Hard to argue w/Skinny this week

http://www.dmcityview.com/skinny.shtml

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House Speaker Pat Murphy, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal all left the Capitol weaker than when they arrived. With 56 Democrats in the House, Murphy and McCarthy couldn’t find 51 votes when they badly needed them. And they couldn’t even hold their leadership together; with days to go, assistant leader Mike Reasoner of Creston bailed because of “philosophical differences” with his bosses. Murphy’s job is probably safe — there’s no logical successor — but McCarthy is probably finished as a member of the leadership. “Kevin McCarthy is a Republican deep down,” groused one powerful labor guy as he saw the legislature fail to enact any of the four bills that labor so desperately wanted. Even Gronstal — arguably the smartest and savviest guy on the Hill — looked emasculated by the Governor. And if Gronstal ever looked behind him he would have seen his ambitious assistant majority leader Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City taking notes — and probably counting noses.

But Culver’s victory may well be short-lived, if not Pyrrhic. By pouring virtually all of the stimulus money into the Fiscal 2010 budget, he’ll face massive problems next year — when he is running for re-election. The annual cost of the bonding program — something more than $50 million — will add to the election-year budget woes for him and all Democrats. And they can’t expect much election-year help from the economy or from labor, which will be sitting on its hands — and its money. Next session, there will be no more rabbits in the hats — just I.O.U.s and Dave Vaudt’s horror numbers. The regents universities and area colleges will face money problems like they’ve never seen before. None of that bodes well for Democrats running next November — Culver or legislators.

It turns out the Republicans, who entered the session with no strength, didn’t need any muscle to block what they wanted blocked. A rump group of a half-dozen Democrats in the House — including Geri Huser and Doris Kelley — did their work for them. The Republicans didn’t have to have their act together — in fact, they had no act — and could spend their time just sitting around bitching about gay marriage, which they were very good at doing. They really only accomplished one thing on their own: the blocking of the confirmation of Gene Gessow to continue running the Department of Human Services. Gronstal needed to peel off two Republican senators to get Gessow approved, but he couldn’t even get one of the 18 to join the 32 Democrats.

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More at the link...

First, this argument assumes that the economy still sucks to this extent a year from now, thus keeping the tax revenues suppressed. I do not think that will happen. While cuts may be necessary next year, perhaps the election year is the time to make reasonable cuts to play to the middle of the electorate.

I do not see Gronstal having suffered at all in this session. He showed significant leadership and has a bigger bully pulpit than Culver. If Gronstal or Sen. Dotzler or another senator wanted to primary the Governor, they would have significant labor support. Culver has done a lot to mend fences in the past few weeks - he needs to keep that up next year or his base could dissolve in a primary.

As for the House, it is a mess. But, all those who pay attention know the 5 D's who get significant funding from the Association of Business and Industry in return for blocking worker friendly legislation. A strong Speaker would do a better job funding these 5 and locking the caucus room door to them if they come in with business lobby's amendments and ideas.

Just my thoughts. I really see the D's expanding majorities in both houses in 2010 as the R's have no ideas and hopefully will have a far right wacko as the nominee for Governor. The only moderate that could run - Vaudt - would be the D's dream come true ... lots of skeletons in that "CLOSET" - wink, wink, wink!

Thanks to you and Debi for the interesting discussion.
I really worry that Culver may have hung himself out to dry for next year.

and should not always have a knee-jerk facepalm everytime I think of this past session.

Good points and positive outlook!

Thanks!

as being bothered that the labor bills did not pass. I don't recall him even mentioning them during the session. And it is true that Murphy is a poor Speaker. He should be replaced by someone a lot more organized and less genial. One hopes the false Dems in the House will sometime get the memo that they are standing athwart history and that their names have been taken. Running real Dems in primaries might be a salutary idea. A possible hope otherwise one despairs of any good coming from this corporatist democracy.