Photos from Day 3 at the RNC
Secretary Rosario Marin and Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia in the California delegation
Palin Pizzazz
Vice-Presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska lit up the Republican National Convention last night and turned anxious delegates into wild cheerleaders. Many delegates admitted waiting with unease for what amounted to a coming out party for the little-known governor. If Palin didn’t perform well, the delegates felt the campaign for President would never gain momentum.
But measuring the feelings of delegates who witnessed the speech in the Xcel Center, all concerns were put to rest. Former California Governor Pete Wilson said she was subject to “uncharitable speculation” before the speech that she would not do well. He said he was confident going into the speech that she would succeed. After he heard the speech, Wilson said, “My confidence was more than vindicated. She connected with the audience here in the hall and in the living rooms all over America.”
Political strategist Jeff Randle said that Palin had no room for error after the pounding she had taken since John McCain’s announcement that he had chosen her as a running mate. Randle said she made no error. Anaheim mayor Curt Pringle admitted to being anxious about her performance before the speech but concluded after the speech that it was “great and she over-performed.”
…Looking for Something Positive in The Annual Budget Mess
I struggle in writing for Fox and Hounds to not constantly sound like a curmudgeon…always criticizing Sacramento elected officials for their partisan antics, illogical behavior and otherwise nonsensical undertakings. I try to write about the positive and offer glimmers of hope that our government is working for us not against us. It’s a challenge, believe me.
But, after enduring almost three months of budget stalemate, I’m so frustrated I could scream. There’s no incentive for the Legislature to fix the budget mess. No carrots or sticks exist that can subvert partisan politics. Governor Schwarzenegger can encourage, scold and attempt to embarrass the Legislature…but, in the end, if both parties can’t move beyond partisan rhetoric, there’s no compromise to be had.
It’s completely logical for Democrats and Republicans to propose budgets that fit each party’s ideological preference. For Dems, minimize cuts and raise taxes on everyone…but position tax increases as taxing the rich. Unfortunately for all Californians, in the Democrats’ mind, we’re all rich. For Republicans, we’re witnessing an all-too-common phenomenon. Hold the line on tax increases but offer dramatic budget cuts and heavy borrowing to close budget gaps – in the short-term. Such positioning by both parties was perfectly acceptable in June and July. But, as August is now behind us and we’re almost a week into September, partisan rhetoric at this point is so empty there’s an echo.
Both parties are misguided. The phrase, “politics is the art of compromise,” is completely lost in Sacramento.
Truck Trouble Swamps Ports
What started as a fairly simple and laudable goal – cleaning up the pollution at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles – long ago devolved into a mess. That mess now is getting bizarre.
It’s also a tragedy in the making. Hundreds, maybe a thousand or more little trucking companies that have long served the ports are in danger of being wiped out. And it’s unnecessary. This mess could stop. That’s what makes it bizarre.
The issue at hand is the Clean Trucks Program. The ports want to get rid of the thousands of old, fume-spewing trucks that ferry shipping containers into and out of the ports. They want new, clean-burning trucks. Many of the trucks that call at the ports are driven by their owners, many of whom are scraping by, and so the ports decided to subsidize the purchase of the new trucks. They came up with a fee on shipping containers that would help raise the considerable amount of money to subsidize the new trucks. The truck owners would still have to pay some, of course.