Why Arnold Should Re-Register
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been advocating “Post-Partisanship”. Now, it is time for him to walk the walk by abandoning his Republican label and re-registering as Decline to State. This move would make sense not only for his remaining time as Governor, but also for his ability to make an impact once he leaves office.
Here are the reasons why:
The middle is where the action is. It was Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter who were in the driver’s seat in shaping the final Federal stimulus package. Senator Specter single-handedly got a $10 billion windfall for biomedical research into the final bill, while insisting the total package be cut back.
Californians will vote on an open primary amendment because moderate GOP State Senator Abel Maldonado was the swing vote required for passage of the State Budget deal.
Tax Commission Extension Means More Time to Consider Difficult Choices
The Commission on the 21st Century Economy stepped out of the way of an on-coming political train and sought an extension to finish its work. Originally scheduled to bring recommendations on tax structure reform to the governor and legislature by April 15, commission members acknowledged that the May 19 special election will directly affect their mission.
Proposition 1A on the ballot will establish a spending limit but at the same time extend for up to two years some of the taxes recently passed by the legislature in the budget deal. As I suggested in a previous Fox and Hounds Daily commentary, the commission’s report of possible changes to the tax system might be used in the campaign for Proposition 1A. Alternatively, the voters’ decision on Proposition 1A would alter the debate on what tax changes the commission might recommend.
Commission Chairman Gerald Parsky said in light of the Special Election he would request that the governor and legislative leaders extend the commission until after the May election if the other commissioners agreed. Parsky’s recommendation received unanimous support.
The GOP is falling off the New Media bandwagon
The Republican Party learned a hard lesson on technology during the 2008 Presidential election. Realizing President Barack Obama obliterated the GOP by using all the shiny new technology he could get his hands on, our party was left desperately searching for our own plan.
The College Republicans have been effectively using new media since 2004. I recall many conversations with a multitude of Republicans throughout the party where I practically begged them to use Facebook, or the now passé MySpace, to reach younger voters. I was told time and again that these were just passing fads and that "all the tech stuff" was unproven and therefore not worth the GOP’s time.
Republicans were completely unaware that these "passing fads" were exactly the opposite. Young voters get their news, TV and radio from the Internet. They access and interact in politics almost exclusively on the web. It’s impossible to reach large numbers of young voters through old school methods.