California’s Central Valley is home to two "supposedly" more moderate Democrats in the California Assembly — Assemblywomen Nicole Parra and Kathleen Galgiani. Both candidates campaigned for office by stressing to voters in their districts their independence, and that they would look out for their districts. But the latest vote that took place last Sunday in the State Assembly on a budget bill jam-packed with massive tax increases (to the tune of $9.7 billion). and pork spending, the opportunity was presented for both of these ladies to vote against heaping new taxes on their constituents. Actually, going into the vote, if you were to take each of them at their word, you would have expected neither of them to vote for the budget. Galgiani voted for the bill, and Parra did not.
Assemblywoman Galgiani (pictured left) campaigned on a no new taxes pledge. Up and through at least last month, her campaign website proudly boasted the following quote from her: "You opened your doors to me. You answered my calls. You said hello at church or wherever we met during my campaign. The best way for me to express my thanks it to keep my promises – I’ll never raise your taxes or cut your schools. I’ll make public safety my top priority and I’ll work really hard to represent you."
Needless to say, Galgiani’s promise to voters went out the window when the hammer of ultra-liberal Assembly Speaker Karen Bass was brought to bear. Suddenly the rhetoric that Galgiani used to get elected just wasn’t so important to her any more.
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August 19th, 2008 at 12:00 am
How quickly we forget. But i remember those “independent” Republican lawmakers who broke with the remainder of their party to support the budget in the late 1990’s.
All were decimated by their colleagues in the election the following years – the political death penalty.
Exile, the penalty imposed on Parra for the same crime, seems merciful by comparison, no?
And Republicans who rejoiced in the political murder of the Repbulican “independents” should not now hypocritically point their dirty fingers at Speaker Bass.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Can you be a little more vague?
Who are these mysterious martyrs?
August 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Spoken like a true thug, Bill.
The voters showed their displeasure with Republicans who voted for those budgets, and refused to elect them again to office.
That’s what living in a democratic republic is about. The voters get the last word on elected officials.
Last time I checked, Karen Bass doesn’t live in the 30th Assembly District. So she’s usurping the rights and privileges of the voters of the Central Valley by deciding what they do and don’t want and punishing a legislator for it.
But it is nice to see what Democrats consider criminal these days: keeping your promises. Did you need to get that through Gloria Romero’s committee?