Jonah Goldberg: Democracy will be severely damaged if Californians recall Gray Davis

Union Leader ^ | 7/08/03 | JONAH GOLDBERG

[kattracks]

CALIFORNIA must be punished!

No, this isn’t fire and brimstone about how the sinful ways of Californians warrant a plague of locusts, frogs and hairless cats (that’s a subject for a future column). 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.

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.

Californians stupidly elected Davis in 2002, but now they refuse to suffer the consequences. They want Davis gone for, among other reasons, they think he lied about how bad the deficit was — it’s now $38 billion, more than all other state deficits combined. Davis’ approval rating hovers around 21 percent. If things get much worse, he’ll be able to list his supporters by name.

According to California law, it takes only 900,000 signatures to demand a recall. Since the Golden State should really be known as the Petition State, activists will have no problem hitting that target.

What makes things even nuttier is, if there is a recall, it takes signatures from fewer people than you’d need for a small softball league — just 65 — to get your name on the new ballot. This means the race could be divvied up between a mob of boobs and nobodies, and the winner of a new election might need to gain even fewer voters than currently support Davis.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there are few politicians in America today more in need of an atomic wedgie than Gray Davis. Not only is he arrogant, he’s boring, which makes his arrogance all the more annoying because it feels like he’s deliberately wasting your time merely by talking.

If he’s not literally crooked, he’s certainly ethically challenged. He ran California’s finances the way teenage girls manage their credit cards — racking up the charges on a huge shopping spree and then trying to hide the bill. But none of this is impeachable, which should be the only legitimate mechanism for removing a politician from office.

Forget about Gray Davis for a moment (I know it’s not hard, even his name is gray). A hallmark of a functioning democracy is the practice of holding timely elections. A hallmark of republican government (and please remember America is a republic), is that the people do not decide what the government should do. They decide upon who should make those decisions.

I am constantly hearing about how we need more politicians who are willing to buck the polls and make the hard decisions that might be unpopular but necessary in the long run. Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government even gives out a (usually highly partisan) award to politicians who’ve raised taxes or steamrolled gun control laws in defiance of the voters’ wishes.

Well, how much courage do you expect to get from our politicians when the polls in effect have binding consequences? What happens when low poll numbers serve as chum in the water for every opportunistic politician and activist group who wants to take down an elected politician who makes unpopular but necessary decisions?

The answer is simple: he won’t make unpopular decisions in the first place. He will lick his finger, hold it up to the wind and spend his term being led by the often fickle, inattentive and selfish voters rather than trying to lead them.

Punishing voters for their poor decisions is vital because that’s the only thing that imbues voting with any significance. Politicians, particularly liberal ones like Howard Dean, like to shout about how voters “have the power” to change things and how people have to take their obligation to vote seriously. Well, that’s really only true if their votes have lasting effects. If voters think they’ll get a “do-over” if it turns out they made a mistake, voting really won’t matter that much.

Any teacher will tell you that students don’t show their best effort if they know the test or the term paper won’t be graded. Any teacher will tell you that students — of any age — won’t hand in their reports if there isn’t a serious deadline and serious consequences for those who miss the deadline.

The same thing holds true for elections. The date itself is insignificant, but it’s vital that a firm date is set. And, if you vote wrong or miss the vote entirely, you can’t have a do-over or the whole thing becomes meaningless.

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.

Jonah Goldberg is editor of National Review Online.

[kattracks]

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the poster.

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[goldstategop]

With all due respect to Jonah, the recall's now a done deal. It will be a signal lesson to other public officials who raise huge amounts of campaign money but forget that public service comes first. One is hard pressed to think of one good thing Gray Davis has done for my state in the last four years since he was elected Governor. Au contraire, this recall election is in the finest traditions of democracy. In the event the people make a mistake they can unmake it. And that's exactly what we'll be doing this fall in California.

[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.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Johah Goldberg article? Where's the Fart Alert?

[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!

[aardvark1]

Just as people should suffer the consequences of stupid voting choices, people should also suffer the consequences of the governmental mechanisms they have voted to put in place.

This is the logical flaw in JG's argument. Not only did Californians choose a boob for a governor, they have chosen "a government by petition" as a way of governing, for good or ill.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Au contraire, this recall election is in the finest traditions of democracy. In the event the people make a mistake they can unmake it.

I have no time for the "but he was democratically elected" bunch. If an elected official betrays his trust then he should be removed.

I prefer electing the right guy to a recall and a recall to a bloody revolt but the options must never be taken off the table.

I wonder what Jonah's opinion is of the mess in Venezuela is.

[HitmanLV]

That's something that Johan misses, and is 100% correct. This isn't soem sort of extra-legal exercise: it's part of the framework as established by state charter and law.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

B/S Goldberg. Recall is every bit as valid as impeachment.

Hear, Hear. Don't forget Hitler was elected. What a different world it would be, if Recall was part of their system.

For Davis, I say the buggar's done enough damage. Toss him on his bum!

[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!

[auggy]

"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!"

I agree. Let's make a politician accountable for his campaign promises. I personally am deeply saddened by the lies given by politicians, mostly Demons.

With all of the hype to get him thrown out, makes one wonder, if he really won the election legally.

HMMM!

[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.

[DB]

The only effective thing that changes bad behavior is painful consequences. California voters have chosen very badly for some time now. They think they can have electrical power without building power plants. They think they can have others pay for all their do good/feel good pet projects and the “rich” will simply pay without damaging the economy or leaving the state. They think they can pass more and more government mandated worker “benefits” and make the state a workers paradise. That is worker paradise without jobs…

If they don’t bear the consequences of their actions they will simply continue doing the same destructive thing. I don’t think the real pain of Davis’ governing has been felt yet. Right now it is mostly talk of what pain is coming. That isn’t enough. Just like alcoholics or drug addicts until they hit rock bottom and are forced face themselves they don’t make any true meaningful long-term changes. I’d rather feel and deal with the pain now and not have a repeat performance in a few years.

At least that is my opinion…

[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?

[DB]

Unlike your hiring of someone flaky and you paying the price for it few voters actually bear the consequences of what they vote for. They always demand someone else pay for their pet project usually "business" and the "rich". Until those that pay little or nothing for their choices feel some pain they will continue on their marry way.