Doing a Davis?
Democrats may divide and conquer among their own, but Republicans seem inclined to pull the pins on their grenades and then hold onto them too long; witness the current war between Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and State Senator Abel Maldonado over passage of the budget ballot initiatives.
Maldonado’s been loaded for bear ever since Poizner started taking swipes at his GOP credentials. The swipes have become swings since Maldonado became a deciding vote in favor on the initiatives. The question of the day is, “When will Poizner go up with spots attacking the governor’s package and promoting himself as the can-do candidate to replace him?”
And where’s Meg Whitman? Can she afford to watch from the wings as Steve and Abel duke it out? Not likely.
Even with the poll numbers for passage under water for five of the six propositions, the air war for the Republican gubernatorial nomination is about to begin. It is a vacuum that demands to be filled.
The Education Special Election
Few people realize it. But this is California’s Year of Education.
The phrase “year of education” has been somewhat discredited. Gov. Schwarzenegger initially had promised that 2008 would be the “year of education,” following up on 2007 as the “year of health care” and 2005 as “the year of reform.” But the budget turned so sour that he dropped the idea of doing more for education and education funding last year. Politically, that wasn’t a terrible idea. After all, his year of health care didn’t produce the major health care reform he wanted. And 2005? The less said about that, the better.
So what makes this California’s year of education? The special election ballot.
You wouldn’t know that from following the public debate about the election. Props 1A through 1E are being discussed, praised and criticized as if they were fundamentally about the budget. But in this state, half the budget involves education. The effects of passing – or not passing – each of these measures likely will fall harder on education than anything else.
The Phoenix Theory
This was originally published in Stephen Frank’s California Political News and Views
Many opponents of Proposition 1A believe that if the measure fails state government will melt down and arise like a phoenix from the ashes, reborn and remodeled in a positive way.
There is a lot that state government must do to change away from its 19th century model, including restructuring the tax code to promote growth, reconsidering regulations to offer a more business friendly environment, and introducing technology to create a more efficient government. However, changes will not come overnight.
One important consideration voters will have to make in deciding on Proposition 1A is to conclude if the cost of the measure is worth the price. The cost does not only include extending taxes for up to two years. The cost also includes what happens if Prop 1A and its accompanying measures fail.