The folks over at Calbuzz have offered several suggestions for how Democrats, who have clearly lost the battle over the budget, can craft a better strategy starting now in advance of the next budget battle, which will arrive anytime between Labor Day and Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Overall their suggestions are excellent, though there are others that ought to be included, as I'll describe below. First, an overview of the Calbuzz suggestions:

Instead of aggresively fighting against the tyranny of the minority, Democrats act like the two-thirds is some unspeakable force of nature, an all-powerful totem before which all must bow down and worship in fear.

Underlying this passive posture are two crippling, if unspoken, assumptions: 1) that policy is somehow separate from politics and 2) that the only reality that matters is that unfolding in the hothouse halls, meeting rooms, chambers, restaurants and saloons of the cul de sac that is Sacramento.

This is a crucial point, and I am pleased to see Calbuzz understanding it. Democratic leaders have used the 2/3rds rule as a crutch to justify their acquiescence to horrific cuts, ignoring the fact that even with that insane stricture there is still plenty of opportunity for them to use smart politics to turn that disadvantage around. The Calbuzz proposals are, in brief (theirs are in quotes, my comments follow):

1. "Bury the petty feuds between the Assembly and Senate and among members." Probably easier said than done, especially in an era where term limits mean members are jockeying against each other for 2010 primary races. But a unified message is certainly a good idea.

2. "Craft a message." Calbuzz suggests that consultants be brought in to accomplish this goal. I'm not entirely sure that's necessary. Dems have the pieces of a winning message in front of them; what they have lacked is the will to assemble them. Californians *do not want* these cuts, so Dems need to highlight the horror stories of the cuts and use that to bludgeon Republicans every day between now and November 2010.

3. "Identify and exploit the weaknesses of individual Republican members." Oh absolutely. That needed to be done yesterday. Abel Maldonado's claims of being a moderate mean he is exposed and vulnerable to a consistent Democratic attack. Maldonado voted against the Tranquillon Ridge project and has expressed unease with some of the health care cuts. Time to back him up against the wall and ask if he is willing to support new revenues to avoid those cuts. Republicans looking to run for statewide office, like Jeff Denham, or who won their seat by claiming to be somehow moderate, like Tony Strickland, are equally vulnerable. Sure, we know that deep down these people are hardcore wingnuts. But they are also politicians, and that means they are vulnerable to the right kind of pressure. Find it, apply it, and repeat often.

4. "Agree on a progressive tax strategy and stick with it." Calbuzz's point here is that Dems have not consistently stuck to promoting one or two (or more) new revenues. Instead they've thrown whatever they can against the wall to see what sticks. Calbuzz suggests instead focusing on the oil severance tax, and I fully agree. The February deal's corporate loopholes ought to be included as well. Democrats need to make it clear to Republicans, the governor, and the state that without an oil severance tax, there will be *no* Democratic votes for any budget in the future.

5. "Build stronger alliances with the netroots." The Courage Campaign is always willing to listen to what our legislators have to say, though we will always maintain our core mission of empowering our members to produce the progressive change they want to see in this state.

There are at least three additional things Democrats ought to be doing:

• Stop worrying about the state's credit rating. One argument we've heard from legislators as to why this terrible budget deal was necessary was that it was necessary to stop the IOUs and protect the state's credit rating. Well, it isn't working. The rating agencies aren't buying it, as the deals are merely ensuring future deficits. Democrats need to find new revenues and resist borrowing and raiding gimmicks - otherwise the state's credit rating will collapse, sooner or later.

• Focus on the human impact of the budget cuts in order to build public resistance to spending cuts as a concept. We're witnessing the construction of a political spending cap, where the force of precedent prevents Democrats from restoring these cuts in the future. The stories of people suffering from the cuts are extremely powerful. Californians do not want battered women to be denied shelter. They want kids to have health care. They want schools to be properly funded. That makes Republicans vulnerable, as the "two Santa Claus" theory has been proved wrong.

• Demand that economic recovery be part of the solution. The two words you have /never/ heard in Sacramento during the budget cycle are "economic recovery." Everyone is focused on cuts and nobody, I mean nobody, is talking about what California needs to do to provide economic recovery. The cuts already made have neutralized the impact of the stimulus, are driving businesses out of the state, and will make it extremely difficult to grow jobs in the future.

Combine those with the Calbuzz proposals and I think you have a winning strategy for Democrats to finally reverse their political losses and save this state from ruin.