Greg Hengler assumes Rand Paul is being facetious in this Fox News interview, but I think Paul’s serious. Why wouldn’t Paul want Obama on the stump in Kentucky, linking himself to Democrat Jack Conway? Look how well Obama’s efforts worked on behalf of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania!

As for the Democratic contention that Paul will be easier to beat than Trey Grayson in a general election, the numbers actually say the opposite. Rasmussen polled likely voters in Kentucky two weeks ago and came to a much different conclusion:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Kentucky shows Paul earning 48% support to 32% for Democratic Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo. When his opponent is state Attorney General Jack Conway, Paul captures 47% of the vote to the Democrat’s 38%.

Grayson, Kentucky’s current secretary of state, picks up 45% to Mongiardo’s 31% and 43% to Conway’s 38%. …

The GOP contenders also carry voters not affiliated with either of the major parties by double-digit margins over the Democrats, but these voters give Paul, who is viewed as the Tea Party favorite, a much bigger edge.

The Democratic bravado amounts to whistling past the graveyard.  Paul will almost certainly trounce Conway in a head-to-head race in already-conservative Kentucky, especially in this cycle, and especially if Obama decides to grace Conway with his presence on the stump.  Obama is underwater in KY approval by eighteen points, 41/59, and even worse among KY independents, 34/66, with 56% strongly disapproving of his performance.

Update: Proud Rino points out that the actual survey in KY was taken three weeks ago; the date on the article was May 3, about two weeks before the election.  Also, other commenters tend to agree with the Democrats that Grayson was more electable in the general election, but at least Rasmussen’s numbers don’t bear that out.