Posted on 07/08/2009 9:37:37 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass takes pride in being a consensus-builder, a soothing and maternal let's-get-along kind of leader. Now please pardon the interruption -- Madam Speaker is ticked off.
She simmered as efforts to tame California's $26.3-billion deficit threatened to shred the health and welfare safety net she helped stitch together as a Democratic lawmaker from Los Angeles. She stewed in budget briefings as clear second banana to Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), her counterpart in the state Senate.
Finally, she boiled over at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He rankled Democrats with demands that could undermine their union allies and a declaration to the New York Times that he was "perfectly fine" despite the fiscal meltdown, ready to enjoy an evening cigar in his Jacuzzi.
The Assembly's den mother became a growling bear, griping after an unsuccessful budget session between legislative leaders and the governor that Schwarzenegger "broke it. He should fix it."
That rare outburst earned an ovation from her Democratic caucus. But Bass has no time to be sanguine. A few Capitol insiders say that barely a year into her tenure, attempts to topple Bass are inevitable.
Her critics say she has a wishy-washy administrative style and is politically tone deaf. They fault her for one of the year's biggest political blunders -- hiking salaries for legislative staff a few weeks before the May 19 special election. The finance measures on that ballot failed, putting the state deeper in the hole.
"I will be shocked if she's still around by Sept. 1," said one longtime legislative staffer.
Bass brushes off such assessments as "the nature of the beast." Coup rumors have bedeviled her since May 2008, when she became the first African American woman in U.S. history to lead a state legislative house.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I’m not a Californian, but it seems to me it would be hard to pick a “top” target. There appear to be hordes of people in that state’s elective offices that need to see the door.
California here we (all) come - Via the OsamaObamaCommie whirlpool down the drain.
Getting this stupid oaf out of the picture should do a great deal to clear the way for massive cuts to the obscene socialist monolith that California has become.
She’s a real piece of work.
(hey Norm!!)
I’m not a Californian either, but it seems to me that conservatives, libertarians, indepdents, fed up democrats, republicans, freepers would ALL be supporting recall petitions in ALL of their districts, except that that are actually MEN and WOMAN of PRINCIPLE (probably far and few between)!
I’m not a Californian either, but it seems to me that conservatives, libertarians, indepdents, fed up democrats, republicans, freepers would ALL be supporting recall petitions in ALL of their districts, except that that are actually MEN and WOMAN of PRINCIPLE (probably far and few between)!
Unions, welfare moochers, illegals, eco-nuts and other assorted leeches. These groups are the natural constituency of rat politicians and the reason CA is in the tank.
The rat politicians can’t make a move without pissing off the people who got them elected. Bass is just a symptom.
I am a Californian and this particular lawmaker needs to go. She has no shame when it comes to protecting unions and entrenched bureaucracies.
The Governor, to his credit, is trying to convince the legislature that now is the time to make significant long term reforms to our cost structure - that one time stop-gap-save-the-pain-for-later measures are not sufficient. She is griping daily to the press and anyone who will listen that he has lost focus. Hes trying to get rid of unnecessary subsidies - permanently - and she’s telling the world that no one is discussing the budget problem. It is pure spin, daily, and it’s getting old. Even her own caucus is tiring of her...
May she be washed down the toilet bowl into the sewers.
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