BOWLING GREEN - The local Democratic ticket was pushed heavily in Bowling Green today on the occasion of former President Bill Clinton's visit. A handful of high-profile Democrats took the stage in addition to Clinton, talking up the candidacy of Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) and 2nd Congressional District candidate and state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) in particular to the hundreds of attendees in an airplane hanger at the Bowling Green-Warren County Airport.

In addition to Lunsford, Boswell, and Clinton, state Auditor Crit Luallen (D-Frankfort), Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo (D-Hazard), state House Speaker Jody Richards (D-Bowling Green) former Gov. Martha Layne Collins, former state party chair Jerry Lundergan and  current chair Jennifer Moore delivered remarks.

During his own brief speech, Boswell referenced the "change" mantra most of the Democrats on statge articulated.

The Owensboro Democrat targeted growth in the national debt during the Bush administration, and spoke of budget deficits as a primary problem.

"It's time for a change," said Boswell.

The 2nd District candidate also took an interesting tact in front of the crowd, differentiating himself from the keynote speaker on trade policy.

"While I agree with President Clinton about a lot of things, one of the great things about our wonderful dem that we live in is that we can agree to disagree," said Boswell. "I firmly believe that NAFTA was the wrong move for this country."

"Let's restore working America, ladies and gentleman," added Boswell.

Clinton was a principal proponent of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which passed during his presidency. The Boswell camp has targeted its opponent - state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) - for his support of such trade deals in several releases while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has done the same in a series of television advertisements.

Lundergan said Boswell was an ally of the region's farmers on agricultural policy, comparing him to William H. Natcher, the U.S. Rep. for Bowling Green for 41 years.

"You can look at David Boswell and say ‘we want the same,'" said Lundergan. "'And we're gonna vote for David Boswell.'"

Moving on to McConnell

Lundergan also pointed to a large tractor that sat next to the stage in the airplane hanger in Bowling Green, and changed his focus to Lunsford's opponent, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville).

"Mitch McConnell doesn't know how to start that John Deere tractor," said Lundergan. "He's done nothing for the people of Kentucky."

The former KDP chair said Lunsford had "created jobs," referencing "60,000 jobs in his own business world" and then jabbed at McConnell's support of the recent $700 billion financial rescue package.

"It's not going to be bailout money that is going to puts Kentucky back on the right track," said Lundergan. "It's going to be jobs."

The other speakers piled on McConnell, including Mongiardo, the current Lt. Gov. who narrowly lost a 2004 race to McConnell's colleague, U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Southgate).

Mongiardo referred to Bunning as "one of the worst" U.S. Senators, then added on:

"We've got the opportunity to get rid of the worst United States Senators this country has ever had," said the Lt. Gov. of McConnell. "He doesn't care about our state. He cares about partisan politics."

Sentiment for the Democratic Presidential ticket was also positive among the attendees in Bowling Green, with references to U.S. Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Joe Biden (D-Del.) earning some of the loudest cheers.

"If you like what's been going on the last eight years, you'll love John McCain, because it's the same thing. But we don't want that, we want Barack Obama, don't we?" said Richards, who functioned as the event's emcee, to the applause of the crowd.

Little on the recorder

The strange post-debate incident yesterday that resulted in the filing of criminal charges against Lunsford and an aide by a National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer over the removal of a digital recorder from a stage in Gilbertsville was hardly referenced today.

It was only Lundergan who mentioned the incident, taking the Lunsford camp's position that the recorder was placed on the Democratic candidate's podium in violation of debate rules.

"The Republicans keep saying ‘talk about the issues,'" said Lundergan, then zeroing in on McConnell. "He wanted to bug Bruce Lunsford's podium. That's not what I call talking about the issues."

The remark solicited little reaction from the crowd.