No movement on the budget today, just dueling press conference. Also…
• Andrew Pugno, the repugnant man who was the go-to guy for Proposition 8’s every legal and other need, is running for Assembly to replace the termed out Roger Niello. His “fame” from his quest to take away the rights of LGBT Californians has netted him some early cash. Incidentally, no other Republican has signed up for the race. However, the stats for a possible pickup in this seat are solid. Registration is only at a 1% Republican advantage, and Obama won by over 4 points.
• A new poll shows over 70% support for a tobacco tax of $1.50 per pack. The Republicans will fight it, but it looks like another good shot on a ballot fight.
• The Marijuana Policy Project has launched a new TV ad asking for the legalization and taxation of marijuana, something about 54% of Californians support. It’s time for more than discussion of the regulation of marijuana and time to start moving forward.
• A great cartoon from Rex Babin at the Bee.
• Tom Campbell got a few minutes to bloviate on Dylan Ratigan’s new MSNBC show, and the network never saw fit to mention that he was a Republican. So on the “liberal” MSNBC, the range of debate on the California budget moved from Tom Campbell… to Tom McClintock.
• If you want to know the boilerplate conservative solution for California’s problems, this Wall Street Journal editorial from Hoover Institution senior fellow Henry Rowen is a good place to start. He basically wants to execute an IMF-style “reform” of California, and thinks the 2/3 requirement is a “crucial defense against uncontrolled spending.” Do Californians get a say?
• Robert explained how the Legislature is screwing up high speed rail yesterday, but it should be noted that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood expanded the California HSR corridor yesterday by including a route to Las Vegas.
• I’m amazed that this relates to politics, but Victoria Jackson is nuts.
• Hey, please check out Firedoglake’s citizen whip count, trying to get House Democrats on the record that they will not accept a health care bill without a public insurance option. Lynn Woolsey and Maxine Waters are on board, but there ought to be far more California Dems on that side of the ledger. Health Care for America now has a whip tool as well. Keep the calls coming.
he’s 250k raised in only three weeks. Democratic Party would need to think of a quality candidate that could beat his fundamentalist connections.
Heck, Id even would like a centrist Republican to take him on maybe as well.
http://www.flashreport.org/blo…
Led their late night Eyewitness News with the MPP ad. They are the only Bay Area station that would accept it. Apparently, taxing marijuana is too controversial for our local ABC and NBC affiliates to even accept ad dollars for. Amazing how narrow is the range of acceptable discourse on this topic that teevee stations are comfortable declining advertising revenue on the subject.
Stephanie Klein’s “Shock Doctrine” outlines a 9 or 10 part plan typically followed by governments, often at the behest of the IMF, to destroy and/or privatize the public sector, to the enrichment of the oligarchy and impoverishment of the populace. She has recently been saying that’s what the US right-wing and wealthy are trying to do now, with California’s debacle being a good example. I react the WSJ’s article as not being a good sign; if they are willing to go public with such odious plans, they obviously think they have a good chance of succeeding.