In the heat of battle, with a child in one corner challenging a stubborn parent in the other, the phrase “Because I said so,” leads to an automatic victory for the parent.
The fight over appointing State Senator Abel Maldonado as Lieutenant Governor has put Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of demanding mother. Fueling this fire are the State Senate and Assembly, which are not acting very mature either. Let’s call Maldonado the babysitter in this case — the job of a lieutenant governor is closely related with that of the governor.
Former lieutenant governor John Garamendi election to the U.S. Congress has left this office open. Schwarzenegger is charged with filling his vacant position. What makes this so difficult, though, is the California Legislature must approve this appointment.
Schwarzenegger, claiming that Maldonado will help with bipartisanship, has devoted himself to appointing Maldonado. The Assembly rejected him with a 37-35 vote, but the governor still stands behind his appointment.
Evidently, even if every one of the votes were against the appointment, he would still command a redo. No matter what decision is made by the Legislature, Schwarzenegger wants his way.
In our eyes, Maldonado would be a positive force in the Legislature. He would solve issues with bipartisanship — the appointee is a Republican who actually voted in favor of a tax increase last year.
In Schwarzenegger’s eyes, as well as ours, he is the fair-mindedness we need in the State Senate.
However, the matter has revealed itself as a game of “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”
The Senate approved Maldonado without hesitation. The Assembly, however, seems to see something that could have been overlooked.
“He is a smart, qualified man who can look beyond partisanship when making decisions. [He] simply embodies the American dream,” described 34th district senator Lou Correa (D), who has known Maldonado since 1999.
Maldonado is receiving unnecessary criticism because he may have had an unfair advantage over other possible nominees.
By now, it is obvious that politicians cannot always keep their promises, but can a senate really resent a politician for that very reason? We don’t think so.
It seems as though the Governor and the Legislature are polarized by the idea of appointing a Republican as lieutenant Governor, overlooking the advantages and disadvantages he would bring.
Maldonado is the son of immigrant Mexican-American farm workers. With this humble background, he has risen to wealth. The appointee has experienced both worlds. One would think that he would be embraced instead of quickly denied.
The only reason the Assembly rejects Maldonado is because they do not want to see a Republican as Lieutenant Governor. It is this same partisanship that has stagnated our Legislature.
The immaturity of both parties — the Democrats and the Republicans — has blown the situation out of proportion. Maldonado is too Republican for the Democrats, but too Democrat for the Republicans. On the other hand, moderation is what the state of California needs.
All this fighting has made the California government look ridiculous — not that it didn’t look ridiculous before.
It is sad to see that our government cannot even decide on the appointment of a lieutenant governor, in a civilized manner.
The original 90-day deadline denied the appointment of Maldonado. However, Schwarzenegger is fueling the fire by resubmitting his nomination, thus resetting the 90-day clock.
In the end, this whole situation tests the idea of mother knows best.