CA: Even top Dems help governor with turnaround (Assembly speaker especially works well with Gub)

SFGate.com ^ | 8/31/06 | Tom Chorneau, Mark Martin

[NormsRevenge]

Sacramento -- The gushing introduction of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a recent reception made some in the audience uneasy as the speaker ratcheted up the praise.

"In the last couple of months, we've proven that California can come together and set our ideological differences aside to move forward, and I'm proud to say that our governor has California back on track," he said. "California is once again, my friends, on the move thanks largely to this man, the governor of our great state and a good friend of mine, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."

The tribute that day in May didn't come from a longtime Schwarzenegger supporter, a gubernatorial appointee or even a Republican. It was Fabian Núñez, the Democratic leader of the state Assembly and co-chairman of Democrat Phil Angelides' campaign for governor.

After spending most of 2005 waging and winning a war with the governor over the special election, Núñez and the Legislature's Democratic majority have spent 2006 cutting a surprising number of deals with Schwarzenegger.

In one of the most productive legislative sessions in decades, the governor and Democrats agreed on a mammoth plan for rebuilding roads, schools and water systems.

They adopted a $131 billion budget before the July deadline for the first time since 2000.

The policy accomplishments have largely been those pushed by Democrats in the first place, and the governor hasn't gotten everything he's wanted. His proposals for reforming the troubled state prisons were turned down, and several compacts that Schwarzenegger signed with Indian casino tribes also appear to be failing.

But overall, the governor will emerge from Thursday's midnight deadline for the two-year legislative session with some glowing victories that translate into good news on the campaign trail.

[NormsRevenge]

Glowing victories.. more like pyrrhic victories. The rate of spending has increased, the debt has increased, oh yeah, we're headed the right direction.

.. and some here cheer those "victories". Methinks the fight has gone out of some of the Big Tent Party Coalition aka Ca GOP.

California got Punk'd in 2003 , in November, Part Deux

[MikeA]

I'm done with Arnold now that he signed this global warming thing. I'll be voting 3rd party. If he signs SB160 to give illegal aliens college grants, I'll campaign AGAINST him. Unlike you, I thought he did a pretty good job up until this year when Maria took his b-lls along with Fabian Nunez and he became one of them. I'm really disenchanted. Instead of doing penance for daring to reform the state in last year's special election by becoming an activist liberal, why not cut through the lies and the spin Dems. engaged in to explain to Californians why those measures were needed and why they still are? I have no use for Arnold now. And I'm one who NEVER advocates 3rd party voting.

[Carry_Okie]

Did'ya see my new tagline?

[RKV]

Hillary-care, gun control, big spending, what's not for a RAT to like? As for us Republicans in the People's Republic, not much to approve of.

[calcowgirl]

[goldstategop]

Arnold turned Left. And so far, he's riding high in the polls. Angelides has found all the issues he planned to run on taken away from him. His only complaint left is Arnold is a friend of Bush, which is not credible with Californians given how far to the Left their Governor is. And the Democrats have someone they can call an ally in Sacramento. Why change horses in midstream? They're getting nearly everything they want.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

[Kuksool]

The proper message to send to the Actor is to leave the Govnernor race blank and vote for good conservatvies like Tom McClintock and your Congresscritter (if you live in the few Red enclaves). Let Arnold see how he underperforms in the Red Zones of the Golden State.

[saganite]

ping

Arnie, friend of Socialists.

[etlib]

Unlike you, I thought he did a pretty good job up until this year when Maria took his b-lls along with Fabian Nunez and he became one of them.

I place his turnaround to the election when all the propositions he supported were defeated due to the public union all-out campaign against them.

Rather than stand his ground and fight back he capitulated completely.

I agree that he did a good job up until then and that he isn't worth wasting a vote on this year.

[etlib]

In one of the most productive legislative sessions in decades, the governor and Democrats agreed on a mammoth plan for rebuilding roads, schools and water systems.

Why is it considered productive for a legislature to pass more laws which increase spending and destroy the economy? Isn't it more productive to eliminate laws and reduce spending?

[goldstategop]

That's a good argument for a part-time legislature. They wouldn't pass so many silly and destructive laws every year.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

[dpwiener]

Here are the key paragraphs which were buried in the article:

Still, some note that there is cold political rationale for Núñez to aid Schwarzenegger's re-election because it opens the door four years from now to one of the speaker's best friends and benefactors, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Conventional wisdom has Villaraigosa running for governor in 2010 and Núñez returning to Southern California to run for mayor of Los Angeles.

This has become a common observation here in California. Other Democrats have no love for Angelides, and an Angelides victory would freeze out those Democrats from competing for the governorship for the next eight years.

[Amerigomag]

There is no doubt that conservative have an immense challenge in California. They face a liberal obstructionist within their own party and a growing demographic that is producing anchor babies which have become popular, liberal, Democrat leaders.

Schwarzenegger will not risk a continued populist revolt against executive governance. The growing influence of Hispanics in California politics will not favor a conservative, such as McClintock, perceived to be a white European, and the CAGOP will not risk defeat of their fragile grasp on power by supporting a staunch conservative.

Schwarzenegger's second term will wreak havoc on the CAGOP and reduce the party's role in state politics to that of the loyal opposition. Senators and assemblymen elected from conservative districts will be effectively disenfranchised from the legislative process. They will be forced to advance liberal causes or let the bacon go elsewhere. Their constituents will force them to capitulate.

The election of the Austrian in 2003 will be recorded as one of the worst defeats for the CAGOP and the conservative cause in modern times. Uninformed, blindly loyal, partisan Republicans elected the Austrian in 2003 and the genie is now out of the bottle.

[goldstategop]

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Particularly when we heard his idols were Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman. Boy, where we sold short!

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )