FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE

Minority Republicans play their hand to partial victory (Alexa H. Bluth, July 30, 2003, Sacramento Bee)

They control no statewide offices and are the minority party in both legislative chambers.

But for one month in California -- including a dramatic and exhausting 29-hour finale -- political strategists, lawmakers and others agreed: Republicans held all the cards.

"They won," declared a weary Democratic assemblyman, Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys, after the Assembly on Tuesday afternoon approved an overdue budget following an all-night session.

The central victory was simple. The $100 billion plan that will be sent to Gov. Gray Davis does not include the tax increases that Democrats, including Davis, had previously said they would insist upon to help fill the $38.2 billion budget deficit. [...]

[H]anging over this year's debate was the ongoing effort to recall Davis, focused largely on what his critics call his mishandling of state spending. Just as the Senate leaders finished a deal last week, state officials announced that the recall had qualified for the ballot and that an Oct. 7 election would be held.

"There was a political cloud over the whole debate," said Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.

Then came a stumble that many considered key to pushing lawmakers into a budget deal.

A group of liberal Democrats were caught discussing the potential political gain from holding up a budget and the implications of the delay on the recall race.

Before the incident, observers say, Democrats may have been persuasive in their complaints that Republicans were holding up the budget to help the recall.

"I think that exposed Democrats," said Assemblyman John Campbell, R-Irvine. "I think it made a difference for them."

Which all goes to show you: Sometimes, nothin' is a real cool hand. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 30, 2003 10:37 PM