California Recall and the Big Beat
September 15, 2003
by Mike Spinney

With my admitted outsider’s perspective and a head full of confused “facts,” the whole silly California Recall affair is somewhat amusing.

California’s recall law was adopted and ratified as a part of that state’s constitution in 1911. Since that time, the provision has garnered little attention, until this year, Californians had not seen fit to exercise their right of recall. In fact, only one other state, North Dakota, has ever attempted a gubernatorial recall and, in 1921, North Dakotans succeeded in ousting Governor Lynn Frazier in the wake of socialism, scandal, and sorry economics.

There's a reason the recall provision is part of California’s constitution. Whether you agree with it or not, the law exists to provide a means for the people to do what, oftentimes, politicians cannot – throw out the trash. I'm not sure which party or political group was primarily responsible for the 1911 recall law, but when Republicans exercised the law earlier this year, the predictable hue and cry that the GOP is using its big money to steal another election, went out. It’s Florida 2000 and the Supreme Court all over again.

No mention of Frank Lautenberg, mind you.

Of course, the calls of unfairness fall deaf on the ears of any who profess allegiance to a "third party," as I do.

No one cares much that Libertarians, Greens, Natural Laws, Social Democrats, Independents, or (fill in the blank)s get hosed every time an election comes around.

No one cares much that third party candidates are routinely shut out of "public" debates every year, or that third party candidates often have a hard time even getting included on the ballot in spite of meeting rules and guidelines written to favor the Big Two.

No one cares much that "equal time" seems only to apply to parties able to pay for said time.

Where's the ACLU when the Whigs or Bull Moose need some legal action? Where's the Supreme Court when the Know Nothings or Tories need to steal an election?

Where’s the genuine outrage over the lack of fairness in a system that is designed to prevent any but the established and anointed from having a meaningful voice in American politics?

California gets what it deserves. New Jersey gets what it deserves. America gets what it deserves and will continue to get what it deserves until such time as Americans start paying as much attention to the electoral process and power brokering as they do to whether or not Ben and J-Lo are, or are not, an item.

(Mike Spinney is a volunteer staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine)