If you get a chance, take a listen to Warren Olney’s Which Way, LA? tonight. You can find it right here.
The California portion starts about halfway in, at around 28:40.
So Warren Olney describes the craptacular deal, and then has two lawmakers on to talk about it. First up is Bonnie Lowenthal, who is positively ebullient about the prospect of selling out local governments and breaking the very fabric of the social safety net. Asked if she’ll vote for the budget, she goes “I certainly am!” Olney, incredulously, lists the scope of the cuts, but she replies, “We have a deal, the stalemate is done, the IOUs will be over!” Later in the show, she enlightens us that it’s better to have something than nothing, and that we saved the “framework” – not the funding, just the framework – of most programs.
Then Chuck DeVore comes on. Now DeVore is running for US Senate, and needs to be as crazy as he wants to be. So Olney asks him if he’s voting for the budget. And he says he hasn’t read it, but it didn’t go far enough with the “reforms” and cuts to programs. (He also uses the spanking new right-wing canard that California has 12% of the population and 32% of the welfare recipients, which is only true if you count all kinds of services that other states don’t consider welfare as welfare) Then Olney says that there were no new taxes in the deal, and DeVore hails that, and eventually says “this is the best compromise we could possibly get.” And Olney says, “So then you’ll vote for it.” And DeVore says “No.”
I guess DeVore didn’t get handed his talking points that he’s supposed to throw a hissy fit about a fake report in the LA Times regarding early release, almost certainly planted by Sam Blakeslee to give cover to Yacht Partiers who want to vote against the budget.
I don’t think you could encapsulate the strategy and approach of the two parties better in a work of fiction. Lowenthal is just pleased as punch for everything to be over, DeVore knows he can get more and doesn’t want any part of his own handiwork so Democrats can be blamed for the consequences. One side looks only to put out immediate fires and the other has a long game strategy playing out over decades.
It is not pleasing to be a Democrat at this juncture.
That such a huge population of human beings is represented by people like them beggars belief.
Of course I’m angrier about the Democrats, though. You expect Republicans to do all they can to screw the poor. But these Democrats know better. And they’re totally gutless.
As others have said elsewhere, the Democrats should require 100% GOP votes for the budget before a single Democrat votes.
If DeVore votes no, then let it die.
I called Lowenthal’s office today and gave them what for this morning. Told them no way could any rationale Democrat vote for this and DEMANDED tax hikes and oil severance.
I guess she doesnt care.
She is dead to me.
The smart move for the GOP is to vote NO, ratchet back further by again replacing their leadership, and get even more knowing legislative Dems only know how to cave.
Meanwhile, Dems will stick with utter failures as leaders so we can keep doing the same thing while expecting different results.
Gonna get worse as long as Dem leadership thinks the definition of insanity is a strategy.
The redevelopment borrowing scam.
One more chance to cripple government revenue long term.
I tried to lay it all out here
what a shock.
the crazy party votes to send this state into hell. because of their minority dicatorship, they can.
the democratic party postures, talks and poses about how “tough” things are.Then they go and capitulate like Barbara Boxer to the right, sucking off power like a two dollar whore.
except the two dollar whore got something for their efforts. the collaborators to the austrian Governor got nada.
And our 2 democratic candidates are Arnold 2.0 and Arnold 1.5. Democrats suck all the balls ever and not in a good way.
Time for a reset button. burn down the legislature, the Governor, the constitution and the two parties who effortlessly fuck over everyone for their own good.
The fact that Tom Ammiano, Fiona Ma, Mark Leno and the other alleged liberal Democrats from SF voted for this show how FUCKED THEY ARE!
To hell with them and their collaborationist bullshit. These are the kind of people who collaborate with the worst kind of Prussian Evil just to save their asses. They have no honor and they are a disgrace to all that is how allegedly liberal “San Francisco” claims to be.
But of course, we can’t say these things…we have to lift up the right hand and salute these alleged paragons of progressive virtue because if we dont’…oh my…we might get a REPUBLICAN in office???
Not.
Mark Leno sold out transit and wears it proudly, and gets angry when you say so. Hey Mark, I’m glad you’re not that bitch Carol Migden, but what the FUCK have you done lately besides sell out the Party for your own interests?
**crickets chriping**
What the hell are the Democrats supposed to do?
I guess it’s just a game of chicken and the democrats keep ‘losing’ because they won’t let the state crash. Should they let it crash? Any ideas?
So remember, it’s not the Dems vs the Pubs. We could win that contest.
It’s the Dems vs the Pubs + ABC + NBC + CBS + FOX + ClearChannel + Scripps Howard +…
ABC radio news led off with “Governor Schwarzenegger and the legislative leadership reach a deal….” as though he had lead the process rather than dragged his heels the whole way.
PBS News Hour’s camera could not avert its gaze from the imposing Governator in his immaculately tailored suit. And the lazy dimwit reporter they sent to cover the story (Spencer Michaels) said that the deal had been reached “the old fashion way, with a lot of deal-making…” as though there had been some actual give and take, instead of give-and-give-more political blackmail… the rest was vague, cliche’d commentary from a guy who obviously got the story from reading a couple of issues of the Bee.
I put my first street poster out last night. it’s got a picture of Arnie grinning with a fat stogie in his teeth, and the words: WORST. GOVERNOR. EVER.
But I don’t really want to put him in the spotlight. It’s time to start connecting the words Republican and Betrayal in people’s minds.
People are alarmed at the inmate release that’s now being talked about, but this is just one example of the waste that is built into our government. I’m told by friends who work in prisons that there are requirements to provide an astonishing level of medical services to inmates, including but not limited to elective procedures like sex change operations. I’m not advocating that inmates should not receive medical help, but the idea that they are entitled to elective care in excess of the average (insured or uninsured) American is dumb. I daresay the policy would be hard to change, but how much harder could it be than taking away funds promised to local governments and education? Perhaps if prisons were allowed to adjust how they spent their money, they wouldn’t have to lay off so many correctional officers and release so many prisoners
This is just one example of waste I see in state spending. Passed a Caltrans work group lately? It’s like they have money to burn.
as the dems stumble around trying to buy him off yet again?
fucking idjits, all of them.