Recall Governor Davis?
June 12, 2003 3:43 PM Subscribe
Will the Governor of California be recalled? Just 7 months after the election, the drive to recall California's Governor Davis is really building up steam. Helped in no small way by conservative Republican lawmaker Darryl Issa's contributions to the cause and his website about it. It will cost $25 million and be decided in 1 off-season election if enough signatures are gathered.
Will it happen? Is it a waste of money? Will it result in chaos and a "free-for-all" or will it be the sign of a healthy Democracy in action?
What I don't understand is why Republicans are so much better at this game than Democrats. If, as scarabic said, we started a drive to recall the president, those "Sore Loserman" signs would be up before you knew it.
Why aren't the Republicans in California being called "Sore Losermans"?
posted by hari at 4:08 PM on June 12, 2003
Why aren't the Republicans in California being called "Sore Losermans"?
posted by hari at 4:08 PM on June 12, 2003
This is kind of a sidetrack, but running for a top statewide office in California (Governor or one of the two U.S. Senate seats) is just too expensive. The cost translates to something like $25,000 for every single day of their term. How is a candidate supposed to raise that kind of money and remain scrupulously honest and dedicated principally serving to the best interests of the people of the state? I would venture to suggest that it's impossible.
So if you can't reform campaign finance, you have to make the state smaller. It's time to chop up California. And no gerrymandering! To get three pieces you only need two straight lines.
posted by George_Spiggott at 4:14 PM on June 12, 2003
So if you can't reform campaign finance, you have to make the state smaller. It's time to chop up California. And no gerrymandering! To get three pieces you only need two straight lines.
posted by George_Spiggott at 4:14 PM on June 12, 2003
no straight lines! Orange County is straight enough as it is! ;)
i'm with you on radical reconstruction, however. just please make all my lines ambiguously gay.
posted by mrgrimm at 4:23 PM on June 12, 2003
i'm with you on radical reconstruction, however. just please make all my lines ambiguously gay.
posted by mrgrimm at 4:23 PM on June 12, 2003
What I don't understand is why Republicans are so much better at this game than Democrats.
Because they believe they have a god on their side.
Hey, I didn't say it was rational.
posted by Cerebus at 5:03 PM on June 12, 2003
Because they believe they have a god on their side.
Hey, I didn't say it was rational.
posted by Cerebus at 5:03 PM on June 12, 2003
To crush Gray Davis, see him driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the Democrats!
posted by homunculus at 5:17 PM on June 12, 2003
posted by homunculus at 5:17 PM on June 12, 2003
If you make an ambiguously gay line, can you run it straight through Brea? If you miss and hit Fullerton that'd be cool.
posted by kevspace at 6:47 PM on June 12, 2003
posted by kevspace at 6:47 PM on June 12, 2003
If you've read the latest from Esquire, you know that Ah-nuhld is going to be the next governor of California. Good luck with that.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:13 PM on June 12, 2003
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:13 PM on June 12, 2003
Making homunculus's tragically truncated comment all the more ironic.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:14 PM on June 12, 2003
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:14 PM on June 12, 2003
Crom! The picture I linked is dead. Here's the main page. Gaze in awe upon the next Governor of California.
posted by homunculus at 7:19 PM on June 12, 2003
posted by homunculus at 7:19 PM on June 12, 2003
Have I got this straight? Davis has been in office for just over half of one fiscal year. But, he has not yet resolved the budget problems! So, he is a bum and must go.
Maybe we could have free agent governors, some of whom could market themselves as turn-around specialists like some of the CEOs do.
I suppose the real prize being sought is the Presidency. Since 1960, Presidents who served in Congress: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, GHW Bush. Presidents who served as Governors: Carter, Reagan, Clinton, GW Bush. And GHW was elected on the strength of his service as Reagan's Vice-President, not on his Congressional terms in the 60s.
I think this is a clear trend. A person whose credibility rests on being a former governor can run the old outsider campaign against the bureaucrats in Washington. He has proven appeal at the polls, and has at least some experience with the complex budget and administrative duties that executive office demands. The political consultants and party strategists will run with what has been working until the electorate stops sending Governors to the White House. So, whoever takes Davis' seat will gain immediate name recognition and a chance for prominence in national politics.
Luckily, being Governor of California is likely to inflict so much political and psychological damage on a man that he will be unable to survive even a Presidential primary. Reagan was impervious to this, only one of the mysteries of his singular political career.
posted by crunchburger at 8:30 PM on June 12, 2003
Maybe we could have free agent governors, some of whom could market themselves as turn-around specialists like some of the CEOs do.
I suppose the real prize being sought is the Presidency. Since 1960, Presidents who served in Congress: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, GHW Bush. Presidents who served as Governors: Carter, Reagan, Clinton, GW Bush. And GHW was elected on the strength of his service as Reagan's Vice-President, not on his Congressional terms in the 60s.
I think this is a clear trend. A person whose credibility rests on being a former governor can run the old outsider campaign against the bureaucrats in Washington. He has proven appeal at the polls, and has at least some experience with the complex budget and administrative duties that executive office demands. The political consultants and party strategists will run with what has been working until the electorate stops sending Governors to the White House. So, whoever takes Davis' seat will gain immediate name recognition and a chance for prominence in national politics.
Luckily, being Governor of California is likely to inflict so much political and psychological damage on a man that he will be unable to survive even a Presidential primary. Reagan was impervious to this, only one of the mysteries of his singular political career.
posted by crunchburger at 8:30 PM on June 12, 2003
According to this commentator, it doesn't really matter who is in charge, they're all beholden to...the prison guards??
Link via LA Examiner, once removed.
posted by zaack at 8:48 PM on June 12, 2003
Link via LA Examiner, once removed.
posted by zaack at 8:48 PM on June 12, 2003
Davis has been in office for four years, and was in charge during the creation of the budget problems. More importantly in my mind, he's a banal, craven, political hack who can't imagine doing anything that doesn't directly lead to him getting re-elected.
If nothing else, I'm finding it amusing to see Gray's consternation that a number of other prominent Democrats are pointedly refusing to say that they won't run if the recall happens.
posted by jaek at 9:45 PM on June 12, 2003
If nothing else, I'm finding it amusing to see Gray's consternation that a number of other prominent Democrats are pointedly refusing to say that they won't run if the recall happens.
posted by jaek at 9:45 PM on June 12, 2003
Because they believe they have a god on their side.
Facetious, but it might literally be true. It's easy to stir yourself if you see things as black and white, good and evil - if something that isn't part of your party's platform happens, it's almost by definition evil. And evil must obviously be stamped out.
<flamebait>The problem liberals have is that they tend to see things in a kind of touchy-feely, not-evil-just-misunderstood way; you need something like Vietnam to spur them into coordinated, evil-stomping action.</flamebait>
posted by RylandDotNet at 9:46 PM on June 12, 2003
Facetious, but it might literally be true. It's easy to stir yourself if you see things as black and white, good and evil - if something that isn't part of your party's platform happens, it's almost by definition evil. And evil must obviously be stamped out.
<flamebait>The problem liberals have is that they tend to see things in a kind of touchy-feely, not-evil-just-misunderstood way; you need something like Vietnam to spur them into coordinated, evil-stomping action.</flamebait>
posted by RylandDotNet at 9:46 PM on June 12, 2003
Have I got this straight? Davis has been in office for just over half of one fiscal year. But, he has not yet resolved the budget problems! So, he is a bum and must go.
This is Davis' second term in office. The biggest complaint I hear locally is that he severely understated the enormity of the budget crisis when running for reelection, and owned up only after he won. I wouldn't necessarily paint this as a Democrat vs. Republican issue -- Davis has caught a lot of flak for "mishandling" the California energy crisis a few years back, and if he had faced a tougher Republican opponent during the last election he might not have made it into office.
It doesn't surprise me that it's being funded in part by Republican money, but for many people it's just a way to make up for the last election. Davis appeared to be either incompetent or a scumbag, and his opponent Bill Simon was practically a nonentity throughout the entire election. I knew Democrats who weren't thrilled about Davis coming back for more, and even my father, a staunch Republican, admitted that he didn't think Bill Simon was a capable leader. I know in the end it'll all dissolve into partisan bickering, but it would be kinda cool to see a concentrated groups of voters stand up and say "Look, that went poorly -- let's try again, okay?"
posted by brookedel at 10:09 PM on June 12, 2003
This is Davis' second term in office. The biggest complaint I hear locally is that he severely understated the enormity of the budget crisis when running for reelection, and owned up only after he won. I wouldn't necessarily paint this as a Democrat vs. Republican issue -- Davis has caught a lot of flak for "mishandling" the California energy crisis a few years back, and if he had faced a tougher Republican opponent during the last election he might not have made it into office.
It doesn't surprise me that it's being funded in part by Republican money, but for many people it's just a way to make up for the last election. Davis appeared to be either incompetent or a scumbag, and his opponent Bill Simon was practically a nonentity throughout the entire election. I knew Democrats who weren't thrilled about Davis coming back for more, and even my father, a staunch Republican, admitted that he didn't think Bill Simon was a capable leader. I know in the end it'll all dissolve into partisan bickering, but it would be kinda cool to see a concentrated groups of voters stand up and say "Look, that went poorly -- let's try again, okay?"
posted by brookedel at 10:09 PM on June 12, 2003
WolfDaddy misses Pete Wilson, to be honest.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:40 PM on June 12, 2003
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:40 PM on June 12, 2003
Davis was pretty clever -- he helped to republicans to destroy themselves during the primary, allowing the far right candidate to win so he could trounce him during the general election.
posted by ph00dz at 4:51 AM on June 13, 2003
posted by ph00dz at 4:51 AM on June 13, 2003
This is Davis' second term in office. The biggest complaint I hear locally is that he severely understated the enormity of the budget crisis when running for reelection, and owned up only after he won.
Thanks, I totally misunderstood one of the linked articles. I couldn't find a statement of 'why we think there should be a recall' on the main recall site - just details about how to sigjn the petition etc.
posted by crunchburger at 6:03 AM on June 13, 2003
Thanks, I totally misunderstood one of the linked articles. I couldn't find a statement of 'why we think there should be a recall' on the main recall site - just details about how to sigjn the petition etc.
posted by crunchburger at 6:03 AM on June 13, 2003
I like the idea of a recall because Davis is a nasty, horrible, deceitful, money-grubbing, sell-his-soul-to-the-highest-bidder governor. And I am a Democrat! I would love it if he were recalled-as he sits on his money-making throne and gives away california to whoever pays him the most money.
I would love to recall the whole legislature, especially after today as they all left to go home and do fund-raisers while today is the deadline for putting together a budget.
Where do policians come from? Who do they think they are? Perhaps if Davis is recalled, maybe that will shake things up and make them think.
I do have issues spending the $25 million to recall him, but I think it's worth it. The guy is a useless scumbag. (Although Issa, Simon, and Arnold are as useless as he is!)
posted by aacheson at 9:32 AM on June 13, 2003
I would love to recall the whole legislature, especially after today as they all left to go home and do fund-raisers while today is the deadline for putting together a budget.
Where do policians come from? Who do they think they are? Perhaps if Davis is recalled, maybe that will shake things up and make them think.
I do have issues spending the $25 million to recall him, but I think it's worth it. The guy is a useless scumbag. (Although Issa, Simon, and Arnold are as useless as he is!)
posted by aacheson at 9:32 AM on June 13, 2003
Not all California politicians are useless scumbags, some are quite useful...
If The Terminator does run for Governor, the Democrats should oppose him with Zelda from "Dobie Gillis": solidly liberal, openly lesbian, hasn't sponsored any really stupid bills (YMMV), currently pushing my personal top issue: single payer health (I can see some of you grimacing...), and, in debates, has never used that *squint-wink* that used to drive Dobie nuts (although I'd recommend it against Arnold). Not among the names mentioned as considering running, though. Among those on the list, the one that makes me cringe the least is Richard Riordan; he was the one Repub the Grayman did not want to face, so he ran anti-Riordan ads in the GOP primary, and helped Simon win it. If Riordan won the post-recall free-for-all, it would be high-quality political irony.
Hmmm... first time I've ever used the words grimace, squint and cringe all in the same comment.
posted by wendell at 3:40 PM on June 13, 2003
If The Terminator does run for Governor, the Democrats should oppose him with Zelda from "Dobie Gillis": solidly liberal, openly lesbian, hasn't sponsored any really stupid bills (YMMV), currently pushing my personal top issue: single payer health (I can see some of you grimacing...), and, in debates, has never used that *squint-wink* that used to drive Dobie nuts (although I'd recommend it against Arnold). Not among the names mentioned as considering running, though. Among those on the list, the one that makes me cringe the least is Richard Riordan; he was the one Repub the Grayman did not want to face, so he ran anti-Riordan ads in the GOP primary, and helped Simon win it. If Riordan won the post-recall free-for-all, it would be high-quality political irony.
Hmmm... first time I've ever used the words grimace, squint and cringe all in the same comment.
posted by wendell at 3:40 PM on June 13, 2003
Will the Governor of California be recalled?
I certainly recall many of them. Who's to say that I won't be able to recall Gray Davis as well, when he's a memory?
posted by kindall at 3:48 PM on June 13, 2003
I certainly recall many of them. Who's to say that I won't be able to recall Gray Davis as well, when he's a memory?
posted by kindall at 3:48 PM on June 13, 2003
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posted by scarabic at 4:06 PM on June 12, 2003