Why isn't Pete Schurman on the rec list? That's my question, my lament. I don't get it and I don't do these kind of diaries often because well, they seem rather futile. But I guess this one hits home for me.
He wrote a diary and put forth a simple statement, Why I'll Be a Better Governor for California than Jerry Brown.
I thought we supported Democrats, not just Democrats but better Democrats? Aren't we supposed to be pushing candidates to be better. We can make a difference in this race, lets push Jerry Brown to be a better candidate. Help me by doing so.
Follow me...
California is like many States, struggling to stay afloat and in the midst of a couple of big money state wide races that I think matter for the entire Nation.
First off we have the Governor's race where eMeg is spending millions to run in the Primary. Then we have Boxer's senate seat and another primary battle heating up for the Republican nomination.
But, I know I can't speak for all Democrats, but for me the most disappointing part of the whole thing is that I really haven't been crazy about our Democratic Nominee. Sure, Jerry Brown was a great Governor. He's smart, he's green and he's seasoned. But is he doing what he needs to do to win in November?
So we've got Peter Schurman. For me, he's doing what I want someone to do, to push Brown to define himself! Jerry Brown is not for single payer. Jerry Brown can't really explain Prop 13 very well and doesn't support the repeal of the two-thirds majority road block that keeps the State from making any headway on maintaining funding for K-12 and Higher education through our current economic meltdown.
No, I'm serious.
Jerry Brown stresses experience, bipartisanship
In the interview, Brown espoused centrist positions on some key issues that may clearly present a challenge to the two Republican gubernatorial candidates - former eBay CEO Meg Whitman and state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner - who are trying to paint him as a free-spending liberal and the "Gov. Moonbeam" of the past.
Brown said he would not support raising taxes unless voters approved, that he can live with the current two-thirds majority needed to pass new taxes and state budgets, and that he does not believe changes are needed in the Proposition 13 tax initiative.
Do you see my problem? Where has bipartisanship gotten us people? It's just as bad in California. And as we've cut $12 billion dollars from our K-12 budget (was $58 billion) and raised class sizes, we also raised State College and University tuition. Who bears that burden? The middle class.
Not only that, Community College enrollment is up by double digits and we're cutting classes and raising fees? "California's community colleges were forced to turn away 200,000 students last year."
How is that going to help our economy recover if we can't retrain laid off workers? How can we put back funding without getting rid of the two-thirds (And sanely raise the right taxes so we can save education funding)? And hey, how can we work with Republicans if they refuse to raise taxes because they signed a pledge not to and by breaking that pledge would mean not getting elected again. The whole system is broken.
And single payer? Jerry Brown is M.I.A. on that issue as well.
So, are you going to step up Daily Kos, because this battle isn't just about California, it's about Barbara Boxer, who has never been this close this far out ahead of the November election.
And then I have my Congresswoman, Loretta Sanchez. Sure, I'm not in her district, but SHE is my Congresswoman, who comes back and walks precincts, who is accessible and who is dong the right thing for the County and my State. I spoke with her on Saturday in fact, she answered my many questions (even the one about that health care vote, boy, were we wrong!).
WE need to support candidates like Peter Schurman because he stands up for something, he is not pandering to the middle, the primary is not the time to pander. What will happen during the election? More middle ground Jerry Brown? Where has that gotten us in the past?
A Republican Governor. That's the last thing California needs. And we need a Democrat who can get out the vote, who can get the base energized and who can hold on to our Democrats that we already have!
GO look at his diary, comment, he's here answering questions but come on Daily Kos, show that we are that site that supported Howard Dean. That came out for guys fighting the GOOD FIGHT.
Why I'll Be a Better Governor for California than Jerry Brown
by PeterSchurman
* Money: California, the golden state, has a larger economy than all but 7 countries -- yet our government is broke, and regular people are struggling to make ends meet. Every day we hear another story of budget cuts to vital state programs. The human costs of these cuts include schools cramming almost 40 of our children into single classrooms, domestic violence shelters closing, massive tuition hikes at our public colleges, and thousands of layoffs from our Healthy Families program. Why are we letting this happen?
We have a choice. Instead of rolling over and accepting these cuts, we can raise the $19 billion we need to turn our beautiful state around. We can do it mainly by making the oil companies, the big commercial property owners, the corporations, and the richest people pay their fair share -- which none of them are doing today. We can also legalize and tax marijuana, tax services like lawyers as we do physical goods, and end incentive programs that aren't working. On my website, I've laid out a specific plan to raise the $19 billion it will take to close our ongoing budget deficit and stop the cuts, so we can start taking care of our children instead of the oil companies and real-estate tycoons.
I will do this without raising the burden on struggling Californians. In fact, I'll make things easier for people in the lowest income bracket, because right now they're paying a bigger share of their income than anyone else, and I'll change that by making the big guys start pulling their weight.
Budget cuts and the $19 billion deficit driving them are arguably the most serious problems facing our state. What's Jerry Brown's answer? He has none. He says only that he won't raise taxes. He may think that's smart politics, but it's not the kind of leadership we need.
* Democracy: You might think we have a democracy in Sacramento, where we settle our differences by majority vote. In fact, we don't. Instead, Sacramento has a 2/3 rule that gives the Republican minority the power to hold our state's finances hostage, even though we elect solid majorities of Democrats to represent us. Republicans exploit this power ruthlessly, preventing us from raising the revenues we need, because their Wall Street backers don't want to pay their fair share. It's one of the biggest reasons our state's in such a deep hole.
We've got to end the 2/3 rule and get the Republican boot off our neck. There's just no way around it.
You'd think Jerry Brown would agree. But, incredibly, he's taken steps this spring to sabotage the campaign to end the 2/3 rule. As Attorney General, he changed the wording of an important ballot initiative in a way that scares people away from standing up for our rights.
I support ending the 2/3 rule, and so do 70% of Californians. But Jerry Brown is carrying water for the Republicans, not fighting for us.
* Health Care: Our health care system is a mess. The problem is the health insurance companies. They are parasites, sucking up massive sums of money, and giving us paperwork, rate hikes, and denials of coverage in return. Although President Obama's new health care law reins in some of their worst abuses, it also perpetuates the problem, by forcing us to buy their inadequate product, and offering no other option.
A better answer is "Medicare for All", also known as single-payer health care, the most robust form of the "public option" that Californians asked for. It's simple and elegant: by getting the insurance companies out of the way, we get better care, and we save tons of money.
With Medicare for All, the average California family will save more than $300.- per year. Employers who insure their workers will save almost $800 per employee per year -- freeing that money up to hire more people. California as a whole will save $8 billion in the first year, and $343 billion over ten years.
The California Senate has passed our Medicare for All bill, SB 810 (sponsored by Senator Mark Leno). The state assembly has passed similar legislation in recent years. I'm committed to signing it if I'm elected Governor. Sadly, Jerry Brown refuses to make the same commitment.