Too Late for Barack Obama to Win Kentucky Democrats?

For the first time in years, the Kentucky primary election will actually matter. Traditionally the Kentucky primary occurs so late that it has little to no consequence on the actual race for the White House. But this year is different due to an earlier primary. Kentucky voters have noticed this change and voter registration is skyrocketing across the state. According to the Jefferson county clerk, they've seen an overwhelming amount of registration forms sent in; he expects that results are the same all over Kentucky. The candidates are noticing this as well and have stepped up their game in Kentucky.

Polls show that Hillary Clinton currently leads Barack Obama in Kentucky, but Obama recently opened up a second office in Kentucky (located here in Lexington) and plans to visit the state next week. Details are few and far between as to where Obama will visit and for how long, but staffers at his office here in Lexington told me that he should be expected in Louisville shortly after Mother's Day and perhaps even here in Lexington.

Hopefully Obama will cash in on the grassroots organizing efforts of Kentucky. Kentucky is known for its coal fields and the struggles of the people in the Appalachian region. The struggle against the coal companies has always been spearheaded by grassroots organization and a drive for change, both of which Barack carries as his two strongest weapons.

This CP went into the newest Obama office here in Lexington just yesterday and received a warm welcome from staffers eager for the change which Obama promises. I must say that I have not made up my mind on Obama or Clinton. Obama is certainly a strong candidate, and if he follows through on progressive action, which he encourages and which his staffers claim will happen -- if he is elected -- then I would be proud to support him. I interviewed one Obama supporter who stated her main reason for supporting Barack instead of Hillary as being his lack of interest in the "gas tax holiday" proposed by both Clinton and McCain. Jill Wright said that "Obama is more interested in the long term and wants people to sit down and have a conversation about long-term solutions to the problem, rather than short-term solutions, which only hurt America and our environment by not reducing use of gas but actually encouraging it."

However, Obama may be a month or two too late to win Kentucky Democrats. Former president Bill Clinton visited Kentucky in late March as did his daughter, Chelsea, in early April. Hillary herself was here just a few weeks ago. President Clinton stopped in no less than three different cities in Kentucky and made speeches that raised support for his wife's campaign.

Chelsea did little to help her mother, as her talk with students at the University of Kentucky was plagued with questions about Monica Lewinsky, and a lack of knowledge on the part of the former first daughter about her mother's actual stance on certain issues, particularly those involving the environment.

In a state constantly plagued with strip-mining and mountaintop removal, visiting politicians are often berated with questions about the environment and this may be Clinton's downfall in Kentucky. The senator herself stated that she sees coal as an alternative energy source when she announced in Charleston, South Carolina, "I've been saying all along we should have clean coal, the cleanest coal possible." This leads environmentalists to ask whether or not politicians are pandering to the masses or seriously considering the real problems and solutions. Clean-coal is something of an oxymoron here in Kentucky, especially after such severe damage has occurred with hardly any national attention. Such was the case in 2000 when a slurry pond broke and few, if any, national outlets picked up the story.

Obama has also jumped on the bandwagon of clean-coal announcing intentions to regulate the coal industry. "We could invest in renewable sources of energy and in clean coal technology and create up to 5 million new green jobs in the bargain, including new clean coal jobs," Obama said at one campaign stop. The true question is how serious Obama is about regulating the coal industry, which has had a disastrous impact upon Kentucky and the Appalachian region as a whole for the last 150 years.

During the various Clinton visits, I have appreciated the effort put in by the senator and her family. But after seeing her twice, I have yet to feel the encouragement and Hillarmania that many supporters seem to feel. Next week should bring some interesting changes to Kentucky as Obama joins Clinton and McCain, both of whom have visited Kentucky already.