August 23, 2003
Time to Grow Up
I find the California recall vote fascinating - and though I don’t believe in polls - this one is encouraging for those who do — and support Gray Davis of course.
I live and vote in New York but I care deeply about the outcome of this game. I guess for me it's simple - you elect someone to a term of office. When that term's over, voters decide whether he or she keeps the job. Sometimes that's one year, or two or four or six...either way, voting for someone should count for something. Given the percentage of people who don't vote in this country, it's apparent that a majority of us ALREADY figures our vote doesn't count.
If Davis is recalled, I may start thinking along those lines myself. For a day or two anyway. And I love the GOP message now - it's not a right wing power grab, but we want bonafide candidates to "drop out" and rally behind Arnold (though their names will still appear on the ballot.) And, oh yeah, we're only thinking of you (the people of California.) No need to offer a logistics plan for implementing an election in Oct. that likely will cost $60 million - less than a month before the November elections.
And I've heard all the arguments to the contrary - this empowers the people, really gives them a choice, California's economy... While I'm not one to argue with a million or so signatures, I do know that ringleader Darrell Issa - a really icky politican if there ever was one - paid 75 cents for signatures. And now he's not even in the race. The ironies here are endless by the way.
But one fact remains - I have seen no evidence of official wrongdoing in Sacramento - and if we recalled governors because of state budget deficits or those who'll say anything to win an election, we'd really be in trouble, at least in the 18 other states that have recall provisions. And as the recent Northeast blackout demonstrates, is anyone really prepared to deal with the current energy situation? Holding Davis responsible for Enron's crimes is beyond absurd. Especially when Republicans fought Davis' attempts at a solution. And last but not least, I'm sick of Silicon Valley crybabies who are shocked, yes shocked, that the Internet bubble burst and their riches have disappeared. That's the danger paper riches.
The top five reasons to recall Davis, according to recall organizers, are grounds to remove practically every politician currently in office. Recall Davis for lying about the magnitude of the budget deficit? Do people still think that government budget documents are actually used like your household budget? For those who have never actually read a government fiscal plan, budget documents, from the federal government's to Suffolk County's, are political documents - pure and simple. Anyone telling you different is well...lying.
When all is said and done, recalling Davis will be the wrong move for everyone concerned. I hope enough people in California see through this - and realize that the state and national GOP were more upset about failing to unseat Davis than anything else in 2002 - and that Davis is allowed to finish the term he was elected to serve. Then vote him out if you don't like the job he's done.
But to participate in this obvious Republican power grab - one year before the re-election of GWB and all of the attendant advantages a sitting GOP governor in California would deliver - just wreaks of the old Nixon "rat-f'ing" politics. Maybe the 1960s never really ended in California. Either way, it's time for California to grow up.
Posted by 9thwave at August 23, 2003 10:26 AMI have found the sociology of the recall bid to be very interesting. I think it is a case of a a very frustrated people wanting to be heard. If Davis can convince the people that he has heard them, he has a chance to retaining his post. If he does not, California may well put into that post a candidate that will tackle the problems of California in a way very similar to how Davis would tackle them, and the Californians might be very happy with their new Governor.
Sometimes it’s about more than what the accounting numbers show. Davis got himself into this position by not realizing that. He seems to understand that now. Now he has a chance.
Posted by: akaGoethe at August 23, 2003 11:42 AM
I do not think you can call it a power grab for the following reasons…
1) the vast majority of the signature gatherers were unpaid volunteers. In fact, the numbers were 152,000 volunteers and 3,000 paid $.75 a signature.
It is standard operating procedure in the initiative process to collect signatures in this way.
I believe that if there were a recall effort for a Republican Governor most of the Democrats would forget all about thier opposition to it.
Let the people decide. What is wrong with that?
It is fully legal and a part of the states Constitution. It is not a power grab, noone can force anyone to sign a petition and his approval rating was 20% at the time this campign started.
The suggestion seems to be that the people have been duped by the Republicans and it is a conspiracy (anytime Republicans are successful it is a conspiracy). In reality it is just politics, and is a prudent way for the Republican party to gain influence through legal means. This is not related in any way to a watergate style political travesty, to make the connection is not only laughable, but imprudent.
The States deficit is not the only problem here. Business owners are leaving for a business friendly State…Nevada. Nevada has low tax on businesses, simple as that. Texas does as well, they also have the most stable power grid in the country. The leadership there is very conservative and so they thrive. In Washington the same thing is happening. Businesses are rapidly leaving the state and we have the highest unemployment in the nation. Our crime? High taxes brought on by an ultra-liberal Governor who is not even going to run for office next term, Gary Locke. Boeing is leaving this state because of HIM and they have publicly stated that. He is a Gray Davis liberal. He is also, a failure.
Pete - don’t worry. I know full well the rules here. And I didn’t say “duped.” I believe it’s a petulant, childish, unproductive response to solving the state’s woes. And since there’s been a recall attempt for EVERY governor since RR in 1968, I don’t see it as an opportunity for people to “speak” at all - but instead a manipulation of our democracy to change the outcome of an election. Which is held in November.
But while Davis must be held accountable like all elected officials, it’s California’s political and governmental infrastructures which are really to blame. No doubt Davis could have done a better job managing things - but the majority of the blame for California’s current state of affairs is shared by many.
And don’t assume that I would forget about this if Wilson were in office. I would be as outraged and would be saying the same exact thing. And as to my “imprudence” in referring to Nixon’s ways, they said the same thing when questions were first raised about the Canuck letter. And all the suspicions turned out to be true. Go figure.
Posted by: 9thwave at August 23, 2003 06:42 PMPersonally, I’m a fan of the recall. I do like the element of voters being able to assert their power to recall politicians from office. (Power does derive from the people, does it not?) I wish that there were more recall provisions in place in other places.
That said, a couple of questions for the author: if the state’s economy is tanking to the point that the University of California is electing to not open one campus (Cal State University), why should the voters be forced to wait until next year to get the guy out of the office? Is not the harm of leaving him greater than the harm of getting rid of him? (Of course, this makes the assumption that Davis is (solely) responsible for the budget problems, which he shares blame.)
I guess I fail to see the recall as an Evil Republican Power Grab (tm) because the Republican Party is not the body voting to get rid of Davis, the voters are. The voters decide whether he stays in office, and the voters decide his successor. Both parties will make their case and the voters will pick the winner.
-Chris
Posted by: Chris at August 23, 2003 07:11 PMAnother thought: Isn’t it funny that Davis will probably be unseated by people taking advantage of the political process? The same Davis who exploited the open primaries of the Republican Party in order to have the Republicans elect a weaker candidate (Simon) for the general race than the stronger candidate (Riordan)? Where was the Democratic outrage then?
-Chris
Posted by: Chris at August 23, 2003 07:16 PMwhat bugs me is that the recall says that my vote, the one that i WENT to the ballots to make, means nothing.
democracy at work. davis is not a great govenor…this much is clear…but if you felt so strongly about it you should have voted when we actually had an election.
Posted by: rob at August 24, 2003 04:25 AMIt should be noted that Davis failed to win a majority of votes cast in the last election, despite running against a very weak field. The recall says that voters weren’t happy with the choices offered them last time around, and want a new menu.
One of the reasons the field was so weak last time: Davis spent $10M in the Republican primary bashing Riordan. If you’re upset about partisan power grabs, you can’t like that.
Posted by: Richard Bennett at August 25, 2003 11:55 AM
