In the labor movement, there are two kinds of leaders -- those who fight big corporations, and those who collaborate with them. The poster child for the collaborators just had half his membership taken away.
After Attorney General Kamala Harris imposed conditions that a buyer, Prime Healthcare, declined to agree to on the sale of troubled Daughters of Charity Health System, supporters of her decision said other buyers would save all of the hospitals and services. But so far, no buyers have emerged, and the fallout has begun.
The announcement by Senator Boxer, a true champion of the underdog (watch her Rage for Justice speech), that she will not run for the Senate in 2016 will likely make a lot of other state officials rethink how they do their jobs. It's a lot like the moves you make playing musical chairs to make sure the music doesn't run out without you getting a seat.