The New Year has brought change and new faces to much of our
political landscape, not least on Capitol Hill, where Republicans took
control of the Senate this past week. From out of the west, though, a
different sight -- a familiar face on the Democratic side taking the
oath of office yet again . . . many years after his political debut.
John Blackstone reports our Cover Story.
Six years ago, the
sun appeared to be setting on the California Dream. Plummeting home
prices and soaring debt were robbing the Golden State of its luster.
As we reported on "Sunday Morning" back then, plenty of Californians were ready to give up hope:
"Is the California dream kind of dying?" Blackstone asked.
"It's not dying -- it's dead," said Harvey Schwartz of 20th Century Props (which closed its doors for good in 2009).
It was a crisis, to be sure. But in politics, "crisis" is just another word for "opportunity."
"The state was in massive debt, $27 billion," said Gov. Jerry Brown.
"There was great uncertainty.
Over a million people had lost their
jobs. Well, that was then. Now, California's coming back."
"Is that your doing?" Blackstone asked.
"It's in part my doing, certainly," said Brown.
Gov. Jerry Brown with correspondent John Blackstone.
CBS News
It's
hard to imagine who would have wanted to become governor of a state
that was in such a sorry state, but in 2010 Jerry Brown certainly did.
And last November, voters rewarded him for leading California back from
the brink, electing him to an unprecedented fourth term as governor.
The state once again boasts the world's eighth-largest economy --
bigger than Russia's -- and it even posted a budget surplus last year.
The governor regularly receives foreign dignitaries, befitting California's status as a high-tech superpower.
The secret to Brown's success? Raising taxes while cutting spending
-- policies that have angered his fellow Democrats nearly as much as
Republicans.
"You had to push Democrats in California to accept a lot of the cuts that you proposed," Blackstone said.
"I still have to push Democrats, and Republicans," he replied.
"There's endless desires. The way I say it is, first, you have a
desire, and then you make it a need, then you make it a right, and
pretty soon you got a law. Then as soon as you got a law, you got a
lawsuit.
"You've got to be able to say, 'No.' Because this government is not something you just milk forever."
"I don't like to spend money. But that's not because I'm conservative -- it's just because I'm cheap!" - Jerry Brown, in a 1976 speech
For decades Jerry Brown has always charted a unique course in
politics. His father, Pat Brown, was elected governor of California in
1958. Edmund Brown Jr. was hardly the heir apparent: at the time, he
was studying to become a Jesuit priest.
But politics proved to be his true calling, and in 1974, Jerry Brown won his father's old job.
"It is a unique experience at the age of 36 to find myself elected
governor of the largest state in the union," he said at a 1975 press
conference.
He encountered a political landscape that's all-too-familiar today...
"An election is not an end, rather it's a beginning," Brown said then.
"It's fair to say people want a new spirit, but they don't want to pay a
lot of money for it!"
Famously frugal, Brown dispensed with the
limos and private planes of his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, favoring
blue Plymouth sedans.
He was a creature of the 1970s, and the bachelor governor made waves for dating singer Linda Ronstadt.
And he saved his best for his last year on the air. At the ESPYS on July
16, shortly before his 49th birthday and following another round of
cancer surgery, Stuart accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance with
strength, humor, grace and these eloquent words: "When you die, it does
not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why
you live, and in the manner in which you live."
An "Extraordinary Comeback" for the Ohio State Buckeyes. After being counted out from an early defeat (Virginia Tech), they kept their heads down, battled back, and now find themselves in the playoffs for the national championship.
But still facing adversity? Yes! Today: 9 point underdogs vs. mighty Alabama. They were 4 point underdogs vs. Wisconsin. To get here, they defeated the Badgers 59-0, and here are the highlights. Who knows what is next for this formidable team? Who can tell what will happen when you refuse to quit? -- despite the odds?
10. Speaking of records, Lions center Dominic Raiola became the first player in Detroit franchise history to start 200 career games. Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Justin Smith and Tom Brady are the only active players with more career starts -- pretty good company for Raiola, who grew up with former Bears center Olin Kreutz.
“It was a lot more special doing it with this group as tight as we are, as close as we are,” Raiola said. “That’s what makes it special. I can share it with this whole group and I can really share it with Detroit. I grew up myself with this city and we’ve been through a lot in 14 years. We’ve been bankrupt, we’ve been 0-16. You keep kicking us down and we keep getting up. There is something to be said for that. I share it with them as much as they share it with me.”
Posts
