5 Things to Watch for in Kentucky Tonight...

Blaming white voters will only be counterproductive, says Bai

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama goes into this week's convention in Denver with only the slimmest of leads—or, as some polls suggest, trailing John McCain. In a year when it's widely assumed that any Democratic candidate should be a shoo-in, many in the press have suggested that Obama's race is costing him support. Not so, writes Matt Bai in the New York Times, who says that the candidate "faces genuine obstacles that are more salient than skin color." More»

Campaign avoids state's Hillary-loving, white Democrats

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has a novel strategy in Arkansas, a Southern state that likes Democrats: He's not there. The presumptive nominee has no Arkansas office and hasn't even visited in 2 years. Yet analysts aren't surprised, noting that conservative Democrats heavily favor Hillary Clinton and backed President Bush the past two elections. Arkansas also skews whiter than other Southern states, with only a 16% black population. More»

Waters calm ahead of primaries

(NEWSER) - There’s an eerie calm over the Democratic battlefield ahead of tonight’s primaries in Oregon and Kentucky, as the candidates have reached a tentative détente. Clinton doesn’t want to be seen as hurting Obama’s chances in November, so she’s softened her tone considerably. But it’s a fragile peace that will be tested tonight, when Obama is expected to celebrate his pledged delegate majority in Iowa. More»

Poll results seem to show that some view her candidacy as way to hold onto status

(NEWSER) - Working-class whites, as "a social category," fear a loss of definition and power, and that might be lead them to support Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, Gregory Rodriguez writes in the Los Angeles Times. This isn't white supremacy; "in fact it might be its opposite, an acknowledgment that white privilege has its limits," as non-college-educated whites feel their position slipping away. More»

Disparity in views of Obama from state to state vary wildly

(NEWSER) - On the eve of Democratic primaries in Oregon and Kentucky, polls show some movement in support for the candidates, the Boston Globe reports:

• Barack Obama once held a double-digit lead in Oregon, but two surveys today put him up only 4 points (45%-41%) and 5 points (50%-45%).