Published: Sunday, May 17, 2009
Democrats must stand by budget, Gregoire
In the next 48 hours, many of the Legislature's Democrats will be riding a pendulum of emotion.
On Monday, in Seattle, the epicenter of the majority party's power, the governor is expected to sign a law that will give same-sex couples every state-offered benefit enjoyed by married couples except the title of marriage.
Gov. Chris Gregoire will most certainly be surrounded by a large, appreciative crowd filled with Democratic lawmakers who view this bill as one of the few bright spots of their just-completed legislative session.
They will be smiling for the official photo and reaching for souvenir pens as a keepsakes of a day they consider historic and never to be forgotten.
On Tuesday, in Olympia, political ground zero of Democratic rule, the governor is expected to sign a new state budget that hacks $4 billion in spending from schools, hospitals, colleges and social services.
She will certainly be watched by many people but encircled by few as she acts. She may have trouble giving away the pen she uses to sign the document. There may be no photo taken to preserve the occasion's memory.
Democratic lawmakers who are there won't be in a joking mood for they have been trying to forget this day long before it arrives.
House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown aren't expected, but they should do the unexpected and show up.
While it is not a budget either of them ever envisioned helping write, let alone adopting, their fingerprints are all over it, as much if not more than the governor's. They should attend and acknowledge their role.
Doing so would be an act of political courage. It would not leave the spotlight trained on Gregoire as if somehow she is solely responsible for a budget detested by Democratic lawmakers and the special interests that are the party's political fiber.
This is a time when the powerful legislative duo and governor should be seen together. The state faces many challenges and these three hold sway on how to meet them.
Done right, Tuesday could be their moment to put their leadership talents to work by charting a course for where they hope to steer Washington the rest of this year and through the 2010 legislative session.
If Chopp and Brown skip out, they shouldn't get a free pass by playing down the significance of the bill signing. It is a big deal; just ask those who will lose their jobs as a result.
Their absence inevitably will stir talk about tension and rifts among the three Democratic leaders; it doesn't matter if it's more concocted than confirmed.
Such ruminations can manifest into conflict between their party's caucuses in the House and Senate, concern within the Democratic Party statewide and, as illogical as it may sound today, losses in the 2010 elections.
In good times and bad, the pendulum of political fortunes, like emotions, can swing fast.
Political reporter Jerry Cornfield's blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. He can be heard at 8:15 a.m. Mondays on "The Morning Show" on KSER (90.7 FM). Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
On Monday, in Seattle, the epicenter of the majority party's power, the governor is expected to sign a law that will give same-sex couples every state-offered benefit enjoyed by married couples except the title of marriage.
Gov. Chris Gregoire will most certainly be surrounded by a large, appreciative crowd filled with Democratic lawmakers who view this bill as one of the few bright spots of their just-completed legislative session.
They will be smiling for the official photo and reaching for souvenir pens as a keepsakes of a day they consider historic and never to be forgotten.
On Tuesday, in Olympia, political ground zero of Democratic rule, the governor is expected to sign a new state budget that hacks $4 billion in spending from schools, hospitals, colleges and social services.
She will certainly be watched by many people but encircled by few as she acts. She may have trouble giving away the pen she uses to sign the document. There may be no photo taken to preserve the occasion's memory.
Democratic lawmakers who are there won't be in a joking mood for they have been trying to forget this day long before it arrives.
House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown aren't expected, but they should do the unexpected and show up.
While it is not a budget either of them ever envisioned helping write, let alone adopting, their fingerprints are all over it, as much if not more than the governor's. They should attend and acknowledge their role.
Doing so would be an act of political courage. It would not leave the spotlight trained on Gregoire as if somehow she is solely responsible for a budget detested by Democratic lawmakers and the special interests that are the party's political fiber.
This is a time when the powerful legislative duo and governor should be seen together. The state faces many challenges and these three hold sway on how to meet them.
Done right, Tuesday could be their moment to put their leadership talents to work by charting a course for where they hope to steer Washington the rest of this year and through the 2010 legislative session.
If Chopp and Brown skip out, they shouldn't get a free pass by playing down the significance of the bill signing. It is a big deal; just ask those who will lose their jobs as a result.
Their absence inevitably will stir talk about tension and rifts among the three Democratic leaders; it doesn't matter if it's more concocted than confirmed.
Such ruminations can manifest into conflict between their party's caucuses in the House and Senate, concern within the Democratic Party statewide and, as illogical as it may sound today, losses in the 2010 elections.
In good times and bad, the pendulum of political fortunes, like emotions, can swing fast.
Political reporter Jerry Cornfield's blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. He can be heard at 8:15 a.m. Mondays on "The Morning Show" on KSER (90.7 FM). Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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