Garry South Stands Up to the Chronicle on Denham recall process

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

While my opinion of Garry South's past body of work is well-documented, I give credit where credit is due.  Yesterday, the Chronicle ran an editorial that was, quite simply, an extended half-truth.  The Chronicle's Ed Board blasted Sen. Perata and Democrats who have led the recall against Jeff Denham as an "abuse of the recall process." They complain that Denham's only crime was to vote in a Republican bloc against the budget and to represent a 46-36 Dem advantage district. Boo-hoo for Denham:

So why was Denham targeted, instead of the other Republicans who also held out against the budget, with the notable exception of Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, who delivered the decisive yes vote after nearly two months? In a nutshell: Because he was a tempting target. Denham is a moderate Republican in a district where Democrats account for about 46 percent of registered voters, compared with 36 percent Republicans. Most of the other Republican senators reside in partisan-bulletproof districts.(SF Chron 4/13/08)

First, let's end this myth of Denham being a moderate. It is just not true. He votes with this Republican colleagues almost every time. Why recall the Republican in the Dem-friendly district? Well, it's called not representing your district. By not voting for the budget, Denham delayed funding that was important for his own constituents. By voting against foreclosure relief, Denham hurt his own constituents. That's why over 60,000 voters signed a recall of Jeff Denham, and that's why he will be recalled in June.

But, noticeably absent from this editorial was a mention of Republican abuses of the recall process. Apparently the Chronicle would have Dems roll over on the recall process. Look, I'm not convinced that the recall process is a good thing for the state, but Democrats can't be little angels in a field of mud. If the Republicans are going to use it against us, we must not be afraid to do the same against them.

And here's where South comes in, in the comments to the story, my pal Garry proceeds to give the Chronicle a little history lesson:

I don't disagree with your basic contention that the Denham recall does not exactly represent what the proponents of this process envisioned when it was installed in the state constitution. However, I find it incredible that you could write this entire editorial without chronicling the recent Republican abuses of the recall. In 1994, they tried to recall Sen. David Roberti because he had co-sponsored the assault-weapons ban. In 1995, they tried to precall Assemblyman Mike Machado because he had committed the sin of voting as part of the Democratic caucus to re-elect Willie Brown speaker. Also, in 1995, they recalled two of their own members of the Assembly because they dared vote with Democrats in an evenly divided Assembly to a) re-elect Brown speaker or b) elect themselves speaker. Then of course, there was the recall of Gray Davis in 2003, funded by a rich GOP congressman who wanted Davis gone so he could get the job himself.

Good for you, Garry.