I think you missed my meaning too. No one disputes what the polls say, since they say what they say.

The question is whether one becomes debilitated, by taking polls as received wisdom. Or, whether one takes polls as starting points that show the gaps requiring leadership/marketing/education.

Naturally, it is an open question as to whether this effort leadership will ever effectively coalesce and actually happen. And whether it would be enough anyway.

But to sit on our hands fatalistically because of a poll (and a failed campaign a few years ago), with this magnitude of crisis (and opportunity) before us?

Sometimes sophistication can be incapacitating.

And if that’s a different Bill Bradley, all the more reason not to care what this one has to say about the results of a Field poll — a poll that shows that only 14% of registered voters — and only 11% of registered Republicans — approve of the job the legislature is doing. Since that job is dependent on the 2/3 rule that they say they don’t want to get rid of, a rule that allows a minority of Republicans to block tax increases, quite obviously the electorate is “not aware of the minority rule situation” — that is, they don’t comprehend its consequences. And so the approval of the rule can be turned around with an intelligent campaign that ties the rule to the severe cuts in services that we are facing. Every time someone complains about education, road conditions, crime, mental health facilities … anything in which the state government plays a role, point out that it’s because there’s no money because of the 2/3 rule. If they really believe that “the government’s the problem, not the solution”, then they should SFTU and buy their own damn roads and police.

‘All budgetary and revenue issues shall be decided by a majority vote in both houses of the legislature. ‘

It isn’t quite that simple because it needs accompanying legal language to change the state constitution, but it can be presented that way, and Courage Campaign has already taken that up:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/Declaration

“DECLARATION OF DEMOCRACY: Budgets and taxes should be approved by a majority vote of the legislature.”

Uh, no. While not passing these measures leaves the state in terrible shape, passing them would have left it in much worse shape, and nearly permanently, which is why virtually every progressive organization opposed it, and why they fought hard, and succeeded, at the CA Dem convention against the Dem party mainliners — with whom you’re now aligning — to keep the party from endorsing 1A.

The problem in this state is, and has been since 1978′s Prop 13, the 2/3 rule that allows a handful of rabid Republican ideologues to strangle the government by blocking revenue increases. The tax rate on commercial property in CA is insanely low, and the massive profits from those properties are going off to China and everywhere else but not to the communities that are making them possible; it’s a libertarian wet dream. Somalia here we come unless we change it. And we can change it, contrary to nitwits like Bill Bradley who don’t understand voter dynamics (the only reason he ever won was because of his NBA career).

If you like, I can be sure to email you every time that I make a comment so that you may pass judgment on its timeliness.

Sure you’ll take the dog. She is totally dependent on someone else providing her food and shelter, like others in California who want the state to care for them. At least she does a few tricks for her treats. But, as I actually told my son the other day, she is a Republican dog.

- – -

Regarding the California budget, get this! While you turned your heads, Obama was trying to blackmail and penalize the state and its elderly because of a compalint by the SEIU.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stimulus-california21-2009may21,0,737150.story

In a letter that was given to the governor this morning, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the state remains eligible to receive another billion in stimulus money for its Medicaid program, a ruling that may offer some solace for state officials coping with the resounding voter defeat Tuesday of five ballot measures aimed at closing California’s huge budget shortfall.

The decision resolves a bitter standoff between the Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations, in which California officials questioned the involvement of an influential union — the Service Employees International Union. The Obama administration set up a conference call on April 15 to discuss whether the state had violated the new stimulus law by cutting the pay of unionized home healthcare workers from a maximum of .10 an hour to a maximum of .10. California officials took the step to save million and move closer to narrowing the state’s multibillion-dollar budget gap.

We’ll take the dog, but…

Hey, just to give you guys some peace and let you discuss this your way, I’m not saying any more on this subject.”

Does this mean I’m not gay ? I’m kind of disoriented.

“The term ‘revenue’ would cover taxes without waving a red flag.”

Uh-huh.

Sure you’ll take the dog. She is totally dependent on someone else providing her food and shelter, like others in California who want the state to care for them. At least she does a few tricks for her treats. But, as I actually told my son the other day, she is a Republican dog.

- – -

Regarding the California budget, get this! While you turned your heads, Obama was trying to blackmail and penalize the state and its elderly because of a compalint by the SEIU.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stimulus-california21-2009may21,0,737150.story

In a letter that was given to the governor this morning, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the state remains eligible to receive another $8 billion in stimulus money for its Medicaid program, a ruling that may offer some solace for state officials coping with the resounding voter defeat Tuesday of five ballot measures aimed at closing California’s huge budget shortfall.

The decision resolves a bitter standoff between the Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations, in which California officials questioned the involvement of an influential union — the Service Employees International Union. The Obama administration set up a conference call on April 15 to discuss whether the state had violated the new stimulus law by cutting the pay of unionized home healthcare workers from a maximum of $12.10 an hour to a maximum of $10.10. California officials took the step to save $74 million and move closer to narrowing the state’s multibillion-dollar budget gap.