The Organic Governor

Anthony York has an interesting point over at Capitol Weekly: Where the heck is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's legislation on his "universal" health care plan? It hasn't been introduced. Indeed, the governor's ideas have been just that - ideas, put forth in briefings, speeches and private meetings.

"Part of the problem may be finding someone willing to carry a health-care bill for the governor," York writes, then quoting the governor: "The key thing is not to get caught up in ... how you get there. The key thing is, we're going to get there."

But that seems a bit disorganized for Schwarzenegger's detail-oriented chief of staff, Susan Kennedy. Indeed, not introducing legislation fits exactly into Schwarzenegger's new game plan - a shift in governing from his nasty top-down approach in 2005. He knows he'll get the credit for overhauling California's health care system - if anything actually gets passed that's worth a damn - even if his office never writes a single bill.

Schwarzenegger already has claimed ownership on the issue through a series of public events. Meanwhile, he can let the plans percolate in the Legislature, massage them behind the scenes, and cherry-pick bills to sign among those that individual lawmakers introduce.

That way, the egos in the Legislature get ownership of their bills - a huge political advantage for the governor. In fact, Schwarzenegger has turned down a few lawmakers who wanted to introduce health care legislation on his behalf. (FYI: Arnold is down to one crutch now.)

(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / AP)