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Gray Davis and the Right Wing Power Grab
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BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
by Margaret Kimberley
On July 23rd the state of California declared that the effort to recall Governor Gray Davis will be placed on the fall ballot. I watched a CNN story about the announcement. An official from the California Labor Federation was asked to defend Davis. He proceeded to hem and haw and say that it "wasn't about Gray Davis." Here we go again. The right wing play hardball and never pass up an opportunity to promote their agenda while liberals waffle.
The right wing in America have a well financed, organized, concrete plan to get in power and stay in power. They believe in their divine right to rule while Democrats believe that you win some and you lose some. Liberals are ill prepared to take the necessary steps to stop the onslaught of ever more brazen attacks on our system that are meant to insure continued right wing domination.
The story of Gray Davis is Exhibit A. Governor Davis may soon be recalled by the voters of his state, with a powerful assist from a millionaire Republican member of congress, Darrell Issa. Issa was once accused of auto theft and in the spirit of truth being stranger than fiction, went on to make a fortune selling car alarm systems. He has financed an effort to collect nearly one million petition signatures to recall Davis. Like many politicians of both parties Davis conducted a vague, feel good campaign in 2002 without discussing a looming $38 billion state budget deficit. Californians are justifiably angry, but we cannot have political "do overs" when voters experience buyers remorse. Unfortunately, California has a system that allows ballot initiatives to do the work of the legislature and it would seem in this case of the voters as well.
Unfortunately, while republicans smell an opportunity for yet another RWPG (Right Wing Power Grab) democrats are fussing about Davis' personality, and never miss an opportunity to talk about how much they dislike him. At times such as these I wonder what has to happen before we wake up to the ugly truth that republicans believe in winning at all costs and will never miss an opportunity to twist the system to work in their favor. I still hear democrats expressing various criticisms of Al Gore's 2000 campaign without mentioning that eligible democratic voters were removed from the rolls in Florida under the guise of keeping felons from voting. If we don't understand how republicans stole a presidential campaign what are the odds that we will defend the governor of the most populous state in the nation?
New York State does not have a ballot initiative system. If so, the republican governor of that state, George Pataki, would be in the same position as Gray Davis. Pataki was also reelected in November 2002. Like Davis, he enjoyed the advantages of incumbency and neglected to mention a budget deficit which in his case was a mere $12 billion.
The budget deficit was not the only topic deemed too inconvenient for republicans to discuss. During the campaign Pataki did not speak of raising transit fares, or weakening rent regulations that protect the working and middle class. After victory was declared and the legislature went back to work suddenly all of these nasty little issues were on the table and the feel good governor began raising transit fares, state university tuition and bad feelings.
Where is the democratic echo chamber on this issue? We democrats need an Ann Coulter, hopefully not a liar, but someone who will defend the democratic party no matter what. It is true that we don't have the republican advantage of talk radio but we have allegedly liberal columnists and commentators. Where are they? Why didn't that California labor official bring himself to say that the Governor was elected by the voters less than one year ago, that the republican agenda is out of step with the California voter? Has amnesia clouded memories of the California energy crisis that was manipulated by Enron and other companies? The supposedly liberal media won't call the republican power grab just that.
Doesn't any democrat realize that California was the only "blue" state that increased its number of electoral votes? Apparently the republicans are paying attention. What would a republican victory mean for redistricting? Do we want republicans to control the country's most populous state?
I fear for a nation in which one side is committed to victory and the other withers in self doubt at the first sign of a fight. The right wing power grab is well underway and unless democrats rise to the challenge it will be successful.
A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
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