Would You Support Jerry Brown Candidacy For POTUS?

[KittyWampus]

To get tax-hating Californians to vote to raise their own taxes, Brown became Governor Gloom. If the tax-cutters’ theory was to cut taxes so much we’d have to shrink government, he was going to shrink government so much that people would raise taxes. In addition to schools and community colleges, he would cut medical programs, aid to the disabled, and child health care. “Our breakthrough came because of the breakdown,” he says. “There were more layoffs, more pink slips, more agitation. Cutting was very conducive to the success of Prop 30.” In short: Jerry Brown scared the crap out of people.

It worked. The proposition passed by more than 10 percent. After taxes went up, so did approval ratings for Brown and the state legislature: Brown to 57 percent, the legislature to 36. Even the opposition is digging him. “When Governor Brown released his proposal for this year’s state budget, I couldn’t believe my ears,” says Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway. “It truly sounded as though the governor channeled his inner Republican.” He’s also won over much of the business community, though he raised their personal taxes. “He comes at things differently than Arnold Schwarzenegger,” says Allan Zaremberg, chief executive officer of the California Chamber of Commerce, who worked with Brown on his first, abandoned tax hike. “You better be damn well prepared when you talk to him.” Zaremberg is pleased with Brown’s work to lower health-care costs to businesses and reform the state’s environmental quality act, which he says can be burdensome.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/jerry-brown-californias-grownup-governor#p2

[MannyGoldstein]

1. I would, I think.

Not totally my cup of tea, but smart, experienced, and honest.

[devils chaplain]

2. Call me ageist, but...

Jerry Brown will be just about 79 years old at his inauguration in that scenario. The human mind does deteriorate, sad to say.

[valerief]

7. So his VP choice would be important is what you're saying. nt

[devils chaplain]

10. No... honestly I'm more worried about mental deterioration. Alzheimers isn't just for Reps. n/t

[cthulu2016]

3. I like the guy, but definitely too old

[upaloopa]

4. What works on CA doesn't work everywhere

We are more enlightened in CA than the rest of the country trust me.

[bunnies]

5. Youre more enlightened in CA?

Explains prop 8 I guess.

[upaloopa]

11. prop 8 is gone

To be enlightened you have yo face your mistakes not run away from them.

[former9thward]

17. Not because of the "enlightened" voters of CA.

[bunnies]

18. Yes. Its gone.

No thanks to the "enlightened" people of CA though.

[upaloopa]

25. I worked with the Courage Campaign as did many other people in CA

we all worked against the Church of Later Day Saints, money from all over the country and to be sure bigots in CA.
But we all worked to defeat prop eight in the courts.
The enlightened people of CA all worked before the vote and after the defeat and we prevailed.
If you don't want to give us credit it's no skin off my nose. I know what we did and I feel good about it.

[olddots]

32. i'd comment on your comment

but it isn't worth it.

[valerief]

6. I supported him before for POTUS. I'd do it again. nt

[mitchtv]

30. +1

honest AND smart

[KamaAina]

8. Nope.

Thanks to Prop 30, we had a surplus instead of a deficit for the first time since before Ahh-nuld.

Brown deliberately lowballed his estimate of it so he wouldn't have to use it to restore social services that have been cut to the bone over the past decade. He gave most of what was left to schools (understandable) and debt service ( ).

And then there's this:

“It truly sounded as though the governor channeled his inner Republican.”

She says that like it's a good thing.

[Egalitarian Thug]

9. 50/50 What are the options? n/t

[forestpath]

14. No. I don't support candidates who cut pensions, child care or the disabled.

Period.

[Safetykitten]

15. No.

[LWolf]

16. Maybe.

There are pros and cons, already provided by others on your thread.

I'd support him over some, anyway.

[onehandle]

19. Baggage. nt

[Blue_In_AK]

20. Too old.

I think Hillary and Joe are too old, too. And I'm not being ageist because I, too, am old.

[duffyduff]

21. No. He's way too old for the job. He's 75 now, if you can believe it. n/t

[Snotcicles]

22. Again? nt

[Starry Messenger]

23. Jerry isn't by himself here.

He knows he has to work with unions and grassroots to do things here. Would that scale nationally? I doubt it, judging from the lefty-bashing and union-hating I see here from "centrists".

[lunasun]

27. Agree, and he won't go over well with any of the remote control crowd but I would consider him yes

[David__77]

24. No.

I will be glad to vote for him again for governor next year.

[thelordofhell]

26. Slow your roll people

If Jerry Brown became President, then there would probably be another piece of shit governor in California fucking up everything again.

[millennialmax]

28. Gavin Newsom, please. eom

[Iggo]

29. I'd vote for him.

Other than that, you gotta define "support."

[tblue]

31. He's better than most.

Does not appear to be a corporate toady. He's done a lot of good for California, though he's done a few things that really bugged me (some anti-farmworker legislation, for one). I'd vote for him over Hillary though.