California Republicans have gotten a reputation as the party of no. In an expanding state, with an expansive culture, that’s not always a good thing, as reflected by their poor statewide prospects prior to the advent of Arnold Schwarzenegger. So their initial response to the Rob Reiner controversy — calling for the firing of the controversial First Five Commission chairman (now departed on “leave”), demanding investigations — was nothing new. If in this case, not exactly unpopular.
Now Assembly Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican, has come up with something new. Take the money used on media advertising and pricey public relations (paid to political allies and Hollywood friends of Reiner) to promote the idea of early childhood development and instead use it to actually help early childhood development. McCarthy is slated to introduce a bill Tuesday to do just that, reallocate $42 million a year to something called a “Ready To Start” program, five weeks of half-day classes for kids without prior preschool experience — roughly two-thirds of California children of that age are already in preschool — before they enter kindergarten. The program, which would also draw some from First 5 bureaucracy, would use existing personnel, i.e., credentialed teachers, and existing facilities, regular classrooms, and would cover 120,000 of the approximately 180,000 children who presently are not involved in preschool.
It’s based on what McCarthy touts as the success of a similar such program in two Kern County school districts. There many of the kids are ESL (English as a Second Language) students. The results on various test scores sound impressive.
So here are the Republicans coming up with what sounds like a Democratic idea, investing public dollars in a form of preschool. Yet it is also a Republican idea, leveraging already existing resources, personnel, and facilities. Actually, it sounds like the kind of socially progressive and common sense conservative ideas Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about in his early and wildly popular days as a politician.
How about it, Governor?
It certainly sounds more useful than spending a fortune on TV advertising featuring an actor playing a dad doing “creatively” goofy things with laundry to amuse a one year-old girl. I’d love to see the research on the efficacy of those ads.
Reiner, incidentally, while not discussing his status with me or anyone else in the media, has been meeting privately with Democratic legislative leaders to try to shore up his support and assuage their concerns about what one source calls a “flap.”
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This “flap” will slap Rob Reiner out of public life. The Republicans are wising up; it is only 2006. lol
This is much more than a flap as my source must understand.
this is quackenbush redux, is it not?
Well Quackenbush funneled millions of dollars in insurance company donations to bankroll his political career including several million for ads….But due to the inadequacy of state laws and/or ambiguities in state law, and few written rules or regulations – Quackenbush was able to resign and move on to Hawaii…That will be the same test here ..are there adequate laws in place…unfortunately it may be that Reiner and co. only engaged in alleged improprieties and did not break any laws …hence some people will try to protray it as a flap…but I believe the average person will see it for the scandal it is…and it is in someway a bigger scandal if the laws are not on thebooks to prevent this sort of abuseof public funds
Chuck Quackenbush, last I heard, was a deputy sheriff in Florida or something like that. Rob Reiner may never run for governor now as he had planned, but he will be an A-list director in Hollywood. And not a deputy sheriff down South.
Well here is a nother REP response Poochigian has formally requested the AG to investigate First 5 ….
“but he will be an A-list director in Hollywood.
Agree. and this is a title he deserves….
Yes.
Is not the McCarthy bill a no on 82 play? I am not saying that is bad.
Great job guys…