Yesterday was a day of contrasts at the Capitol with a vocal rally of taxpayers chanting "No New Taxes" while democratic leadership called for $11.5 billion in new taxes. Perata's call for massive tax hikes is nothing more than brazen. But in one respect, the establishment of clear lines of demarcation benefits the Republicans. Had the democrats actually proposed something reasonable, the Republicans might find themselves in the familiar territory of being on the defensive. But 11 billion plus in new taxes has even resulted in snickers from the Capitol press corps.

The timing couldn't be worse to float such a silly idea - didn't the democrats just see the polling where most Californians thought that the lion's share of the action should be in cuts, not revenue increases?

One more observation: Kudos to Republican leadership for being proactive by advancing a series of alternative proposals. Come August, there is a good chance the dems will be viewed as the obstructionists. It's about time.