Pol Watchers

Survey USA: Clinton leads Obama in Kentucky

LUNSFORD TOP CHOICE AMONG DEMS IN SENATE RACE

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton leads Illinois Sen. Barack Obama 2-1 among Kentucky Democratic voters, according to a new poll by SurveyUSA.

The polling firm, which performed the survey for WHAS-TV Channel 11 in Louisville and WCPO in Cincinnati, used interviews from 572 Democratic voters likely to show up to polls for the May 20 primary. The interviews were conducted between March 28 and March 30. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percent.

Overall, Clinton would defeat Obama with 58 percent of the vote to 29 percent if the election were held today, according to the results. Another 10 percent chose "other" and 4 percent said they were undecided.

Clinton dominated Obama in Eastern Kentucky with 70 percent of respondents' support. She also doubled Obama's support in Northern and Western Kentucky, while she led by 12 percentage points in Louisville, 50 to 38.

Meanwhile, in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford showed a solid lead in the poll over the rest of the field, according to SurveyUSA's poll of that race.

Forty-two percent of respondents picked Lunsford, who has run for governor twice unsuccessfully.

David L. Williams, a frequent candidate from Barren County who most recently lost last year's agriculture commissioner race, was the only other candidate in the seven-person field to crack double digits with 11 percent of respondents' picking him.

Greg Fischer, another Louisville businessman, finished third in the poll with 6 percent.

Fischer, a first-time candidate who has low statewide name recognition compared to Lunsford, told the Herald-Leader Saturday night in Madisonville that he was looking to start running TV ads about a month before the May 20 election.

The winner of the Democratic primary will take on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, in the fall general election.

- Ryan Alessi

Lawmakers seek compromise on anti-bullying bill

Lawmakers negotiating the details of a bill aimed at curbing schoolhouse bullying said they hit no "major snags" on Monday.

The House-Senate conference committee on the "bullying" bill, House Bill 91, met for about 45 minutes Monday afternoon in closed conference. Afterwards, Rep. Mike Cherry, D-Princeton, the bill's sponsor, said "things went well."

"My side presented a compromise piece of legislation that I think was favorably received," Cherry said. He would not go into specifics and would not provide a copy of his proposal. He described it as a blending of the House and Senate versions, "using the Senate as the text."

Cherry's original version, "The Golden Rule Act," would require schools to write codes of conduct that prohibit "harassment, intimidation, or bullying."  He added a floor amendment in the House to include "cyberbullying" by electronic communication.

A separate Senate version of the bill had been stalled in committee and Senate Democrats tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to spring it with a discharge petition.

Instead, Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, amended Cherry's version to "put some teeth into it." Schools would be required to report bullying to law enforcement, and would be required to issue a monthly report on all incidents.

Cherry sounded optimistic a compromise finally can be reached. "I don't even see any major snags at this point," Cherry said. "We think the reporting requirement of their side is a little harsh, and monthly reporting is a little much."

Sen. Elizabeth Tori, R-Radcliff, co-chair of the conference committee, also said she didn't see any major snags in reaching an agreement. Tori said the Senate conferees will incorporate today's suggestions into the version they present on Tuesday, tentatively at 1 p.m.

"We will take a vote, and if we cannot agree, we will go to free conference," Tori said.

-- Janet Patton

Budget update: Day 7 afternoon edition -- progress made

UPDATE 5:35 p.m.: House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said "most of the global decisions have been made" during the budget negotiations and that lawmakers are working their way through the 122 page budget document.

The conference committee working on the state budget has largely agreed on ways to squeeze in some extra revenue but those efforts won't include tax increases, Richards said. "No, not this year," he added.

"We've got some more money than the governor used" in his first budget, Richards said. But he said he's disappointed it's not more. "It's certainly not what we'd like to have."

Richards would offer few details about what has been agreed upon.

He said few projects will be in the spending plan. Still in the budget are improvements to the Kentucky Horse Park in preparation for the World Equestrian Games. "We're doing some things for the equestrian games, yes," Richards said.

Among the decisions that haven't been made is how to dole out coal severance tax monies for projects in coal producing counties, Richards said.

He said they will continue to work through the 122-page document up to the self-imposed midnight deadline but was optimistic a budget will be produced.

"I sure hope so," he said.

By 4:30 p.m., lawmakers had been hunkered down for three and a half hours straight on the budget and were near an agreement on how to squeeze some extra revenue.

"It's not finalized," said Rep. Charlie Hoffman, D-Georgetown, adding that they were close.
The agreement is unlikely to include any tax increases. But Hoffman said House members who voted earlier this month for a revenue generating package that included a 25-cent increase in the cigarette tax and some new levies on certain services wouldn't be upset if the final version of the budget doesn't include money from new taxes.

"The main thing they want right now is they want to try to get a budget before we leave here," he said.

The House and Senate members on the budget conference committee have been bartering over proposals to generate more state money that would amount to tens of millions of additional dollars -- far short of the $400 million-a-year the House package would have pumped into the state coffers.

The goal, Senate President David Williams said Sunday night, would be to at least fund programs at the level called for by the Senate's version of the budget. That draft included more money for higher education and some services than Gov. Steve Beshear's original proposal but less than the House.

For instance, Beshear's version would slashed public universities' funding by 12 percent; the Senate's version cut it by 3 percent and the House draft would have provided the same funding for them in 2009 and 2010 as they're getting now. 

- Ryan Alessi

Squabbling in Senate primary starts despite pledge

With about 50 days to the May 20 primary election, the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate is heating up behind the scenes with a few barbs being thrown by one Louisville businessman candidate at another.

This comes after all but one of the seven Democrats competing in the U.S. Senate primary signed a "unity pledge" organized by the Kentucky Democratic Party. The Democratic candidates for governor signed a similar pledge to stay positive and not attack each other during last year's primary race.

Bruce Lunsford, the Louisville businessman and two-time gubernatorial candidate who signed the pledge last year also has signed on this year, confirmed spokeswoman Allison Haley.

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: Democratic Party Chairman Jennifer Moore issued the request for the candidates to sign the unity pledge on March 18, said party spokesman Thom Karmik. All but Greg Fischer, another Louisville businessman, have agreed to it, Karmik said.

Moore's letter said: "This oath is the first step in making sure we have a unified party going into the General Election. It is a crucial part of Democrats’ ability to provide the strongest possible front against Mitch McConnell."

Fischer hasn't signed on to the Democratic Party's unity pledge but instead has offered a counter proposal of a "truth in campaigning pledge," said Fischer's campaign consultant Kim Geveden.

Now Fischer is targetting Lunsford for being a no-show at the Ruby Laffoon Democratic dinner in Madisonville on Saturday after not attending a Democratic debate earlier in March.

Lunsford, a thoroughbred horse owner, had a previous commitment to attend the Dubai World Cup in the Arab Emirates, Haley said. "He's there through his involvement in the thoroughbred industry," she said.

Fischer has tried to contrast himself with Lunsford by painting his rival as out-of-touch and is now pointing to the Dubai trip as Exhibit A.

"Bruce decided not to show up tonight for some reason," he told the 3,500 people at the Madisonville dinner. His campaign dispatched an e-mail Monday specifically criticizing Lunsford for being abroad with "Arab sheiks."

"Apparently Bruce prefers rubbing shoulders with Arab sheiks in Dubai than shaking hands with Democrats in Madisonville," said a statement from Fischer's campaign manager A.J. Carrillo.

Pension conference committee gets off to rough start

Lawmakers negotiating details of a proposed overhaul of the state's retirement system had to take a five-minute "timeout" after a heated dispute broke out.

The argument was between Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, co-chair of the conference committee, and Rep. John Will Stacy, D-West Liberty.

Rep. Mike Cherry, the other co-chair, said he thought he and Thayer had agreed to work from House Bill 600. Thayer said, no, that wasn't how they wanted to go. Thayer wanted to work from the Senate's version.

That tripped Stacy's wire. "I think that's problematic," Stacy said.

Thayer suggested the staff hand out both bills and both proposed compromises and go over them, "unless you want to be argumentative."

"I can go either way on that," Stacy snapped back. "I can be extremely argumentative."

"That's something I can agree with," Thayer said. He turned to Cherry and said, "I'd say we're not off to a good start."

Cherry, D-Princeton suggested a five-minute break, all parties walked into the halls to cool off, then returned.

Stacy offered a peace gesture of a sort, saying that his tone can get kind of "fussy" sometimes, but that he doesn't mean it that way.

"If you're apologizing, I accept," Thayer said.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m.: Without reaching any agreement, the committee adjourned just after 3 p.m. Members will mull some proposed points of compromise and reconvene Tuesday.

UPDATE 5:50 p.m.: Co-chairs Cherry and Thayer each presented a set of recommendations for amending their own chambers' plans. On Tuesday, the committee will meet again to discuss where to go from there.

Cherry said that if a compromise is reached "it may very well be a really last-minute thing. I do think the budget is kind of pre-empting this issue."

Decisions on how to restructure the state employees' underfunded pension plans will depend on how much money the state budget can put into them.
Right now, pension plan negotiators are in the dark and far apart.

The Senate version would set up a state-managed annuity savings account with contributions from new hires. Thayer on Monday put forth a suggested compromise that would allow employees to opt-out after five years.

But Cherry said the House prefers direct, defined benefit programs. "We don't care for annuity plans," he said.

The hour-long meeting faltered at the start as Rep. John Will Stacy, D-West Liberty, and Thayer had an "argumentative" exchange. But the meeting was able to proceed after a five-minute break.

-- Janet Patton

Cheney in Lexington

Vice President Dick Cheney landed in Lexington a little before 11 a.m. Monday aboard Air Force Two. Cheney, in town for a fund-raiser, was greeted by about 7 people at the private Tac Air service.

The group included U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers and his wife, Cynthia, and two teens from Greenwood High School in Bowling Green.

Cheney was headed to a fund-raiser at the home of Judson and Kelly Knight in Chevy Chase to benefit state Sen. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, who is running for the 2nd Congressional District seat.

The Greenwood students, Ryan Cummings, 17, and Caroline Howle, 18, have started a Republican Club at their school. They were able to shake Cheney's hand as he stepped off the plane.

Rogers said Cheney is a valuable fund-raiser. He said he has known Cheney for quite a long time.

"He's a man who doesn't say much, but he means what he says," Rogers said.

Cheney spent little time at the airport before leaving with a motorcycle escort for the Knights' home. He is supposed to take off by 1 p.m.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: About a dozen members of a Lexington anti-war group walked about half-mile down Richmond Road Monday in an effort to deliver a “Citizens’ Indictment and Arrest Warrant” to Cheney during his fund-raising visit.

The group carried signs from the corner of Richmond Road and North Hanover Avenue to Ashwood and Woodspoint Roads where they were stopped by Lexington police and the secret service.

Anti-war activist Geoff Young of Lexington said members of the group would gladly use their personal vehicle to transport Cheney to the county jail for war crimes and other impeachable crimes.

“We’d like to see justice done,” Young said.

The group then began chanting as Young addressed his concerns to a member of the secret service.

Budget negotiations: Day 7 -- Lawmakers cancel session

UPDATED THROUGHOUT

With a self-imposed midnight deadline looming to agree on a budget, House and Senate budget negotiators have canceled Monday's legislative session so they can continue huddling in a closed-door meeting on the two-year spending plan.

Monday was supposed to be the 57th day of the 60-day General Assembly. Instead, the full House and Senate will convene Tuesday for Day 57. That will allow legislative leaders most of Monday to hammer out details of the budget by midnight, said House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green.

Lawmakers must leave 36 hours to print the voluminous document so that the full House and Senate can vote on the bill by Wednesday evening, which will be the 58th day of the session.

After a break to allow Gov. Steve Beshear to consider whether to veto any bills, lawmakers will return on April 14 and April 15 for the last two legislative work days.

But because of bumping the schedule back a day, April 15 will be their only chance to override any vetoes.

Richards said budget negotiations were proceeding well, but the spending plan still looks sparse.

"Even if we get a budget, it won't be a thing of beauty," he said. "It won't win any beauty contests." He said later "there will be some pain."

Richards said he spoke by phone to the governor, who is scheduled to be in his office. When asked what the governor's reaction is, Richards said, "I haven't seen him jump out the window yet."

Senate leaders on Sunday pitched a new plan to House negotiators that would generate additional revenue -- but no one would talk about what that proposal includes.

Rep. Harry Moberly, the Democratic chairman of the House budget committee, said on his way into the closed-door meeting Monday morning that the Senate's revenue suggestion would produce $30 million to $40 million. "Not nearly sufficient to do what we want to do," he said.

Moberly said the House has made their own proposals for generating new revenue but wouldn't discuss any details until a final agreement is reached.

Rep. Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, said the Senate and House negotiators could agree on some combination of the two chambers' respective proposals. But he couldn't say how much money the plans might raise.

Sen. Dan Kelly, the Republican floor leader from Springfield, said progress is being made as the Senate and House lawmakers exchange their thoughts on various "funding sources" proposed. Whether they can get it all done today appears very much in the air, however.

"It looks really tough," Kelly said. "It will be exceedingly difficult. It's not impossible at this time. But there's still a lot of work to do."

Kelly and Senate President David Williams later emerged from the committee room for a lunch break but ducked away to dodge reporters.

CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATE FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON

- Ryan Alessi and Janet Patton

Chelsea Clinton in Kentucky Tuesday; Bill back Thursday

Chelsea Clinton will stop at the University Kentucky Tuesday afternoon to stump for her mother, presidential candidate and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The former first daughter will talk with UK students at the student center at 1 p.m., said Jerry Lundergan, the former state Democratic Party Chairman who is helping coordinate Clinton's campaign in Kentucky.

She is then expected to make appearances in Louisville, first at the Jefferson Community and Technical College and later with a group of young professionals, Lundergan said.

Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton will return to Kentucky Thursday for a rally at the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville and a fund-raiser, Lundergan said. Bill Clinton was in Kentucky last Tuesday as a prelude to Hillary Clinton's stops in the state this past Saturday.

No word yet on when Clinton's opponent in the Democratic primary, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, will make his first stop in Kentucky this spring in preparation for the Bluegrass state's May 20 primary.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: More details on Chelsea Clinton's stop in Lexington.

• When: 1 p.m. Tuesday
  
• Where: The Cat's Den, 1st floor of the student center
• What: The event is an open forum for students to ask questions about "her life on the presidential campaign and important issues facing America today."
• Who: The event is for students. It is first come, first served.

- Ryan Alessi

Budget negotiatons: Day 6 -- Lawmakers hide

UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

FRANKFORT -- House and Senate budget negotiators have decided to take their business behind closed doors.

After pledging to iron out their differences over the state budget in public, members of the House-Senate conference committee used state police to keep media and lobbyists away from their meeting room Sunday afternoon.

UPDATE 10:20 p.m. House and Senate lawmakers participating on the budget conference committee emerged at 9:15 p.m. with much work still to do when they reconvene at 10 a.m. Monday. 

The committee is trying to wrap up its work by midnight Monday.

Most of the blanks that must be filled in relate to how to find money to avoid deep cuts to services and education.

The House and Senate have disagreed on approaches to inject several hundred million into the spending plan. But Sunday night, the Senate leaders left House budget negotiators to ponder several suggestions to “capture some additional revenue” from existing sources of state funds, said Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville.

He wouldn’t elaborate on the specific suggestions, saying he preferred to wait to give House leaders a chance to evaluate the proposal.

House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said the latest suggestions were “creative financing — a few nickles and dimes.”

But any additional money would be welcomed by lawmakers who are trying to avoid slashing funds for services and higher education, which Gov. Steve Beshear initially slated to cut by 12 percent in his budget he laid out in January.

Richards, however, wasn’t hopeful that public universities’ funding would return even to the level they’re currently getting — which is what the House proposed.

“Not as good as I’d like,” Richards said when asked where it stood.

Williams said the newly suggested revenue measures would help to cover what the Senate’s version of the budget called for, which accounted for 3 percent cuts to universities.
Overall, he described Sunday’s meeting as “fruitful discussions” behind closed doors.

Large white shades were pulled down over the windows of the meeting room to block any view of what was going on inside.

Key lawmakers on the budget negotiations started meeting together at 2:45 p.m. in room 131 of the Capitol Annex.  They did open a room down the hallway for lobbyists and reporters to wait.

Staff for House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said he would be available at 4 p.m. for an update on the negotiations.

Richards stepped out of the room at 3:25 p.m.  Asked why the meeting was closed, he only said, "This is a large work group."

A little more than a week ago, both Richards and Senate President David Williams pledged to hold the negotiations in public. Their promise came after Williams and House budget committee chairman Harry Moberly Jr., D-Richmond, accused each other of lying about what happened in previous closed-door negotiations.

The negotiators are trying to craft a $19 billion, two-year spending plan for the state that both the House and Senate will accept.

Budget negotiations have been slow, and time is running out.

Monday marks the 57th day of the 60-day legislative session.  Lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn Tuesday until returning April 14 and 15 to consider any vetoes by Gov. Steve Beshear.

However, they may work through Wednesday and have only one day --April 15 -- to consider vetoes.  The state Constitution does not allow the legislative session to continue beyond April 15.

UPDATE AT 5:42 P.M.: Speaker Richards provided an update of the closed conference meeting, saying "We're really working hard to try to make a budget with limited revenues."

"We can't agree with some of the revenues that the Senate used and they assumed and they can't use some that we had assumed," Richards said.

"So we're trying to figure out how to build a budget with limited resources and very few, if any, projects."

The Senate is not willing to follow the House in raising the state cigarette tax by 25 cents a pack and putting the state's 6 percent sales tax on a few services, Richards said.

The House, on the other hand, he said, is not accepting the Senate plan to squeeze more money for the state from the Kentucky Lottery Corp.

Richards said the negotiators will "work for a long time tonight" and probably Monday.

He did not know if all legislators will get to vote on their work Tuesday or Wednesday.

"We're making progress," he said, but declined to identify any final agreements.

Asked why the negotiations are taking so long, Richards said, "It's just complex.  There are just so many items you have to work on.

"A lot of this is information-gathering.  We're getting along very well.  People are trying to figure out the best public policy with limited resources."

Richards was asked several times why the negotiations have been closed.  "We're just trying to get the work done.  We're just doing the best we can."

Senate Majority Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, said he would rather not discuss details of the proceedings at this time.

He said the negotiations will be open again "when we get to the point of making final, formal decisions on the record."

--Jack Brammer

Clinton touts Kentucky's importance

By Bill Estep
BESTEP@HERALD-LEADER.COM

Louisville -- Hillary Clinton opened her Kentucky campaign Saturday with a 40-minute speech in Louisville, making clear that, for a change, the state’s Democrats can play a real role in choosing the party’s nominee for president.

Clinton trails U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, but said the race is far from over.

“It’s exciting because Kentucky’s going to be helping to pick a president . . .,” Clinton told a noisy crowd of about 2,500 at DuPont Manual High School. “I’m happy that Kentucky’s going to be voting.”

Clinton didn’t mention Obama, but repeated a familiar charge that she has more substance than the Illinois senator.

“This election is not about the speeches we give, but about the solutions we offer,” she said.

Clinton was joined on stage by five Democratic women state lawmakers: Rep. Joni Jenkins of Shively, Rep. Leslie Combs of Pikeville, Rep. Dottie Sims of Horse Cave, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Louisville and Rep. Sannie Overly of Paris. Jenkins explicitly endorsed Clinton.

The themes in Clinton's speech were not new, but the message could make a difference in Kentucky this year.

Though the state's primary often makes little difference in the presidential race because it comes relatively late, Clinton and Obama are locked in a tight race that might not be settled until after Kentucky's May 20 primary.

In her 40-minute speech Clinton stuck to key campaign issues such as ending American involvement in the Iraq war, moving toward universal health-care coverage and jump-starting the economy.

On the economy, for instance, she said there should be no tax benefit for any business that exports jobs from Kentucky, which drew cheers in a city with a large manufacturing base.

Clinton also advocated expanded federal aid to help with higher-education costs, which drew loud cheers.

Clinton said she would advocate forgiving federal college loans for people who went into public serviced jobs such as teaching and nursing.

She advocated greater investment in renewable energy sources -- funded in part by ending tax credits to oil companies -- and said the country could sell bonds its citizens to finance massive infrastructure upgrades in the country, creating jobs in the process.

Clinton said the country also could create jobs “if we end President Bush’s war on science.” That was a reference to his veto of stem-cell research.

Clinton also reminded the crowd of the successes of her husband, President Bill Clinton, saying that the economy did well in the 1990s and the country had a balanced budget and a budget surplus.

“President Bush inherited that balanced budget and that surplus, and now it’s gone. It’s been squandered,” she said.

Voters who attended the rally said they were glad Kentucky’s primary could play a role in choosing the Democratic nominee this year.

“It’s really controversial and really exciting this time,” said Kri Martin, of Louisville.