You can argue state constitutional theory all day long regarding the right of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to run the government July 1 in the absence of a budget approved by the General Assembly. But 99.9 percent of the electorate is less interested in legalisms than in whether maximum security prisons are staffed with guards, whether the state police are patrolling the highways, whether DMV offices stay open, whether mental institutions remain staffed and the like. In the court of popular opinion, Tim Kaine is not likely to encounter much resistance if he usurps power to keep basic services functioning.
As the Washington Post quotes the Governor this morning:
“I am not going to let Virginians suffer because of inaction,” Kaine said at a news conference. “The Constitution doesn’t contemplate legislative inaction draining all the blood out of the executive and judicial branches.”
We’re already hearing the meme repeated that Republicans have proven they can’t govern. That’s a simplistic statement: The problem isn’t “Republicans” per se, but a deep philosophical division between Republicans in the Senate and Republicans the House of Delegates — a division as profound as that between Republicans and Democrats. But no matter. If essential government services get shut down, few members of the public will make that distinction.
If General Assembly Republicans want to ensure an electoral shellacking next year, they need do no more than refuse to agree to a budget, plunge the state into crisis — a crisis that will, assuredly, generate national attention — and let Democratic Governor Tim Kaine become the savior of sanity.
Twenty-three days left in the fiscal year… and counting…
