The Case For A National Recall Election, Why wait Three Years?

In December, I posted a thread suggesting that we do the same as the Canadians successfully did, calling for a Special Recall Election based on a Vote of No Confidence, by the Canadian people.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2331300&mesg_id=2331300

In that thread I posted an article entitled:
THE CASE FOR A NATIONAL RECALL ELECTION,
Why wait three years for our next president? By Ted Rall
(excerpts below)

original yahoo news link is now dead
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucru/20051202/cm_ucru/thecasefo...

but is accessible here:
http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A156366


Particularly because it is patently clear that impeachment is no longer a viable option in ending this madness, death and destruction imposed on our people in this nation and the world over, by this administration and his Brown Shirt boot-licker's in the Pentagon (the Cabinet and in Congress) we have to think outside the box and take matters into our hands, just as Jefferson suggested.

With the exception of too few, most of the Dems are sheepish at best on anything and everything of any significance, as evidenced by a plethora of non actions over the past several years, and currently by their refusal to get behind Feingold on his simple call for Censure. Hell, not even Kerry is on record at this point. Only two Democrats, Boxer and Harkin are on the record (as of this writing) in supporting this resolution so far and it's been too many days now.. we've seen this movie too many times before.

If you don't believe Impeaching President Bush is never going to happen, frankly you haven't been paying attention.

I'm positing that there is no other rational or reasonable recourse to stop the fascism now, except to call for a Special Election regardless if the Constitution does not specify it, particularly since we are not even operating under the Constitution anymore. If the President of the United States, and Congress can so blithely disregard the Constitution, we no longer are governed by it as a people or a nation, until it is once again restored by a government that demonstrates it.

Domestic Spying is one among a plethora of other matters which is in evidence of a country no longer governed by their own Constitution, so the people must take to the streets metaphorically speaking and generate a movement calling for special Recall election for a new president in November 2006.

Not 2008.

This thread is about planting the seeds for this idea for empowerment, and I hope that it will be allowed to germinate, take root and flourish.



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http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A156366

THE CASE FOR A NATIONAL RECALL ELECTION,
Why wait three years for our next president? By Ted Rall

(snip)

"When a president falls below 40 percent approval in public opinion polls--as President Bush has done twice in the past two months--it's usually a sign of serious political danger," writes Richard Benedetto in USA Today. "Since 1950, five of the eight other presidents who fell below 40 percent--Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush--lost their bids for reelection or opted not to run again. A sixth, Richard Nixon, was overwhelmed by the Watergate scandal and resigned. Only two, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, turned things around." But even Clinton never regained his former appeal. His hand-picked successor, vice president Al Gore, won the 2000 election by such a narrow margin that Republicans were able to steal it away."

(snip)

"The "political capital" Bush claimed after the 2004 election has vanished over the last year. Dead Americans piled up in Iraq and New Orleans, his closest political allies were indicted for corruption and treason, gas prices soared and his party's right-wing Christians stabbed him in the back over the Harriet Miers' nomination. All of Bush's best-laid plans--to privatize Social Security, pass another round of tax cuts for the wealthy and possibly expand his wars to Syria and Iran--lie in ruins. And it's only going to get worse now that his moderate and centrist Republican allies in Congress are beginning to peel away: some to appeal to swing voters in next year's midterm elections, others to align themselves with John McCain's incipient 2008 presidential campaign and some simply because Bush's poll numbers make him radioactive."

(snip)

cont..
http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A156366
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Throw Bush Out Now! Call for a National Recall Election in 2006!
Fri Dec-23-05 04:35 PM
Original message by radio4progressives

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2331300&mesg_id=2331300

In another discussion thread posted last night, someone raised the notion of holding a Recall Election for the White House, and the more I think about this idea, the more it makes sense to me.

Not a week goes by when King George hasn't been caught doing something so outrageous as to call for his impeachment, and the chorus is growing louder and stronger. The list of crimes will not be enumerated here, it's all been thoroughly delineated and hashed out.

Essentially, I think it's safe to say we have tried and prosecuted George W. Bush & Co., and we the jury have deliberated and do find all these evil bastards, Guilty as Charged.

We all thirst for Impeachment, but these proceedings are not likely to occur in this Congress (if at all) until 2007 and by then people will be gearing up for 2008 presidential election. So, it no longer makes sense to place hope that an impeachment proceeding will result in his immediate removal - it just won't.

But i do think that "We the People" might try something totally different.

Think out of the box.

Take the matter out of the hands of Congress, and into the hands of "We the People, by demanding Special Recall Elections! Just in the same way we did here in California, which i opposed at the time..

(but i got to vote my opposition!)

I just can't imagine another Three Years with these dangerous thugs and tyrants in the white house.

The world simply cannot wait much longer.

So, what I'm asking for folks to do, is to think about this. To chew on it for a while (but not too long) and then imagine a world without the Bush Crime Family at the helm, sooner rather than later.

People said it couldn't be done in California (it had been done over a century ago, but not in modern times) and people scoffed at the very idea, and they said "no way" and enumerated all the reasons why it just couldn't or shouldn't be done. Many people (like me) were opposed to the notion of holding a Special Recall Election.

But it did occur. The People had their say, and despite the fact that the power of the State Government was in the full control of Gray Davis and the Democratic party, the Recall Elections occurred, and the Governor was voted out of office.. We got stuck with aahhnuld (but he'll be out of here in the next election).

So don't think about how impossible this would be. Instead, think of the benefit of holding recall elections during mid terms elections, 2006 instead of 2008.

It will lessen the pressure of our people in Congress, due to all these other matters at hand and their own runs for re-election they'll be too occupied with. I'm not arguing against investigation and impeachment hearings, i think those could go forward as they should. But in the meantime, we the people, can do our thing, there's nothing in the law that I'm aware of that says it can't be done.

The other reason why I think we can do this is because I think the nation is finally against Bush, i think the polls a month ago were roughly accurate. And with this domestic Spying issue at hand now, i think it's a really good time to do something sort of revolutionary for this country, i think we should do it.

Let's take this country, our nation, on the road to democracy!

What do you think?

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which does not provide for any kind of "national recall" election.

You mean the one that the President is using for toilet paper to wipe his ass with?

i mention that issue in my op - please re-read.. thanks.

by having an unconstitutional election. That'll show the fascists.

It doesn't matter if that ruler is in the White House or our minds - if we are guided by fear then we cannot seek effective solutions.

There is currently no constitutional or electoral recourse. Both of those methods have been lost. Everybody know that those systems are currently broke, yet they still seek a solution through them. :shrug:

Sorry!

thanks..

Just because the adolescents in the White House do not respect the document, doesn't mean we should not either. Sorry ! :hi:

and Jefferson deals with this..

you like facism? you like stolen elections? that's your perogative, but it isn't mine.

People suggest the non-feasibility of your "plan" based on Constitutional law and the political reality on the ground and you accuse them of being supportive of the admin.

Didn't the not so gentle exposure of your complete ignorance of the Constitution the first time you posted this idea in a thread teach you anything?

and have in recent months and years referred to it often. I consider it the most important covenent we've ever had and cherish it deeply.

Unfortunately, it is no longer governing our country and hasn't in quite sometime - perhaps you haven't noticed that not so insignficant fact?

Let me be clear, lest my words be misconstrued again. The United States Constitution in it's entirety, has been and is being disregarded by this administration as it has in past administrations.

Cherry picking one item and disregarding others, especially with regard to the Bill of Rights which is essentially the only party of the document that gives citizens protections from tryannical rule has been desimated.

Once that bridge has been burnt, there is only one civilized way which remedy can be sought and implemented, which is through a special recall election.

And though the Constitution of course clearly states how elections are to be conducted, and the length of terms are set forth, there is nothing in the Constitution which PRECLUDES the citizens to organize and mandate a vote of no confidence and demand a recall. If citizens want to organize and demand that a despot be ousted and a special election be called, then citizens could and should do so for the welfare of the country and our democracy. We have a tyrant in the adminstration hell bent in endless wars and even nuclear warfare. You may not think that's nothing to concerns ourselves with, but i would beg to differ very strongly.

It is that the systems of recourse outlined in the constitution are completely broken. Neither the WH nor the Congress are representing the American people, and any constitutional ways to fix this are broken. Elections are broken. Congress is broken. NO ONE is representing the American people, yet our gov't is supposed to work for us.

I respect the constitution. I don't respect the very flawed people who are supposed to be enforcing it.

I am at the point where I truly believe it is up to the people to take it back. I don't know what that will entail, but I have no confidence in any of our political structures anymore.

diligence by each and every one of us Dems. We must be there to be sure noone cheats. This vote is too important for the country, the world, the wildlife, the future of the Earth, the Iraqis, the Constitution, and all the etcs.

...And get this: every 2, 4, and 6 years we get to overthrow our government!

We have provisions for term limits too: also called "elections."

Now as every DUer knows, the US has been having some problems with Electile Dysfunction, and that is a serious matter. However, we have at our disposal a pile of Blue State Pills, and we CAN overcome this problem.

Dammit, stop helping the fascists to tear up my Constitution.

Hekate

first of all, the fascists tore up our constitution on their own voilition and without my assistance or permission.

did you miss that?

also, do you actually think we engage in "overthrowing" the government every four years? do ya really think that?

Well, the only way I think we can really change what we need to change is a general strike - MASS protests all over the country for days and days in a row.

And I think at that point we will have a recall election, and I would even posit that we will count our own damn votes this time so we'll know they add up right.

The only hard part is finding the right candidates to put on the ballot.

:)

:patriot: