After last week's gubernatorial election, I posited that Andy Beshear's administration has the potential to be much like that of his father, Steve Beshear. I noted that father and son are pretty much ideological twins, and championed the same issues. I even coined a nickname for the son's term -- Beshear 2.0. I've actually seen some others use that phrase since I came up with it, so at least I know this message is getting out. (More than 8,300 views of that particular column as of this writing.)
Now there's even more signs that point to Beshear 2.0 being a new (but not necessarily improved) version of Beshear 1.0.
Earlier this week, the state announced that General Fund and Road Fund receipts were up in October, and both funds are running a surplus for the current fiscal year. This will give the incoming administration a financial windfall from which to work as it and the General Assembly craft a biennial budget in the upcoming legislative session. Beshear is hoping to generate even more revenue for the state through the approval of casino gambling, which will take both a constitutional amendment passing the General Assembly and approval by the voters at the ballot box. It was one of the issues on which he campaigned, although he's been cautioned by the Senate leadership that a gambling amendment won't be passed in that chamber.
Sound familiar?
When Ernie Fletcher left office in 2007 and Beshear 1.0 took over, Fletcher left the incoming governor a budget surplus. Steve Beshear had campaigned on bringing casino gambling to the commonwealth. Casino interests had funded his campaign, and he was seeking to pay back that investment. Almost immediately upon taking office, the new governor started poor-mouthing and saying the state didn't have enough money to meet its obligations. That's one of the reasons that he used to justify the state employee furloughs.
Looks like a pattern developing. A Beshear beats an Republican governor in his re-election bid after campaigning in support of casinos. The outgoing governor leaves a budget surplus. Wonder what comes next?
And for even more evidence that Beshear 2.0 is on the way, look at the transition team he announced this week. It contains a whole lot of retreads from the 1.0 administration, including at least one transition chair who's in charge of the cabinet where he was forced out as secretary because of more than a few fishy conflict-of-interest situations.
There are a few other transition team selections that could be very interesting fodder if the state's press corps was interested in doing its job and subjecting Democrats to the same scrutiny they give Republicans. But Kentucky's media wouldn't be interested in examining the presence of someone who had a politically appointed job during the Beshear 1.0 term, yet had been fired from their state job years prior because of some pretty questionable behavior, now would they? (Yes, I know who it is, and have some background on what they did. I heard the story in my college years and got some details just a few months ago that helped fill in a lot of blanks.)
More signs are pointing to Andy Beshear's term truly being Beshear 2.0. And he hasn't even taken office yet. That's not a good thing.
