By Dick Miller
WE.CONNECT.DOTS: Republican Gov. Tom Corbett is about to suffer the biggest defeat of his tenure.
The state legislature, with both chambers under the Governor’s political control, will likely pass some sort of budget by the end of next weekend. Privatization of the sale of wine and spirits will be missing. Also, the 2013-14 fiscal budget may not even reflect expanded commercial sales of beer, despite a campaign by Sheetz convenience stores.
With his poll numbers in the toilet, Corbett has lost clout and persuasion to keep his unusual alliance afloat. For the first two budgets he was responsible for, Corbett was able to work with moderate leaning GOP lawmakers based in Southeast PA. At the same time, Corbett maintained his core strength with hard-core conservatives in central and western PA.
Low poll numbers, individual political concerns and second thoughts weaken Corbett.
Because political parties are losing relevancy, some Republican lawmakers refuse to risk their seats in moderate districts on behalf of the Governor. Sen. Charles McIlhinney, R-10, Doylestown, Bucks County, takes this position. He is chair of the senate liquor committee and must face re-election next year.
McIlhinney introduced his own liquor privatization bill last week. Both Corbett and McIlhinney declined to endorse each other’s plan. Each is short of the 26 votes needed in a Senate chamber presently split 27-23 in favor of Republicans.
Second thoughts may eventually flush out the real arrangement Corbett has with the rabid right. Corbett wants to privatize as much of state government as possible. This will benefit those who wrote large campaign checks in his successful 2010 election. For example, charter school owners made bigger donations than school superintendents or teachers. Less government is also a major goal of the Tea Party.
What didn’t gel was Corbett’s attempts to privatize booze and the lottery while the church-going voters remained on the sidelines.
For many Tea Baggers, this is a hard choice. Neoliberal goals of the wealthy don’t always jive with the Christian right. On most political struggles, the Christians conveniently remain at lunch while the rich ignore the Bible.
What would Jesus do? Not privatize and miss the chance to fire heathen Democrats from better jobs than most of us dirt farmers ever had. Or privatize making it easier to buy booze and find keno games on every corner of every town in the state.
Privatizing liquor stores is losing voter support according to polls taken by Franklin and Marshall College.
The F&M poll for May showed 47 percent of voters favored ending state control of liquor. That’s down from 53 percent in February when Corbett began floating the project.
More registered voters believe state stores should be modernized or continue as they are. These groups total 57 percent while only 37 percent think stores should be sold to private companies.
One more finding in the F&M poll is also important. In support for Gov. Corbett’s priorities, only privatizing the lottery ranks lower than putting liquor sales in the hands of his campaign contributors.
Corbett proposed using proceeds of selling private liquor licenses for competitive grants for public schools. He was counting on using these funds in the overall total the state will put in public education in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
His refusal to match previous governors – of both parties – in funding of public education has not only been inflated, but also has generated his angriest opponents at the polls. Teachers, for example, will work hard to see him defeated in 2014. A private poll conducted by their union showed a majority voted for Corbett in 2010.
Failure to gain revenue from sale of liquor licenses in the next budget year might also affect Corbett’s ability to continue to cut business taxes.
BOTTOM LINE: Gov. Corbett would have been more likely to advance his program to privatize booze if he would have initiated it in his first or second year. The next political genius he hires will be the first on his staff.
