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[Psalm 73]

I'm really starting to wonder about Jonah - seems ever since he married he's been getting, well, I don't know - different.
His statement that conservatives should just give up the battle of support for traditional families and aquieesce (sp?) to the radical homosexual lobby and embrace "civil unions".
Then he spends a few days smearing Christian Conservatives instead of, say, meeting with them and trying to understand their Biblical World-view of homosexuality.
Yeah, that's some integrity you've got there Jonah........

[ricpic]

The question is: Has the recall option been used promiscuously in California? I don't think so. In this instance Davis's fiscal irresponsibility has been so egregious that recall is in order.

[Jim Robinson]

B/S Goldberg. Recall is every bit as valid as impeachment. It's our check on government gone totally insane. And no, we do not deserve to suffer any more than we already have. We've already suffered more than necessary and, unfortunately, we'll be suffering for many years to come because of this buffoon. End it now and send a message to the rest of these liberal jackasses!

[rellimpank]

--IMHO, the recall will probably end up with the fractured Republidums succeeding in pulling a huge defeat out of victory.

Maybe if the recallers would have let the Demotraitors stew in their own richly deserved juice for a year, they could have wiped the legislature clean, too. As I see it the "winner" in the election will still have the same wretched legislature, bent on revenge ASAP--

[jwalsh07]

Jonah Goldberg has become a contra-indicator.

Clueless in Lucianneville.

[Hinoki Cypress]

Fart Alert! Fart Alert! Fart Alert!

[Prodigal Son]

Rather, it’s my sincere belief that American democracy and republicanism will be severely damaged if Californians are allowed to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

He talks about the voters and citizens of California being "allowed" to- my question is: "Who's to stop them and on what authority?" The legitimacy of the gov't is derived from the governed. The California taxpayers are the ones signing Grey Davis' paycheck- they can surely fire him.

[William McKinley]

When former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was asked to run again during his successor’s disastrous term in office, Koch replied, “No! The people threw me out, and now the people must be punished.” Whether Koch knew it or not, he grasped one of the most fundamental principles of democracy and republicanism: Everyone should pay the price of mistakes made at the ballot box.

If I hire a programmer to work on a particular project, and it becomes clear that he is incapable of or unwilling to do a credible job, then I will fire the guy. Jonah seems to be saying either that I should let the project go to hell to teach me to not hire incompetents, or that elected officials are somehow different.

I don't share his worry that Democracy will be threatened by a recall. Most states do not have a recall law, and as such the California precedent will likely be applicable only to California. Is this not what federalism is all about? Letting individual states tailor their laws to the liking of the individual states' people, so that in effect we get a system of trial and error, where we can see the effects of different approaches to governance?

[StockAyatollah]

Who cares what Boy-Jonah thinks? This is why neocons are not to be trusted. They are not conservatives - just mushy-middlers. Any real conservative would want Gov. Gray-out gone by any means necessary, ASAP.

[Drango]

Yeah Jonah, like the Republicans could be any worse off in California.

[TheGeezer]

California has led the country in political trends for decades now. That’s why Californians must be punished. If they’re not punished now, we all will be later.

Californians' punishment comes from living there, voting as they do, recalling as they please (recalls are a sound mechanism of democracy), and then living with the the wacked-out joker they will next elect. "rev" Al Sharpton may even be able to be elected in that joke-off.

This incident is the end of California's political trendiness. Maybe, finally, the rest of the nation can view the Republic of California with the jaundiced eye it deserves.

[big gray tabby]

I think what he's trying to say--without coming right out and saying it--is that the stench of Gray Davis's failures will be around for a long time. The state's problem's are virtually un-fixable. Why send in one of our guys to ride the thing to Hell?

Since there's little to gain from replacing the guy with one of ours, and since the next guy will be pinned with a share of Davis's mistakes (The Bush Economy, anyone?), why not just let the place wallow in their stupidity?

[bert]

I can't totally disagree.

California with the tendency to hold referenda on so many questions rather than trust the elected representatives, is tending toward unadultrated democracy.The recall is evidence of that trend. Voting by the masses can take place more or less at the will of the mass.

The lesson learned long ago is that the masses can't be trusted with the option of voting on every issue. That was reserved for the representatives who after debate and rational consideration would determine the disposition ofthe issue.

If any thing, the recall effort may cause a turning away from the rifraff taking control and a reversion to representative government. When you vote, you consider carefully the person you trust with decisions.

[Alberta's Child]

Actually, I think Goldberg makes a very compelling case here. Having lived in both the U.S. and Canada, I am certain that a parliamentary system of government is inferior to a representative republic like we have in the U.S. The major flaw to the parliamentary system is that the inherent uncertainty of election dates (along with the fact that the ruling party essentially rigs the election process by scheduling the elections at a time that works in their favor) makes for a difficult political and business climate.

And Goldberg is right in another respect: Incompetent governors like Gray Davis ought to be impeached, not "recalled." Allowing voters to recall a governor lets the legislature off the hook for taking responsibility for oversight of the executive branch.

I'm generally in favor of empowering voters as much as possible, but there is something to be said for forcing people to sleep in the beds they've made for themselves. The whole notion of a recall is a product of a short public attention span, coupled with a 1980s "Atari culture" in which people simply assume that the RESET function on their Asteroids game can be applied to all other areas of their lives.

[jmaroneps37]

My dear Jonah
Democracy is democracy even when it involves things that YOU don't like. California's day as a national political trend setter are over. Will each and every state now elect a total Democrat controlled government?- or Republican ,for that matter? Recall basically only exists in the Western states. We here in the East would not be able to get recall under any circumstances. Relax young man, this is the messiness of democracy. We have at each other in the voting booth, not with weapons.

[Dog Gone]

Well, whatever happens, I think we should take this opportunity to collect 65 signatures to put a Freeper on the ballot in California.

Who wants to volunteer to be Davis's replacement?

[SauronOfMordor]

The only solution for California will be to severely cut back on the welfare-state goodies, and get serious about deporting illegal immigrants. This won't happen while Democrats are in charge.

For decades, the policy of the Forest Service was to put out fires as they happened -- with the net result that the deadwood accumulated until it fueled a fire that could no longer be contained

It may be that the only solution is to let CA go, and rebuild from the ashes.

[B Knotts]

So, because this guy grew up back east, where recall, initiative and referenda are not as common, we in the west should not use it?

What the heck is the point of having recall, if you never use it?

[vbmoneyspender]

I stopped paying attention to Goldberg after he backed McCain during the 2000 Republican primary.