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An Alternative Student Publication of the University of Oklahoma | ||||
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Recalling Democracy |
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One of the biggest issues in American
politics today is the California recall, for more or less obvious reasons. Californian electoral politics are
a microcosm of the political situation in national politics; massive deficits,
failing schools, and judicial turmoil to name only a few. Far worse,
they show how big personalities and bad politics have made California and With 135 candidates on the ballot some
would say that in many ways this recall election is democracy at its best,
however it also shows why our Founders were wise in avoiding a pure democracy
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When I first heard about the recall effort it was merely politics as usual to me, and I questioned whether or not it would succeed since it has only ever failed against Governors (attempted 31 times since recalling elected officials became legal in California in 1911), but now that the recall is underway I thought it would be time for me to express my opinion on the matter. First off, it’s completely legal under Article II, Section 13-20 in the California Constitution, although I certainly doubt that they’d view the recall as fair if they were on the bad end of it. One thing is for certain though, no matter what the issue, either side will complain the same when the tide turns against its favor. Secondly, recalling Gray Davis because California’s economy went south is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard of in recent electoral politics. The Republicans had the legal right to do what they did, but that doesn’t make it right, no more than if the Democrats did it. If you elect an official for four years, they stay for four years unless they are impeached for breaking the law or violating their office. Why do we need extra measures on elected officials? Davis did not break the law by being a Governor incapable of fixing the economy and failing to prevent energy companies from cheating Californians. All of California, the citizens, the politicians, the bureaucrats, and the business owners let themselves be cheated by failing to come to a decision on how to produce more power, and the energy barons capitalized on it. Extremist Greens didn’t want anything short of a return to a pre-industrial society while money hungry corporations desired a nuclear powered California, and since neither side could compromise, the energy companies took advantage of the people with inadequate power and Gray Davis either didn’t, or couldn’t do a thing. No one knows which so far. Furthermore, if Americans removed every Governor for not fixing their state’s problems immediately, then there would be 44 states paying between $53 and $66 million for recalls of their own, and all of that in the midst of an economic catastrophe. Thirdly, considering the circumstances, I think it is fantastic that Californians can vote for a multitude of candidates who stand for a multitude of issues. I wish Oklahomans could do that. In Californian politics though, it is remarkably dumb that there are four Greens when there could be one, fifty Republicans when there could be one, and forty-two Democrats when there could be one. Multiple parties are good because it fosters democracy, debate, and in my opinion it is the basis for a just Democratic Republic, however when you have infighting between candidates when a party is trying to establish dominance in an election, that party’s platform is doomed to failure when facing a more unified opposition. Huffington should try to get the endorsement of the other thirty-one Independents running, just like Camejo should be the only Green, Cruz Bustamente the only Democrat other than Davis, and so forth. I won’t guess who will win because popular opinion in California changes more often than the names of African countries. Recent polls have varied on the question of Davis’ recall by as much of a difference as 20%. One recent poll showed 60% of registered Californians in favor of a recall on Davis, while an LA Times poll conducted in early September found only 47% in favor of a recall. These numbers could change of course. Perhaps when Californians get to the polls and see 135 names on the ballot they will rethink the whole recall and just keep Davis? It makes for simpler voting. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Bustamente are the clear front runners, though the results of an election vary from poll to poll. Bustamente’s platform is essentially the same as Davis’; tax the wealthy and the corporations to pay off the debt. It is uncertain who will win between Bustamente and Schwarzenegger, but since both have a comfortable double digit lead over the other candidates they should only have each other to worry about for the time being. When it comes to Schwarzenegger it doesn’t
take a political scientist to realize that he is not a conservative Republican
in the least, and that shows how desperate the Republicans are to win
back ‘Reagan’s California’. This brings up the subject of how the California election differs from national politics. Instead of
Democrats being forced to compromise on their scruples in order to attract
popular support, the Californian Republicans have to do it instead to
gain a Governorship. In national politics, the Democrats had to vote for
a war in My personal opinion of Schwarzenegger as governor coincides with the young Californian who hit the Austrian with an egg as he arrived at California State University for a speech on September 3rd. And in the last case of this recall stupidity, some of Bill Clinton’s former staff have tried to use the recall as a way of attacking Bush by comparing him to Gray Davis and asking Americans to recall the President. Needless to say Clinton’s former employees are desperately in need of jobs. Please go to www.bushrecall.org and let them know if you’re hiring. Apparently losing the 2000 election was such a sudden blow to these people that they forgot to update their resumes. |
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