By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-917282.mp3
Fancy Farm, KY – Fancy Farm is known as the biggest annual political event in Kentucky, and the most raucous. This weekend, people from as far away as Texas crowded picnic grounds to hear the speeches, and voice support their favorite candidates. Among them were activists, political junkies, and at least a few analysts. Angela Hatton spoke with one who's asking, "is all politics going the way of Fancy Farm?"
This is Barbara Garvey's first trip to Fancy Farm. She showed up early to get a good seat, next to the stage where a band entertains the crowd waiting for the stump speeches.
"I'm very interested in events like this, and I'm particularly interested with this political season because I think there are just so many unexplainable things happening, and I wanted to be a part of it."
Garvey is a professor of rhetorical communication at Hanover College in Indiana. She's spent the summer traveling to political events to get, as she puts it, the feel for politics without the media filter. She sees the way we conduct politics and elections changing.
"I think audiences are behaving in very different ways than they have in the past with the media coverage 24/7, and this idea that I'd rather destroy than help.'" Garvey2, 14 sec.
Garvey believes in the past, politicians recognized the need to compromise with each other.
"And I don't think that's the spirit now. I think it's more, how can I stop you from doing something."
Jeff Nobel of Louisville has only missed four Fancy Farms since he began coming when he was in college. This is his 24th picnic.
"It's gotten bigger, it's gotten less civil. That started in '95. I was a part of it." "What happened in '95?" "Air-horns. Now, they don't have them anymore; I think they outlawed them. But, uh, people brought air-horns, and it just got to be less of a it just got a little nastier."
Garvey says she understands part of Fancy Farm's tradition is its outlandishness. Her concern is that she's seen more of the Fancy Farm atmosphere outside Fancy Farm.
"If you look at the political events of the last few years, maybe from 2007 on, this kind of circus atmosphere, and almost a tent revival, uh, experience. I think it's much more common."
Active Tea Party member Paul Johnson of Winchester showed up at the picnic in period costume. Dressed as George Washington, Johnson denounced federal policies, including the health care bill passed this year.
"This outfit and me in it, Lord willing, uh, is going to be in Washington 8-27. I'm gonna show that bill with somebody driving a stake in the heart of it. I can take that one politico story that nobody's talking about, and I can destroy the Obama-care health bill. We're going to try to light the fire in D.C."
Also using props to spread their message were the members of United Front Kentucky. Spokesman Danny Mayer of Lexington says their goal is to point out the signs of fascism in politics.
"A sort of populism that often is nativist, anti-democratic, corporatist, anti-immigrant. So what we see coming from the far right are this fascist rhetoric that I don't think makes people fascist, but I think it certainly creates conditions to allow fascism to grow."
Barbara Garvey says she's eager to see how the November elections play out this year. She doesn't say who she's rooting for, but says if Fancy Farm's reputation as the kick-off for the campaign season holds true, Kentucky's elections are about to get a lot more interesting.