Bye-Bye Mr. Davis

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Originally Posted by Abcdxxxx

Apparently you aren't very educated about the problem at hand then. But what else is new?

I'll repeat myself one more time for your stupid ass. The problem and the solution are two different things. I mean hey, why bother with the whole recall thing!!? Since he's so rotten, why not put him before a firing range, or maybe a public hanging....?

I think holding our elected officials accountable for their actions in office is a wonderful idea.

Right, and you've yet to address the real crux of the argument. Your brain thinks "Davis bad, get him out." Opinion polls show a small majority of the public agreeing with you, and a nearly equal minority DISagreeing with you. The recall was mobilized by FIVE % of the population. Roughly 1 million people were given a laundry list of naughty deeds, got some sweet talking, and then signed a clipboard on the sidewalk. Wonderful how democracy works, eh?

Accountability for you would be saying to hell with REAL measures of accountability, with a truly democratic process, because clearly YOUR feelings on the matter are reflective of every citizen in California, right!?

It used to be that your check on an elected official was your ability to vote him out the next cycle. This is democracy. ABCDxxxx's version of democracy is one where a millionare can campaign for a ballot initiative, and potentially remove said public official from the seat he himself just so happens to covet.

And what is ABCDxxxx's ideal and democratic solution?? A special election with a long list of names, two months to campaign, with the winner being the guy who can out publicize the other. This is democracy in ABC's mind. Just for your sake, I hope you truly get what you deserve in October.

Originally Posted by GAsux

Or maybe a more viable option and smarter move for the Dems would have been to convince Davis to step down.

Having Davis step down could potentially create a dangerous precedent. From Davis' perspective, the opinion polls show that Californians, by a slow margin, support this recall. Generally, if an official starts of another term with bad polls, they see it as a GOOD thing. Why? Because it gives them the rest of that term to atempt correcting those mistakes, and if he can't, he potentially loses the election. This is our process.

The insanity of this recall process is a big reason why states such as New York don't even USE ballot initiatives. In theory, it seems more pure and democratic, and it's particularly attractive when the official is doing a bad job. However, in reality, such things are often driven and heavily funded by interest/lobby groups like PIRG, and other such groups. They force feed citizens with advertising, half-truths, all in order to get a signature or a vote for an initiative.

Hoping Davis will step down is also, if you'll beg my pardon GA, kind of naive. What should motivate him to step down? A 5% loss in opinion polls? Heck, everybody on these boards whines about how off and speculative those things are. Why else should he step down, a proposed recall put forward by 5% of the population? I think I could motivate 5% of the American population to vote for 24 hour Pizza Huts, that doesn't make it necessary or right.

As much as many California voters dislike Republicans, they sure don't seem to like Gray so much either and if you think all this is happening as a result of a clever Republican plot I think you're sorely underestimating the movement.

Please, explain this "movement" to me. Who are they? Paid petitioners, who had a period of several months to gather up the needed signatures? To run for Executive in my county as an independent candidate, you need to acquire a couple thousand signatures over the course of roughly 2 months. Our "movement" consisted of roughly ten people with clipboards and no money.

This "movement" needed roughly 900,000 signatures, and had a paid staff of petitioners who roamed around Cali for a few months. It sounds like a lot of signatures, but with those resources, it can be done easily.

Regardless, Gray stepping down would have allowed the Lt. Gov, who happens to be a Dem also to ride the term out. Then we could have gotten back to the old business of fair and square elections.

And if only I had a nickle for every elected official who SHOULD have done this.....

But I'm admittedly an idiot.

No you're not.