Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway was on KMJ Fresno's Ray Appleton show this morning and had a lot to say about the budget, natch, including some choice comments about Democrats and Jerry Brown, even trotting out the old "Governor Moonbeam" reference.
Partial, edited transcript:
There aren't any Republicans on the verge of budging?
No. it's been the craziest strategy I've ever seen. We pass these inane laws about bullying but evidently they don't apply to governors and Democrats and controllers and what-all in Sacramento. It's unbelievable to me.
On Thursday, when these taxes expire, the average family is going to save a minimum of $1000 a year. Plus we are finally going to make people somewhat accountable for the tax dollars we do give them.
What do you think about what the controller did?
I'm not a lawyer and I don’t' know the ins and outs of Prop 25 and how that relates. It's interesting to me that they are up in arms over this and they're the ones who control everything. People said they wanted a balanced budget with no junk in it by the 15th, and Sacramento couldn't produce that. So that's the way it goes.
Where does this whole process stand now?
I know they've finally come to the realization that we are not going to cave in. And they are working behind the scenes to pass something that will pass the smell test. But it's still a fight, we're still working it.
They sent out a call to arms yesterday to Democrats up and down the state to call our Republican legislative offices and tell us what schmucks we are and tell us we have to vote for these taxes. They're pulling it all out. I just gotta love the fact that they're so frustrated, that the governor's spokesperson, who's from the valley by the way, said we're moronic. He called us a bunch of morons. I prefer the Bugs Bunny version - what a bunch of maroons.
But whatever. They're calling us morons, they're calling, they're harassing, they're threatening, they just can't believe this is going to happen...
At what point do you think there may be something to announce?
It looks like Wednesday or Thursday we'll probably go to the floor and vote on something. I find it very interesting though that the governor says he's not giving up because even if we don't get it done by Thursday he's still going to go after Republicans because maybe we can retroactively introduce taxes. Huh? What was that? But you know, Moonbeam rules, what can I say.
No new taxes without a vote of the people. That was his promise. (But) people already voted for no new taxes. They said it loud and clear in the past couple of elections. A temporary tax is a temporary tax, seven years doesn't make it a temporary tax.
What they're asking for is a $55-58 million tax increase, by their own admission, that will go to the 30-35% increase in welfare and Obamacare benefits, not for schools or any of the things they're talking about. (Note: She must have meant $55-58 billion.)
In fact, Republicans are the ones protecting schools and law enforcement. We want those dollars in the classroom, even spent on teachers. Fix the prison system….