On the eve of the state budget deadline, Governor Tom Corbett announced Thursday that he had signed the $29 billion state spending plan, but line-item vetoed $65 million in legislative spending.
The Governor is blaming budget problems on pension costs and called on the legislature to come back and enact pension reform.
Penn Live’s John Micek said he expected that Corbett’s announcement would include the line-item veto, so he was not surprised with the outcome.
Micek was instead surprised by Corbett's demeanor.
“I wondered where this Tom Corbett was four years ago. Very strong, very decisive. You know, not taking any guff, casting the legislature as the bad guy. His approval rating has been lousy, theirs’ is worse than his. So he loses nothing by running against them and making them the bogeyman here.”
Will this strong, decisive Corbett alter the outcome at the polls in November? That is the hope from the Corbett camp according to Micek.
“They say that they are going to sell this to the voters and they didn’t say how they were going to do that. If it was going to be a TV thing or if he was going to do a whistle-stop tour, for lack of a better term.”
But is there enough time for a change in perception, before the gubernatorial election?
Micek opined, “His approvals are like 20%, only 26% believe he deserves a second term. It's a little bit late in the game for a pivot on image.”
