FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog

Even RINO California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will NOT take on Prop 13 and the California Constitution.

Democratic leaders sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger an $18 billion deficit-cutting package on Tuesday, a plan he quickly vetoed as anti-tax groups filed a lawsuit to stop it.

The activity came amid the Legislature’s third special session since the November election to deal with California’s worsening budget deficit, projected at $42 billion over the next 18 months.

With Schwarzenegger’s veto, time is running out for lawmakers to find a midyear fix. The state controller has warned that California will be so short of cash it will have to start issuing IOUs in February to vendors and taxpayers expecting refunds.

Democrats said their plan would have avoided what Schwarzenegger has described as a “financial Armageddon,” but it appeared to be dead even before it arrived on the governor’s desk.

California Legislative Democrats tried an end run around the California Constitution that was amended in 1978 by Proposition 13 that requires any increase in taxes be affirmed by a 2/3rd’s vote of the Legislature.

If the Governor were to have a change of heart and approve such an outrageous scheme, the California Supreme Court would quickly issue an injunction and/or a referendum petition would be quickly filed by California voters.

Looks like the California Legislature better get busy and cut spending.

A new study tries to debunk the notion that California African-American voters spurred to the polls by the election of the first African-American President, Barack Obama overwhelmingly supported California Proposition 8 that restored the traditional definition of marriage (one man and one woman).

A new study of voting patterns on Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that would outlaw same-sex marriage, concludes that African American support, reported by exit pollsters at 70 percent, was at least 10 percentage points lower.

The high reported support levels among black and Latino voters for the measure, which won voter approval but is now being challenged in court, led to post-election controversy and conclusions that non-white voters provided the margin of victory for Proposition 8.

The new study, commissioned by the San Francisco-based Evelyn and Walter Hass Jr. Fund and released by a consortium of gay rights groups, was conducted by two New York college researchers. It concludes that party affiliation, political ideology, frequency of attending church and age “were the driving forces behind the measure’s passage” rather than ethnicity.

When voting results were adjusted for those factors, the researchers concluded, “support for Proposition 8 among African Americanss and Latinos was not significantly different than other groups.” They put overall black support for Proposition 8 at “no more than 59 percent” rather than the 70 percent found in exist polls of voters.

“These figures point the way to winning marriage equality for same-sex couples sooner rather than later,” said Jaime Grant, Ph.D., director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. “Convincing the Republican Party that continued gay bashing will cripple its future is one; another is accelerating the already strong surge in support among young voters.”

An interesting study that really compares apples to oranges in a number of their analyses but the reader can read it here (PDF).

The November California Proposition 8 was a “PERFECT STORM” for the passage of gay marriage in California. A down GOP year, an accelerated Democrat registration drive plus turn-out for Obama, optimized ballot language by a sympathetic California Attorney General and a Presidental election year turn-out of voters should have produced a victory for gay marriage proponents. But, it didn’t.

Why?

There is No doubt the No on Proposition 8 Campaign was poorly run but the fact is that California voters simply do NOT support gay marriage and the considerable political baggage that accompanies its legalization. And, an almost 60 per cent African-American support for a gay marriage ban is nothing to overlook. But, does it really matter?

The homosexual lobby will try again (when the California Supreme Court upholds Proposition 8 as constitutional) but will be less likely to obtain even 48 per cent they received last November. Younger voters will return to their habit of ignoring elections and GOP voters will return to the fold of turning out to vote disproprtionately in non-Presidental election years. Gay Marriage = FAIL.

There has not been one election in ANY state where gay marriage has passed the muster of voters. It won’t be happening anytime soon in California either - despite what homosexual political scientists desire.

Partisan trends do not look good for the Grand Old Party.

The number of Americans who consider themselves to be Democrats inched up again in December to 41.6%. That’s up two-tenths of a point since November and the third straight monthly increase in the number of Democrats.

Only once since Rasmussen Reports began tracking this data on a monthly basis in 2002 has the number of Democrats been higher. In May, as the Obama-Clinton primary battle neared its conclusion, 41.7% of Americans said they were Democrats.

At the same time, the number of Republicans declined a full percentage point from 33.8% in November to 32.8% in December. That’s the lowest number of Republicans since August. The number claiming allegiance to the GOP peaked in September at 34.4% as the party enjoyed a convention bounce and Sarah Palin was picked as the party’s Vice Presidential nominee.

The number not affiliated with either major party inched up from 24.7% in November to 25.6% in December.

These figures are not a shock but will be food for thought for the next Repuiblican National Chairman. How ill the party increase its numbers without alienating its conservative base, driving them to the not affiliated column.

During the Goldwater/Reagan era there was a coherent message. This will be the challenge for a revived GOP post Bush - message and its deliverance within a changing demographic landscape.

Stay tuned……

The buzz preceding today’s Republican National Committe Chariman debate base has been increasing technology and internet based efforts.

But, will the GOP be able to successfully incorprate a successful strategy with Ron Paul in the mix?

Here’s a mark of the continuing energy behind Ron Paul, and the parallel lack thereof among other Republican Party structures, particularly online: the Digg-style website set up by Americans for Tax Reform for its Republican National Committee Chairman debate tomorrow has been entirely taken over by Paul supporters.

Flap supports a balanced strategy and no draconian change in the party apparatus. It wasn’t the internet that hurt the party brand and caused electoral losses.

The internet ALONE will not lead the Republican Party back to electoral success. And, Ron Paul is a symptom of foolish extremism that is but a minor diversion which will fade.

Watch the RNC Chairman debate live here.