Former Gov. Jones critical of Beshear on casinos

Former Gov. Brereton Jones, who was instrumental in persuading Steve Beshear to run for governor, is criticizing Beshear’s handling of a constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling in Kentucky.

Beshear was “in the perfect position of getting it done and he did not,” Jones said Tuesday in an interview. He is chairman of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, which pushed casinos.

Jones, whose family owns and operates Airdrie Stud farm near Midway, stopped short of saying he was sorry he backed Beshear last year for governor but did say the fellow Democrat made several “big mistakes” that led to the downfall of the amendment in this year’s legislative session.

Beshear, who made casino gambling a cornerstone of his campaign for governor last year, declared the issue dead last week after House Democratic leaders informed him they could not wrangle the necessary 60 votes to approve it in the Democratic-controlled chamber.

Dick Brown, Beshear’s communications director, declined to comment on Jones’ remarks.

Last week, Jones told The Blood-Horse, a Lexington-based horse industry publication, that passing casino legislation “was extremely doable with a new governor showing the proper leadership, but for whatever reason, he chose to take a different approach, and I think it was the wrong approach.”

Jones said he thinks Beshear erred by not presenting his casino legislation at the beginning of the legislative session in January and rallying Democratic leadership behind it. Instead, Beshear proposed the bill on Feb. 14, well after lawmakers began struggling with the state budget and other sticky issues.

He also said Beshear made a mistake by not mentioning gambling in his State of the Commonwealth address in January and by dividing the Democratic Party by endorsing an unsuccessful candidate in a state Senate race in Eastern Kentucky.

But Jones said he still thinks Beshear can be a successful governor.  However, Jones said it will be more difficult for Beshear to get casino gambling approved in the 2010 General Assembly.

“A governor is strongest on the first day in office,” he said. “They then start making decisions and every decision offends someone. Your number of offenders accumulates and it’s harder to get things done.”

- Jack Brammer

Comments

[Wandering Aimlessly]

I respect former Gov. Jones and whole heartedly agree with his remarks. Many of us in the equine industry were seduced by a political message that this gaming legislation would be tough, but not possible. In reality, many of us who lobbied hard and gave money during the election cycle to support Beshear's candidacy feel a bit duped. The message got lost almost as soon as the election concluded. A PR firm never got it together. The Governor feared mentioning it in his first public address to the General Assembly, and in the end, all of our pleading and input fell on deaf ears in regards to the gaming amendment. Votes for the amendment were never secure in committee, and House leadership and the Governor went scrambling. It was ill thought and ill advised. Gov. Beshear seems to be operating in a 20 year old time warp. This is not the same legislative body it was in the 1980s and political party machines have gone the way of dinosaurs.

[Wandering Aimlessly]

Please note my comments should have read "tough but not IMpossible." Those typos happen to us 'Boomers more often these days, especially when we stubbornly refuse to wear our glasses when blogging!

[Keep Wandering]

First of all lets think about this.....Brerton Jones is publically pushing the blame on Beshear so he doesn't look bad or lose his roll at KEEP, or the money that KEEP receives from special interests, if you know what I mean.

That's all this PR is and that's all it ever will be. The Casino's that backed KEEP and Beshear were in financial trouble and now the PR is coming out about those casino's and special interest.

Here's what's even worse. They wanted the tax payers of this state to bail out a gambling business that is failing and those businesses do not even have a presence in this state.

Ohhh but wait. Not only would you have attempted to bail the failing industry out of trouble with your tax dollars, but you also would have the opportunity to shove more money down the drain when they opened their doors in the 9 locations throughout Kentucky.

Ahhh yes, Casino's and gambling that's the silver bullet that was going to solve all of our problems! Everything.....energy crisis issues, healthcare, education, retirement system, and let me see hmmm oh yeah the horse industry.

By the way here's a question to ponder. Maybe some of those really good investigative blogers out there can see what percentage of Kentucky's high dollar horse farms income is from investors that are tied to the middle east and foreign oil.

Well I guess that's enough for the casino thing in Kentucky. It's not going to happen and even though Fletcher may have lost and probably knew he would not win based on the polls, but he at least raised enough awareness to keep one of the dumbest ideas to provide sustainable tax revenue from happening.

Kudos to him for that.

Now what's up Beshear's old sleeve for plans B-Z instead of raising taxes? Nothing.

I would say to Mr. Jones, start looking for another job or role in your life because I would say that KEEP is going to get rid of you.

Have a nice Day. :)

[jimbo]

One of the sweeter ironies to the casino non-vote was that the legislature was given the opportunity to stick it to the horse industry. KEEP's attitude that they were entitled to the financial benefits of casinos was mildly obnoxious. I could care less if we have casinos or not but I do feel that if we were to allow them, the whole Commmonwealth should benefit without giving the first slice to the horsey set. This arrogance of entitlement probably did not go over too well in Frankfort and some probable supporters of enhanced revenue sat on the sidelines just to watch KEEP squirm.

Our Gov might be twenty years behind times but KEEP is on the wrong planet if they expect sympathy from the average Ky tax-payer. I think this whole issue fell because of a conflation of religious pressure with class resentment.

[rich horse money can go to he*l]

For one of the few times the rich did not get richer. Who we do we blame for that?

[Worst governor ever]

Let me congratulate the worst governor ever for his criticism of the most ineffective governor ever. Remember the days of competitive insurance rates, before the days of the socialist insurance take over during the Jones misadminstration. This is almost as inept as the current misadministration and its bought and paid for (although could not deliver) governor.
Seems they do have something in common, both inept, both democrat, and both destined for the history book on the worst governors in our Kentucky.

[Elizabeth]

This is a hoot. They can talk about it at the Keeneland Clubhouse Saturday or the round of balls coming up or at Idlehour or out at the Hunt Club.

[Commonwealth Progress]

Elizabeth is hilarious (and right). Now if only those same folks would have to weed eat their own fence rows, instead of using the undocumented migrant workers who appear to be the horsey set's current (and longtime) favorite target of exploitation. It's really too bad for all those poor rich KEEP board members. Not only do they believe they don't have to play by the rules to sustain their dying business, but they are disappointed and confused that the people of the Commonwealth didn't give them a subsidy for doing so.