The governor needs a little help from her friends, as the Beatles
use to sing, but she's not getting much from house Democrats who
apparently can't carry a tune.
The little fracas is over a plan to lure some of the more senior
members of the state government workforce, who also happen to be the
most expensive, and to lure them into retirement.
Months ago, lawmakers and the governor did that for the teachers
and house Democrats walked the plank for her and took a ton of heat
from the public employee labor unions for doing it.
Now she comes along wanting to save $60 million to erase the
deficit and she can't get the votes to do it.
If the D's won't help their governor, the house R's appear ready
to fill the gap but they can only provide 42 votes and she needs 54.
Hence she needs a dozen Democrats to show her a little love.
"I'm not voting for that. No way in hell," suggests Detroit
Democrat Coleman Young, Jr.
House Speaker Andy Dillon leaned on the son of the former Motown
Mayor pretty hard the other day.
"He was more aggressive than I expected," reports Mr. Young who
was not offended by the leaning because the speaker "did it like a man."
Whatever that means?
Young is not alone. There are other members of the Detroit
delegation who want to find other ways to raise the money. And to be
sure there are many, but most of them would never clear the GOP senate,
so it is a moot exercise. Meanwhile they are cranking up the government
shutdown clock once more. October one is now within shouting distance.
Here's where being a lame duck governor makes her assignment just
a tad tougher.
What can she do to get those votes? Offer them a job? Offer to
campaign with them for reelection? Plead with them that she needs this
to polish up her legacy?
What she will do is threaten to cut aid to the cities which would
cost Detroit millions of badly needed dollars.
That would place Mr. Young and his colleagues in a real pickle
and it just might result in 12 democrats voting yes on what she wants.
Let the game of chicken begin.