[Sosfbay-discuss] The New "Moderate" Arnold

[alexcathy at aol.com]

Dear Green Friends,

GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER has just conclude his 
"move-to-the-center" state of the state address in Sacramento.  The 
highlight was the proposal of a stupendous $222 billion public works 
program partly financed by $68 billion in new general obligation bonds. 


Dammit!  I wish the Green Party had the resources to do an "Instant 
Rebuttal" the way the Clinton Democrats used to do in their heyday.  I 
would love to know what our Green Party gubernatorial candidate, PETER 
CAMEJO, who is after all, an expert on finances and budgeting, thinks 
about this.

Well, you know I hate both the Republican Party cronies and crooks and 
the Democratic Party cronies and crooks.  $222 billion worth of filthy 
lucre?

C'mon, you know the next Jack Abramoff is already booting up his Excel 
spreadsheet.

My gut level feeling is that this is a golden once-in-a-lifetime 
opportunity for the Green Party to emerge, at long last, as the true 
party of reform.  My gut tells me we Greens should resist the 
temptation to play the Democrats' game and instead come out AGAINST 
this boondoggle even while continuing to insist on a serious, grown-up, 
consideration of the structural deficits built into the corrupted state 
budget process and promoting the idea of California as the World Leader 
in sustainable green technology.  Let Democrats try to defend their 
20th Century "Big Government" philosophy.  We Greens will be the party 
of 21st Century Reform!


Alex Walker


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Posted by The San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com, Thursday, 
January 5, 2005. - 15 minutes Ago

SETTING BIPARTISAN TONE, SCHWARZENEGGER PROPOSES MASSIVE BOND
By Tom Chorneau, Associated Press


(01-05) 17:38 PST SACRAMENTO, (AP) --

Attempting to rekindle his image as a bipartisan populist, Gov. Arnold 
Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged cooperation among lawmakers and 
proposed a sweeping $222 billion public works program that would 
require the largest bond package in state history.

The governor's annual State of the State speech addressed issues basic 
to the lives of most Californians, including more funding for public 
schools, rebuilding freeways and transit systems, improving air quality 
and raising the minimum wage.

He asked Californians to move beyond a year filled with acrimony over 
the special election he had called and devoid of significant political 
accomplishment.

"I have absorbed my defeat. I have learned my lesson. And the people, 
who always have the last word, sent a clear message ? cut the warfare, 
cool the rhetoric, find common ground and fix the problems together," 
Schwarzenegger said before a packed Assembly chamber. "To my fellow 
Californians, I say, 'Message received.'"

The governor's speech was his third State of the State address but was 
widely viewed as among the most pivotal appearances of his political 
career. Facing re-election in November, his task was to persuade 
Californians to set aside any lingering bitterness over last year's 
election campaign and regain the bipartisan image that made him so 
popular his first year in office.

The vision Schwarzenegger laid out in the 23-minute speech proposed a 
bold program for rebuilding the state's aging freeways, bridges, 
schools, universities, court systems and levees. He also proposed 
building two new prisons and improving the state's air quality.

The governor proposed spending $222.6 billion in public works 
improvements over 20 years, to be paid in part by $68 billion in new 
general obligation bonds. The bonds would go before voters in a series 
of elections between 2006 and 2014.

The governor also pledged that his plan would ensure fiscal prudence 
for a state that grappled with multibillion dollar budget deficits 
before he took office in 2003. One aspect of his "Strategic Growth 
Plan" would constitutionally cap debt payments, limiting them to no 
more than 6 percent of the state's general fund revenue.

Schwarzenegger said his plan is necessary to keep pace with 
California's expanding population, which is expected to hit 46 million 
people by 2025. The state has not embarked on such a massive series of 
public works projects since the 1960s.

"We cannot spend more than we have, but at the same time cannot afford 
costly delays in investing in critical infrastructure," he said. "The 
reality is that we face more than $500 billion in infrastructure needs 
over the next 20 years."

The address by California's 38th governor contrasted sharply with his 
speech a year ago. At that time, he threatened a special election if 
lawmakers didn't meet his demands on a variety of budget and government 
reforms.

It was his first statewide speech since voters rejected all four of his 
ballot measures on Nov. 8. He acknowledged the defeat, showing flashes 
of his trademark humor.

"And what a difference a year makes. A year ago, USC and I were No. 1. 
What happened?" he said in a reference to the University of Southern 
California's loss Wednesday night in the college football title game.

He acknowledged turning a deaf ear to the majority of California 
voters, who told pollsters they didn't want a special election in 2005, 
but said he begins the new year "happy and hopeful and wiser."

Throughout the speech, Schwarzenegger tried to reposition himself in 
the political center, a step that could be crucial for his re-election 
chances as a Republican running in a state where two-thirds of voters 
are registered as Democrats or independents.

"I hope the members of the Legislature also heard the message that the 
people want us to work together," the governor said. "I have always 
felt that the people are my partners."

His proposed budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year is expected to include 
$4.3 billion more for public schools and a freeze in university fees. A 
predicted $5.2 billion in extra, unanticipated tax revenue next fiscal 
year gives the governor a welcome boost.

He also has proposed a $1-an-hour raise over two years in the state's 
minimum wage.

Public opinion of Schwarzenegger soared after he won office during the 
2003 recall of former Gov. Gray Davis, in part because his cooperative 
approach had wide political appeal. He took a partisan turn last year, 
angering labor unions, teachers and Democratic lawmakers with his 
proposed changes to the state budget process, pensions, legislative 
districts, union campaign fundraising and teacher pay and tenure.

His popularity plunged, and voters ultimately rejected all four of the 
initiatives he placed on the special election ballot.

Since then, the governor has reached out to Democrats ? the state's 
majority party ? in a variety of ways. A political strategy that 
strikes a conciliatory tone and focuses on issues important to 
California residents makes sense, said Thad Kousser, an assistant 
professor of political science at the University of California, San 
Diego.

"What we're seeing is the first public attempt to do what 
Schwarzenegger has been doing privately for awhile ? that he's moving 
back into the middle," Kousser said. "(Voters) still believe he cares 
about the things they do. Schools, traffic, crime ? these are the 
issues that consume most people's lives."

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