From today’s Beyond Chron
If Democrats could choose a city for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to visit, Sacramento should be near the top of the list. The city’s current political situation says a lot about the state of the Republican Party – not only in California, but across the country. Once a juggernaut of party unity, disciplined messaging, and perceived ‘toughness’, Republicans now look more like a petty group of infighting children unable to make the tough decisions necessary to lead the most populous state in the Union. While the Democratic National Convention tears out of the gate, John McCain’s visit to California’s state capitol yesterday for a fundraiser represents an opportunity to underscore the striking similarities between the severe problems both the state and national Republican party face.
“Read My Lips…No New Taxes”
Back in February, McCain made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows to declare that “under no circumstances” would he raise taxes. By July, he started to backtrack, stating he would consider increasing the Social Security payroll tax. But after receiving a harshly-worded open letter from the notorious Club for Growth lambasting the idea, McCain quickly reaffirmed his anti-tax stance, telling a group of voters at a town hall meeting in Colorado, “I want to look you in the eye: I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase. I will not do it.”
Of course, he still remains silent on exactly how he would preserve Social Security benefits in the future without increasing revenue. McCain’s strategy of using an unrealistic and dishonest pledge to oppose tax increases as a weapon to paint Barack Obama as fiscally irresponsible, while simultaneously avoiding discussions of how to maintain current levels of public services without tax increases, presents some startling similarities to California’s Republican legislature.
With the state budget now 57 days overdue, Republicans in the Senate and Assembly remain vehemently opposed to any tax hike. Yet throughout the process, they have yet to offer any proposal to solve the state’s budget gap that would rely solely on cuts. The reason is simple – the disastrous consequences such a proposal would have on millions of Californians would be a public relations nightmare.
So, they continue to hide behind their anti-tax pledge and eschew any real negotiation on how to solve the current crisis. The election of McCain, like the reelection of the obstructionist Republican state legislators responsible for the current budget impasse, will leave citizens in the same old tired mess – declining public services without any substantive discussion about how to stop the bleeding.
Republican ‘Unity’
Over the past 20 years, Republicans became increasingly identified with a remarkable degree of party unity. The seemingly disparate coalition of blue-collar, rural and religious voters and big business proved to be a powerful one, resulting in a simple and easily maintained set of core values – tax breaks for economically powerful interests, socially conservative edicts, and above all, the aforementioned ‘no new taxes’ promise.
As the Bush Jr. administration comes to a close, however, this national Republican coalition appears to be severely cracking, and McCain represents an excellent representation of this demise. So far, he has been unable to reassure religious voters that he’ll fight for their interests. And, despite his recent promise to not increase taxes, hardcore fiscal conservatives remain suspicious of McCain, due in large part to his previous efforts to enact campaign finance reform. Should McCain be elected, the possibility of an Executive divided with his own party’s legislative caucus remains very real, no matter how far McCain bends over backwards to prove he won’t raise taxes.
These fissures can also be seen in the state Republican Party. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, unlike his fellow party members in the legislature, has offered a budget proposal that includes a three-year hike of the state sales tax. While this represents a stopgap measure that will not lead to a structurally sound budget, it still reveals the Governor realizes that walking in lock-step with the rabid anti-tax crowd is not a viable option when it comes to successfully running a state.
Schwarzenegger, however, can’t seem to convince fellow Republicans of this fact, as they remain steadfastly opposed to his budget proposal. The Governor’s inability to maintain party discipline regarding the best approach to the budget reveals a deep chasm forming between the Executive and his supposed allies in the legislature. As the state budget morass deepens, so do the cracks in the formerly unassailable unity of the state Republican party.
Democratic Opposition
The Democratic Party stands in stark contrast to the current state and national Republican disarray.
On the national level, despite media narratives of disgruntled Hillary supporters and undecided blue-collar voters, Democrats stand to display an impressive degree of unity not seen for some time. Speeches by both Bill and Hillary Clinton will cement broad inter-party support for Obama’s candidacy. The unprecedented number of youths involved in the convention will highlight renewed vigor among an important element of the party’s base. And the convention’s location in Colorado signifies growing support amongst a group of Western states formerly considered reliably red.
In California, Speaker Karen Bass passed the first test of her tenure with remarkable aplomb. The Democratic Assembly remains consistently on message concerning the budget, arguing that the Governor’s proposal does not represent a sound solution, that the Republican legislature has no solution, and that Democrats will not give up core values simply to pass a budget. When Assemblywoman Nicole Parra of Hanford strayed from her caucus and refused to vote on the Democratic budget proposal, Bass took the necessary steps to discipline her and ensure her party remains united in its efforts.
McCain declined to hold a public event in Sacramento yesterday, opting instead for a private fundraising affair with donors. But his reticence to take the spotlight here should not distract the public from the obvious and growing connection between a weakening Republican Party here in California and nationwide.
