California Political Donnybrook: Grab The Popcorn!
Gov. Jerry Brown has a little-known Republican challenger campaigning against him across California, taunting him on issues from taxes to transit. But his most formidable Republican adversary is turning out to be a fellow Californian who wields his power from an office 2,700 miles away: Representative Kevin McCarthy, the incoming House majority leader.
In the weeks since Mr. McCarthy, who represents Bakersfield, was elected to the No. 2 position in the House of Representatives, the powerful California governor has found himself facing a no-less-powerful legislator with clout and a platform unlike any he has confronted since he took office. Mr. McCarthy may someday be remembered as a last gasp of Republicanism in this increasingly Democratic state — at least in the view of some Democrats — but for now, he is emerging as an ideological and politically wily opponent, a former State Assembly minority leader with strong opinions on how things should be done back home.
Within days of being elected majority leader, to replace Eric Cantor after his surprise loss in a Republican primary, Mr. McCarthy escalated his long-held opposition to Mr. Brown’s signature project, a 520-mile, $68 billion high-speed train that would run from San Francisco to Los Angeles, vowing to do what he could to kill it. “If Sacramento looks to Washington to pay for the train, that will never happen,” he said in an interview last week.
Further, Mr. McCarthy said he would push Republican legislation responding to the severe drought here — which he called the “crisis of the century in California” — by, among other things, rolling back federal environmental protections for endangered smelt and salmon populations, which farmers complained cost them water for irrigation. Mr. Brown denounced the bill as “an unwelcome and divisive intrusion into California’s efforts to manage this severe crisis.”
And here the GOP has been telling us it’s the greatest supporter of states’ rights ever! I can practically hear a certain former Texas governor saying something about “fool me twice, won’t be fooled ag’in.” Problem is, unlike the Beltway press cadre, we never fell for that line in the first place.
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By: dave-dr-gonzo
David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.
* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.
16 responses to California Political Donnybrook: Grab The Popcorn!
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Anomaly 100 July 17th, 2014 at 06:38
Nom nom nom,
Anomaly 100 July 17th, 2014 at 06:38
Nom nom nom,
m2old4bs July 17th, 2014 at 07:51
I trust Gov. Moonbeam over McCarthy any day of the week, any time of the day.
m2old4bs July 17th, 2014 at 07:51
I trust Gov. Moonbeam over McCarthy any day of the week, any time of the day.
Obewon July 17th, 2014 at 09:08
Big-Oil Bakersfield McCarthy is not very good at math. California’s $2T GDP is 1/8th of U.S. Record $16.2 T GDP, easily entitling it to “Total Approximate Funding (all corridors)
$2,3 billion” DOT funds for a fuel efficient & time saving 520-mile, $68 billion high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles cited by the White House: High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program California. http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rail_california.pdf And repubs wonder why 100% of California elective offices are filled by Dems.
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 09:36
There’s a much more interesting concept that is being developed in an open source manner:
http://www.zdnet.com/elon-musk-challenges-california-high-speed-rail-plans-with-hyperloop-7000019292/
Too bad it’s getting no interest from anyone in government!
Obewon July 17th, 2014 at 09:43
Elon Musk’s SpaceX & Tesla are today’s greatest innovators. But Musk lamented further in a blog post on Monday that “there is not even a short distance demonstration system operating in test pilot mode anywhere in the world, let alone something that is robust enough for public transit.” Engage!
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 09:49
Yes, its true. His hyperloop is several steps beyond what CA. is attempting with current foreign technology and likely won’t get the attention it deserves.
mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 10:19
I would think something like that should first be built where the land is more stable. Something along the I35 corridor in Texas might be a good place to test out the technology with lots of freight first before putting so many lives in the hands of unproven technology.
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 10:51
You just want Texas to have something cool to distract from the troglodytes it produces now! The hyperloop takes up less land than HSR, is more efficient, safer and faster. Oh, it potentially will cost much less than HSR given the immense land acquisition costs and lawsuits that HSR will have to go through before its built!
Obewon July 17th, 2014 at 09:08
Big-Oil Bakersfield McCarthy is not very good at math. California’s $2T GDP is 1/8th of U.S. Record $16.2 T GDP, easily entitling it to “Total Approximate Funding (all corridors)
$2,3 billion” DOT funds for a fuel efficient & time saving 520-mile, $68 billion high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles cited by the White House: High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program California. http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rail_california.pdf And repubs wonder why 100% of California elective offices are filled by Dems.
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 09:36
There’s a much more interesting concept that is being developed in an open source manner:
http://www.zdnet.com/elon-musk-challenges-california-high-speed-rail-plans-with-hyperloop-7000019292/
Too bad it’s getting no interest from anyone in government!
Obewon July 17th, 2014 at 09:43
Elon Musk’s SpaceX & Tesla are today’s greatest innovators. But Musk lamented further in a blog post on Monday that “there is not even a short distance demonstration system operating in test pilot mode anywhere in the world, let alone something that is robust enough for public transit.” Engage!
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 09:49
Yes, its true. His hyperloop is several steps beyond what CA. is attempting with current foreign technology and likely won’t get the attention it deserves.
mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 10:19
I would think something like that should first be built where the land is more stable. Something along the I35 corridor in Texas might be a good place to test out the technology with lots of freight first before putting so many lives in the hands of unproven technology.
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 10:51
You just want Texas to have something cool to distract from the troglodytes it produces now! The hyperloop takes up less land than HSR, is more efficient, safer and faster. Oh, it potentially will cost much less than HSR given the immense land acquisition costs and lawsuits that HSR will have to go through before its built!