OK GOP Legislators, it’s time for a huddle…
Today the State Legislature will come back into session after their Summer recess, and it is my hope you Republican legislators will come to Sacramento ready to face the coming onslaught of 
big-government legislation as a team. Of course, the primary source of pressure to pass bills that raise fees and taxes, or expand the size, scope and reach of the state government will come from the Democrats who control a majority of votes in both houses of the legislature. By remaining unified as Republican caucuses on these bills, you GOPers in the State Senate and State Assembly can achieve two important goals: the first would be to ensure that no tax or fee increases requiring a 2/3 vote of the legislature will ever see the light of day. But equally important, your united opposition to liberal legislation will send an important message to Governor Schwarzenegger that we are unified, and opposing poor public policy proposals.
Of course, another reason for you GOP Senate and Assembly Caucuses to remain unified is that part of the Governor’s campaign theme this season has been to portray himself as a moderate — doing so by taking a strong against tax and fee increases (so GOP legislators shouldn’t see too much pressure to vote for any of those!), but by taking fairly liberal positions in a number of other important public-policy areas. You Republicans should look at all of these areas in a ‘huddle’ — as a team — and figure out exactly what you want to do, as a team.
Republican legislative leaders, my friends all, did not do a service to the people of California last fall by passing a state budget and by throwing tens of millions of borrowing proposals onto the November ballot with the minimum number of required GOP votes. It demonstrated a lack of solidarity among those from the Party of Lincoln. This coming month, it is my hope that Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and Assembly Republican Leader George Plescia bring major policy issues to their caucuses for discussion and direction — and that every GOP legislator remember that if we approach this legislative session as a unified team, then the Republican mission is best accomplished. If legislative proposals don’t enjoy the support of a majority of Senate and Assembly Republicans, the team should unify and oppose those bills.
This kind of unity will greatly empower Ackerman, Plescia and their negotiators.
Let us not forget that when the legislature is dominated by Democrats, and the Governor is posturing to the left on key policy issues, that the GOP team on the field this month is DEFENSE. And the mission of the team: keep the big-government football from crossing into the end zone as best we can.
Everyone understand the game plan? Ok…. break!
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