Still recovering from election night? Well, so are the Republicans. The blood is flowing from the Right.
Teasers: A bloodbath in the Assembly, Arnold as a Dem?, the new power for our Senators, and our Progressives versus…our Business Dems, and MORE!!!
Arnold is a Democrat. Well, pretty much. The CDP is encouraging him to join up. Why you ask? Well, it turns out that Arnold was thrilled that the Dems took both chambers of Congress.
As for the real Republicans in California? There’s a “bloodbath” going on in the Assembly. Somewhat sane Minority Leader George Plescia has been replaced by Mike Villines of Fresno. Villines is a former staffer for Pete Wilson and Pooch, and a hard-liner conservative. Apparently the Assembly Reps intend to be obstructionists, or “suicidal” as Pepperdine Professor PoliSci Stanley Moore notes.
Rumors are flying about Arnold’s career post-governor. The latest…he wants Boxer’s Senate seat . I’m not sure I buy it. There are a couple of questions of course. Will Boxer run again? Will Gavin run? One thing is certain, the Dems aren’t going to just give that seat away. The whole Republican thing will be a big obstacle…
There are more fawning Nancy stories. The SF Chron marvels at her work. Of course the question will be whether she can make any legislative progress. The SacBee thinks that the President will actually have to be a “uniter”. Wow…that was hard to type.
Our Senators suddenly have a lot more power (SF Chron). Boxer will become the Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Formerly, it was headed by James Inhofe…who thought global warming was some enormous hoax. As for Feinstein, it isn’t clear which committee she will head, but her seniority likely means that she will be a chair of something. Most likely is the Senate Rules Cmte, or perhaps the Intelligence Cmte.
You know that House Resources Committee Website that I told you about? You know the one decrying the lack of drilling in ANWR and the myth of globabl warming? It’s still up, but as the Chairman, Richard Pombo, won’t be a member of the 110th Congress and the Committee will shift to Dems who don’t view the environment as a mere basket of resources to plunder, it will be down soon as Nick Rahall of W. VA. takes over. Ding-Dong, the witch is dead…
California’s progressives won’t be sidelined in the new Congress, but don’t tell Ellen Tauscher that.
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