The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    How to Fight for Sanity

    By PeraclesPlease on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 2:28am |

    2 from the Atlantic's James Fallows:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/06/the-fixer/309324/?single_page=true

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/05/californias-new-problem-jerry-brown-on-the-sudden-surplus-and-the-filibuster/276255/

    Jerry Brown pursues the "it's not all about me" path and even takes the most important issues direct to the people.

    Other unsolvable issues, he just leaves off the table.

    Somehow through this all, he's reaping the rewards of a budget surplus when we thought California was doomed for a generation - and funneling those proceeds into priorities like education.

    Something we can learn for how to deal with our current dysfunctional & counterproductive politics?

    Comments

    I was reading the first article, and right away he is quoted as saying:

    “I love what I am doing,” he told me once I got to his Oakland office. “I love it much more than the first time. Back then I got bored because we didn’t have big problems. Now I am very enthusiastic. Everything’s interesting, and it’s complicated. There is a zest!”

    Really.  As Governor of California between 1975 and 1983, you didn't see any big problems?  You were bored? 

    Now, if he had said, "Man, was I dense.  Back in the late seventies and early eighties, with the environment, and oil embargoes, and Soviet Union and Ronnie and coming out of a long recession when I got elected only to hit another one in the '80, one might think I could see there was big problems, big problems that California could lead the way in finding solutions.  But nope. I was bored.  I guess some of us take a little while to clue in." I might care what else he has to say.


    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 11:23am

    At least this time around he does seem to be pushing back against liberal excesses of the California house. Even as a far left liberal I can see how there are limits to what its possible to do  to ameliorate poverty and inequality. We do need a conservative input into the solutions. Just not the insane no compromise no logic conservatives we have now.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 3:31pm

    Agree. I was in a pissy mood when I wrote that first post. As one might imagine, it had to with someone acting in what I perceived as a particularly dense manner.

    by Elusive Trope on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 4:58pm

    80 reads so far, so maybe a few people read the links.

    What I find most interesting is the structural problems, and how Brown's dealing with them. Even the structure theoretically favors Dems, it really just favors oligarchs.

    And most passive observers would have just assumed balancing the budget & running a surplus was hopeless after Arnie, I think.

    And I also like his low key approach, but taking it to the people when needed.

    Certainly Brown could have blamed the system for failures, but instead has looked for creative opportunities.

    Maybe a 2016 run for prez as an octogenarian...


    by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 05/28/2013 - 9:34am

    Oh yeah, he raised taxes and government revenues increased and still company profits are booming. Kinda like happened in the early Clinton years.

    When can we put a stake in the heart of the Reagan Revolution?


    by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 2:16am