We all know what's going on with the California Recall. It's about the Republicans being sore losers and using a provision that was meant to be implemented only in cases of criminal conduct to overturn a legal election and unseat the Democratic governor of the largest state in the US. It's an opportunity to get Arnold Schwarzenegger, a rising star in the GOP, into power so that he may someday run for president. It's a move designed to bring more Americans into the GOP - "as Vin Weber, a former member of Congress and occasional adviser to the Bush administration, puts it, 'many people will think, 'If the Republican Party is good enough for Arnold Schwarzenegger, it is good enough for me.'" And it's a dress rehearsal for the 2004 presidential election. If Bush can win California with Arnold's help, who cares about Florida?
But Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, exposes a more sinister motivation for the recall campaign: to get Ken Lay and Enron off the hook for swindling billions from California taxpayers by putting one of their buddies in the governor's mansion. Schwarzenegger met with Ken Lay back on May 17, 2001 to formulate their plan.
Once Arnold is Governor, he blesses the sweetheart settlements [2 cents on the dollar] with the power companies. When that happens, Bustamante's court cases are probably lost. There aren't many judges who will let a case go to trial to protect a state if that a governor has already allowed the matter to be "settled" by a regulatory agency.
So think about this. The state of California is in the hole by $8 billion for the coming year. That's chump change next to the $8 TRILLION in deficits and surplus losses planned and incurred by George Bush. Nevertheless, the $8 billion deficit is the hanging rope California's right wing is using to lynch Governor Davis.
You can get involved with the campaign against the recall, even if you don't live in California, by phone banking against the recall http://moveon.org/pac/pb/. You'll receive downloadable phone numbers to call from your personal location. With less than 20 hours before the polls open, there is still a lot that can be done to make sure that democracy is defended in California.