The nation's most populous state —
home to 1 in 8 Americans — has entered a period of Democratic political
control so far-reaching that the dwindling number of Republicans in the Legislature are in danger of becoming mere spectators at the statehouse.
Democrats
hold the governorship and every other statewide office. They gained
even more ground in Tuesday's elections, picking up at least three
congressional seats while votes continue to be counted in two other
tight races — in one upset, Democrat Raul Ruiz, a Harvard-educated
physician who mobilized a district's growing swath of Hispanic voters,
pushed out longtime Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack.
The party also secured a supermajority in one, and possibly both, chambers in the Legislature.
The future of
California should worry everyone. It will be the first to circle the
drain before it sucks the rest of the country down with it. All we can
do is watch in horror as the fate of the rest of the country under
Democrat control is revealed. Soon only the super rich and the super
poor will be left with the middle class pulling out as fast as they can.
Surprisingly, Democrats
continued to make gains in the state even at a time of double-digit
unemployment, with polls showing that voters are unhappy with Sacramento
and Washington. And it could get worse for the GOP. Republicans are trailing in two other House races in which the vote counting continues.
It
remains unclear what direction Democrats, who have close ties to public
employee unions, will take with their additional clout. If they achieve
the supermajority in both houses of the Legislature, Democrats can pass
tax increases and override gubernatorial vetoes without any Republican
support.
The state is saddled
with a litany of problems, including a long-running budget crisis,
massive, unfunded public pension obligations, tuition increases at California universities and growing demands for water, affordable housing and energy.
Gov. Jerry Brown sounded a cautionary note this week, saying he intended to avoid spending binges.
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