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Ignoring the Lessons of History, Dan Walters Urges Appeasement of Republicans to Resolve Budget Deadlock

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By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Neville Chamberlin has returned? In his column today, Dan Walters suggests the current budget deadlock’s cause likes in the repeated failure of Republican Budget Committee members to prevail.

They are stubborn at budget time because they have not obtained their goals.

If Democrats gave in early in the year, Walters reasons, they would be less obstinate in the Summer.

Give them Czechoslovakia and they’ll forego their hand in Poland?

Here’s a different thought.

Since only two Republican State Senators are holding up California’s budget, let’s make things gradually more unpleasant for those politicians - as the deadlock makes things gradually more unpleasant for those who need that budget passed.

Here’s a three point plan.

Day one, debate the budget and, if it fails passage by two votes, put it on call. Lock the doors and issue passes only to those who have done their duty. Turn off the tv cameras to eliminate the motivations for posturing.

Day two, lift the call. If the budget doesn’t receive the two extra votes necessary, replace the call. Provide passes to those who’ve done their duty. Retain those who have not in chambers. Turn off luxury items like air conditioning. Provide nourishing, nutritious meals for the recalcitrants, but nothing so pleasant as to provide continued motivation for their failure to vote.

Day three, the same as day two. And so on.

This procedure is not guaranteed to produce the votes for a budget. But after the third day, there will be a spate of martyr stories the Senators can save for their grandchildren.
(The English should have held firm at Munich).

And by the time the Assembly returns, the Senators may be more willing to listen to reason?

Well, it’s worth a try. And certainly it makes more sense than accepting Dan Walter’s advice – which amounts to turning in loser’s tickets at the winner’s window.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.

He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and including Speaker Fabian Nunez.

Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Posted on July 30, 2007

Comments

Cavala you are a propagandist after my own heart! The "Big Lie" tactic is as sucessful for you as it was for me in the glory days of (national) socialism. You would fit right in with our gang!

I read Walters article. His was well laid out with logic, including we had all year, hearing and comitties to work with the opposite side and just basically blew them off. Why not? We are the majority so the majority should RULE. (Unless of course our party is the minority...)

So your flipping the historical analogy is a great "Big Lie" style tactic!. The republicans in committe all year brought up their issues. We took the Rhineland anyway. They tried to get "their" Governor/Chamberlain to work with us all year. We took the Sudetenland and all of Czeckoslovakia anyway although our hanging with him in the smoking tent did look like "Peace in our time".

Turns out we were fooled: The republicans knew we were blowing them off, ignoring them all year so realised they needed to build up their defences after "Munich". So when the budjet deadline loomed and we were going to take Poland, they actually (the nerve of those undesirables) decalred war on us and are holding up our blizkrieg. And all on the handle of lets balance the budget, not do more deficit spending, etc. Lead perhaps by Prime Minister Ackerman/Churchill.

Keep up the good work Herr Gauliter Cavala. Our own might in conjunction with your propaganda will over come. Your suggestions of torture and keeping these undesirables locked up until they toe our line will speed us towards a final solution of our own making...

Posted by: Joe Goebbels at July 30, 2007 10:26 AM

Yes! Yes! Yes! I volunteer to lock the door!

Posted by: Leyla at July 30, 2007 11:14 AM

"Never in the field of out of control state spending was so much owed by so many (Califonians) to so few (Republicans)"

Posted by: California Taxpayer at July 30, 2007 01:35 PM

What do you actually mean "Do their duty?" As a Republican that stands for fiscal responsibility, does that mean passes for any Republicans that oppose the passage? They are doing their duty, just not the way you want them to. Coercion is not the way to go.

Posted by: Ryan at July 31, 2007 01:34 PM

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