Questions for Jerry Brown supporters

[Ken Burch]

The guy is promising neither to raise taxes OR try to repeal Proposition 13. Don't those two promises basically doom him to failure as governor if he should actually get the job? At the very least, don't they make it impossible for him to actually do anything progressive as governor?

If you were to accept that the answers to the above are both "yes", why would you STILL support the guy?

[thereismore]

1. Who else is there and what do they say about Prop 13? nt

[Ken Burch]

2. Here are the other candidates in the Dem primary

(I don't know what they've said about Prop 13):

Richard William Aguirre

Lowell Darling, artist

Vibert Greene, businessman

Chuck Pineda Jr., parole board judge

Peter Schurman, nonprofit consultant and former Executive Director of MoveOn.org

Joe Symmon, nonprofit president

Of those, I'd probably back Schurman. At least we know he's ACTUALLY progressive. Brown has never had consistent principles, and always caved in to the Right(as he did after 1978)when he thought they were stronger. Doing that has never produced good results for Democrats, and it's never STOPPED right-wing surges.

Also, Brown's "arrest everybody" law enforcement philosophy pretty much puts him on the Right in terms of actual policies. You can't be a law-and-order type and STILL fight for the workers and the poor.

[mitchtv]

3. Jerry was a great governor and he fought Prop H8

He has my vote, signed the Brown(Willie) Act and also decriminalized MJ.

[thereismore]

5. Thanks. nt

[Xithras]

4. Brown has always been a fiscal conservative/social liberal.

People tend to forget that he supported balanced budget amendments long before Prop 13 (which would have limited state spending), that he sold the Governors Mansion because it was "too expensive", and cut spending throughout the rest of his term in office.

Socially, he's about as liberal as they come. Pro gay marriage, pro pot legalization, and pro just about everything else you can imagine. He studied Buddhism in Asia decades ago, and takes a very "live and let live" attitude towards social and societal issues.

[mackerel]

6. Is there any other viable candidate?

[mitchtv]

7. Not now

[Kerrytravelers]

8. Nope.

[krabigirl]

14. I don't see him as very socially liberal...

[Cleita]

9. Yes, I will vote for him.

He did a good job the first time and now with a lot more experience in politics I believe he's probably the only person who can untangle the mess that is California. He left California with a surplus and without gutting our social programs. It took succeeding Republican governors to do that. I'm sure he has other ideas in mind that will neuter Proposition 13, so it doesn't have to be repealed. Property owners across the state would have his head on a stake if he did that. I'm confident Jerry will get the job done regardless.

[mitchtv]

10. the answer is simple

remove commercial properties from Prop13

[Cleita]

11. Also, people who own vacation homes and those who own residential property

who are from out of state or out of the country. That should cover Cindy and John McCain and every arab oil sheik who own mansions in Bevery Hills and Bel Air.

[shanti]

12. yes, he'll get my vote for the third time

i like the guy, bottom line. he's brilliant.

[GreenTea]

13. Same here-He'll get my vote again for a fourth time-Previously two times for Guv & once for Senator

[bemildred]

15. Brown opposed Prop 13.

And he was right. When it passed anyway, he accepted the will of the voters, wrong though the voters were. He was also one of the first politicians, along with Jimmy Carter, to be trashed by the Mighty Wurlitzer(tm), i.e. "Governor Moonbeam" etc. And he was a good governor, just like his Dad. So I don't see the problem.

[dana_b]

16. Good points

and I'm with you on that. I think in this environment, he can't say that he's going to raise taxes. If he does, he'll be slaughtered. The people of California don't want to pay more taxes even though we're drowning in debt. It's stupid but it's reality. We do pay a lot of taxes but they've been totally mismanaged along with the entire budget for years. I don't know what the answer to that is.

For prop 13, again I wish he'd come out and say that he wants it repealed but again he would be slaughtered. We have a lot in common with Greece, actually! lol It may not be so funny soon though. Hopefully after he's elected (please God!!) he can talk about revising prop 13. As someone else said, at least raise taxes on second homes or people who own many properties. That may help.