Cluck cluck cluck
California Democrats take no stand on Arnold’s 15 billion bond issue.
Bob Harmon rose in protest Sunday when state Democratic leaders signaled that they would not fight the $15-billion debt proposal that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put on the March ballot.
“If this party stands for nothing, then we can expect nothing from the voters in return,” the Marin County law student told fellow delegates at the state Democratic convention.
Harmon lost the battle: The party took no position on the ballot measure.
Today California Democratic Party chair Art Torres was on KPFK talking about the already severe budget cuts, about the hugely increased college fees and slashing of social net programs, about Arnold’s refusal to raise taxes at all, about the 15 billion bond issue that will put California in debt for years – and although he says he opposes all of this, there’s no fire, no protest, no plan of action. His big idea was we should send postcards to Arnold in protest. Wow. How daring. How committed.
George Skelton, canny political observer for the LA Times, notes –
No sign of a savior for state Democratic party
This is a party in transition. Nobody knows whether it’s rebounding or in free-fall. Democrats still hold most partisan offices, but there’s a whiff of interior rotting.
Democrats need a charismatic savior. None was apparent Saturday.