Following the end of the budget talks, numerous commentators argued that the Republicans have become irrelevant to the governmental process because they could not cut a budget deal with Governor Jerry Brown and the majority Democrats. However, there may be another way to read the long-term results of the collapse of the talks – that the legislature, itself, is becoming irrelevant.
Senate president pro tem Darrell Steinberg said, Republicans "appear to want to be irrelevant and seem intent on achieving that objective."
A Los Angeles Times news analysis by Evan Halper and Michael J. Mishak titled, “Budget Talks Fold and California GOP’s Influence Fades Further” ran as the lead story on the front page of the print edition. A news analysis, mind you, not a news story, as the top headline of the day signifying that the Times’ editors believe this to be true.
In the body of the story, Barbara O’Connor, emeritus director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media at Cal State Sacramento was quoted as saying the end result of the failed talks is that the Republicans “will become even more irrelevant."
But, what’s likely to happen because of the failed negotiations is that the legislature will become irrelevant when interest groups and, perhaps, politicians turn to the people to make decisions through the initiative process.
Let me be clear. I support the position that the Republicans should use their leverage to get spending and pension reforms on the ballot in exchange for tax extensions, which they could then oppose. Republicans could never get such reforms past the Democratic majority under normal circumstances.
However, the taint of failure of the budget talks won’t stain the Republicans alone.
Because of the budget talk collapse, it appears that big decisions on the budget and governance could be headed to the ballot though the initiative process. Frankly, major policy decisions have been made through the initiative process for years. With the people making important policy decisions, the relevance of the legislature is diminished.
And, the outcomes on policy very likely could be different when the voters make the call.
As I have written before, a number of scholars in California have argued that California has two electorates, one electorate filtered though legislative elections and the other, the direct electorate. The two often yield different outcomes on issues because of the nature of the voting population in the legislative districts as compared to the statewide voters. Initiatives appeal to statewide voters, who often express a different opinion than legislators.
This point is crucial. Many would argue that if there were a simple majority vote for all legislative decisions, the legislature would be relevant and in control. However, the record shows the voters often make different decisions than the majority in the legislature and, undoubtedly, would continue to do so through the ballot box if the legislature could more easily pass bills.
If voters have the final say on numerous important budget and governance issues now that the budget talks are in limbo, perhaps it is the legislature as a whole that is looking at the black hole of irrelevance.