The governor called
a brief morning press conference Thursday, in essence to call
Dario Frommer a liar.
"When I watched television last night, as I always do, I saw a wonderful story about my appearance at the press club, and the story went along wonderfully. There was all of a sudden, one of the Democrat legislators saying that the governor has not introduced in writing any of his reforms. . ." That,
Schwarzenegger said, was simply not true.
"I was shocked when I saw that," Schwarzenegger said. "So I said to myself, 'Well, I have to clear this mess up and let the people of California know that we did introduce legislation.' "
But interpretations of the larger purpose of yesterday's press conference vary widely.
The LA Times makes the
Schwarzenegger-Davis comparison this morning. "The governor who once embraced the Legislature as a helpful "partner" now depicts it as a plodding hindrance ... To lawmakers, some of this is hauntingly familiar. Former Gov.
Gray Davis, the man Schwarzenegger ousted, demanded in 1999 that lawmakers "implement my vision." It backfired. Years of mutual enmity and legislative paralysis followed."
The
Mercury News, however, characterizes it as an effort "to temper his tone and offer a more conciliatory hand to Democrats."
All of the stories, mention the governor's
falling approval ratings among Democrats, according to a new
PPIC poll. "The poll found that 49 percent of Democrats disapprove of Schwarzenegger's job performance and 43 percent approve. A year ago 46 percent of Democrats approved and 27 percent disapproved. But overall support for Schwarzenegger, bolstered by fellow Republicans, remained high at 60 percent.
The Chron's Mark Martin writes that while the governor is talking about structural reform, the Democrats intend to
stay on message about the budget. "With his proposals and $2.25, you can buy yourself a latte at Starbucks, but you're not going to balance this year's budget," Nuñez said.
(Actually, Mr. Speaker,
$2.25 isn't even enough for that latte anymore.)
In a follow-up to
yesterday's item on SF Supe
Chris Daly, the Chron's editorial board
weighs in: "Officials are supposed to represent the voice of the people, but they can't get a word in edgewise when a self-centered brat like Daly is constantly drowning out the dialogue with his public fits."
We knew this
No Name Calling Week thing was going to hit a couple of rough patches.
The Chron isn't the only editorial board calling politicians names. The LA Daily News attacks
Kevin Shelley's personal hygeine. Talk about kicking a guy while he's down.
Speaking of Shelley, Thursday brought more bad news.
The feds have decided to join the party and audit Shelley's use of HAVA funds. "If the audit finds that any of the $27.3 million in question was misspent, California might have to reimburse the federal government. If the inquiry unearths evidence of wrongdoing, the panel could ask the Justice Department to pursue civil or criminal prosecution.
In Caucus of One news,
Joe Canciamilla is ready to introduce tandem of
redistricting and term limit ballot measures.Former Gray Davis COS
Susan Kennedy scored a victory yesterday when the Public Utilities Commission
overturned its "bill of rights" for wireless consumers. Among those angry by the move is Sen.
Debra Bowen. In a statement blasting the vote, Bowen noted, "Bowen is also a member of the Senate Rules Committee, which is charged with recommending whether the Governor’s two PUC appointees –
Steve Poizner, who has yet to be sworn in, and
Dian Grueneich, who has been sworn in and voted today to delay the implementation of the Telecommunications Consumer Bill of Rights – should be confirmed to their positions on the PUC."
We may only have been at this a month, but we know a threat when we see one.
