The Fine Whine of the Chicago Tribune
Back to the Recall Hobby Horse.
• Every time we encounter one of “The Blagojevich 26,” the Illinois state senators who didn’t vote to let you decide whether to add a recall amendment to the state constitution, we’ll think of Rod Blagojevich. (Twenty-five of “The Blagojevich 26″ are Democrats. The leader who put them up to this cheap trick? Departing Senate President Emil Jones. That’s right, he too co-chaired the Blagojevich campaign in 2006.)
Petition gathering could have only started if it had been passed in November and we wouldn’t be getting rid of him until April. Even as slow as impeachment is going–recall would have been slower.
The real problem is that no one wanted to face up to the need for impeachment earlier. While that wasn’t going to work with Jones as Senate President, it was the only relatively quick solution to the problem.
January 13th, 2009 at
It is always frustrating to read about how the latest political gimmick is the be all and end all of solutions to our political problems. That recall procees worked real well out in California, didn’t it? They got rid of a Governor who was, by all acoounts, pretty honest, but just not very popular. Then they got a new man in office and immediately all of their problems were solved and everyone in California lived happily ever after.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Gimmicks such as term limits and recall and voter intitiatives are not a substitute for governing. It is hard work and requires citizen participation and thought.
January 13th, 2009 at
When we’re talking about Recall, people always imagine it’s the guy they don’t like who’ll get recalled. But in reality, it’s simply the guy with a dip in his poll numbers and an organized group out there willing to finance a recall campaign.
It’s obvious why the Tribune would be for this — undermine government, check; undermine political parties, check; expand influence of unelected commercial and big media interests, check — but it’s really nothing but ‘Dart-board’ Democracy.
January 13th, 2009 at
Does anyone find it ironic that a newspaper that allowed itself to be destroyed by money hungry investment scions now feels the need to lecture the citzenry about how they should efficiently run their government?