Recall circus

Recall circus

By 0, 8/9/2003

CALIFORNIANS like to tout their state's size. If they were a nation, they sometimes boast, they would have the world's sixth largest economy. But the state's politics are another story. The current gubernatorial recall campaign has descended quickly into a third-rate comedy that most Third World countries couldn't match. For Californians, the final act may be more tragic than comic -- though surely bizarre.

The immediate problem is the recall law itself, and with the California Supreme Court declining to intervene late Thursday there seems no way to fix it prior to the scheduled Oct. 7 vote.

The court denied the request by Governor Gray Davis, a Democrat, to delay the recall and hold it with the state's presidential primary next March. This would have created a boon for Davis, since that primary is expected to draw a heavy Democratic vote in an active contest, while President Bush is expected to have no substantial opposition for the Republican nomination.

But leaving the recall on Oct. 7 is not fair, either. For one thing, the ballot is expected to include an anti-affirmative action initiative petition likely to attract many conservative voters. More important, it will ask voters to choose Gray's successor if the recall wins, but the law bars Gray from adding his own name to the list.

So if, say, 10 million Californians vote, and Davis is recalled by a substantial 60-40 margin, the state would likely see a political paradox: the ascension of a governor who may have won only 2 million or 3 million votes in a crowded field, while 4 million had voted for Davis to stay.

Davis asked the state high court at least to add his name to the list of possible successors, but that was rejected, too. This denial of ballot access seems a violation of fundamental democracy, and it should be challenged in the federal courts. Anyone voted out of office can seek a comeback. On the other hand, if Davis could run, another anomaly would be possible: Davis retaining office with 2 million or 3 million votes, while 6 million wanted him out.

The recall is, simply stated, direct democracy run amok. If the state insists on keeping a recall procedure, it should provide that any recall vote be followed by an entirely new election, with party primaries and a final election. Political parties have a poor reputation these days, and they have earned it, but the California recall stampede is making party-structured elections look good.

With the glut of candidates growing daily in anticipation of today's filing deadline, the advantage goes to the celebrities and big spenders who can buy attention. The recall is the opposite of real democracy.

One early symbol of the fiasco was Arnold Schwarzenegger announcing his candidacy on a TV comedy show. There will be more.