Davis himself unsuccessfully asked the judiciary to delay the election until March, hoping that the passage of time would diminish the public’s enthusiasm for his ouster.
And then there’s the effort to ridicule the process by focusing on some of the more absurd candidates. They include a smut peddler who cares, Larry Flynt. Now, if you think about it, is Flynt really that much different from Bill Clinton?
California has become a liberal laboratory of failed economic and social experiments. Davis and his overwhelmingly Democrat Legislature have turned this once-proud state into a banana republic, and the people have said enough is enough.
Republicans may have been among the most active supporters of the recall movement, but it would be a mistake to ignore its broad appeal. There have been more than 30 attempts to recall California governors, including Ronald Reagan. This is the first such effort to make it to the ballot. The reason: Opposition to Davis is so widespread.
Californians are also voting with their feet. They are leaving the state in bigger numbers than citizens of other states are arriving. California’s population growth is caused by the influx of immigrants — many of them illegal. Davis’ answer is to increase taxes and cut basic services to the citizens, while increasing benefits for illegal immigrants — including driver’s licenses, in-state college tuition benefits, etc.
Moreover, between 1998 and 2001, state spending increased more than 35 percent. California’s $38 billion shortfall was larger than the budgets of most states. California’s bond rating has been slashed, increasing the cost of its enormous debt. And during this time, Davis added more than 25,000 state employees to the public payroll.
The California recall effort is a legitimate, albeit extraordinary, public reaction to a complete deterioration in political leadership. It’s difficult to see how Governor (Fill in the Blank) could do much worse.