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              Kentucky's Tea Party is a Force to be Reckoned With

   by Kane Farabaugh

   Democratic Vice President Joe Biden faces Republican Congressman Paul
   Ryan in their only televised debate October 11 in the state of
   Kentucky.  While the debates will focus partly on foreign policy,
   Kentucky's conservative [1]Tea Party voters - who represent a growing
   number of politically active voters in the state - are more concerned
   about domestic issues, such as how to create jobs, curb federal
   spending, and shrink government.
   Kentucky voter Eric Wilson is concerned about his children's future.
   ''"I have to do now what is right, to give them the lifestyle that they
   need," Wilson said.
   He is so passionate that he leads the Kentucky 9/12 Project, a loosely
   affiliated group of  voters who want to re-capture the predominant mood
   of Americans in the wake of the September 11th terror attacks.
   "It's the day after September 11th, when we weren't red states or blue
   states, we were the United States," he explained.
   Kentucky red
   But despite the non-partisan mantra, Wilson's home state of Kentucky is
   a so-called red state, which currently favors conservative Republican
   candidates for public office.  Groups like Wilson's are among the most
   conservative. Their popularity is partly a result of the growing
   strength of the Tea Party movement. They share the same values and
   concerns.
   "I like the fact that the Tea party is kind of this nebulous thing
   that's a little hard to define, but essentially when it comes down to
   it, smaller government, balanced budgets, less debt, a simpler tax
   code, and dismantling this political class," said Tea Party activist
   David Adams. Those were key points, he said, that helped elect Tea
   party favorite Rand Paul to the U.S. Senate.
   Adams was Rand Paul's campaign manager and says the Tea Party is a
   force to reckon with. "It has really shaken up the Republican Party in
   my view," he said.
   Democrats
   Democratic voter Liz Cook, who lives in Danville, Kentucky -- site of
   the vice presidential  debate -- is concerned about the rise of groups
   like 9/12. She also worries about the Tea Party's desire to slash
   government programs.
   "It's a little scary because I view them as an extreme part of the
   Republican Party.  And I think that any extremist groups make it a
   challenge for other more moderate reasonable discussions to surface,"
   she said.
   Extremism
   But 9/12 Director Eric Wilson says groups affiliated with the Tea Party
   are not extremist.
   "The Tea Party is really the sentiment of the people," he said. The
   sentiment of the people is still of frustration, still wanting their
   power, wanting their liberties back, still shouting at their TV, still
   shouting at their elected officials saying "hey, give me a voice.'"
   It's no secret that Mitt Romney will most likely win Kentucky in
   November. Beyond that, Tea Party activists aim to elect candidates to
   Kentucky's legislature who will support the conservative agenda:  a
   rollback of abortion rights, support of the coal industry and cuts to
   medical care for the poor.  To achieve that, Republicans will have to
   control the state's House of Representatives, something that has eluded
   them for almost a century.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/conservative-tea-party-voters-are-for
   ce-in-kentucky/1524619.html

References

   1. http://www.theteaparty.net/?gclid=CMCK2vaT-bICFQme4AodyQ0A5A
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/conservative-tea-party-voters-are-force-in-kentucky/1524619.html