Editorial: Recall effort only distracts state leaders
By Daily Bruin Staff
July 27, 2003 9:00 p.m.
Suddenly California ““Â the “Left Coast,”
that bastion of liberal politics ““ is held hostage by a few
right-wing activists who can’t accept election results.
After the right combination of millions of dollars, professional
signature gatherers and a fiscal disaster managed to mobilize the
small portion of voters necessary to demand a recall, Lt. Gov. Cruz
Bustamante was forced this past week to set a date for an
election.
The recall’s ballot qualification is unfortunate. The
election will cost tens of millions of dollars and will distract
state leaders, particularly Gov. Davis, from doing their jobs. Now
voters must soundly reject the partisan effort, sending the message
that California’s electorate ““Â as volatile as it
can be ““ will not accept selfish politics when selfless
leadership is needed.
Of course, Davis wouldn’t be in this position, no matter
how much money was given to signature collectors, if he
didn’t have the reputation of being a selfish (and
incompetent) politician.
His faults are numerous: He’s a fundraising hound; he has
poor relationships with other government leaders; he mismanaged the
energy crisis and has yet to deal squarely with the budget
debacle.
But the recall process was not established in the early 20th
century to remove state officials who aren’t popular with
co-workers or spent too much time rubbing elbows with potential
donors ““Â or even those who performed poorly in public
service.
Progressives in 1911 created the recall to provide voters with a
way to remove politicians who were manipulated by the special
interests of big railroad and oil companies.
But now, the recall ““ not the politician who might be
recalled ““Â is what is manipulated by special interests.
Rep. Darrell Issa spent millions to finance signature gathering,
saying he was fighting to save California from Davis. Issa, eyeing
the governorship himself, was really fighting for his own political
advancement.
Like Issa’s, other recall backers’ motives are
suspect. Candidates, who wouldn’t stand a chance in a general
election because of extreme politics or lack of experience, are
lining up, giddy with a chance to become governor via a backdoor
passage.
Fighting, as he said, “like a bengal tiger,” Davis
is beginning to use scare tactics. He said those who want him out
would fight against a woman’s right to choose and would drill
for oil near California’s pristine shores.
Regardless of whether that’s true, it’s clear those
most fervently calling for Davis’ ouster aim to advance their
own political agenda and don’t necessarily have the best
interests of Californian’s in mind.
But because of an outdated recall process, any of a host of
those candidates could end up as the chief executive of the most
populous and economically robust state in the country. They could
win with a small plurality of the vote, as a majority is not
required if Davis is recalled.
Davis is not wonderful, but the recall is mean-spirited, and
those who might replace him are worse than he is.
End the distractions: Keep Davis in office so the state’s
government can focus on serving its people.
