The circular firing squad of the Senate Republican caucus claimed another victim Wednesday – Sen. Dave Cogdill of Modesto.
GOP senators ousted Cogdill as leader because he dared put the state's interests above his caucus's no-tax pledges, and negotiated the best compromise he could craft to close the state's $40 billion budget shortfall.
A handful of senators shamefully replaced Cogdill with Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta, who immediately signaled that taxes were a no-go. That provided the red meat that anti-tax activists demanded, which was the whole point of Cogdill's ouster.
In a matter of minutes Wednesday, Cogdill became a martyr for the cause of California's solvency. And as history has shown, martyrs sometimes inspire others. That may be playing out now, as the governor, Assembly Republicans, Democrats and at least one Republican senator try to salvage the budget deal for which Cogdill risked his leadership.
It appears that Sen. Abel Maldonado may be ready to cast a crucial third Republican vote for a budget deal if the governor and lawmakers agree to reforms he has sought. They include a constitutional amendment that would allow candidates of different parties to face off against each other in "open primaries." He also wants amendments to cut legislators' pay if they miss a budget deadline and to ban pay raises for lawmakers during times of budget shortfalls.
Regardless of whether this deal comes together – and whether it can be drafted properly and results in good policy – observers of this excruciating morass should pause to consider Cogdill's heroics.
Because of term limits, many legislators come to the Capitol with one goal – to secure their next job. They pander to constituencies that will be their friends in the next campaign. Rarely will they cross those interests, whether they be unions, anti-tax groups, casino tribes or developers.
Cogdill, a conservative from the San Joaquin Valley, could have stuck to this script and refused to budge from his no-tax stance, as Hollingsworth is prepared to do. He could have pandered to groups that are trying to force the state into insolvency, based on some kamikaze theory that it will enforce "fiscal discipline."
Cogdill didn't do that. Instead, he and Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines spent months negotiating a deal that stood a chance of passing a Legislature dominated by Democrats. The deal they cut includes a hard spending limit, $16 billion in cuts to programs, $11 billion in borrowing and, yes, $14 billion in tax hikes.
Why did Cogdill, a lifelong opponent of higher taxes, accede to these tax increases? The only other choice was deep cuts to law enforcement, K-12 schools, public universities and an overcrowded prison system. A continued impasse, as he said yesterday, could shut down public works projects for months, "hurting real Californians and bringing irreversible damage to our state's finances and economy."
We've differed with Cogdill on various issues over the years. But at the moment it mattered most, he put his state above his political fortunes. When this whole thing is over, someone should pin a medal on his chest.
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