KDP fundraiser: Clinton-Obama divides party faithful

Hillary Clinton supporters at Friday's Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser: Politicker Photo

LOUISVILLE -- The first few speakers at tonight's Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser featured several high-profile supporters of presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.

City Councilman David Tandy, a member of Obama's "Kentucky Truth Squad" and KDP treasurer, opened the event. While he did not directly discuss the candidates in the race, he did speak of what Republicans would see in November.

"What they will find is a Democratic party united and ready to take back the White House," Tandy said.

KDP Chairwoman and uncommitted superdelegate Jennifer Moore functioned as the evening's emcee. She praised both candidates and did not tip her hand to any endorsement. In the past she has said she will wait until after Kentucky's May 20 primary to endorse.

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth of Louisville, a superdelegate who endorsed Obama in February, praised Clinton during his remarks, joking about her decision to run for president in the context of her working with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky's senior U.S. senator up for re-election in November.

"I want to welcome Senator Clinton," said Yarmuth. "We feel her pain...You would have to wonder why someone who worked without our minority leader would want another job."

Yarmuth has been criticized for his support of Obama by Clinton supporters in Kentucky, including state Rep. Tom Burch, Clinton's Jefferson County campaign co-chairman, who has suggested Yarmuth's superdelegate vote may have been bought by donations from Obama, an allegation the congressman and the Obama campaign have called ridiculous.

Friday's Kentucky Democratic Party fundraiser in Louisville: Politicker Photo

Yarmuth also said Clinton "deserves a great deal of gratitude" before he went on to speak on behalf of Obama, who travelled to Oregon for campaign events there instead of the KDP event.

Yarmuth said Obama wanted to tell the crowd "not only does he want to contest Kentucky today, but he believes Kentucky can be a blue state in November."

Entering into a call-and-response engagement with the crowd, Yarmuth began arguing the party would unify behind the party's nominee.

"Do you think we are going to sit back and let John McCain be elected president?" Yarmuth asked.

The crowd shouted "No," and the congressman continued along a similar line of questioning. As he did so, supporters of either candidate began to noisily cheer on their candidate of choice amid their reactions.

Subsequently, as the speech continued, the seating arrangements in the hall of the Kentucky International Convention Center came into play. Slightly reminiscent of the soccer stadiums of Europe, large groups of supporters of either candidate were divided from each other, set in bleachers separated by press area.

On stage left of the convention hall, Clinton supporters began waving campaign signs and shouting their candidate's name while Yarmuth was speaking, while Obama supporters on stage right of the hall returned the gesture in kind.

The noise was loudest when Yarmuth was discussing a White House "with Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton as our president." That moment was seized by supporters of either candidate as the opportune time to voice their support and Yarmuth was drowned out by the noise on the occasion.

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