POLITICS AND TESTOSTERONE, PART II

Last week, it was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who created a stir by calling his Democratic critics "girlie men." Monday in Boston, it was Democratic consultant and commentator James Carville who decided to weigh in on the issue of manliness.

Speaking to a roomful of veterans, Carville -- a former Marine -- said he was going to tell "everyone in the room" his opinion on something, although with a phalanx of television cameras in the back he acknowledged that "it'll probablyh get out of this room."

His opinion was a comparison between the major party candidates for president.

"John Kerry is a better man than George Bush," Carville said. "Man-to-man, it ain't close."

Before the campaign season is over, we may need a double dose of Viagra just to prop up all this talk about manhood.

A BREAKFAST EYE-OPENER

When the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention gathered for breakfast this morning in Boston, there were some obvious signs of partying the night before. It was a somewhat lethargic group -- until former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean took the stage. Reminiscent of his 2002 speech to the state party convention -- the one where he electrified the crowd by introducing himself as "I'm Howard Dean and I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" � the Californians were drawn to Dean's populist rhetoric.

"This country doesn't belong to George Bush and the 2 percent of the people who finance his campaign," Dean bellowed, albeit in something shy of his post-Iowa caucus decibel level. He said his campaign proved that "if you can get 500,000 people to give $10, $15 or $20, you can raise more money than anybody else." That broad-based, Internet fund-raising has spilled over to the Kerry campaign, and Dean said it represents modern democracy's best hope of breaking away from corporate-dominated campaign financing. "We are our own campaign finance reform," he said.

Dean also urged Californians to pack their bags in the fall and help out in neighboring battleground states � Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. "You can send people to other states to help," he said. "You have the power. Now use it."
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A surprise addition to the California delegation was Assembly Democratic candidate Ferial Masry of Newbury Park, who said she received an invitation from state party leaders about 10 days ago to come.

At Sunday night's delegation party, Masry was being introduced around by Elena Ong,, state party treasurer. Ong said Masry will have time later in the campaign to work the district for votes, but that she could use her time at the convention to meet people who can help her raise money for her uphill campaign against Republican Audra Strickland.

Well known among Arab-Americans because the novelty of her being a Saudi Arabian-born woman now running for political office in the United States, Masry continues to draw intense interest from those in the Arab world, where the idea of a woman running for office is nearly unimaginable. Today, she was scheduled to give interviews to the two Arab television networks covering the convention.

THE BEAR AT COPLEY SQUARE

As delegates began to arrive here in Boston today for the Democratic National Convention, the welcoming signs of a host city were everywhere. To be sure, there were banners at the Fleet Center, balloons at the airport and, everywhere, the usual tourist and convention bureau fare. But the California delegation � by far the largest � also got a hometown touch from the Westin Copley Hotel, which for the coming week will be occupied exclusively by Californians.

On the flag pole at the entrance to the hotel, two flags are flying: the Stars and Stripes and the California Bear.

At the security checkpoints at the elevator banks -- set up especially for the security-heavy convention -- guards check room keys and IDs. On Day One, at least, it seemed to satisfy some guards just to see that the identification provided by the guest was a California driver's license.

THE MAID JUST QUIT

In the wake of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's comments over the weekend in which he described Democratic lawmakers as "girlie-men" for opposing him on a couple of issues that Republicans have tied to budget negotiations, Senate President Pro Tem John Burton held a news conference today and announced that his cappuccino machine was closed "until further notice."

Since Schwarzenegger arrived in Sacramento, he and Burton have become odd-couple pals. During negotiations in the the governor's office, Burton has served the cappuccino. "That's probably where he got the 'girlie-man,'" Burton said.

The Senate leader said Schwarzenegger's harsh attacks against Democrats over the weekend may have set back budget negotiations by two weeks. Asked if he had talked with the governor since the weekend remarks, Burton responded: "Why would I possibly call him? What am I going to say? 'Hi, this is the scumbag girlie-man. How are the kids?'"

Burton said he was "more than disappointed than upset" over Schwarzenegger's combative tone. The bottom line, he said, is that the attacks do not serve any purpose toward breaking the budget stalemate. "There is a legislative season and a campaign season," he said. "This is the legislative season."

WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF 'HOT SEAT'?

Sports fans who watch ESPN are familiar with what's called "The Budweiser Hot Seat," into which a sports figure is placed and then must field a rapid-fire series of questions � often tough ones � from a network sportscaster.

This afternoon, as he began to mount a public relations campaign to pressure legislators to settle their budget differences, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put himself into what might be called the opposite of a hot seat. A nice, comfy sofa is what it was.

Schwarzenegger returned to his favorite medium, talk radio, to deliver his message of support for two measures that have become central to budget negotiations: repeal of a law that prohibits school districts from contracting with private companies for certain services and another that allows private parties to sue employers over violations of labor law violations.

Up first Friday afternoon was Tom Sullivan, afternoon host on Sacramento's KFBK. After Schwarzenegger delivered his brief scripted remarks, Sullivan gushed: "Governor Schwarzenegger, the people love what you're doing... Let's support him... I'll certainly do my part."

On the hot seat, someone might have asked a question instead. For instance, what do those two issues have to do with the state budget?

WE'RE OUTTA HERE

In one of those moments of high drama that only members of the Assembly and their staffers find even remotely dramatic, there was a whole lotta huffin' and puffin' going on late Friday afternoon when the body abruptly adjourned. The action sent members home without a vote on the budget but in time to make all the parades and pancake breakfasts in their districts over the Fourth of July weekend.

It happened quickly, about 4 p.m. The Assembly had been in recess as everyone waited for Speaker Fabian Nunez to finalize negotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over a local government financing deal that would seal a final budget agreement. Thanks largely to the fact that local government lobbyists -- the biggest single lobbying group in the Capitol -- were in a twitter and had mobilized scores of local mayors and supervisors to call and complain, a deal that Schwarzenegger had apparently agree to the previous night had come unglued.

The tactic now was to try to bring the original Schwarzenegger deal -- the one he had negotiated with local governments in May -- to a direct vote on the floor -- even though that proposal had never been embodied in a bill of any sort. The governor and Republicans wanted to force a show vote on that proposal, with the intent of forcing Democrats to cast a public vote against it that would be fodder for criticism from their local mayors, police chiefs, supervisors and sheriffs. The Democrats were in no mood to engage in such self-destructive theatrics.

So when Speaker Pro Tempore Leland Yee stood at the dais, ready to gavel the session back in session, members were scurrying down hallways to get back to the chambers. After lowering the gavel, the first person Yee recognized was Democratic floor leader Dario Frommer,, who immediately moved to adjourn.

Under parliamentiary rules, a motion to adjourn is always in order, is not debatable and takes precedence over any other action. Republicans screamed foul, but the vote quickly went up and, just as quickly, the house was shut down for the weekend.

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy fumed that "the Democrats do not want to have a budget" and that the maneuver put the Capitol right back where it had been "before the recall." GOP member Doug LaMalfa complained that he had received such short notice to return to the floor that he "didn't even have time to put my boots on."

Whatever the merits of the Republicans' complaint that they were not allowed to try to force a vote on a proposal that didn't exist in bill form, the complaint that they were victimized by a sneak attack to adjourn rang hollow, however.

For the record, it should be noted that minutes before Yee brought the house back in session. Moorpark Republican Tony Strickland was standing straight and tall at his microphone, eager to be recoginzed as soon as the session restarted. He stood with the anticipation of a high school student who knows the answer to a teacher's question even before it is posed to the class. Strategically, the Republicans were just as ready to try to pull off their maneuver as were the Democrats. The only difference: Democrats have a 48-32 majority in the body, so they get to elect the leadership, and their leadership gets to pick who gets called in first.

Because of that, Frommer came before Strickland.