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| Rise of a New Political Structure |
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 A Nervous Mitch on Stage
Fancy Farm, KY. August 2007. In the heat index of 107 degree August sun, this small town in Western Kentucky was the epicenter of a geo-political earthquake. The political earthquake struck at 2:35 p.m.
That was the moment in time that U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell hurried through his prepared remarks to avoid being booed off the stage by protesters. At that place and time, the political status quo was served notice that a new force in the American political landscape was making its bid for power. Protesters came from many groups and special interests. They included seven major groups: (1) labor unions (2) the AARP and seniors (3) young Democrats (4) environmentalists (5) anti-multi national corporations (6) anti-war and (7) anti-Mitch.
During the past 20 years, Kentucky union leaders have been coming to Fancy Farm political event to fight for and show strength against Democratic Governors, Republican senators who were perceived as being weak on the union agenda for better working conditions and wages.
Fancy Farm 2007 was no different. They came in force and show their talent for political theater as they mounted large banners to shout their messages. By being old pros at the Fancy Farm madness, they cleverly stake out a key geographic position in regard to the cameras and the speakers stand.
Some 100 feet straight in front of the speakers podium, the union had a 4 ft by 20 ft banner (in bold yellow colors) bashing away at the Republicans. Thus, when ever any of the six major news outlets used their cameras to film the ground, they had to include the union banner.
If the unions were the old pros at professional protesting, then the other six protest groups were a new breed of want-to-be power challengers. Over 100 seniors, dressed in bright red tea shirts, with the ARRP logo, took up strategic position along the walk way directly behind the main pavilion. As the speakers announced their various promises to keep or take power, the seniors stubbornly held their seats in the heat.
This was a new major move for the Kentucky ARRP. The senior interest group in Kentucky is now moving toward engaging in open street protest.
The Kentucky Young Democrats held massive street theater at this year’s Fancy Farm. Through out the past 20 years, Young Democrats have had trouble being any kind of force within Kentucky’s statewide elections. Lack of training and involvement from their big brothers of the Kentucky Democratic Party has left the Young Democrats without leadership of opportunity.
Showing creative protest from Prison dress showing “Pardon Me” theme, the Young Democrats held their own against the traditionally Republican Political Show at Fancy Farm. For the 50 plus Kentucky Young Democrats at Fancy Farm, this weekend in August will mark a new kind of “rights passage” as they move on into the fall campaigning trenches of Central Kentucky and the major state university campus.
The unions, seniors, and even Young Democrats shared a common value in their protest. In one form or another, each of these three groups has been either on or around the center of political life in past Kentucky statewide elections.
Not so for the other protesting groups. Environmentalist, anti-war, and anti-Mitch groups showed at this year’s Fancy Farm to make their voices heard. All three had separate agendas and energies. Yet, in the mist of booing a setting U.S. Senator from the stage, a strange transformation took place. There occurred a forging of common spirit as these new protest groups found strength in uniting against the republican political status quo.
The implications of this transformation will be devastating to the Republicans in 2007 and 2008 as the Iraq War Summer Project (www.Iraqcampaign.org), Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (www.KFTC.org), and Ditch Mitch (www.DitchMitchky.com) provide a new intelligent and committed leadership to push for major changes in U.S. foreign policy; unifying against multi-national corporations rush to exploit yet again the land, water and air resources of Kentucky and taking down one of the nation’s most visible supporters of the President.
The tide of events seem to be on the side of these young new groups as they organize into brilliant small leadership structures that will drive the passions of thousands of Kentuckians to vote against the Republican dominated public agenda.
The single most reflected image of Mitch McConnell rushing off the stage at Fancy Farm was watching how Shawn Dixion and Matt Gutterman from Ditch Mitch were quietly commanding forces of protestors while at the same time recording on the Internet in real time, the events as they unfolded for all those who couldn’t be there. They had brought the power of the 21st century to leverage the power of the 120 year old political even into raw power for the battle to take place in November of 2007 and 2008.
Standing along side these two were leadership from Kentuckians for the commonwealth, who were at Fancy Farm to protest the Coal Luification Plant. They carried with them also the voices of Kentuckians who want to stop the policy of killing the mountains and streams o Eastern Kentucky through mountain top removals for coal.
The Iraq War Sumner Project had a very vocal and well organized protest group that capture the moment of Fancy Farm and made their presence felt. They are a part of a national movement to take out and unseat seven U.S. Senators who are all pushing the war in Iraq. Mitch McConald is one of those target senators. One of the powers behind this movement is MoveOn.org. Real national power and money has now locked on to Kentucky to make these elections a national battlefield to drive the Republicans out of the Senate and then out of the White House.
History may some day record that in the fires of Fancy Farm 2007 were forged the foundation of a new breed of political warrior. Young men and women who linked passions and brains against an old status quo which had long live past its right place in power. The winds from that day are now blowing in the halls of Frankfort’s legislative meeting rooms and the halls of Congress. By way of the internet, this passion for reform is now forming into a new voice upon the American political landscape that is taking aim on the future of Kentucky politics.
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