Experts Expound

Experts Expound

“A new leader, Democrat Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, has been chosen to run the state Senate. Will he make a real
difference in the upper house?”

Steinberg will save the federal government a fortune.  No more need for wiretaps, bugs, or teams of people to follow the evidence trail.

Probably not. He’s a great person and all, but as long as Republicans are more than one-third of the house, and they remain bound and determined to bankrupt the state and force gridlock, there’s not much he can do.

Let’s see….he uses the same political consultant, policy consultants and fundraisers that have been running the drill for years.

Yes.  In negotiation theory, nice and easy to work with and the ability to listen are good things.  They are not weak.  Darrell has proven himself to be a good negotiator and tough.  The fact that no one leaves the table until the work gets done is part of why he was elected.  He is the right man for the job at this time.  He is also mondo knowledgeable about budget issues.  Partisan gridlock is structured on a win-loss principle.  Post-partisan cooperation is based on win-win.  Let’s start the latter; God knows it is time.

Darrell Steinberg is a very talented and thoroughly decent guy, but he is conflict-averse. He needs to learn he won’t always be able to produce a “win-win” for everyone. If he can make decisions more swiftly and then move on, his winning personality will carry him far. Now, if someone could find him $20 billion or so….

Absolutely. His demeanor will be appreciated by staff and by the public. The voice of the Senate will take on a much more thoughtful and diplomatic tone — exactly what’s called for during an economic meltdown. The timing may not be so great for Darrell Steinberg, but it’s good for the rest of us.

He’s got a very tough year ahead of him. Hopefully his carrot-and-stick approach works. I worry that because he’s so nice; he may have to go harder on the stick than is comfortable for him.

He has no demonstrated history of saying “no” to unions, environmentalists, health & welfare advocates or plaintiff lawyers.  His big decision is whether to stay positioned on the left or emerge as a leader who must enforce compromise on all groups.

In light of the state’s problems, can any legislator make much difference?  The phrase “a burp in a windstorm” comes to mind.

Instantly, particularly in tone and tenor. He and Karen Bass will be a strong team to counter Arnold’s legislative fumbling.

Sure, he will be much more artful and gracious in making the same partisan decisions as Perata.

He’s a good guy, but the state is in such dire circumstances, no single individual has the ability to make a real difference anywhere, including in the Senate.  And with Steinberg, some of his success or failure will depend on whether he allows Richie Ross to self-aggrandize as usual and capitalize on his relationship with the new pro tem.

Yes, now there is a slightly lower chance that the Feds will arrest the Dem Senate Leader, but give Steinberg time…

Andrew Acosta, A.G. Block, Elizabeth Ashford, Mark Bogetich, Barry Brokaw, Morgan Crinklaw, J Dale Debber, Peter DeMarco, Jim Evans, Kathy Fairbanks, Jeff Fuller, Rex Frazier, Ken Gibson, Evan Goldberg, Deborah Gonzalez, Sandy Harrison, Bob Hertzberg, Jason Kinney, Mike Madrid, Nicole Mahrt, Steve Maviglio,  Adam Mendelsohn, Barbara O’Connor, Bill Packer, Kassy Perry, Jack Pitney, Adam Probolsky, Tony Quinn, Matt Rexroad, Matt Ross, Roger Salazar, Dan Schnur, Will Shuck, Ralph Simoni, Sam Sorich, Ray Sotero, Garry South, Kevin Spillane, Rich Zeiger.

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