You know how Republicans like their public image to be all about Real Americans™ and grassroots America versus the evil liberal elites? They like to say they're doing the will of the people by fighting against things that help the people, like social safety nets and assistance programs. But those who are paying attention know they're full of shit.
Like here in California, for instance. California's legislature operates under a terrible little procedural rule that requires a 2/3 vote for the state's budget to pass*. This leads every time to "the ransom letter", the list of demands the Republican minority requires in order to pass a budget and keep the state running. If you've heard about CA repeatedly having late budgets and running on IOUs on a strangely regular basis, this is why, btw. I don't think there's a single time in my adult life that the budget has come from the legislature on time. Apparently 2009 set a record for 100 days after the deadline.
Anyway, the full list can be read here (via). But buried in there is a bit about gutting AB 32, California's landmark greenhouse emissions standards law that passed a couple years ago. Big Oil, which has quite a number of refineries in California (There are 4 refineries within a 15 mile radius of where I live, for example), is not a fan of this law, for obvious reasons. There was a pitched battle over Prop 23 this past election, which would have suspended AB 32 "until the state's economy is back on track" - which is to say never, because they'd keep manufacturing crises to justify keeping it suspended - bankrolled by Valero, which we won. AB 32 is safe and still on the books.
So the Legislature passed AB 32...Big Oil and the Republicans tried to use the financial crisis to get it suspended...that didn't work, and the people voted to keep AB 32 intact. So what's their response? To use the yearly budget fight to try to destroy AB 32 anyway.
Let me repeat that: the people voted to keep it. So why is the party of Real Americans™ attempting to use backroom deals to override the stated will of the people?
I guess the "will of the people" is just a soundbite to trot out when its convenient, rather than an actual principle they'll abide by. Thanks for letting us know where you stand, CA Republicans. Now kindly fuck off.
*Prop 25 in this past election changed it to require a simple majority, but that doesn't seem to have taken effect yet as far as I can tell, and I can't find an "effective as of" date anywhere.
