Republican Dinosaurs Cling to PowerPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Mar. 18‚ 2009When a side that “plays to win” is in the political minority, they assert whatever power they can get. This is the position Republicans, after two elections of solid blue victories, are stuck in at the federal and state level. Shut out of the presidency and the U.S. House of Representatives, the G.O.P. clings to the only thing they control: 41 seats in the United States Senate. In California, the one time that Republicans even matter in the Legislature is to pass a budget – and only because of the “two-thirds rule.” Relegated to a permanent minority in the Golden State, the party has employed this trump card with a vengeance – refusing to pass a single tax increase whatsoever. But like a dinosaur who knows its days are numbered, these obstructionists are on their way out. An early glance at the Senate races in 2010 should embolden Democrats, who could next year win a filibuster-proof majority. In California, a successful campaign to scrap the “two-thirds rule” would render state Republicans (at least in their current form) extinct. For that reason, expect these dinosaurs to make it a “fight to the death” – because for them, it is. |