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Democrats To Campaign With Arnold, Laud His Role In Big Bonds Passage
New West Notes ^ | 05-06-2006 | Bill Bradley

Posted on 05/06/2006 8:10:07 PM PDT by Amerigomag

More good news for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the wake of Friday’s early morning passage of the $37.3 billion infrastructure bonds package, now set for California’s November ballot. He is getting major credit from Democrats for his role in making the deal happen. And major Democrats will be campaigning with him Monday on a flyaround tour of the state for the measure.

Joining the former action superstar, according to multiple sources in both parties, on his jet will be Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, along with the Republican legislative leaders, Senator Dick Ackerman and Assemblyman George Plescia. There may be more, it’s not a small plane. And look for other Democrats to turn up at the stops. Since this is the biggest plan for building for California’s future since the era of legendary Democratic Governor Pat Brown, that is a name you will hear often.

There have been sharp questions in many quarters, including here, about what Schwarzenegger did to make this happen. Although the highlight of his State of the State address, this version of the plan was put together during more than a month of negotiations between the “Fab Four” legislative leaders, with the governor seeming to follow along from a distance. Most of the sessions, according to informed sources, took place in Perata’s office. Those that did not took place in Nunez’s office. (Perata got the ball rolling last year with a major infrastructure proposal. Nunez keyed the insertion of spending on educational facilities.)

Perata called yesterday afternoon to discuss the deal and the governor’s role in it. He says Schwarzenegger played a key role in making it happen.

“The governor,” the Senate Democratic leader says, “was very engaged at the end. He played a big role in getting Republican votes.”

Perata and others described a series of private meetings between Schwarzenegger and Republican legislators to get the bonds over the constitutionally required two-thirds vote in each house.

“He pushed hard and effectively,” says Perata of Schwarzenegger’s involvement in the end game. Schwarzenegger was not the only one pushing on his behalf in some of those meetings with Republican legislators, both in “the horseshoe” (the Governor’s Office) and elsewhere. Schwarzenegger campaign manager Steve Schmidt weighed in as well. Schmidt, a protege of Karl Rove, has a somewhat intimidating reputation in Republican circles from his role in George W. Bush’s re-election war room and in shepherding Republican Supreme Court nominees through confirmation.

With evident amusement, Perata recounted what a Republican legislator told him of one Schwarzenegger/Schmidt private session with their fellow partisans. “The governor laid out the stakes, very directly.” And Schmidt? “He talked but he mostly sat there and stared. He wasn’t like Tom Hagen, Michael Corleone’s consigliere (referring to The Godfather’s “reasonable” mob honcho, played by Robert Duvall). He was like Frank Nitti. (Al Capone’s "enforcer.")”

Perata first proposed a major infrastructure package, in the $10 billion range, last year. But the idea was quickly sidelined by the harsh partisan politics of the former Mr. Universe’s disastrous “Year of Reform” special election agenda. After the collapse of the Arnold-driven negotiations in March, things looked bleak for a time. But Nunez, Perata, and the Republicans decided to take up Schwarzenegger on what had then seemed like an unhelpful suggestion, that they negotiate among themselves.

“It was very different this time,” says Perata. “Legislators are always deferential with Arnold because of who he is,” he explains, “in many ways it was easier for us working separately with him monitoring. That’s an appropriate role for a chief executive.”

“The deal points were already there” from the end of the earlier round. The legislative leaders realized toward the end of the March round of negotiations that the package had to be focused on core elements. “Our work,” says Perata, “centered on methodically going through each point in detail.”

Although there was friction during the March round of negotiations, Perata says of this successful round: “Fabian and I were like bookends.” He also praises Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman, who many sources say joined with Perata in a very effective bipartisan legislative team.

“Fabian and I got the Proposition 42 people (advocates of spending the gas tax only on transportation projects) and CTA (California Teachers Association) together on a compromise,” says Perata. That was necessary to head off a ballot measure about to be filed that would have blocked using that money for any other purpose in perpetuity. The compromise allows borrowing from those funds during times of budgetary crisis, but on a much more limited basis.

That set the stage from the Democratic side. From the Republican side, a sense of collegiality that had grown between the legislative leaders and Schwarzenegger’s late direct intervention in the process were the keys.

“This is a huge statement about California’s future,” says the happy Senate chief. “I think the public is ready and waiting for this.”


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: bigbangbonds; billbradley; bipartisanship; cagop; calbondage; calinfrastructure; callegislature; franknitti; prop1b; prop1c; prop1d; prop1e; steveschmidt; strategicgrowthplan
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To: georgia2006; Czar
I also notice that everytime a conservative does lose, it was never the conservative idealogy that was rejected, but someone from a smoke filled back room stabbed the him in the back.

Your ignorance is excusable, but for the fact that you've made no attempt to cure it by asking for substantiation.

You don't want it because you know it exists. Ask and ye shall have.

101 posted on 05/07/2006 8:35:32 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (There are people in power who are truly evil.)
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To: georgia2006; FairOpinion
"Gov Reagan was a fluke."

That's BOGUS!!!

What's this, FO? Did you hafta go run an git some reinforcements? Phhhhhhhhhhhhht!!!

102 posted on 05/07/2006 9:31:15 PM PDT by SierraWasp (Without consistent core conservatives in charge, the GOP is fast becoming the Gelded Old Party!!!)
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To: SierraWasp; georgia2006

"What's this, FO? Did you hafta go run an git some reinforcements? "


===

Why, don't you think there are plenty of other intelligent people out there, who can figure it all out for themselves, without help?

They can see reality, unlike you and your little group. The reality is that Arnold is good for CA, while the leftists, socialist Dems running against him are a disaster. The choice is obvious.


103 posted on 05/07/2006 9:35:25 PM PDT by FairOpinion (Dem Foreign Policy: SURRENDER to our enemies. Real conservatives don't help Dems get elected.)
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To: FairOpinion
Well, you're just dead wrong! You couldn't be wronger!! He's taking us into a dead-end cul-de-sac of dubious debt!!!

Granted he won't ruin us as quickly as the other two, but he's leading us into ruin, just the same. You and the Party are NOT helping by just playing along like you can't do anything about it!

You and your little following are the very ones who should be contacting him and his loyal Republican Chief of Staff every danged day to get him to turn away from his sinful ways for the good of our Golden State!!!

104 posted on 05/07/2006 10:00:09 PM PDT by SierraWasp (Without consistent core conservatives in charge, the GOP is fast becoming the Gelded Old Party!!!)
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To: Czar; calcowgirl; Carry_Okie; Amerigomag; NormsRevenge; SierraWasp

Those of you complaining about Arnold should see what governor Rick Perry is doing in Texas -- pushing through a sure business-killer business tax, taxing gross revenue, not profit. Just remember, Arnold has been refusing to raise taxes. We are fortunate to have him.


=====

Tax Plan has Clear Winners and Losers

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1628440/posts

Under the state's current business franchise tax, Aztec owed no state taxes. But under a new business tax that has been approved by the Texas Legislature, Aztec would have owed $81,000 in taxes because the tax is based on gross revenues, not net profit.

The new business tax has been pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Rick Perry as part of a plan to cut public school property taxes by more than $6 billion.


105 posted on 05/07/2006 10:58:18 PM PDT by FairOpinion (Dem Foreign Policy: SURRENDER to our enemies. Real conservatives don't help Dems get elected.)
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To: FairOpinion
Arnold has been refusing to raise taxes

Seems to have no problem raising the debt.

We are fortunate to have him.

Sorry, that Kool-Aid is too bitter.

106 posted on 05/07/2006 11:02:40 PM PDT by FOG724 (A vote for Arnold is a vote for a Democrat)
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To: FairOpinion
Arnold has been refusing to raise taxes. We are fortunate to have him.

Your view of "fortunate" differs greatly from mine.


107 posted on 05/08/2006 12:04:38 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: Carry_Okie

that was exactly the excuse used when Bret Schundler lost in NJ, he was back stabbed by the RINOS..

of course ingnored was the fact that he got 44% of the vote, which it exactly what any GOPer gets in NJ, RINO or not.


108 posted on 05/08/2006 2:33:16 AM PDT by georgia2006
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To: calcowgirl
Voters can vote down the pork. And I hope they do so in November although one may be giving too much credit to the intelligence of the average Californian.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

109 posted on 05/08/2006 2:53:08 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: georgia2006
that was exactly the excuse used when Bret Schundler lost in NJ, he was back stabbed by the RINOS..

I couldn't care less what you THINK it was. I have the facts available. As predicted, you didn't ask for them.

110 posted on 05/08/2006 6:58:07 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (There are people in power who are truly evil.)
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To: FairOpinion; calcowgirl; Amerigomag; NormsRevenge; Carry_Okie; SierraWasp
"Those of you complaining about Arnold should see what governor Rick Perry is doing in Texas..."

There you go again with that "least worse" approach of yours, i.e., "See, Arnold isn't so bad. Look at that awful Rick Perry in Texas--he's much worse..."

You just don't get it, do you?

Try real hard to grasp what many of us have been saying here for months. We're all through with your "least worse" line for pushing RINOs into office. I know this will be a very difficult notion to accept for the CAGOP/Dufus Sundheim, the New Majority and the Big Tent Party-Above-Principle GOP/RNC.

But all of you had better get used to it. It won't change.

111 posted on 05/08/2006 10:01:48 AM PDT by Czar (StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
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To: FairOpinion

I agree with you -- but you're wasting your breath. Many conservatives would rather lose elections continually by voting for righteous-but-will-never-win candidates than face the reality that the tent needs to be bigger.


112 posted on 05/08/2006 10:08:23 AM PDT by DemosCrash
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To: Czar

We won't mention the Republican Main Street Partnership and its involvement along with the New Majority in much of the current goings on as conservatives are essentially told to shut up and just go with the flow..

Many of those claiming REpublicanism as there core belief are nothing more than pretenders..

At their core, it is all about power, them and not this country. They owe their loyalty to their club and not the rest of their shanghaied party members and the electorate at large.


113 posted on 05/08/2006 10:20:03 AM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi)
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To: NormsRevenge
"Many of those claiming REpublicanism as there core belief are nothing more than pretenders.."

This particular group is usually referred to as the "pretend conservatives". Over the past several years, many of them have showed up on FR. Often claiming conservative credentials, most are easily outed as party-above-principle flacks for the Big Tent GOP/RNC.

114 posted on 05/08/2006 10:59:06 AM PDT by Czar (StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
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To: NormsRevenge; Czar
Great reply!!!

Your's was just as great in reply #111, Czar!!!

There is really only one justification for their supersillyious stance... superficial expedience!!! That's all!!!

115 posted on 05/08/2006 11:54:46 AM PDT by SierraWasp (Without consistent core conservatives in charge, the GOP is fast becoming the Gelded Old Party!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge

Sorry, but Barry Goldwater is dead and buried. You've got to face reality that the country has changed a lot since 1964. The electorate is changing. We're a nation of immigrants (often illegal), and we're trending hispanic and Asian. I have nothing against people that claim to be conservatives. But I do have a problem with people who hand elections to Democrats because of "principle" (quotes intentional). Reagan is considered by many to be a standard-bearer for many conservatives. But the fact of the matter was that Reagan was a populist. He talked about reducing taxes, but he wildly expanded the size of the federal government. There's no denying this. It happened. So people who point to G.W. Bush or Schwarzeneggar with disdain need to get their heads out of their rears. You can't ignore the American people and continue to win elections. It's that simple. Evolve.


116 posted on 05/08/2006 2:49:22 PM PDT by DemosCrash
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To: DemosCrash

Thanks for chiming in.

Make sure and donate to FR so you can have a place to ram it to conservatives for not being practical.

oh and re: evolve, stay off the evo threads , they get real argumentative.


117 posted on 05/08/2006 3:05:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi)
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