House Democrats admit what has been whispered all along.
Well, at least Cushingberry did. He has a bit of a mouth on him.
Canceling vacations to force action on the tax hikes would be a waste of time now, Cushingberry said, because Democrats don't have the votes to pass a tax hike anyway."I don't know what the point is," he said.
Here's a clue.
First of all, this is not just "tax hikes", but thanks for playing right into the Republican rhetoric.
The point is, George, the Republicans know that the House Democrats don't have the votes and are now exploiting that for all they can get.
And, because the House Democrats lack the courage to take swift and decisive action, the opposition grows stronger and bolder every day. Democratic ideals are taking a beating.
Any and every target the Republicans ever dreamed of, from the unions, to the poor, to the working class of this state, you name it, are now being served up in Senate bills within hours of any action the governor takes to try to motivate you guys to do your job.
She leads, the Senate Republicans immediately start calling her and her administration names in the press, and then they run back to the chamber and pass legislation that has no chance of approval in the House. This has happened time and time again this year. It happened again yesterday.
The Senate began voting mostly along party lines for government changes they say are a must if they're to support a tax increase.
Waste of time? On one hand, yes, it is. But on the other, by doing these things, they rally their supporters and solidify their "bargaining" position with every step they take.
They actually do something to further their agenda.
The governor, fellow Democrats, and the citizens of this state end up paying the price.
The House Democrats have "no comment", except to say that they need bipartisan approval for all of their plans.
Dillon, who says productive negotiations are ongoing, wants a broad bipartisan agreement on the budget and the taxes to fund it so his members don't become sitting ducks in 2008, or sooner through threatened recall campaigns.
Ask yourself why the Republicans have no fear of this; after all, their position on taxes is now in the minority. You don't see them waiting for bipartisan support. Ever.
Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Big enough clue for you guys? Why aren't you seeing this pattern?
Kudos to the governor for starting to point this out. It can't be easy for her to have to whip her own party, the party that rode to power on her coattails, but apparently it must be done.
In her strongest statement this year on the budget -- in part because she's criticizing fellow Democrats -- Granholm said failing to act breaks faith "with the citizens who pay our salaries and rightfully expect work to come before pleasure. Vacation is not an option until our work is done."
No, vacation comes first, replied Mike and Andy. The statement from Dillon-
House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, declined to discuss the subject Tuesday, issuing a statement through a spokesman that he didn't want to "comment on ongoing negotiations. We're not going to stop working until the budget crisis is resolved," Dillon said.
We won't stop working, but we will go on vacation. Doesn't make much sense. They claim that the leaders will be available, but do you think anything will actually get done? Of course not. So the response to Granholm's request-
Neither leader said Tuesday they intended to comply.
Didn't think so, but it was a nice try.
And her point has been made.
Another point that should be made is that the Senate Democrats are standing up. Compare and contrast these statements with the one who has "no comment".
Watch the video from Mark Schauer on the legislation the Republicans rammed through the Senate-
But what we have before us is not a serious effort to comprehensively solve our budget crisis. Unfortunately, it's a knee-jerk reaction to being told that we should do the job that we've been sent here to do. We can work out a real solution that includes reforms and revenues, and we can get it done this week. We are a full-time Legislature after all. But this my-way-or-the-highway legislating isn't the solution and it needs to stop.
And this statement from Gretchen Whitmer, who is always standing up on the floor and speaking her mind, somebody please get this woman some more press soon, 'cause she's really, really good-
Instead, today you are discharging bills in a retaliatory manner that doesn't get us any closer to a solution. We had a deal--a deal that envisioned compromise on both sides--but today you've made it clear that your word doesn't count anymore inside the Senate than it does outside of it. We agreed to address reforms, but these are not reforms. These are purely political posturing intended to paint Democrats as unwilling to look at changes. That's just not true. I've told the sponsor, the good Senator from the 30th District, that there are many of us who are willing and ready and open to work on these very reforms as part of the solution.I don't know about you, but if we break for summer without solving the long-term problems facing our constituents, I'm not going to have a relaxing vacation. You may be able to take a nap in a hammock while Michigan's working class are stuck with their hand out, but I can't. You might be able to tan on the beach while passing policies that burn Michigan citizens, but I won't. And you might be willing to take a dip in the pool while leaving Michigan drowning in debt, but I absolutely will not stand for it.
Watch the video of Whitmer's statement here.
Love those fightin' Senate Dems.
We can only dream of what could be accomplished if we saw that kind of action in the House.
Any way we can get you guys to switch sides? No?
Well, maybe we should consider that in the next election then. There has to be people out there willing to fight for their leader, their colleagues, their party, and their fellow citizens.
There has to be.