California recalls Democracy.

[RedCeltic]

By now I’m sure most of you have heard about the three ring circus going on over there in California. Governor Gray Davis is accused of poor management of the state, and citizens want to recall his election, even though he has recently been reelected. I’m not exactly sure of what grounds this recalled election is based on, however I’m quite sure that the recent problems facing California were quite out of his hands.

To make matters worse, Actor/ muscle man Arnold Swartznegger has managed to obtain what appears to me as more press coverage than any single challenging candidate for a governor’s office, ever. For the past week, around the country him throwing his hat into the ring was ‘major news’ on every network!

Let me tell you, if Californians vote out Grey Davis… who was fairly elected only recently (if you can call American elections fair) by these same people… and instead put this actor with zero experience in politics… only because they like his movies, than they have completely lost their minds!

The only way Arnold can hope to win this election is to keep his mouth shut about politics, and just bring up the inane lines from his movies like “hasta la vista” and “I’ll be back” because quite frankly, when it comes to the issues, he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Just the other day I saw him saying how California had the worst education in the United States, and there should be more money spent in education. However the fact is that California has one of the best education systems in the US, and spends aprox 30% of it’s budget on education.

People also seem to think that because young Latino men like Arnold’s movies, that he will easily obtain the much needed Hispanic vote. However, this is a mistake. Those Hispanics that do vote ( and there are many of them which is why they are a strong voting block) remember that only recently Arnold campaigned against the rights for undocumented immigrants.

If California wants to sink to the status of a third world dictatorship and hold an election until the people vote correctly, perhaps the rest of the United States should recall the election that made California a US State… or perhaps inquire about Mexico’s return policy.

And perhaps the most important question to me... If America is all about dropping bombs on far away sand blasted lands to make the world 'safe for democracy' when is it going to begin practicing it at home?

[elijahcraig]

Rich people throwing other rich people out office so other rich people can take power. Bourgeois democracy at its best.

[RedCeltic]

Originally posted by [email protected] 12 2003, 08:52 PM
Rich people throwing other rich people out office so other rich people can take power. Bourgeois democracy at its best.
lol.. that's the best way to sum it up.. yes.

[Loknar]

Who ever said America was a Democracy? We are a Republic. BTW at least we have elections, I do not remember any Communist government offering elections to it's people (with the exception of the SU)

[elijahcraig]

Since when do the terms "republic" and "democracy" contradict one another? Sure, a republic doesn't have to be democratic, but it can be democratic.

[RedCeltic]

Son, I was talking about the process of electing officials. Not the technical terminology used to define the system of government. “Democratically held elections.” Yes, son, the system of government where we have two parliamentary houses and an executive is called a republic. The process we elect our officials however is called a representative democracy. ( a crash course in political science 101. )

As for communists holding elections. It is interesting that your ‘exception’ to your rule of ‘communist dictatorships’ happens to be the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. CPSU happens to be the first established communist party (in power), the longest running communist party(in power), who at one time exorcised a degree of control of communist countries worldwide. But… yes, lets ignore them, and focus on that bastard of a dictator Fidel Castro. Except that Cuba has elections too. Their political parties include the Communist Party of Cuba, Christian Democratic Party of Cuba, Cuban Social Revolutionary Democratic Party, Cuban Social Democratic Coordinator party.

Now… more to the point of this thread… Elected officials can’t work in a constant state of running for office, that is not what I would call efficient government.

[dancingoutlaw]

Loknar is right. The U.S. is a Republic. A Republic is in my opinion the most stable government. The populace elects someone to represent their needs in front of the wider scope and then lives with it for a set period. What is happening in California is a real Democracy which seeds were sown earlier in the century by "progressives" who thought that instant gratification served the needs of the people better. The qualifications as far as signatures needed to get on a ballot (65 I think) are so low that a little less than 100 candidates are running for office. Included on the ballot... Gary Coleman, Larry Flint, Anglique (who if I spelled it right only fame that of a billboard) If California weren't the 4th largest economy in the world I would think the whole situation more humorous.

[RedCeltic]

Well, I’m not going to argue with you over semantics. Representative democracy ( which is what they call our electoral system in social science classes) surely has it’s problems, however is California is any representation of how ‘true democracy’ works, than it’s a self destructive system. Any political leader, right or left has to make decisions that are unpopular from time to time. If they have to work in constant fear of being recalled for an election, the result would be chaos.

I think that regardless of where one lies in the political spectrum, the situation in California is a joke. I think it’s pretty apparent to the rest of the US, the world, and probably Californians as well, that the election recall is a big embarrassment, and I wouldn’t be suppressed if the law that allows it isn’t taken off the books.

I was unaware that it only required sixty four signatures to get on the ballot for governor in California. This summer I worked on getting signatures for a friend who will be running for City council and she needed sixty two signatures in a few block area of the city. I also worked on the campaign for someone else running also as an independent for county executive, who required 1500 signatures countywide. So to go from that to 64 signatures in an entire state is quite a staggering difference to me.

[truthaddict11]

what makes this election more interesting is that the majority of californians dont favor the recall

[antieverything]

America is not a democracy
You know, I don't usually do things like this but...SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU IGNORANT FUCKERS!!!

de·moc·ra·cy n

1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Still, almost every "democratic" government in history is best described as a polyocracy since power is split between many different groups other than but including the electorate...usually with the capitalist class holding the vast majority. Still, that is a social science definition. In common language, an elected government of any sort is considered a democratic one...think REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY!

[elijahcraig]

Considering that Bush was not elected, that is a shot at "democracy".

US is, technically, a democracy, a democratic republic. But we, as socialists, want democracy for the proletariat, proletarian democracy...not democracy for the few, the rich, bourgeois democracy.

[Invader Zim]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13 2003, 02:52 AM
Rich people throwing other rich people out office so other rich people can take power. Bourgeois democracy at its best.
Ohh what like that porn star who is standing... Sure she's real rich :blink: ...

Is that a working class job? Selling your body for the TV rather than for private hire like any other hooker?

The American dream at its finnest, humble beginings, well perhaps not so humble, to great success. That is if she wins, perhaps one great day all american elections will be between people who sell there bodys for quick cash, instead of old bastards who sell their workers bodys for quick cash.

God bless America run by pimps today, hookers tommorow... I know who I prefer to win, hooker all the way. That or great body builder turned crappy actor, then again I did enjoy the terminator series... shame about the running man etc.

AK47

[RedCeltic]

As if the "recalled election" thing isn't insane enough on it's own... California decided to take a lottery of sorts where they pick which letter will come first.

for example : 1. R
2. Q
3. T
4. M

...............etc.... and... the re-invented alphabet will be different for each election distrect. R will be number one in one distrect, and than the last one in the distrect next door.

I think perhaps there are too many drugs in California. :unsure: