be Indiana.

Meaning that Senator Clinton's not getting any 40-point win here, but Senator Obama's highly unlikely to win, either.

The Herald-Leader's Kentucky poll has Clinton up 58 to 31, but fails to mention that 27-point lead is down from a 36-point lead a month ago. The poll also has McCain easily winning Kentucky in November, which is probably but not guaranteed. None of McCain's poll numbers mean anything until the Democrats start campaigning against him in earnest.

Statewide Obama canvassing started last night from 48 locations across the Commonwealth, including my own not-very-significant county. Obama has also launched two television and two radio adds to air statewide before the 20th.

The ads, which include two TV spots – “President” and “Service” – as a well as two new radio ads – one featuring Congressman Ben Chandler and the second featuring Kentucky Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo – highlight Sen. Obama’s uniquely American story, his upbringing by a single mother and his grandparents from Kansas, and his commitment to family, our nation, and his Christian faith.

Yes, the primary is over and we have our nominee, but the long primary season has allowed Obama to campaign in every state in the union - a huge advantage for the general election in November. And even though we know our votes don't really matter this time, we've got actual presidential candidates campaigning here as if they did. And that's huge.

Stephen George in LEO provides a nice contrast of Clinton's corpse of a campaign versus the youthful energy of Obama's Kentucky effort. (h/t Page One.)

Meanwhile, Ben Chandler's Sixth District constituents are severely pissed off that Obama made a public appearance in Louisville but not in Lexington. That Obama could not be bothered to play a little Horse with the UK Wildcats in the Basketball Capital of the Universe really stings.

We understand that Oregon is a better bet for Obama's limited time, but if Bill can stump for his wife in Kentucky this week, why can't we have Michelle?

Ryan Alessi claims the candidates' tone has mellowed, which I'll believe the minute Clinton announces that Obama is the better candidate, is the candidate more likely to beat McCain, and will make a far better president than she ever could.

Obama and Clinton have each given one speech in Kentucky this month and both were focused largely on unifying the party and replacing the Republicans in the White House.

"There may be some bruised feelings and people may be frustrated ... but Democrats are going to be unified," Obama said in Louisville Monday night, which could be his only stop in Kentucky after he cancelled a Tuesday stop in Lexington to return to Washington for Senate votes.

Obama argued that the protracted race has had some benefits to the party. "First of all, this long contest has meant that every person across this country has had a chance to vote," he said.

It's raining in Kentucky right now, and supposed to keep raining right through Monday. But the long-range forecast shows partly sunny skies for the primary on Tuesday. Should mean a big turnout.

Page One's taking bets on the Obama-Clinton race in Kentucky, so I'll give it a whirl:

Clinton 53, Obama 43, Edwards/Uncommitted 4. Obama takes the 3rd (Louisville) and 6th (Lexington) Districts, Clinton the 1st (West), 2nd, 4th (North) and 5th, with her biggest margin in the 2nd (West-Central) and smallest in the 5th (East.)

And if you haven't seen the Appalachia-loves-Hillary map yet, Josh Marshall has a great analysis.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

Obama Rocks Louisville

I was cool, man. Jaded Political Observer. No screaming, just observing. Cool. Right up until about one minute into Obama's speech, when he asked who in the crowd had seen him at the rally he headlined at Slugger Field in 2006.

"I was there, Barack! I was there! I knew then that you'd be President!"

Who is that silly nut screaming? Oh, shit, it's me.

And not just me. Page One started out hitting the campaign hard for abusing local press, but in the end couldn't maintain the snark for which it is so famous. Listen, if Obama can reach Page One's idealistic heart (it has one?), he can do anything.

Also, please accept my apologies for lack of snark. The energy of the crowd was just too great to be too bitchy and funny.

Ben at WhatsRequired has the best coverage/commentary so far.

Ben speculated about the buses brought in from Pike County to fill the riser behind the stage, but I was in that section, and here's how it got filled:

As we approached the doors, a guide drew us out of line and pointed us to another guide who asked if we wanted to sit behind Obama (you know, in the section that gets on national tee-vee.) Our stunned expressions answered him. We got special yellow wrist ribbons that passed us through the crowd and into the backstage section. The less-than-professional performance of the people holding the "Louisville for Obama" letter cards persuades me that everyone back there was a lucky volunteer just like us.

There were Obama volunteers every 10 feet, and they were not only smiling, friendly and helpful, but with the arrival of each new group, they applauded and shouted "Thank you for coming!" I paid $250 to see Bill Clinton last year and didn't get any thanks. Thank you. For a free event. These people have class.

At 6 p.m, an hour after the doors opened, the line had completely encircled the very large Convention Center block and headed down Jefferson toward West Fifth.

The vendors with Obama gear working the line were almost outnumbered by the Fischer volunteers distributing stickers and anti-Lunsford flyers. Not a single Lunsford supporter that I could see. Maybe they think the Courier-Journal's endorsement was enough. A tiny blonde Jefferson District Court candidate whose name I didn't catch was there in person, gamely shaking hands and asking for votes.

At least 8,000 people were there, about 10 times the number who showed up for Senator Clinton Friday night. That was the biggest, loudest and most diverse crowd Ben Chandler has ever addressed, and certainly the biggest star he's every warmed up for.

I made a new friend of someone who overheard me booing when Ben Chandler was introduced, and laughingly admonished me, "Give him credit, he's learning."

Obama the Mama: Twice during his speech, people in front of the podium fainted, and Obama immediately called paramedics to their location. He kept close watch on them - "Give her room, anybody have some juice?, she's OK," and advised everyone: "When you come to a long rally like this, you've got to eat first!"

Lots of kids - I couldn't help but imagine how they would tell this story to their own kids some day.

Obama spoke for 40 minutes, then walked around shaking hands for another 20. I got within one person of shaking his hand, but the guy in front of me had his four-year-old daughter on his shoulders and I just couldn't make myself push past him.

This post originally placed the 2006 rally at Papa John's stadium when it was, in fact, at Slugger Field.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Obama Gets Big Eastern Kentucky Endorsement

Barack Obama has long been the favored candidate of the Golden Triangle, yuppies in Louisville and Lexington being his base. Endorsements from Louisville Congressman John Yarmuth and Lexington Congressman Ben Chandler just locked up Central Kentucky for Obama.

But the Golden Triangle is easy for any Democratic Presidential nominee. It's Eastern and Western Kentucky voters who can kill a Democrat running statewide.

Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo, an Eastern Kentucky native and former state senator from Hazard, knows that better than anyone. In 2004, he was beating incumbent republican Senator Jim Bunning 59 minutes after the polls closed in Eastern and Central Kentucky. Then the polls closed in Western Kentucky. In a hour, Mongiardo dropped from winning by four to losing by one.

Obama can't win Kentucky in November without big-name endorsements from Eastern and Western Kentucky.

Saturday, he got the former.

"I am happy to announce my endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President," said Lt. Gov. Mongiardo. "I believe Senator Obama can unite the Democratic Party and build a coalition of Independents and Republicans to win in November. A proven leader at working across the partisan aisle, he will bring relief to the hardworking families of Kentucky and a responsible end to the war in Iraq. As a surgeon I am particularly impressed with Senator Obama's plan to deliver health care to all Americans, with an imperative focus on cutting medical costs for all families. It's time for real change in Washington, and Sen. Obama is the candidate to deliver that change."

Mongiardo is not a super delegate, but Governor Steve Beshear (a Western Kentucky native) is.

Beshear will serve as a superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention in August but hasn't announced which Democratic presidential candidate he will support.

Mongiardo, a former state senator from Hazard, is the second key adviser to Beshear to back Obama. Beshear's chief of staff, Jim Cauley, ran Obama's successful 2004 run for U.S. Senate in Illinois.

The last three Kentucky super delegates who have not endorsed are Beshear, state party chair Jennifer Moore and party elder Terry McBrayer.

Supposedly they're waiting until after the May 20 primary, but by then they'll be irrelevant.

Friday night, Senator Clinton was the headliner at the big Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser in Louisville. On Friday morning, the KDP was sending out desperate emails offering $50 tickets for free and begging people to just show up.

Tomorrow night, Barack Obama will be at a free event in Louisville. If he fills the room Clinton couldn't, will that be enough to sway Beshear?

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

Race to Challenge Mitch McConnell: Ficher's endorsements

With nine days left and still 19 points down, Kentucky Democratic Senate Primary candidate Greg Fischer has picked up the endorsement of the state's second-largest (but best) newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Vote Fischer in Senate primary: Newcomer offers fresher voice, less baggage than Lunsford
Greg Fischer wants the chance to unseat McConnell this fall. Seven Democrats are seeking the opportunity to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell this fall, but just two of the candidates have a legitimate shot at winning their party's nomination in the May 20 primary.

Greg Fischer and Bruce Lunsford have much in common. Both are Louisville businessmen capable of self-financing part of their campaigns.

(SNIP)

Each of these two men would be a worthy candidate for the Democratic Party. And either would be a preferable alternative to McConnell, who has spent 24 years in the Senate serving his rich friends and campaign contributors far more ably than he has served Kentucky.

The bottom line for Democrats comes down to the question of which candidate has the best chance of defeating McConnell in November.

Lunsford has more name recognition, courtesy of two unsuccessful gubernatorial campaigns. And he probably could put more of his own money into the race.

But baggage accompanies Lunsford into any race he runs, baggage that has been thoroughly vetted in previous campaigns and will not be rehashed here.

Fischer is the fresh face in the race, the untested political novice. And frankly, he hasn't run the best of campaigns in the primary. If he wins, he will need to do far better against McConnell.

But Fischer has a couple of things that speak in his favor.

One is the fact that, as a novice, he delivers the message of change with a fresher voice.

He makes that message resonate with more hope, more idealism, more commitment.

And if "change" is the message the Democrats think can inspire Kentucky voters in November, who better to deliver it than a fresh face with a fresh voice?

The second thing is the simple fact that Fischer lacks Lunsford's baggage.

Whomever the Democrats nominate, McConnell will loose the attack dogs on him, just as he has loosed them on all comers for 24 years. But as Fischer asks, why give McConnell "a target-rich environment"?

Between Lunsford and Fischer, there is no bad choice for Democrats. They're both good candidates who would represent the state well in the Senate.

However, Fischer's fresh voice and lack of baggage for McConnell to target give him a slight edge in this primary race.

I'm afraid that Lunsford hatred and hopefulness generated by the Obama campaign have led the Herald astray.

But I can't deny that the closer we get to a primary which Bruce Lunsford, unfortunately, is going to win in a landslide, the more endorsements Fischer picks up.

On Friday, Fischer's campaign sent out this email:

A host of prominent Jefferson County Democrats, including former Louisville Mayor David Armstrong, former Congressman Ron Mazzoli, and Speaker Pro-Tem of the Kentucky House of Representatives Larry Clark, endorsed Greg Fischer Thursday in a ceremony on the steps of the Jefferson County Courthouse in Downtown Louisville.

"We're taking this campaign across Kentucky -- courthouse to courthouse-- and the response is overwhelming," Fischer said, addressing the crowd. Fischer promised he would fight for working people in Kentucky to control gas prices and to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, that he would fight for quality, affordable health care for every American and that he would work to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. He promised to bring meaningful change to Washington.

Mayor Armstrong and Rep. Mazzoli both spoke of Fischer's honesty, integrity and conviction.

Invoking his belief that Fischer is the best Democratic candidate to run againt Mitch McConnell this fall, former State Sen. David Karem stirred the crowd with a ringing endorsement: "If you support John Yarmuth for Congress, you want Greg Fischer on the Democratic ticket. If you support Hillary Clinton for President, you want Greg Fischer on the Democratic ticket. If you support Barak Obama for president, you want Greg Fischer on the Democratic ticket."

The list of endorsers who attended yesterday's event also included: State Representative Mary Lou Marzian, State Senator Perry Clark, State Representative Jim Wayne and State Representative Tom Burch.

They're promising endorsements from "grass roots leaders" next week.

I'm not endorsing Fischer, Lunsford or anyone else in this ludicrous farce of a Senate primary. Whoever "wins" will be shark bait in November anyway.

But if you want to read the eloquent case for Lunsford from someone who made his reputation exposing and condemning Lunsford, check out Media Czech at Barefoot and Progressive.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Cures for the Lawn Ghetto

Mother's Day is the tradtional start of flower-planting season in Kentucky. This year, try thinking beyond the usual annual borders and weeded-and-feeded grass carpets.

How about maintenance-free groundcovers that never need to be mowed? Some have tiny flowers or a pleasant scent.

Instead of annuals you have to drive to the garden center to buy and replant every years, flowering perennials are more expensive up front, but once established keep blooming for years. Check the UK Horticulture Department for ideas.

Or try native wildflowers and wildlife habitat gardens through the Salato Wildlife Center's Native Plant Program, or global-warming-fighting native shrubs and trees.

For great alternative ideas, plant lists, step-by-step instructions and fabulous photos, try the most popular gardening magazine in the country.

The key, and the first step, is to stop thinking of your yard as something that has to be maintained, and start thinking of it as a place to be enjoyed.

In Slate, Tom Vanderbilt writes of suburban "lawn ghettos," starting with a screed against giant multi-colored play equipment but ending with a plea for making lawns a more inviting place for both children and adults to play:

The unused plastic playthings and private playgrounds scattered in the barren yard speak not only to vanishing outdoor play but to a larger cultural disconnect from nature, from one's own environment. But there is a simple solution for this. Instead of buying cheap, potentially toxic plastic water slides and the like, plant a garden. Plant a tree. Plant something. It may not impress your neighbor, but it will last longer, it will look better, and it will have a better effect on the environment than plastic slides.

And there is another benefit. In his book Second Nature, Michael Pollan writes touchingly about a hedge of lilac and forsythia at his childhood home on Long Island, N.Y. To the adult eye, the hedges were simply flush against the fence. But he had his own secret garden, a space between the hedge and the fence. "To a four-year-old, though, the space made by the vaulting branches of a forsythia is as grand as the inside of a cathedral, and there is room enough for a world between a lilac and a wall." He didn't need a plastic playhouse or an obscene mini-McMansion to find space to play.

The natural world, when it is embraced, not only provides the opportunity for play—I imagine many of you, like me, have fond childhood memories of a swing hanging from a tree, or a tree house, or jumping in leaves, or running through the sprinkler as it watered the tomatoes—but connects us all to something larger and more lasting.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

This Time, Racist Appeals Will Backfire in Kentucky

Three ways that Senator Clinton's dog-whistles to racists help Obama in Kentucky:

1. It dismays and turns off her non-racist supporters.

As much as Obama supporters would love to believe that all Clinton supporters are racists, it's not true. What is true is that her racist remarks make all her supporters look like racists, and that's chasing the non-racists out of her camp. They're not Obama voters yet, but they're not giving any more money, volunteer time or letters-to-the-editor to Senator Clinton.

2. It shines a spotlight on closeted racists.

The real racists who may not have any love for Hillary but will never vote for a n****r are on the verge of getting outted.

Here's a truth about 21st-century racists that Senator Clinton never learned:

They're not proud of being racists, and they don't like being identified as such.

That's why the "muslim" and "unamerican" lies keep getting traction. Nobody really believes them but pretending to believe them is convenient cover for the real reason they're not going to vote for Obama: he's a n****r.

If by May 20 it's conventional wisdom that a Clinton victory proves Kentucky is full of racists, a significant number of those closet racists might refuse to vote for Senator Clinton just to prove those damn Yankee reporters wrong.

Right now, I still think Senator Clinton's going to win Kentucky, albeit by less than five points.

But if she keeps up these raw, obvious appeals to racism, she's going to shame all of those racists right out of the voting booth.

3. If the racist dog-whistling works in the primary enough for a Clinton victory, that fools McCain into thinking that Kentucky is in his pocket for the general.

That's what all his dear, dear BFFs in the MSM are saying. And that stupid 50-state strategy that loser Dean is promoting for the dems is obviously a commie, homo plot. Nothing a real man repug needs to win.

Kentucky's gone with the winner of the Presidential Election every time since 1964 - and with the person who ended up in the White House since 2000. I don't expect that to change in 2008, and I'm sure McCain agrees.

But not for the same reason.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Number 70 - With a Bullet

You may have noticed that the national and state flags in Kentucky have been flying at half-mast constantly for the last month.

The lowering of the flags has been in honor of soldiers killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thirteen of them since April 8, their deaths separated in time just enough that flags could not be raised after one funeral before another death brought it back down. All of them were assigned to Fort Campbell, but none of them called Kentucky home.

Until Wednesday.



Army Specialist Jeremy Gullett, 22, of Greenup, in northeastern Kentucky, died in Afghanistan when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was a member of Fort Campbell's storied 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles.

He leaves behind a wife and 21-month-old daughter.

He is the first Iraq/Afghanistan casualty from Kentucky since December 31, 2007. That four months and six days without a casualty is the longest we have gone without losing one of our own since a four-month, three-day lull from November 16 2004 to March 19 2005.

For four months and six days, we dared to believe that for Kentucky's sons and daughters at least, the worst was over.

Come to Greenup, John McCain. Come to Greenup to look Specialist Gullett's 21-month-old daughter in the eye and say it to her face:

Tell her your 1,000 Years in Iraq plan will ensure that she, her children, her grandchildren and their grandchildren into perpetuity will be able to die in a pointless, faked-cause war just like her daddy did.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Presidential Road Show Finally Opens in Kentucky

As I've written before, as far as I'm concerned, the Democratic Presidential Primary ended after the majority of Texas delegates went to Obama. The battle is now against McBush and the wingnut freakazoids.

However, whatshername appears not to have gotten the memo.

So, after a brief stop in West Virginia next week, the Great Fifty State Primary arrives in state number 47, the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Where, much to progressive delight, the good guys are lining up with Obama, and the bad guys with Hillary.

Media Czech of Barefoot and Progressive nails it, as usual.

Barack Obama will have John Yarmuth and Ben Chandler at his side, two squeaky clean guys, one of whom is the single best progressive Democrat we have in this state, and the other whom I'm hopeful will straighten up and make us proud this year.

Who will Hillary Clinton have at her side? The festering boil on the ass of the Kentucky Democratic Party: Jerry Lundergan. And his henchman, Jonathan Hurst. And Steve Friggin' Henry.

One of the (many) reasons we, progressives, all worked so hard to get Steve Beshear elected was to oust the untrustworthy Lundergan and his good ol' boy clan from power.

And what is Hillary doing? Letting all the good 'ol boys run back into the room so they can control things.

Jerry Lundergan is EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THE KENTUCKY DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Want the endless Mark Nickolas dossier at Bluegrass Report? Here.

As I wrote back in March, the appearance of Lundergan leading whatshername's Kentucky campaign was more than sufficient proof that she is doomed in Kentucky. Now it looks like Lundergan's slimy negativity field might have slithered across the border to hurt her in Indiana.

Steve Henry's appearance on her side just added the turd topping to the campaign's giant Cake O' Failure. Former Lt. Governor Henry has a genuine talent for turning to shit everything political he touches. And causing financial chaos in every campaign he joins.

Polls may have whatshername up by 25-35 points, but Lundergan and Henry have fucked up against bigger odds than that.