CALIFORNIA: GOP Assembly leader Connie Conway sees opportunity in new role

Sacramento Bee ^ | 12/26/10 | Jim Sanders

[SmithL]

When Connie Conway was elected to the Assembly, a colleague quipped that the former county supervisor was going "from the frying pan into the bonfire."

Fast forward two years, and the one-liner seems prophetic as Conway assumes leadership of the Assembly Republican caucus while lawmakers brace for a new fight over billions in red ink.

"I don't have to worry about the freezing weather," Conway quipped when asked about political heat at the Capitol. "I'm warm all the time."

Conway, 60, takes the GOP reins at a time when Democrats control the Governor's Office, Assembly and Senate – and recent passage of Proposition 25 allows state budgets to be adopted by a majority vote that does not require support from a single Republican.

Futility?

Conway sees opportunity, pointing to passage of Proposition 26, which bars state fee increases without a two-thirds vote of each legislative house. It creates a situation in which Democrats likely would get blamed for passing a budget that devastates public services, but they can't generate revenue without at least a handful of Republican votes.

"I think we still have leverage," Conway said. "(Democrats) say, 'We need more revenue.' But they can't get to that point without us."

[SmithL]

[Lancey Howard]

Okay. It sounds to me like the only thing the Republicans can do is extort pork for the handful of votes needed by the rats to raise taxes, and this woman likes having that “leverage”. That doesn’t sound good to me at all.

[Baynative]

California should do the right thing and raise all taxes: income, property, retail goods and gas to whatever level it takes until their bills are paid. Now that they've added the ridiculous Global Warming Solutions Act to their lexicon of legislative genius the state is on a faster track to destruction. The democrats in Sacramento are just letting it all fall apart in the expectation that the rest of the nation will be taxed to bail them out.

Maybe $3.00 per gallon gas tax in California would be something to think about. It would be painful for some but it would generate a lot of revenue fast ... oh wait, that wouldn't work because the legislature would squander it on something stupid instead of addressing the debt. They'd probably call it a windfall surplus and reward SEIU with higher wages and double retirement benefits.

[trapped_in_LA]

There are RATS and RINOS in this state and the RINOS are never punished for voting for more taxes (as evidenced by the fact that two of the RINOS that voted for the biggest tax increase in California’s history won the primary races they were running in). It sucks but I’m confident that we’ll meltdown in a few years once all of the productive people have fled the state and there’s nothing left but welfare parasites and sexual deviants. Pity, the weather is really nice but other than that it sucks to live here.

[17th Miss Regt]

It sucks but I’m confident that we’ll meltdown in a few years once all of the productive people have fled the state and there’s nothing left but welfare parasites and sexual deviants.

I'll still be working here so I won't be a welfare parasite. Does that mean I need to choose a sexual deviancy in just a bit?