Update: 7:15pm: In my haste to post on Big 5 meeting below, I erroneously said that the Governor was pushing an INCOME tax. That is an error. I meant to say SALES tax. But to be honest, exactly what taxes the Governor was advocating in the meeting is assumed on my part — it’s not specified in Villines’ comments- Flash
"Post-Partisan" Arnold has become a royal pain in the celebrity posterior. Post-Partisan Arnold isn’t the guy who we re-elected in 2006 who ran on an emphatic platform of never raising taxes. Post-Partisan Arnold is the guy that the Governor of the 2006 campaign trail "morphed" into after he was re-elected. Post-Partisan Arnold has no "team" — he is a team of one.
Today the Governor hosted a meeting of the Big 5 (The Governor and the four legislative leaders) in his office to see where everyone stands on budget negotiations. Apparently, according to the Sacramento Bee story covering the meeting, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines had to walk out of the meeting.
He apparently came out of the meeting confirming that the Governor STILL is advocating a massive increase in the state’s income tax. Villines line to the press corps tells it all: "I left the meeting very frustrated. I’m tired of being in a room where three people keep talking about tax increases."
It’s very frustrating that not only is Post-Partisan Arnold a tax and spender (remember that he, along with former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, proposed the largest business tax increase in the state’s history to finance a massive increase in government’s role in health care here in California) — but that he would be actively pressuring Republicans to vote for a sales tax increase… It’s galling, and, frankly, a betrayal.
Thank God for our the resolve of our Senate and Assembly Republicans and their resolve against tax increases. They are holding the line despite the fact that what the results of the 2006 election were supposed to mean is that they, along with the Governor, would be drawing the line in the sand against growing government through higher taxes.
As for the Governor, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore said it the best on the John and Ken show a few minutes ago — our fascination with electing a celebrity launched into office someone who had no proven track record and who has placed in his key policy positions Democrats, largely those who were the closest advisors to his predecessor, recalled and disgraced Governor Gray Davis.
Oy vey!
The only bright spot is that if the budget isn’t adopted by the time of the Republican National Convention, Post-Partisan Arnold has said he will not be attending the convention, where he is currently slotted to speak (undoubtedly about the need for Republicans to hitch their wagon to Al Gore’s message of global warming hysteria).
[Here is a link to fill out an online form to share your thoughts on all of this with the Governor.]