Jack Conway Emerges From His Hideout; Democrats Tap Dan Logsdon For Chairman! Read More Below.

Conway blasts Paul at Democratic meeting

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway took the lumber to Republican Rand Paul Saturday, saying Paul opposes government programs that assist most Kentuckians but favors those that help him.

"I want people to know that I'm a fiscally responsible Democrat. I'm concerned about spending. I want a government that we can afford but I know this and I think you know it as well: Kentucky and the nation cannot afford Rand Paul," Conway told a meeting of the state Democratic Party's executive committee.

In what is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country this year, Paul and Conway are battling to claim the seat held by Sen. Jim Bunning, a Republican who is retiring after two terms.

In his speech at party headquarters, Conway ticked off a number of Paul's positions that he contends are out of step with Kentucky voters.

From civil rights to farming subsidies to college grants, Conway argued that Paul doesn't reflect the view of many Kentuckians.

Paul said earlier in the campaign that he believed businesses should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of race but that he opposes racial discrimination and wouldn't patronize them.

He has questioned whether the Americans with Disabilities Act goes too far, and has said he opposes farm subsidies and government education grants.

"If you care about the struggle for civil rights, and treating all people equally then you can't afford Rand Paul because he rejects fundamental provisions of the civil rights act," Conway told the group.

"If you're a farmer in Western Kentucky right now, then you can't afford Rand Paul because he disagrees with just about all the programs of the Department of Agriculture," Conway said. "And if you're a young person ... who needs a Pell Grant (for college) ... then you can't afford Rand Paul because he wants to do away with the Department of Education."

He said Paul opposes "just about every single government program" except those that help him, a reference to the fact that Paul, a Bowling Green ophthalmologist, accepts Medicare and Medicaid patients and has said that he opposes automatic cuts to Medicare reimbursements.

Paul has said he believes cuts to that program could result in fewer doctors accepting Medicare patients, leaving senior citizens unable to find proper health care.

His campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

At the meeting, the executive committee elected Daniel Logsdon, Gov. Steve Beshear's deputy chief of staff, as the party's new chairman and executive director.

Logsdon, 40, is the son of former agriculture commissioner Ed Logsdon and has been in and around politics all his life.

He replaces Western Kentucky lawyer Charlie Moore, who has resigned effective June 30 as party chairman, and Kyle Cox, who quit in January as the party's executive director.