KFTC Fancy Farm 2011 Report

KFTC members from the Jefferson County, Central Kentucky, and Northern Kentucky chapters met up in far western Kentucky this weekend to challenge "politics as usual" at the rowdy Fancy Farm picnic - a blisteringly hot festival full of pork, sweat, partisanship, booing, theatrics, costumes, and stump speeches. 

But between all of that challenging landscape, we had a lot of opportunity to talk to politicians, local folks, and political buffs from across the state who drove long hours to the event. 

"Tired of Hot Air?," we said.  "Come get a fan!"

And they listened.

And not just because of the blistering heat, but because so many people told us that they were, in fact, tired of the hot air and the partisanship, and the attack politics.  Even the people who came out to this event seemed to genuinely hunger for real policy discussions instead of the the political theater that's the norm there.

We also talked to people a lot about our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.  We met many former felons and their family members and found Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who were proud to wear our lapel stickers in favor of voting rights. 

KFTC members were approached by many folks from the media, to talk about our decidedly un-Fancy Farm presence at Fancy Farm.

We also got to build connections with allies and likely allies on a range of issues, including unions like AFSCME, the Teamsters, UFCW, and others. 

In all, we passed out all 600 fans we had, plus 200 stickers, KFTC newsletters, and more, had a lot of good conversations, and were a strong visible presence for candidates and others.

KFTC Member Reactions:

"I was not at all prepared for the Fancy Farm speeches.  I guess I had heard before that it was a giant heckle-fest, but I had forgotten and was totally shocked when the "boos" started emanating unsolicited (aside from the politicians being guilty of not being on the same "side" as the folks booing them) from the mouths of people who had until that point been sitting around me, perfectly friendly, polite, and smiling.  Watching and (sometimes) hearing the speeches did however remind me of why I love being a member of KFTC.  I felt that the people I was sitting with were the only folks in the crowd who were cheering and booing ideas, not parties.  The heckling is still not my idea of good political discourse, but I wasn't under the impression that any of my fellow KFTC members perceived this behavior to be beneficial either.  Before the speeches began though, I think we all had opportunities to have good conversations with people of all political leanings about restoring former felons' voting rights, and having good conversations about building a better Kentucky always feels like progress to me, and it always feels like time well-spent."
                      - Shekinah Lavalle, Jefferson County KFTC Member

"On the one hand, this is more entertaining than pro wrestling at the county fair. On the other, the future of our Commonwealth, and it's citizens, shouldn't be treated like pro wrestling at the county fair. KFTC was there to point that out."

"For all the fun, festivities and BBQ nachos, most of the candidates were like the old James Brown song; 'Talkin' Loud, and Saying Nothing.'"
                       - Danny Cotton, Central Kentucky KFTC Member

Links:

- Fancy Farm videos, from Bluegrass Politics

- "Fancy Farm Speakers Line Up in Support of Coal," from WFPL

- "Grimes, Johnson Spar Over Homeless Voters Issue at Fancy Farm," from WFPL

- KFTC Fancy Farm Picture Gallery