Kindergarten Cop and Wisconsin Politics

Wisconsin's Recall Madness Begins: By advancing the idea that elections can be undone if people only protest hard enough ends up degrading our democracy. It makes the job of governing—which is hard enough—take a back seat to a cycle of constant threats that makes reasoning together all but impossible.


I'll be the first to admit that the notion of recalling despicable politicians excites me to no end.  I was fresh out of high school in 2003 when California, from whence I hail, was abuzz with the Terminator running for the role of governator in a recall election.  I didn't know a thing about state politics and I have to admit that the prospect of feeling like I was watching Kindergarten Cop (OMG favorite line in a movie ever) (seriously, there are so many amazing clips from this movie. I urge you to watch every single one if you want to be blessed) every time I turned on the news was very very exciting.  Needless to say, he won, and now California is in terrible shape.  Perhaps he could go back in time and fight his own mother before he was born (just kidding, it was all totally worth it).  


Getting back to reality, I have to say agree with the point John Avlon makes in the article I posted above regarding the recall elections going on in Wisconsin.  As someone who thinks a one, six-year term for president is a good idea, the notion of having candidates operate with a perpetual gun to their heads is a scary scary thought.  And really, Avlon's most salient observation is that such recall elections are not really matters of state's rights and local politics anymore.  The gun is being held by those with money from all around the country.  As he says: Tip O’Neil’s time-honored admonition that “all politics is local” has been turned on its head. Out-of-state activist groups now flood local elections with cash in an attempt to frame a national narrative. Welcome to the post-Citizens United world.


Unless all this somehow ends up with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan being elected together, I don't think I am down. 


-Tim