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CA: Bipartisan group hopes to improve political climate in Calif. (Leon Panetta/California Forward)
AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 3/26/08 | Laura Kurtzman - ap

Posted on 03/26/2008 5:23:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

Calling state government dysfunctional, a bipartisan group launched a reform effort Wednesday that it said would be backed by its own political action committee.

The group, called California Forward, will push for passage of a proposed November ballot initiative supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to take away the Legislature's power to draw political districts and give it instead to an independent panel. Advocates say this will help moderates get elected.

The reform group also plans to address the state budgeting process.

Leon Panetta, a former Democratic congressman from Monterey and chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton, is leading the group with Thomas McKernan, a Republican donor who is chief executive of the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Panetta acknowledged it would be difficult, if not impossible, to change the way government functions. He said many had tried before, only to have their recommendations ignored, a reality the speakers illustrated with a three-foot-high stack of old reports on good governance that they piled next to the lectern.

But Panetta said lawmakers should heed the message of voters who have grown tired of the political paralysis that breeds chronic budget deficits and that killed efforts last year to reform health care.

He said he hopes "to convince legislators and the governor there is merit in governing the state."

He added, "They have to appreciate the fact that governing is good politics."

McKernan said the group would keep an open mind when it comes to addressing the state budget deficit and might entertain such fundamental changes as lowering the two-thirds majority it takes to pass a spending plan.

"Everything is on the table," said McKernan, who heads the Orange County chapter of the New Majority, a GOP fundraising group. "We want to be judicious in what we put forward first."

The reform group counts business, labor and community groups in its coalition. The leadership council includes former San Jose Congressman Tom Campbell, California Business Roundtable President Bill Hauck and former state Assemblyman Fred Keeley of Santa Cruz.

California Forward has $16 million in startup money from five major foundations: the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the California Endowment, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund and the James Irvine Foundation.

Organizers did not say how much they might raise through their political action committee.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: agenda21; bipartisan; californiaforward; fredkeeley; mckernan; newmajority; panetta; politicalclimate; rmsp; thirdsector; thirdway
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The group, called California Forward, will push for passage of a proposed November ballot initiative supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to take away the Legislature's power to draw political districts and give it instead to an independent panel. Advocates say this will help moderates get elected.

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Panetta and the New Majority working together.

methinks moderates are the reason we are in such a mess at many levels in the first place, if recent history is a testament to their value to the party much less actual values.. why would we want more?

1 posted on 03/26/2008 5:23:51 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

Instead of putting a stop to fighting, why not just fight harder until someone wins?


2 posted on 03/26/2008 5:28:05 PM PDT by proxy_user
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To: NormsRevenge

The RAT-bastid party is almost solely responsible for California’s woes - they have been in the majority for decades - and they all prefer Marxist policies. Tax, borrow, spend and tax, tax, tax, spend, spend, spend. A massive welfare state combined with an open border is a recipe for disaster. California Forward, my @ss.


3 posted on 03/26/2008 5:30:21 PM PDT by 45Auto (Big holes are (almost) always better.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Stick a fork in it, California is done.


4 posted on 03/26/2008 5:30:26 PM PDT by ought-six
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To: 45Auto

California Forward, my @ss.

The cliff scene from Thelma and Louise just flashed here ..


5 posted on 03/26/2008 5:34:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: NormsRevenge

Moderate means nothing more than quisling.


6 posted on 03/26/2008 5:35:20 PM PDT by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: NormsRevenge; calcowgirl; Clintonfatigued; Clemenza; darkangel82; JohnnyZ; Kuksool; SierraWasp; ...

Wow, bipartisan. That means we have liberals from BOTH parties ! Will they all sit around a campfire nekkid and sing “Kumbaya” ?


7 posted on 03/26/2008 5:39:16 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: NormsRevenge
Exactly. "...lowering the two-thirds majority it takes to pass a spending plan." Translation: "We want to be able to raise your taxes whenever the hell we want."

"...reform health care" Translation: We want to further bankrupt the state with an unaffordable, unworkable, massive expansion of entitlements. Damn commies, the whole lot of 'em.

8 posted on 03/26/2008 5:39:18 PM PDT by 45Auto (Big holes are (almost) always better.)
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To: NormsRevenge

My plan would be to institutionalize legislative gridlock for the foreseeable future. The SOB’s will never make a move to lower spending with cuts to their favorite welfare giveaways.


9 posted on 03/26/2008 5:41:26 PM PDT by 45Auto (Big holes are (almost) always better.)
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To: NormsRevenge

I was going through some paperwork yesterday and found a 2-year old letter from McKernan, urging me to vote for a bond measure of some sort. Yep—these guys have all the answers, alright. Borrow, borrow, borrow! That sure has worked so far! /s


10 posted on 03/26/2008 5:50:45 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: NormsRevenge

I recommend a new initiative. If the voters agree, we provide 100 assault weapons to the California legislature, invite the governor over and lock them all in.

We go back in a week.

The dems outnumber the republicans, but the republicans know how to use the weapons.

All in favor...

Just kidding folks, but we’re in such a mess in this state.


11 posted on 03/26/2008 6:14:39 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (New Europe, John Benedict Arnold McCain's bridge to 07/03/1776. Not even our past is safe.)
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To: proxy_user

This is what I wanta see. lol
http://www.breitbart.tv/html/14374.html


12 posted on 03/26/2008 6:36:55 PM PDT by sheana
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To: NormsRevenge
The left and right wing extremists will be squealing about this
13 posted on 03/26/2008 6:51:02 PM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: fieldmarshaldj; calcowgirl
Wasn't this just posted a couple of days ago???

I'm certain I remember lending some of my most enlightening commentary to that previous thread!!! (oh Lord it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way!)

14 posted on 03/26/2008 7:29:01 PM PDT by SierraWasp (Out of the dung of adversity, spring the seeds of opportunity! America will always be exceptional!!!)
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To: SierraWasp

I feel like I keep seeing crap like this all the time, and not just in California. Call me a meanie, but I don’t care to play grabass at an interstate Holiday Inn Express conference room with liberal loonies.


15 posted on 03/26/2008 8:21:16 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~~~***Just say NO to the "O"***~~~)
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To: SierraWasp

Yep. (Close)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990728/posts


16 posted on 03/27/2008 12:59:54 AM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: NormsRevenge

Bottom line: This is an effort to get a legislature that will raise taxes.
Period, end of discussion.


17 posted on 03/27/2008 1:11:04 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: ought-six

The saner parts of the state ought to try to succeed. Millions of decent folk are trapped there.


18 posted on 03/27/2008 1:40:09 AM PDT by Impy (The democrat party, "Ridin' Dirty" since puberty.)
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To: Impy

“The saner parts of the state ought to try to succeed. Millions of decent folk are trapped there.”

Do you mean “secede”?


19 posted on 03/27/2008 6:37:21 AM PDT by ought-six
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To: ought-six

Yeah. Spell check screwed me over. By the way it hates the word Obama.

Secession would be great to see all around the country. From states, counties, cities. Isolate the leftist areas and let them crumble without tax $$$$$ from productive citizens.


20 posted on 03/27/2008 8:16:57 AM PDT by Impy (The democrat party, "Ridin' Dirty" since puberty.)
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