Now that the run for VP is over for Beshear, he can get back to lengthy to-do list | Opinion
Back during the 2023 campaign, Gov. Andy Beshear made a pro-forma pledge that he would fulfill the four years of his second term here in Kentucky, no matter what might beckon from Washington, D.C.
No one believed that, of course.
If someone with national political aspirations gets a call to audition for a vice presidential spot, any concerns about getting your kids through high school or finishing a policy agenda goes poof! in a cloud of ambition. And so it was.
Andy will go to Washington some day, just not right now.
The 46-year-old governor has clearly impressed folks, so if Kamala Harris wins, maybe he gets a cabinet position. Or maybe he runs for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s spot. He is probably the last remaining Democrat who has a hope of winning a statewide spot in Kentucky.
Beshear’s brief national spotlight has been good for Kentucky, showing the world it can produce more than JD Vance, for one thing. We would have been in good hands with Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.
But losing the governor would have caused a lot of bother and churn that would further stall the glacial pace of government.
So for now, while he’s back among us, we have a few ideas of ways he can finish out the next three years:
▪ Continue the fight against Amendment 2. Beshear has said he will campaign heavily against the ballot initiative that would allow public school funding to be diverted to private schools, but that would have been difficult if he were on the campaign trail with Harris.
▪ Work on getting disaster-hit areas back up and running. The progress being made with housing in Eastern Kentucky is commendable, but more needs to be done, and we need more plans to be ready when the next disaster hits.
▪ Try to build back the grassroots Democratic Party of Kentucky. It’s understandable that Beshear focused all the party’s resources on his reelection, but now with a little more time on his hands, he should try to raise money and recruit candidates for an actual functioning political party. As I’ve written before, the absolute power of the GOP across the state isn’t good for anyone; a healthy, successful political system needs balance to work for all Kentuckians.
▪ Improve the relationship with the General Assembly and constitutional officers. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. The amount of sniping that goes on in Frankfort is a pointless waste of time. Keep on talking about policy that’s neither blue nor red and maybe someday it will sink in.
▪ Unravel the knot that is Kentucky’s juvenile justice system. The problems didn’t start on Beshear’s watch, but they haven’t been fixed on them either. Now a federal investigation will probably force some issues the state ignored.
Andy Beshear is a good spokesman for Kentucky in a country that mostly believes we walk around barefoot and quote JD Vance to each other at fried chicken picnics. It’s good for the world to see we actually contain multitudes, just like other states.
Beshear can spend the next few years repping us until he decides what’s next.
Added bonus: Every time he does, it makes statewide Republicans who dislike Beshear go berserk. So fun for everyone!
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 9:19 AM.
