Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

GOP LEMMING WATCH….You think DC Republicans are nuts?  Come to California for the real thing.  We’re in a $41 billion hole, and after weeks of grinding negotiations Gov. Schwarzenegger and Democratic leaders finally agreed on a package that contained $15 billion in spending cuts, $15 billion in temporary tax increases, and $11 billion in new borrowing.  So what happened?

Nothing.  The package needs a grand total of three (3) GOP votes in the state Senate, and it turns out there are only two.  All the others are still dead set on allowing California to run off a cliff rather than vote for any tax increases whatsoever no matter what the circumstances.  (Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark: The package, if passed would be remembered as “the Valentine’s massacre on California taxpayers.”)  In the Assembly, my representative, Chuck DeVore, tried to lead a revolt against the sellout Republican leadership, failed, and then promptly resigned his position as minority whip.  (Brian Leubitz at Calitics: “In the Byzantine world of Yacht Party politics this of course is good
news for his chances of winning the party’s nomination to get pummeled by Barbara Boxer in 2010.”)  The Assembly then went into lockdown overnight.  (John Myers via Twitter:A lockdown really is a lockdown. Assembly sergeants are at all exits of the chambers.“)  The Senate pulled an all-nighter too, but by dawn the third GOP vote was still nowhere to be found.  Senate Dems even slashed some spending for children’s healthcare, a project always near and dear to moderate Republicans, but it wasn’t enough to get Sen. Dave Cox on board.  So they’re still a vote shy.

Anyway, no big point to make here except that Republicans in California are certifiably insane.  Unfortunately, they’re also pretty much invulnerable.  Over the past decade their ranks have dwindled to about a third of the legislature, but thanks to the cozy gerrymandering deals of the recent past they represent districts that are far more likely to punish them for compromise than for constructive engagement.  And since California requires a two-thirds majority to pass a budget, they can stamp their feet, hold their breath, give rousing speeches to their neanderthal constituencies, and run the state off a cliff just for giggles.  Aren’t you glad you don’t live here?

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate