David Dayen has said repeatedly that he thinks the importance of the next governor is overstated. If it is or it isn’t, it certainly isn’t really a position that I would like to take a step into.  It is a position that is almost certainly a trap for any politician that has any designs on any other office, the chances of failure given the current climate in Sacramento are quite high. While that isn’t likely to be a huge consideration for Jerry Brown, the other competitors for the job might have ambitions of using the gig as a stepping stone to something else.  But I’ve told anybody who listens that it’s a sucker’s play, IMHO. Coming out of the pig sty without mud on your face just ain’t that easy.

But consider the other big-name gigs in town.  Assembly Speakers are a transitory bunch.  On occasion you’ll get somebody in there for the better part of four years, like Fabian Nunez, who can do something to really grab the position and make a name for himself.  But typically, you have just two years to make your mark. That’s a tall order.  Karen Bass has talked about big change, but it’s just not all that clear that she’ll have the chance to implement any substantial portion of that.

But the Senate President Pro Tem typically gets a longer time to make his mark.  Senators have usually served in the Assembly, so they are known quantities when they get to the Upper Chamber.  The eyes were already upon Sen. Steinberg to replace Don Perata the moment he was sworn in.  People knew he was both a good fundraiser, and a good legislator. And Steinberg clearly wanted the job.

But, as Marcus Breton points out in the Bee today, this job turned sour for Steinberg.  Steinberg is a good person, stuck in a bad position:

It’s about a citizen politician – one of us – who is now tagged by an angry public as “one of them.” Steinberg preached transparency, but when it came to crafting a tortured state budget, he participated in a secret proceeding that everybody hated.

“There was no other way to make a $42 billion dent in the state budget,” he said Friday. “I didn’t like it, but that’s a fact.”

It’s an honest response to a level of dishonesty. It’s not burning down the village to save it, but it’s in the same ballpark. Steinberg is the guy you see around the supermarket and think: How does a nice man get anything done in a snake pit like the Capitol? His ascendancy to the highest levels of state government hinted at a different way of governing.(SacBee)

I’ve had the chance to talk to Sen. Steinberg a number of times, although I doubt he remembers me.  He really is just a nice guy who wants to keep the state running.  In many ways, he’s something of a softie. It’s really not that tough to read him, and the Republicans saw that. Steinberg really wanted to get a deal done in February, and he did what it took. Whether you agree or disagree with what came out of that week, you can’t say that he didn’t work as hard as you see a politician work.

But the underlying facts are still at play for Steinberg, win or lose on May 19, he still has a massive mess in front of him.  And there just aren’t any easy answers for him, or any other legislative leader.