RECALL II

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RECALL II

James Joyner | Monday, July 28, 2003

William Safire has a rather odd plan for keeping Davis in office. It’s loosely modeled on a French general, so how good could it be?

Davis has to keep any Democrats from running, enlisting the support of unions and other groups. But why would they do that? If they feel Davis is toast, why not hedge their bets with a competent alterative?

Run on a theme of political order and point out that the recall is expensive. But, since they’re having a recall, all of this is rather moot, no? If the state is spending $35 mil on the recall, you may as well actually recall someone.

Hope the White House sabotages the Republican contenders to keep a weak Gray Davis in power as a foil for 2004. Rather unlikely. The time to have done that was during the petitioning process, strongarming Rep. Issa to back off. Now, they may as well get a popular Republican–Riordan or Ahnold–in office. If the state turns around at all, the GOP will once again have a shot to carry California. On the other hand, if Davis stays in power, he would gain a huge boost from beating the recall.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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