Posted on 11/03/2004 9:29:28 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's failure to make a dent in the Democrats' big majorities in the California Legislature, despite extensive campaigning for Republicans in key districts, could make it tougher for him to enact his agenda.
"By and large, I think it's clear that the Democrats in the Legislature have nothing to fear from the governor and they can deal with him as equals, as we did this year," Senate President Pro Tem John Burton said Wednesday.
"That club is not there," he added, referring to the threat that Democrats in marginal districts could lose their seats if they didn't go along with the Republican governor.
Fending off tough Republican challenges in eight swing districts, Democrats kept 48 of 80 Assembly seats and 25 of 40 Senate seats - the same numbers they have now.
Schwarzenegger made campaign appearances for all eight of those GOP contenders but failed to sway voters.
"It's clear that the coattails are not there," said Burton, a San Francisco Democrat who will be termed out of the Legislature at the end of the month. "He said, 'Send me people to get my program through,' and (voters) said, 'No, we'll send you people to get our program through.'"
Schwarzenegger said he was successful because Democrats didn't gain any more seats. Republicans tend to lose seats in presidential election years, he added, although Republicans picked up Assembly seats in 1960, 1964, 1968, 1980 and broke even in 1992.
"That's why I'm very happy that our campaign was successful, very happy we kept the Republican seats, the amount," he said. "The big fear that everyone had (was) 'Uh, oh, another presidential year and we're going to lose seats.' So I said that I would help them (so) that would not happen."
He said he campaigned for Republicans, not against Democrats.
"This is not my style," he added. "I didn't go out and say anything nasty about anyone. I never even mentioned their names."
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said Democrats would support Schwarzenegger "on issues that are popular with voters ... issues that our members agree with."
"There is no question that Californians approve of the governor," he said. "They support his work, and they think he is doing a good job. But one message I think they also sent yesterday is they don't want the Legislature to be a rubber stamp of the governor."
Nunez said Democratic candidates helped themselves by focusing on "kitchen table issues" that most voters embrace - raising the minimum wage, stopping the offshoring of jobs, reducing prescription drug prices and protecting the environment and consumer rights.
"We ran against the governor in all of these legislative races," Nunez said. "Make no mistake about it, the governor played a vital role. He was in mailers, he was on the phone, he made multiple appearances for different Republican candidates and they didn't win. They didn't pick up any more seats."
He said he wanted to sit down with Schwarzenegger and try to negotiate deals that would lower prescription prices, authorize driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and keep emergency rooms open.
"We will continue to work with the governor, as we always have," Nunez said. "Are we going to capitulate to the governor? I don't think we have ever capitulated to the governor."
Election night was pretty well a lost cause in California, but what's new.
Guess that illustrates how truly bad Gray Davis was. In a state that still won't elect GOP lawmakers, they were still able to unseat Davis and replace him with a make-believe Republican.
And, of course, we ALL know how RINOs help us win election after election, right ?
Right ?
*cough*
Races, Haa! What races!
Didn't hear about this at all..
and the Gubinor has mentioned he may have to ask for an initiative to tackle the redistricting charade of a few years ago..
But.. why wait?
that is more the CAGOP's fault....there were numerous seats unchallenged.
Arnold is a republican?
Arnold seems to be pretty much a democrat anyway.
Even the awful embryonic stem cell measure passed. But CA is too nice. It's beautiful country. You can't run to the 'red states'. People are going to have to take CA back.
Even if Arnold is a RINO, it's a start. The coastal counties again went Dem. ALL the rest of CA is Republican. Gotta work on that.
Time for the old GOP guard here to swallow their pride to step asside for some new talent.
my sentiments exactly!! He is a RINO....
I've never been to CA but as a distant observer I can tell Arnold still has a Tinseltown dreamland mentality where everyone works together in a bipartisan effort and everything is swell and dandy. He doesn't stand for anything and when you give too much leeway to liberals you invite their mischief. When will he learn that people want to crush him? He should try to crush them first.
He is a fiscal conservative and is pro-business and anti-taxation, yes.
He at least tries, which is more than I can say for the rest of the GOP in California.
Ah, as if this is anything new! For some reason, we can elect republican governors here, but can't get rid of the dims in the legislature!
Arnold is going to throw his backing behind a measure to eliminate the sweetheart gerrymander that protects the Democrats power in the State Legislature. It can't come soon enough.
Arnold is Central Casting's idea for a Governor.
If you live a gerrymandered district, ask yourself why they get re-elected? They have no fear of competition. Even if Arnold were Ronald Reagan, given the rigged setup, its no wonder he couldn't get more Republicans elected. To his credit, he tried.
He's not perfect but I still prefer him over a Democrat - he campaigned against every spending and tax increase initiative on the ballot.
Nonsense. Nobody heard anything about Ahnold's "extensive" campaigning for R's. But they did hear him come out for/against initiatives. And he "won" every single one of those.
You can say that the tribal gambling initiatives were going to lose anyway; ok, fine.
But Ahnold killed 66, (the three-strikes water-down), single-handedly-- it just barely missed. If it weren't for Conan the Governor we would have a massive spike in the crime rate right about now, and that's something people know now and will remember. Too many ugly details of this bill were only widely known when people like moi got a message on our answering machines from Ahnold. The impression: he saved our butts by flexing his mighty, if rhinoceratic, political muscle.
He also helped the stem-cell issue pass, for good or evil. Another one people will remember, whether they agree or not.
Perhaps he did speak out for some R's, but that was then, and this is now.
"By and large, I think it's clear that the Democrats in the Legislature have nothing to fear from the governor and they can deal with him as equals, as we did this year," Senate President Pro Tem John Burton said Wednesday.
If that were really true, S.P.P.T. J. Burton would not need his friends in the media to quote him on it.
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