Four decades ago, during the early years of his first governorship, Jerry Brown described his “canoe theory” of politics.
By paddling a little on the left, and then on the right, Brown told a gathering of high school students in Sacramento, one can remain on a middle course.
Mostly, Brown has paddled his canoe on the left side of the political stream, albeit not so far left that he runs into the bank and capsizes.
However, when the politics of the moment or his own sensibilities dictate, he can quickly turn to the right, famously by fiercely opposing Proposition 13, the iconic 1978 property tax limit, and then, after it had passed, declaring himself a “born-again tax cutter” while seeking re-election.
During his second governorship, an older, wiser and clearly more cautious Brown has practiced his theory more diligently, as demonstrated last month in dealing with the hundreds of bills sent to his desk in August.
During his last year as governor, Brown signed 1,016 bills and vetoed 201 before Sunday’s deadline. Within the messages he attached to those he rejected,…
