My husband and I are newly transplanted to Kentucky - from North Carolina and Mississippi. I attended a meeting of the western Kentucky Democratic Caucus several weeks ago where I heard some very disturbing coments. The meeting was held as a Town Hall type of event, where we all brought our ideas to the floor. I think my companions and I were the only truly liberal democrats in the room. The one comment that sticks out in my mind was in the moderator's closing remarks. He talked about his concerns that the "Democratic Party Tent" wasn't big enough for him any more; his anti-gay marriage, anti-choice, pro-theocracy views somehow don't fit the Democratic party (gee, y'think?). He said "I may have to re-think the prayer in schools issue. It doesn't seem like such a bad idea anymore." Does anyone else (I assume mostly Southerners, here) find that the national party's tendency to moderate is even more pronounced at the local level?