[kellynla]

"Does the Cal. Governor have the line item veto?"

YES!


But little Petee Wilson(the last RINO governor we had and this RINO's "adviser" has yet to inform the governor about it. LOL)

Bottom line:
Schwarzenegger failed to take advantage of his popularity poll numbers when they were in stratosphere the first few months of his office when he could and IMO should have taken McClintock's "13 Percent Solution" and ran with it!

The state budget deficit would have been virtually eliminated by now and revenues would have pushed the state into the black at which point he could have initiated the elimination of the state income tax which in turn would have not only convinced companies like Nissan to stay in CA but other companies to move here.

But that is all water under the bridge and you can pretty much put a fork in Schwarzenegger now.
He'll be packing up and going back to the movies in 2007 where he'll know what to say and do because he'll have a script. LOL

[68 grunt]

... But that is all water under the bridge and you can pretty much put a fork in Schwarzenegger now.

Stick your fork in California conservatism now. The right hasn't a chance now, thanks to the extremists, and, of course, the ilk.

[pogo101]

I sure agree with your (and Tom's, and many others') strategic critique of Arnold: Why in hell didn't he strike while the iron was hot, right after the recall?? (It sorta reminds me of one of Reagan's bigger mistakes. In 1981, with a fresh mandate and the first GOP Senate in decades, he gets a SCOTUS opening and nominates ... O'Connor. THAT was the time to nominate Bob Bork. Instead, Reagan tapped Bork in 1987, one year after it went Democrat again! The lesson is, Use political capital while you have it!)

[daviscupper]

Yes, you are right. I think hubris did in Schwarzenegger. He came aboard as the big reformer and well-liked by a huge percentage of the population.

What he failed to realize and still does not get is that the only true friends he has/had are conservative Republicans. He should have taken the bull by the horns immediately and rammed through as much reform legislation as possible -- and he should have used the initiative process earlier, like you said.

He allowed the unions and Democrats to build up huge war chests and then daily dominate the air waves with negative Schwarzenegger ads. He did not see what was happening to him until it was too late.

He thought the DemocRATS were his friends that he could be loved by everyone. They slipped the knife into his back and they are still turning it.

Hopefully the next reformer will not be so stupid and full of hubris. JMHO