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The Anti-Democracy Caucus
In our previous installment we looked at the options that will hopefully be put before us this June: an unthinkable all-cuts budget ($25 billion) vs. a compromise budget of $12.5 billion in cuts along with an extension of current tax rates for five more years. But if it’s up to most Sacramento Republicans, we won’t even be able to choose. In a valiant, strenuous effort to protect us from ourselves, 30 Republicans have formed an Anti-Democracy Caucus (which they call the “Taxpayers Caucus” as though all the rest of us didn’t pay taxes.)
[Cartoonist Tom Meyer perceives a point of similarity between
Sacramento Republicans’ “Taxpayer Caucus” and Kadhaffi.]
It’s not surprising to see the Assembly half of the caucus being led by freshman Irvine wingnut Don “Spanky” Wagner (who beat OJ friends Melissa Fox and Debbie Tharp in November.) And, looking through the roster for other members of our Orange County delegation, we are further unsurprised to see Wagner joined by extremists Allan Mansoor, Diane Harkey, and Senator Mimi Walters.
But I’m disappointed to see my Assemblymen Jim Silva (Huntington Beach), Assemblyman Jeff Miller (Corona, Tustin) and Senator Mark Wyland (Carlsbad, San Juan Capistrano) included, all of whom I had thought of as sensible, moderate people. Apparently they’re still letting the hardcore anti-government lobby pull their strings, as though Jon Fleischman had any real power, as though Grover Norquist was a Californian, as though more than a few hundred thousand dunderheads took John and Ken seriously, as though we were not now in the era of the Open Primary so they don’t have to kiss wingnut ass any more to stay in office.
We’ll look at all those factors below, and we’ll write and call Silva, Miller and Wyland to remind them of the facts. You can always drop out of a stoopid caucus. (And humorous ex-seminarian Jerry Brown has joked of giving out papal “dispensations” to release them from their vows and pledges.)
The Republican Grownups
Hope lies with eight reasonable Republicans – including OC Senators Tom Harman (Huntington Beach) and Bob Huff (Diamond Bar, Brea, Yorba Linda) who see no value in joining caucuses and making pledges to “just say NO.” And a “Gang of Five” of them – including Harman – are doing the unthinkable: meeting and negotiating with Governor Brown to see what kind of business-friendly concessions they can get in return for their votes.
For their troubles, as they surely expected going forward, they’re being raked over the coals in the far-right blogosphere, their heads impaled on cartoon stakes in goofy John & Ken World, and their offices swamped with hostile threatening calls from the paste-eating fans of the shock-jock duo. Such is life in the public service.
[John and Ken fantasize driving a bus over the heads of eight Republican Grownups,
including OC’s Senators Harman and Huff. Watch your scalps, boys!]
This treatment is pretty short-sighted on the part of Republican activists and poobahs. On one hand, just because this tax extension may get on the ballot is no guarantee the public will pass it. And on the other hand, the concessions that this Gang of Five are trying to wring from Brown and the Dems are quite substantial, long-time Republican wishes; even if they manage to extract half of them, Republicans should still owe them a debt of gratitude, not fantasy impalement.
One Republican strategist raved to the Oakland Tribune:
“This is the greatest moment of leverage they’ve had for decades. It’s a great opportunity to get robust, long-term fiscal and regulatory reforms that they could only otherwise achieve as a majority. The question is if there are enough members who can be what I call a coalition of the responsible who will explore what they can get in exchange for merely putting tax extensions on the ballot.”
What they’re talking about specifically falls into the categories of spending caps, pension reform, regulatory reform, civil service changes and tax reforms “designed to lower rates.” The Democrats and Jerry might agree to some of that, and some of it not; but since all the Republicans would be giving up is the ability of THE PEOPLE TO VOTE on whether or not to continue their taxes (and if they so choose they can get right on the trail convincing people NOT to vote that way) they’ll still be getting a real good deal, and will deserve KUDOS from fuckwits like John and Ken.
Assemblyman Paul Cook – portrait of a Republican Grownup.
Yesterday’s SacBee featured a profile of one of these eight Republican Grownups (he’s not part of the negotiating Gang Of Five, but he is holding out to see what they manage to achieve before making a decision.) Meet Paul Cook. No, NOT the Sex Pistols drummer, you joker! The Yucca Valley, San Bernardino County assemblyman and thrice-decorated Marine colonel who has defied pressure from fellow Republicans and 24/7 harassment from John & Ken fans to hold out from any caucuses and pledges until he knows all the facts. Somehow threats don’t seem to work on Mr. Cook; when he’s told to take a position “or else,” he snaps back, “Bring on the ‘else.’ ”
Columnist Dan Morain revels in contrasting the swaggering, tough-talking leaders of the Anti-Democracy Caucus, the kind of guys who have never risked their lives for their country but have spent their adult lives living on taxpayer largesse (Strickland, Wagner) with this Vietnam vet who won two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star saving his wounded comrades. A bust not of Reagan but of Lincoln on his desk, he muses, “the Republicans used to be a party of reform, not reaction. We’ve got to do more than say NO.”
Governor Brown makes some grim predictions…
Yesterday the Governor, who’s been in this business a while, sat down with Sacramento journalist George Skelton and prophesied exactly what would happen if the tax extensions are not allowed to go to the ballot:
- He, Brown, would be forced to put forth the draconian all-cuts budget.
- The Democrats would reject such a cruel budget.
- The Democrats would come back with their own budget which would be full of “gimmicks” [Jerry’s word]
- He, Brown, would veto that budget.
- The state would be left without a budget indefinitely.
- Forces on left and right throughout the state would commence a huge initiative war against each other, what Brown referencing Hobbes calls “a war of all against all…”
which Cal Buzz summarizes:
Forces on the left will set out to soak the rich, slap taxes on oil drilling and services, split the property tax roll and give communities power to raise taxes with a majority vote. Forces on the right will seek to cap state spending, unravel collective bargaining rights of public employees, slash pensions, eliminate union shops and decimate social services and environmental regulations.
This is our last, best moment for fiscal and political sanity in the state.
In our next installment…
… We will have fun looking at the Paper Tigers that somehow keep most Sacramento Republicans either up at night or waking to a wet bed:
- Grover Norquist, the porcine and insufferable meatball head of Americans For Tax Reform, who jets around from his DC home telling ever-more-resentful states how they should run things if they want to remain in his good graces.
- Jon Fleischman, the hapless and obsequious hack who runs the Flash Report, whom Grover bizarrely chose to be his California ENFORCER, and who was just recently voted out of his vice-chair position in the OC GOP.
- Radio goofballs John and Ken, whose influence, such as it may have been in the past, is severely diminished by last year’s Prop 14 (open primaries favoring moderate Republicans!)
AND then we will demolish all their arguments – both their arguments against democracy, and their arguments against the tax extension. (Let’s not get the two issues confused!) Now VOTE, if you haven’t already:
First question:
[poll id=”301″]
Second question:
[poll id=”302″]
How is it that Allan Mansoor is involved in any kind of budget talk.He should be home with his kids…oh wait. Too late.
Better question: How is it ANYBODY would listen to Assemblyman Mansoor on budget questions after he drove Costa Mesa into bankruptcy? Riddle me that one!
Why is that dude’s finger so long?
Ask Professor Bauer at Dissent. Also Mayor Quimby who agreed with him that it was more effective that way. That “dude” is Spanky Don Wagner, who is very peeved about the possibility of extending current taxes.
Vern,
At least two of those taxes have already expired, so the legislature would, in fact, be raising taxes. Splitting hairs? Not in this environment where wasteful Democrats want to increase my taxes to throw even more money down the drain.
OK, well then vote against the tax extensions, if none of the arguments I made in my two articles so far convince you, there’s not much else I can say.
Still, we Californians should have the right to at least vote on them, given the crisis we’re all in right now.
“Still, we Californians should have the right to at least vote on them, given the crisis we’re all in right now.”…….. Hmmmm
So your union Nazis can buy $100 Millions of Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels propaganda stile to massage brains of the otherwise stupid Californians?
Yeah right and I’m sure we won’t be swamped with just-say-no advertisements from all the corporate anti-tax groups. Plus YOU can come on here and comment against the extensions WHENEVER YOU WANT!
Thanks Comrade Vern!
However, getting 5 votes from this forum is like spiting into the tsunami.
I have a strange feeling that if it gets on the ballot it will fail as it did before. I even doubt that Browne will get it there.
Allan Mansoor may use this as his opportunity to take over the California Republican Socialist Party and steer it to the curb to avoid upcoming head on collision.
Oh, those “wasteful Democrats.” Those bastards, who like things like good schools, a functioning infrastructure, some health care for poor folk. Oh, the humanity! Save me from paying another $50 a year, please!
You don’t really want to know where Spanky’s long finger has been…
Allan Mansoor is HOT!!!
I agree Pamela. Mansoor is HOT!!! Too bad he signed that stupid pledge though. Is he married?
He may be married but who cares ! She’s probably not “happily” married.
Too bad he’s married. Where does Alan hang out?
What are you silly girls talking about? Allan is not married. He’s never been married. Go for it, if you like that type.
He’s not married? I get shotgun Pamela. I’ll let you know!
I better leave this one alone. LOL
I agree Jim. Although I wonder if us silly girls thought Vern was “hot”, if we’d be characterized as silly? Just teasing, Vern; you can take a tease, right? On another note, is Allan seeing someone?
I really don’t know what you guys see in him, but you oughtta talk to his ex-girlfriend. ALL I’m sayin.
So, what are you saying Vern? Inquiring minds want to know,. Who’s Allan’s ex?
rapscallion 50$ a year haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa get a adding machien . your car tx doubles your sales txs gose up . your income tx goes up add it up its more than 50$ we are one of the most heavely tx states in the union . number 1 in lots of categorys . and you want to raise it . stan good job the union goons will go all out and spend 20-50 million on adds to get that tx to pass . WHO SPEAKS FOR THE PEOPLE . and dont tell me those good republicans who want to deal . they are good reps if it helps the dems… if they vote against them they are called names . the state is in deep crap and instead of focusing on the real problem . pensions , txs , union public employees .. they focus on the bad republicans who wont let the greedy union have their way .
No, we are not one of the most heavily taxed states–that’s an old lie that keeps getting passed around. Count me in as one of the people who does not want to live in a third world country, and if it costs a bit more to have the state function well, and thus have a much nicer place to live, then so be it. I fail to see the horror of paying a bit more in taxes. Fear of taxes has taken on a pathological status, and it needs to stop.
Apparently gas taxes in California are about 67cents a gallon–is there no god? I have no problem with them being higher–it’s a good source of revenue that is directly related to the impact of vehicles on infrastructure, and if it pisses off a Hummer driver, so much the better.
Try and think more creatively about what taxes do, how they are needed for a well run state. I care not for circling the drain because of people who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.
Hey Vern, we are “silly girls”, not guys. You coined the phrase. So, what’s the scoop with Allan’s ex-girlfriend? Pamela and I want to know. Right Pamela? Despite Allan’s right-wingnut rhetoric, he could be fun? What happened with the ex?
ask around.
Where do I start? Who’s the ex? He is totally hot.
Geez, girls, go start a fan club somewhere. It’s easy to find his phone number.
Try Craig’s list!
(forget it if you’re Latina)
RAPSCALLION you dont want to live in 3rd world countries . we are becoming a 3rd world country have you seen santa ana , maywood , bell , parts of l.a . we have the highest gas tx , in the top 5 for car tx , income tx , sales tx , you want to pay more txs go ahead , I DONT .
Once again, you’re wrong, but please feel free to move to a welfare state like Kansas or Mississippi. Then you can experience the joy of high end living.
If you consider what a true third world scenario is, think of damaged roads, crumbling bridges, trash blowing in the wind, decrepit schools where little to no education occurs, the loss of colleges and universities, lack of environmental protection so you can see what you breathe–shall I go on? But let’s not worry about that, because the most important thing of all, dwarfing all others, is that revenue not be raised so that the wealthiest can buy another yacht.
rap are you from berkley its true we are one of the highest tx states in the union . i dont know where you get your info from . look it up sacramento bee said today that it cost 45 ,000 a year per inmate here , texas and florida 17 ,000 per inmate why . well i will tell you why prison unions. where they get walk time . thats right . walking from the parking lot to their job is counted . but its ok the tx payers are not over taxed who do you think pays for this . oh hope you like the almost 10 percent sales tx HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY . car tx HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY . GAS TX HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY . fact . but facts to libs are like krypotine to superman
Prison guards? That’s the best you can do? Please feel free to move to a rust belt state, count your precious nickels and dimes, and watch out for the meth labs.
Hey mansoor’s ex is a beautiful woman!! She looks like elizabeth taylor or ava gardner…point being. She’s beautiful.