Beshear power broker's comments on Spitzer fundraiser

Yesterday, KyPolitics.org revealed that two political confidantes of Governor Steve Beshear, Tracy Farmer and former Governor Brereton Jones, hosted a fundraiser in 2006 for then New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer at Farmer's Midway farm. Farmer was a major donor to Beshear and helped to create the Bluegrass Freedom Fund 527 that raised and spent $3.1 million on Beshear's behalf. Beshear later named Farmer co-chairman of his inaugural committee.

Today, we bring you the comments that Farmer made to the Daily Racing Form in August 2006 regarding his fundraiser for Spitzer. Keep in mind that Farmer had an agenda to influence the decision on who was awarded the franchises to run thoroughbred race tracks in New York state. From the Daily Racing Form:

While Farmer hopes for continued success on the track in New York, he could emerge as one of the more influential power brokers off the track. Farmer is a staunch Democrat, and a few months ago he held a Democratic Party fund-raiser at his Kentucky farm that was attended by Eliot Spitzer, the favorite to be elected New York's next governor. Spitzer is likely to have the final say on who is awarded the franchise to run Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga beginning in 2008.

"I'm not assisting with any of these groups; I just think he'll make the right decision pertaining to racing in New York," Farmer said of Spitzer. "Could you imagine the rest of the country's racing if we didn't have racing in New York? We had a very successful fund-raiser; we took him to breeding farms, showed him everything. He really enjoyed it. He's very charismatic. This bidding process is so complicated, but at the end of the day I think he'll make the right decision if it's his decision to make it."

Comments

Another Democrat disgraced by his own sense of importance.

[GOP Hitman]

DO you think this is the same attitude they approached Beshear with? Tisk Tisk! One failed attempt after another at selecting a good candidate. Gotta give it to these guys, no matter how bad the candidate or how great the conspiracy, they don't give up. They just find another puppet.

So Farmer's basically going around the country, trying to buy gambling action wherever he can get it?

Kinda like Spitzer with the prostitutes, huh?

[Howmuch Deho]

..we took him to breeding farms, showed him everything. He really enjoyed it.. I just peed my pants.

Taking Eliot Spitzer to a breeding farm is like taking Bill Clinton to an intern convention.