That was then
Posted by paradox
Readers will have to forgive me for not being appropriately giddy Wednesday morning at the thank-God Federal Presidency win of Barack Obama, for we have had a disaster of bigotry here in California, worthy of its own post … but presently cracking a prism of grim outlook on an otherwise pretty morning.
Realism can be a real bitch of a killjoy, and although Snoopy dances are sure to scurry forth from my feet this day the implacable reality of where we are as a country and a people force the subject of this post: the agenda President-elect Obama ran on is almost useless, good for a blueprint of principles of where we should go, yes, but woefully short of what's needed.
The agenda on Obama's Web site was developed over 18 months in the most careful, deliberative manner possible with an electoral win always in mind, yet in the last 60 days the economy completely blew up and the win is now in the bag. Campaign promises and agenda? That was then.
Now we are in the ditch. We are so in a ditch as a country the mother of all ditches clutches her pearls at the sight of it. Clean coal? Emissions goals 30 years out? Please, that's never going to fly. A crash federal program for electric cars from a nationalized Chrysler is more like it, and that's just for energy and the coming automotive bailout.
What are my specific demands for the agenda of President-elect Obama? Nothing, so far, I'm more than prepared to be the loyal soldier, as long as the expectation is stated clearly to the people in the next few weeks the agenda for next January is going to be far more aggressive than previously stated. This is no time for caution or centrism.
Villines: GOP still 'empowered' to block tax hikes
Posted by Shane Goldmacher
Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines issued a statement Wednesday morning calling Tuesday's election "a very difficult one for Republicans nationwide."
But in California Villines took comfort in the fact that Democrats did not achieve a two-thirds majority in the Assembly – always a longshot.
"Assembly Republicans did manage several decisive wins in districts across the state and Californians can take comfort in the fact that Democrats in California did not achieve their goal of winning a two-thirds majority. This means Republicans will still be empowered to protect Californians from higher taxes and reckless spending," Villines said.
In case you've forgotten amid the election madness, California faces a multibillion-dollar deficit …
CA ballot propositions: What is the message?
Posted by Stuart Leavenworth
Californians sent mixed messages on ballot propositions Tuesday. They supported rights for chickens, but not for same-sex couples. They approved about $11 billion in new borrowing for hospitals and high-speed rail, but were more stingy on other spending, including for drug treatment and alternative fuel vehicles.
Much of it came down to campaigning. The Yes-on-8 organizations, opposed to gay marriage, ran a pretty savvy campaign compared to the No-on-8 groups. Proposition 11, the redistricting reform measure, had more money than the opposition, so it seems to have won a narrow victory.
Is there a message here?
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