Barack Obama

Micah Spicer was just about seven years old when he first encountered the Clinton political dynasty. The occasion was a campaign trip through western Kentucky by former President Bill Clinton, during his 1996 re-election bid. Clinton stopped in Mayfield and Spicer’s hometown of Wingo, and Spicer got a handshake out of the visit.

In a rural community like Wingo, presidential politics often play out in newspapers and on television screens – not in your own town and rarely within handshaking distance. For Spicer, Clinton’s visit was significant and part of the reason the Clinton family has built a “nest of support” in western Kentucky.

“That’s special,” said Spicer. “I don’t remember a presidential candidate making a trip to western Kentucky other than the Clintons.”

Gov. Steve BeshearPHILADELPHIA -- Though U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign has said it has the potential to perform strongly in traditionally red-leaning areas, Kentucky’s Democratic governor today suggested that Obama (D-Ill.) had work to do in his state.

“I think Obama’s main challenge for Kentucky is just to get better known to our people. He really hasn’t been to Kentucky to speak or to campaign,” Gov. Steve Beshear said when asked of the nominee’s ability to make inroads in the Bluegrass State.

“I’m hopeful we can get him there several times this fall so that people will see him up close and personal. And when they do, they’re going to be impressed with him and when they’re impressed with him they’re going to vote for him.”

MoveOn.org's latest nationwide campaign effort will incorporate two rallies in Kentucky this week, with Wednesday events planned at a gas station in Louisville and a Lexington park. 

The rallies are part of MoveOn.org's "Day of Action for an Oil-Free President" push, which seeks to connect presumptive Republican presidential nominee and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) with oil company interests.

"Big Oil has a new candidate for president: their friend John McCain," reads an annoucement of the campaign on MoveOn.org's political action website. "With 21 oil lobbyists running his campaign, John McCain won't solve our energy crisis."

Supporters of MoveOn.org's cause will gather near a Chevron gas station at 1244 E. Broadway in Louisville at 5:30 pm on Wednesday and Triangle Park in Lexington at 5pm on the same day.

MURRAY -- In a well-received speech in front of 300 western Kentucky Democrats, U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) said unseating his opponent should be a principle goal of those pushing for "change" in the federal government - a concern he aligned with both presidential candidates.

"If you want to change the culture in Washington, what better message can you send than to remove the biggest obstacle from changing the culture - to send Mitch McConnell packing," said Lunsford. "He is the quintessential poster boy of the old Washington politics."

"Change" is a principle buzzword this election cycle given its central usage by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and Senator, Barack Obama (D-Ill.). "Change" is also a staple term in Lunsford's rhetorical lexicon, yet at the Purchase Area Jefferson-Jackson dinner Lunsford did not attribute it solely to the man atop the Democratic ticket.

"There may be a lot Barack Obama and John McCain disagree on," said Lunsford. "One thing I have found that they both agree on is that both of them believe that we need to change the Washington culture."

Presumptive Republcian presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) appeared at a McCain Victory Fundraiser in Louisville on Saturday night that nearly broke the state's fundraising record.

The event's $2 million take nearly topped a state record, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, falling just short of the $2.1 million raked in by at a 2007 GOP fundraiser featuring President George W. Bush.

The $2 million in contributions collected will now be divided between the campaign of the guest of honor, the Republican Party of Kentucky, and national Republican organizations.

Reaction to the United States Supreme Court's decision in the D.C. v. Heller case emanated from prominent Republicans in Kentucky quickly today, after the high court overturned a Washington, D.C., law banning handgun ownership in a 5-4 decision.

"Today the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects the individual right of law-abiding citizens of the District of Colombia to protect themselves in their own homes," U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) said in a statement. "This landmark ruling will ensure that regardless of where citizens reside, the government will respect their rights that are guaranteed by the Second Amendment."

In the court's majority opinion, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia concluded "the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense.

LOUISVILLE -- Arguing against the speculation of many pundits, Kentucky state AFL-CIO president Bill Londrigan told PolitickerKY.com the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), is connecting with many in the Bluegrass State -- including members of his labor coalition.

Rejecting the notion that Obama would struggle with white, working-class voters in the state because of his race, Londrigan said AFL-CIO membership was "a lot more likely to vote for Obama" as he "represents real change, no matter what color he is."

"People are writing off the electorate, but a lot of people are supporting Obama," Londrigan said.

Obama's opponent in Kentucky's May 20 Democratic primary, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) won the state by more than 35 points. Londrigan, however, pointed to Obama's successes as evidence of the Illinois senator's potential in the state.

Until this year, all presidential nominees have accepted federal money and the restrictions that come with it.

What did Hillary Clinton say to Barack Obama to cause him to react in such a concerned way?

And why is Bill Clinton there looking for the fist bump?

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