NATIONALS COME OUT AGAINST RECALL

Washington Post:

THERE IS A THESAURUS'S worth of adjectives to describe the California recall election, but one in particular sums it up: appalling. The recall is a terrible idea; it is destabilizing to democracy to try to dump a governor who was elected less than a year ago. And the conduct of the campaign has only underscored the folly of the enterprise, with millions in special-interest money -- more than $11 million from Indian tribes alone -- sloshing into the system, a political circus substituting for serious policy discussion and a federal court unwisely intruding into an already chaotic situation.

(...)

Californians' dislike of Mr. Davis is understandable. So is their anger about the state's fiscal crisis. But surely a colorless technocrat is preferable to a political neophyte who so far has demonstrated more swagger than substance. Whatever happens Tuesday, Californians of all political persuasions would be wise to turn their attention to excising the recall provision from the state constitution. The last thing the state needs is "Recall: The Sequel."

New York Times:

In California's rule-by-referendum, the governor and state legislators have long been of limited influence. The recall campaign that is — finally — coming to a conclusion has further demeaned the governor's office into something resembling a civic ducking stool. Time and hope remain for voters to defy recent polls and reject the recall of Gov. Gray Davis as a sorry indulgence.

(...)

This weekend, Mr. Schwarzenegger is broadcasting a commercial featuring Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor. In what seems like crass trafficking in the 9/11 tragedy, Mr. Giuliani intones, "Sometimes history thrusts upon people roles they never thought they would have." It seems a bit strange that the campaign chose to have Mr. Giuliani remind the voters that Mr. Schwarzenegger is running his candidacy more like an actor publicizing a new movie than a man seriously offering himself as a potential chief executive of the nation's most populous state.

But California has managed to paint itself into a corner, one initiative at a time, until the governor has little power to fix any of its problems. The idea of choosing an action figure may have seemed like fun at one point. Now the entire recall process is coming to look like a very bad script.

Well, the Rudy ads worked so well for Bill Simon! Ha!