Many stood by Ernie Fletcher for his anti-gambling position. They then stood back as he went through the meat grinder suspecting all along that it was the gambling industry turning the crank. For years before and after the Fletcher administration the Kentucky GOP stood strongly against expanded gambling in Kentucky and enjoyed increasing numbers in the House and a solid majority in the Senate. Now things have changed.
Damon Thayer, GOP senator from Georgetown whose district also includes Owen, Grant and part of Kenton county, seems to be the point person for pushing a constitutional amendment to permit a vote on gambling in Kentucky. What a shame.
It is a well known fact that Steve Beshear promised so much to the casino folks that his political life depends on passing a gambling bill. You'd think from a political point of view the GOP would want to deny him that success and in turn diminish his chances fora second term. Thayer's proposal does just the opposite.
Thayer's proposal is also an acknowledgment that Beshear has succeeded in picking apart the GOP, which has apparently made them nervous. Beshear has openly targeted the Senate majority by giving plum jobs to republican senators like Charlie Borders and then helping his democratic opponent to win the open seat. With GOP floor leader Dan Kelly poised to get a judicial appointment, the slim majority David Williams has controlled could diminish even further.
Williams is a master politician. He has done a couple of smart things in this move. First, he put Thayer out front. Thayer has a long history working within the horse industry. I'm sure they haven't been happy with his stance on gambling until now.
Second, Williams is smart enough to know that he holds the cards in the Senate meetings this Spring, and the November 2010 elections are likely to trend republican in Kentucky. Don't be surprised if he hasn't made a deal or two to keep some of his precious senators safe from the Governor and Greg Stumbo's meddling.
But there is always a danger in making deals with and caving into democrats. They historically do what they want anyway and regard any deals with republicans as non-binding according to their own rules of battle.
Last go around the majority of people in counties without race tracks were strongly opposed to gambling. If Thayer is right and 80% of the people want to vote on the issue, unless he has polling to the contrary, many of them want to vote against it and may vote against those who opened the starting gate by proposing a constitutional amendment in the first place.
It's a high stakes gamble which should make the bettors a little bit nervous.