Posts Tagged ‘congress’

By Ray Paulick
It is no secret that the Democrat/Republican team here at the Paulick Report has been pushing for slots to be added at Kentucky’s racetracks since the legislative session earlier this year. It’s a reluctant position, wishing our sport could dig itself out of the hole on merit alone. But with all the other competing factors, it is obvious something must be added to the revenue stream to give racing a fighting chance to survive in this strange new world. Let’s face it, it ain’t 1973 anymore.
 
And so hopefully, this will be the last column I will have to write about David “Blackjack” Williams, the Republican president of the Kentucky state Senate who has steadfastly opposed legislation allowing Kentucky’s racing industry to compete on a level playing field with surrounding states. For those of you tired of this conversation, that possibility alone is enough for this to be labeled a Good News Friday piece.
 
On Tuesday, Kentucky will be holding yet another special election for a vacancy in the 14th Senate District after Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear appointed former Republican State Sen. Dan Kelly to a cushy judgeship. Covering much of Central Kentucky, this district certainly leans Democratic in registration numbers, but, like much of Kentucky, the voters are quite conservative. This is no slam-dunk for the pro-slots movement, but with a dominant lead for Democrats in fundraising, especially when combined with money brought in by the horse industry, there is a very good chance the Republicans will lose another seat in the Senate, and the balance of power will get ever closer to tilting to the Democratic side.
 
Both candidates have experience in Frankfort, with Republican Jimmy Higdon currently the state representative that encompasses a good portion of the 14th Senate District. From what I can tell, he is a hardworking and honest legislator. However, only three paragraphs into the ‘About Jimmy Higdon’ section of his website, Higdon draws a line in the sand on the slots issue. “On gambling, Jimmy Higdon voted against the governor’s slots-in-racetracks bill during the 2009 special session and he is committed to oppose the legislation as it is currently drafted.”
 
On the hand, former Democratic state representative and city councilman Jodie Haydon understands the issues our industry faces. Haydon rightly points out that “over 100,000 people have jobs in the Kentucky horse industry” and does an expert job of explaining the relevance of this number. “If you put Toyota, Ford, Delta and UPS all together, their employees would only amount to 1/3 the number of employees in the horse industry.” That’s a strong statement from a bold leader.
 
In reality, this race isn’t about Jimmy Higdon or Jodie Haydon. Instead, this election needs to be a referendum on the bully politics that David Williams has displayed over the past decade. A win for the Democrats in this election will spell doom for Williams’ once-mighty majority. This final nail in the coffin would most likely awaken the sleeping giant, United States Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will surely do everything in his power to keep the Republicans in the majority in Kentucky’s state Senate.
 
Why would the country’s most powerful Republican U.S. Senator care about this outcome? Whichever party holds the Kentucky Senate in 2010 also controls the redistricting of the U.S. Congressional seats based on the upcoming census. Currently, Republicans enjoy a 4-2 advantage but if the Democrats grab a majority after the mid-term elections that number could flip. Nothing would be more embarrassing for McConnell in a year that is certainly trending Republican.
 
With that in mind, David Williams is grasping at his last straw on Tuesday. A win and he probably holds on to his position. A loss and the McConnell machine will most likely push another candidate for Senate President during the run-up to this year’s general session. For those of you not familiar with Kentucky politics, McConnell has previously taken this type of matter into his own hands when dissatisfied with his party. He recruited former Louisville Congresswoman Anne Northup to run against sitting Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher in the primary for the 2007 gubernatorial election. While she lost, the primary delivered a final blow to an already scandal-ridden Republican who then lost big in the general election to current Gov. Beshear.

More recently, McConnell used his power to cut off fundraising to Hall of Fame pitcher and Sen. Jim Bunning, deeming him unelectable in the 2010 Senate elections, opting instead to support Secretary of State Trey Grayson. Bunning decided not to seek reelection.
 
If the bell tolled for a Hall of Fame pitcher and veteran Senator and the first Kentucky Republican governor in 32 years, David Williams will be gone faster than you can say VLT. The clock is ticking on the heavy-handed reign of Kentucky’s current State Senate President, a man who for some reason has taken it upon himself to try and destroy Kentucky’s signature industry. Let’s hope after Tuesday’s results, Williams’ time is up.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

Sign up for our Email Flashes to get the latest news, analysis and commentary from Ray Paulick

Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

• The bill would require the Attorney General to provide for the humane placement or other humane disposition of any horse seized in connection with an offense under this section.  As an organization deeply involved in the care of horses every day, we have concern that this requirement (for the Department of Justice, with no known capacity to care for seized horses) could result in improper treatment. 

• Simply adding criminal penalties – while not providing procedural guidelines or funding for the care and treatment of abandoned horses – will likely only exacerbate the situation. While supporters of this bill might believe that adding criminal penalties would cure the problem, it could easily make it worse.

  These are but a few of the questions that we and our members are examining. 

  With all due respect, I believe that prior legislation dealt with this issue in a more comprehensive way, was designed to address some of the possible unintended consequences that we find troubling, and was on the whole  better legislation for horses and horse owners. We continue to examine this legislation but these concerns remain.

  Finally, several anti-slaughter advocacy groups, including the Humane Society of the United States and Animal Welfare Institute, listed the NTRA as supporters of this legislation before consulting us.  We trust that they, and any other third party with whom you may have spoken relative to the NTRA’s position, have clarified that they claimed our endorsement before discussing our concerns with them.  Our association takes no position on this bill at this time. 

  Thank you for your attention to this matter.