PRO-INDUSTRY REPUBLICANS
By Ray Paulick
If I had a “baseball card” that also included my political leanings it would say “bats right, votes left.” After Richard Nixon’s reelection in 1972, I put a bumper sticker on my car that read: “Don’t blame me. I voted for McGovern.” When I lived in Chicago I thought the city’s “one-party system” was political heaven because the only real election was the Democratic primary. During my spare time in 2008, I was a volunteer in the campaign that helped elect Barack Obama president. Ever since my political leanings were formed in the 1960s, it has been against my basic inner fibers to support any candidate with an R after their name.
But in the past couple of years, I have seen many of my friends and associates, including the Paulick Report's associate publisher Brad Cummings, stand up for candidates and elected officials they would not support except for one quality: they spoke up for the horse industry in Kentucky.
So for me to ignore those Republicans who are fighting for our industry in difficult primaries this spring would be hypocritical. Across the board, I probably disagree with the following candidates on a myriad of issues but at a critical juncture for horse racing, I proudly ask that the industry get behind their candidacies.
Public enemy number one for all horse folks should be the flaky and downright obtrusive Alice Forgy Kerr. She voted against VLT's at the track, voted for an increase in the ADW tax and has done almost nothing to support the racing and breeding industry.
Not only is she my State Senator, Forgy Kerr represents the district that includes Keeneland and many of Lexington's most picturesque horse farms. In short, having someone so unabashedly anti-industry as Kerr representing this area is akin to Sarah Palin being elected Mayor of New York City. Having her represent the 12th district is an insult to many of us.
Fortunately, we have a strong primary opponent running against Forgy Kerr in Dr. Andy Roberts. Roberts is an equine vet who sees every day that his clients are putting horses in trailers and vans bound for other states, most likely never to return. I would imagine he is afraid that his job will soon be outsourced to another state due to the increasing lack of work in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Roberts is a small government, low tax Republican who understands the industry from the inside and out and would undoubtedly be the industry's most reliable and forceful voice in the Kentucky Senate due to his inherent position within the Republican caucus and obvious opposition to current Senate President David "Blackjack" Williams, the captain of the anti-horse industry crew. To sweeten the pot, a Forgy Kerr loss would be a huge blow to Williams, who can consistently count on her vote on nearly every issue.
We must do everything in our power to help Dr. Roberts win the May 18 primary. To that end, he will be holding a fundraiser this Thursday at Malone's on Tates Creek Road at 6:30. If you rely on the horse industry to make a living, I would suggest you be there with a contribution and a word of encouragement. For more information on Dr. Roberts' campaign, visit www.roberts4ky.com. This seat in the Kentucky Senate needs to be the industry's number one electoral priority.
Senator Ernie Harris also voted against VLT's at the tracks, voted for an increase in the ADW tax and has been a clear lackey for Williams, time and again opposing the industry that has an underrated presence in his Oldham County Senate District. His Republican primary opponent, Don Godfrey, is another small government Republican who is extremely concerned with the state of the horse industry and has made it clear on the campaign trail that he will be a forceful advocate for the industry in Frankfort.
The one Republican darling for the industry in the State Senate is Tom Buford who has represented his district well, standing up for the needs of his horse-heavy constituency in the 22nd District that includes parts of Fayette and Jessamine Counties. Because of this support, which has required him to cross Republican leadership, Buford has drawn a primary opponent who will be another hiding-under-mommy's-skirt Senator.
There are also candidates in the House that demand our support. Republicans Lonnie Napier and Adam Koenig both voted for VLT's at racetracks and both have drawn anti-industry primary challenges as a result. This was a brave stance for them both to take and we should make sure to not abandon them as they continue to fight for us. And finally, Julie Raque Adams after a two-term stint on the Louisville Metro Council, has been an outspoken industry supporter faces a Republican primary challenge from a candidate who is basing his run on opposition to the horse industry.
Six races that could help determine the future of our industry in Kentucky and therefore six races we must all participate in. There is only a month to go so the time to start is now. If we don't fight for them, how can we expect politicians in Frankfort to fight for us?
Candidate Information:
Dr. Andy Roberts - www.roberts4ky.com/
Don Godfrey - godfreyforkysenate@gmail.com
502-515-3111
Tom Buford - www.senatortombuford.com
859-885-0606
Lonnie Napier - 302 Danville Street
Lancaster, KY 40444
Adam Koenig - www.adamkoenig.com
adamkoenig@insightbb.com
859-578-9258
Julie Raque Adams - 213 South Lyndon Lane
Louisville, KY 40222
Tags: Adam Koenig, ADW, alice forgy kerr, barack obama, Brad Cummings, Chicago, david blackjack williams, Don Godfrey, Dr. Andy Roberts, Ernie Harris, Julie Raque Adams, Keeneland, lexington, Lonnie Napier, McGovern, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Richard Nixon, tom buford, VLT
April 20th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Hey Ray,
Why don’t you tell your pal Obama that socialism is a poor substitute for free enterprise? lol
April 20th, 2010 at 9:24 am
You lost me at Obama.
April 20th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Interesting and informative. Too bad as an Independent, I can’t vote in the primary. No rights there.
April 20th, 2010 at 10:00 am
We must support these pro-industry candidates in the upcoming elections. Even if you can’t vote for them, or they are not in your district, you can make contributions to their campaigns, and help them make phone calls, walk door to door, put signs in yards, etc. Contact their campaigns and find out how to get involved!
April 20th, 2010 at 10:18 am
WHY WON’T ANYONE SAY THE THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT IN KENTUCKY DOESN’T WANT PEOPLE TO GAMBLE? IT’S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS! SO-CALLED FREE-MARKET REPUBS!
April 20th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Thanks for the article, Ray, and for posting the candidates’ info. Very helpful.
April 20th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Question—Whch side is Damon Thayer on in the Forgy Kerr and Roberts primary?
Answer—-Whichever side David Williams tells him to be on.
April 20th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Ray,
Wow! We must be close in age and also have identical political learnings. I’m sure “Watcher” will forego taking any funds from the “socialism” of social security and Medicare.
April 20th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Ray, I suspect your dilemma is shared by many. In my years as a turf writer I often interviewed people whose politics were hardly my own. But we had a few values in common and that’s always a good place to start. Just as supporting one candidate over another is never as simple a matter as some would suggest, so too is all the bashing you’ll take just for being informed and honest.
It’s beyond laughing out loud to see these simplistic comments from people who watch their portfolios rise daily and then call Obama a socialist. This is coded language for something else. Might I suggest a refresher course in comparative governmental systems for those who don’t know what a centrist is? But this is about the horse, I know.
April 20th, 2010 at 10:46 am
In this age of hyper-partisanship akin to our 19th Century political system where a U.S. senator could get beaten on the floor for holding the “wrong” views, your call for crossing party lines in response to the greater good is refreshing. Excellent and informative column, Ray.
In to those who call Obama a “Socialist,” I guess you’ll be turning down or returning all the largesse your or your state/community get from the federal government. And “states rights” sure is working out well for the racing industry isn’t it? One rule for California and another for Kentucky. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Socialism? Your kids go to school? You use the fire department, emergency room, highways, parks etc. Get over it, Bush destroyed this nation and it will take years to rebuild it. Fortunately the dems will be out to vote again and looks like the kicking screaming republicans will be left with such stellar candidates as Palin.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Uck, I come to the Paulick Report every morning to read about horse racing, not partisan politics. I understand the VLT issue is important to the industry but I hope this partisan crap doesn’t become a regular theme here.
But i will add one political comment of my own - Chicago has been plagued with crooks that have been robbing us blind for decades. I know this because I’ve lived here for decades. Calling Chicago’s one party system “political heaven” makes you look ignorant and foolish. Accordingly, from here on I’ll view your political opinions with a heavy dose of skepticism.
April 20th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
I have always found Andy Roberts to be knowledgeable and thoughtful, something i can’t say for Alice Foggy Kerr. Andy is a guy that is in high demand and makes a solid living doing something really well, as a lameness vet. I have great respect for people who know their field and do it well. Seems that being good at what you do and giving value for the money is a trait that is less and less common in America.
I think Andy can transfer his common sense/ get the facts approach to Frankfort, and goodness knows we could use a heaping dose of common sense in Kentucky state government.
April 20th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Ray, I’ve enjoyed your column everyday, but when I read that you supported Obama, I nearly fell over. You seem like an intelligent man and I can’t believe you’ve fallen prey to his rhetoric. I’ll wager this column is going to get more comments than Zenyatta. Please start thinking
April 20th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Churchill famously said: “If you’re not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you’re not a conservative at forty you have no brain.”
April 20th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
A friendly wager…Let’s see if a single candidate Ray touts here stands up and declares that they believe Obama is the answer. A SINGLE ONE! Any takers? Barb Dwyer, amen. Hey, when does Governor Blogo go on trial? Good Lord the man’s doing reality tv. In the 70s we called the Leestown Road prison Illinois South.
April 20th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Noelle .. I’m over 40 and have as much of a brain as the Scarecrow on Wizard of Oz and more heart than the Cowardly Lion.
To the others who are shocked that a lifelong Democrat like me would vote Democratic in the 2008 presidential election–get over it. Isn’t it more shocking that I am supporting Republicans in the Kentucky state Senate and House?
Bak Trakker…I’m not hoping these Republican candidates support Obama. I want people in the Kentucky legislature who understand the importance of the horse industry to my state–and party affiliation doesn’t matter.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Some of the comments above are just plain mean-spirited or are off-subject non-sequiters. For example, “expofilly” says “I nearly fell over …. ” and “watcher” trots out the tired and inaccurate comments about “socialism” ……Gimme a break. They completely miss the salient point that regardless of national politics, we need to elect some people who will protect Kentucky’s signature industry or watch it slip away. Even Keeneland’s board now has some non-horse people on it (go figure). This does not bode well for the future, as these individuals certainly do not have Keeneland’s best interests at heart.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Ray, if expanded gaming was on the ballot I’d hold my nose and vote yes. I say I’d hold my nose because I believe horse racing would be the tail on the wagging “gaming” dog in ten years or so, and adding purse to cheap ass racing still leaves bettors with cheap ass racing. You’re touting certain Republicans because of one issue, and that’s fine, but you brought up Obama and if I was giving political advice I’d ask your candidates if they agreed with Ray Paulick on a amn who’s in the process of destroying real centrist Democrats. Check back in November.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
It goes without saying that strategic changes of our elected representatives must occur–quickly. Whether Democrat or Republican opponents of the horse industry need to be removed.
As we take this action for the future, we should also examine what has happened in the past to create most of our problems. The answer: GOVERNMENT. Too much spending, too much taxation, too much regulation, too many bureaucrats, and far too little common sense.
Had Government controlled its spending like we lowly citizens must, they wouldn’t be facing the astronomical deficits. And which political philosophy extolls the virtues of an expanded government role?
LIBERALISM.
April 20th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I too am a Republican, but I am getting fed up with the Republican whiners.
We got beat in 2008, and we got beat because we screwed up big time in both Iraq and with the economy, Then we allowed a bunch of corrupt republicans, many of which went to jail or resigned in disgrace, destroy our reputation.
Next, In the name of job growth, building houses people could not afford, we let our banking system go to hell. George W’s, asleep at the switch administration forgot its role as the administrator of regulations… In case you forgot, it was “w” who proposed the bailout, not Obama.
Republicans protected a bunch of thieves and crooks on wallstreet and we are all paying the price. The bank shareholders took it on the chin because the government did not do its job of policing the banking system.
There is nothing in my Republican upbringing that says I am supposed to support thieves, and thugs and call it free enterprise and capitalism.
April 20th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Isn’t there an opportunity, with the potential for Rand Paul to be on the top of the ticket this fall, for Churchill and Keeneland to fund, via Citizens United, ads that bash “arbitrary government restraints on racing” in 3 of the state senate races this fall where they could flip the seat?
Paul’s ads will no doubt harp on similar absurdities but with the potential for his campaign to raise $8ish M, such ads by Churchill and Keeneland would dovetail nicely, no?
Ironically this would require voting for a Dem to end the “arbitrary government restraints” in order to expand gaming but with the industry marketing deployed, that would be downplayed. If Churchill and Keeneland haven’t already hired the consultants for this they don’t deserve expanded gaming.
April 20th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Ray, you’re an absolutely terrific turf writer. In that regard, at least, your brain functions beautifully.
April 20th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Concerned Observer, when did Robert Rubin become a Republican? Nice try to avoid the bi-partisan shagging we’ve all received from crooks in DC and New York. We deserve to have a tax cheat running the Treasury.
April 20th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Hi Ray,
Sorry, but I’m with Noelle and the Churchill quote. But even still, I enjoy your perspective and by just writing this article shows you are trying to be fair and balanced in this matter even if it pains you to do it. So THANKS for that!
It is good that there are some legislators that can help the Horse Industry, no matter which side of the aisle they’re on.
April 20th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I am a supporter of the thoroughbred industry and all it does for the so many people who devote their lives to breeding, raising , breaking , training and racing the thoroughbred.
It is political because of the money, but the small guy is always the one who hangs in this business through thick and thin and continues to support it “in spite of “; and that is not age , gender, or color specific. I personally will vote for change, not just republican or democrat, but for the candidate who will listen and represent his constituents, not just himself or herself. Let’s try and get back to basics and elect some people with the ability to listen, not just preach their own agenda and journalists who report the news not their own political rhetoric . Nice to see some support for the industry and not the “party”.
April 20th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Ray, I realized what an outdated freak Alice Forgy Kerr is when she appeared at the Alan Keyes rally at Lexington Christian Academy. I defriended her on FB, and would never vote for her. Thanks for keeping us updated on who supports the industry.
April 20th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Regardless of one’s own political party affiliation, those of us who are avid supporters of this sport and are pragmatic in our evaluation of a particular candidate’s positions on the issues, must put that candidate’s positions related to the horse racing industry in proper relative perspective. In other words, if a candidate is a supporter of the industry but his or her positions on most other issues are contrary to your own, can you justify a vote based on a single issue?
April 20th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
To Lost in the Fog:
Amen, Far too many Americans today would vote for Joe Stalin if he was on their side of the
“one issue” they placed above all the other issues in life.
April 20th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Bush started the new “socialism” it was called TARP.
He implemented TARP because of the largest financial crisis since the depression.
With 8 years of hands off government, Wall Street had an orgy and citizens are made to clean up after it.
During the Bush years I changed to independent, so I can’t vote in the primary, but my rhetoric will support the candidates that support horseracing. Thank you for the list, I plan to vote against the incumbent for years to come.
April 20th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
#11 JR.
I LIKE WHAT JR STATED. .ALSO, I’M WITH RAY!!!
April 20th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Who coined the phrase “Our signature industry” ? The message was clear, but too many missed it. A signature is at the bottom of the page. That is where the horse industry is with a majority of politicians. Whatever their party, all politicians must get a majority to be elected. In Kentucky, the voters who even think about horses are a minority. Here, religion is the high priority and the state religion is College Basketball.
The politician’s message to the horse business is - “SAVE YOURSELF”.
April 20th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
No wonder it’s difficult to follow your logic these days…anyone who wants a Marxist govt has no clue which end is up.
April 20th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
What I Davis no comment on Bush’s TARP? How do you explain that?
April 20th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
I hate politics and I hate it when we invite election discussions to enter horse racing chat. I know racking is largely dependent on politics, but supporting a hand full of GOPers who will, in the final analysis, giver the wackos in their party a majority who will then cast anti-racing votes is hardly a prescription for success.
Success is figuring out to cash more winning tickets.
April 21st, 2010 at 5:13 am
Keep your eyes on the prize. This is about whether or not the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry survives in Kentucky; nothing less. And slots don’t cure all ailments. But without them, in a few years, the racing circuit disintegrates, and in our lifetime, the breeding industry becomes a ghost of what it used to be.
Think it can’t happen? We used to have something called standardbreds by the thousands in Kentucky in the late 70s. Then other states started beefing up their breeding programs and purses, and now they’re gone.
We need this for the people who just want to make a living in the business, and it doesn’t matter whether those people are Republicans, Democrats or Independents.
April 21st, 2010 at 9:21 am
WELCOME BACK EUGENE LEVEY!!!!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
April 21st, 2010 at 1:01 pm
First paragraph made me barf.
April 21st, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Careful Andrew, you’ll get banned like Bak Trakker.
April 21st, 2010 at 1:57 pm
If you are interested in following Senator Buford during the campaign trail, there is a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Buford-for-State-Senate/111852992171103?ref=ts
and Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113319462029901&ref=ts
Show your support for a Senator who has always supported the Horse Industry in Kentucky!
April 21st, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Ray,
I think your brain seems to be functioning with it’s typical good sense.
To “Lexington”; FYI Keeneland, from it’s inception,has had non horsepeople on it;s BOD. This is simply a matter of good judgement, because inspite of our own sense of knowing everything, there are one or two non horse folks out there that have something to offer (even) us!
To Mike Bronzino, Kentucky’s Religious Right is more concerned about our VLT’s cutting into their Bingo coffers, than it is worried about GAMBLING in Kentucky.
April 21st, 2010 at 7:00 pm
David Williams and the religious right have decided for the rest of us that we need to be protected from ourselves. Let the people vote Mr Williams. Democracy belongs to everyone not just the breligious right
April 23rd, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Ray:
Nixon was my favorite president; I won more money at the races when he was in than before or after.
AH