Breaking up is hard to do. That’s why singer-songwriter Paul Simon offers an alternative “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” At the caucus meeting, following the May 19th anti tax revolt elections, Assembly Republicans should fire up the 8 track and give Simon’s hit a new twist: “50 Ways to Leave Your Leader”
Assembly Republicans need to suggest an alternative career path to Mike Villines.
For his entire political life Mike Villines was an articulate and faithful leader against ghastly 
government growth and any new taxes. Last fall, Mike Villines repeatedly promised to oppose tax increases. He signed the famous anti-tax pledge. Then, Mike Villines began to negotiate his core beliefs out the window, to engineer and vote for the largest tax increase by any state in American history.
Now, he’s touring the state in support of Proposition 1A and offering the doublespeak that “Proposition 1A protects taxpayers.” Most importantly, during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, Mike Villines stands diametrically opposed to his caucus on taxes and the economy. Worse than that he’s enjoying himself. Traveling with Senate President Darrell Steinberg and Speaker Karen Bass may be exhilarating, but it’s bad company. Not only is Villines “bad” on this issue, he turned. He is emotionally committed to change the way Republicans do business in Sacramento. And, that’s dangerous.
As long as Villines remains leader, Assembly Republicans are tacitly approving of Villines. If they don’t support his philosophy, how can Assembly Republicans stand behind him as their public spokesman, let alone have him actually continue to represent the interests of the GOP in what will be ongoing, important negotiations about our state’s finances?
I have faith that most of our Republican legislators are truly pro-growth and anti-tax. Perhaps Assembly Republicans just don’t know how to break the news to Mike. They don’t know how to fire their good friend, especially someone so out of touch with reality that he actually believes that the over-$14 billion in taxes that have already been enacted and another $16 billion tax increase that would come with Proposition 1A is good for taxpayers.
Our message to Assembly Republicans is simple:
We don’t care which euphemism you use. Villines can be downsized, let go, laid off, or given a career alternative enhancement. Just as long as he goes in a different direction.
Today would work well; after all, it’s a Friday.
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