These guys are a real drag, man.
Our SOD comes from an unnamed Senate Republican, speaking on the budget negotiations.
From Gongwer-
One Senate Republican said that by the end of the process, "a whole lot of people are going to be unhappy."
They project pessimism on everything. Have you noticed that? The Governor sucks, the state sucks, our business climate sucks, the budget deal is gonna suck, everything is just horrible, if you are a Republican.
Republicans need things to be bad, so they will run around and tell everyone how bad everything is. All the time. Watch for it.
This is your chance, Speaker Dillon. On the diary down below, you said, "I tend to err on the side of staying positive and focused on the issues before us".
Democrats can focus on the real issues, and staying positive is not an "err" in this case; it is your ultimate goal.
Democrats are going to save schools, provide public safety, promote health care, and preserve our quality of life. Isn't that what it is all about? If lawmakers won't stand up for home, Mom, and apple pie, then what is left to stand up for? Here is your opening, Democrats. Take it.
Not only are Republicans crying doom and gloom, they want to drag that doom and gloom out for as long as they possibly can. One House Republican thinks a continuation budget is a good idea.
"If I had to bet, I would say this is all leading to a continuation budget," said Rep. Jack Brandenburg, a Harrison Township Republican who serves on the House Appropriations Committee. "Just hold the line for this year. She (Granholm) won't admit it, but that's a pretty good compromise."
You have got to be kidding me. Republicans are now justifying not doing their job and calling it a compromise?
No dice, says Bob Emerson, over the flip...
"If you allow procrastinators to procrastinate, they will procrastinate," Emerson said. He said agreeing on a temporary budget for a few months won't be any easier than a full-year budget.
Both Granholm and Dillon have said that a continuation budget is not an option, and Dillon claims that he will move the entire budget and the revenue to support it, so any blowback from the "continuation" talk will fall right back on the Republicans. Look for that to drop off the map pretty soon.
According to Gongwer and the Free Press, the Senate is going to pass the budget bills as they stand, which seems to indicate they are conceding the needed revenue.
Doesn't mean they will vote to fund those bills, but it's a start. From Gongwer-
According to a variety of sources, Senate leaders plan to run all the bills approved by the Appropriations Committee. There are large series of amendments pending on virtually all the bills, but at least as of Monday afternoon officials planned to win approval of the bills largely unchanged from the manner they were reported from the committee.
If that is the case, one Senate Democratic official said his caucus will be prepared to make the case that Republicans are comfortable with the notion of raising as much as $1.5 billion in tax increases.
They are voting to spend the money, but they haven't voted for the money. That will be the final, problematic battle. The Freep lays it out-
Bishop keeps insisting on spending reforms before taxes are raised, although Republicans haven't agreed among themselves on how or what to cut.
House Democrats hold a 58-52 majority but probably don't have enough votes yet for a tax increase that Granholm says is necessary to avert a looming deficit estimated as high as $1.8 billion.
And for all of this talk of the administration not being involved in the process, the ultimate truth comes to us from Todd Cook of Mainstreet Strategies, courtesy of MIRS.
In a re-occurring series where "MIRS talks to political pundits", in some circles known as "MIRS talks to the DeVos Flying Monkeys", Cook had this to say-
"The reality is that the Governor is still the most powerful position in state government and the last time I checked Granholm is still the Governor," Cook continued. "She's going to be a part of any budget agreement."
That's right. As much as the Republicans like to call her "irrelevant", she still wields the big pen.
Keep that in mind, legislators. She's term- limited, likely in line for bigger and better things, and doesn't have a lot to lose by standing up to force a comprehensive solution that she can live with.
She might just send you all back to the drawing board if you get this wrong, so let's get it right the first time.
And let the Republicans cry all the way into 2008. "Michigan sucks" was such a fine campaign slogan in 2006; it appears that they are going continue with this theme.
Let them. And we win again.