[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Courage Campaign's hilarious tv ad attacking Republican supporters for keeping open the yacht tax loophole apparently has gotten under the skin of one Assembly Republican, Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo.
 
Blakeslee is complaining to the Sacramento Bee that he actually voted to close the loophole. Which he did before flip-flopping and voting against it when the Senate-approved bill arrived in the Senate.
 
Here's what the Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs has to say about that:

"Mr. Blakeslee needs to decide whether he wants to be in 'solidarity' with the people of California or a small band of right-wing Republicans protecting the super-rich from paying sales taxes on yachts," said Rick Jacobs, founder and Chair of the Courage Campaign. "Until Mr. Blakeslee sides with the people, we will continue to brand him and his extremist Republican friends as the 'Yacht Party'."

"By voting for it before he voted against it, Mr. Blakeslee is standing in lockstep with the status quo on the votes that matter, blocking the Assembly from achieving a 2/3rds majority to close this appalling yacht tax loophole," said Jacobs. "Mr. Blakeslee, please vote your conscience, not your club membership."

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Lucas O'Connor [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Cross posted at the Courage Campaign blog

Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) is one of the co-stars of our Yacht Ad, and apparently he isn't particularly excited about it.  Steve Wiegand notes a "bemused" Blakeslee claiming that the current $8 billion deficit is somehow related to him first voting for, then voting against, closing the sloophole.

Well unfortuantely for Asm. Blakeslee, when you vote for it before you voted against it, Rick Jacobs is right-"There's a little John Kerry in there."  It isn't up to him to decide when votes are symbolic or substantive, and switching sides on the issue "in a sign of solidarity" with fellow GOPers doesn't really signal a commitment to moving beyond partisanism for the good of the state.  In fact, it's the "party solidarity" that's been the problem all along.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• New Poll Shows More Californians Favor Tax Increases
• 56% of Californians "Very Concerned" About Spending Cuts
• Major Budget Subcommittee Hearings In April
• Most Actions Will Wait Until Governor's May Budget Revisions

By Marty D. Omoto
Director/Organizer
California Disability Community Action Network