Internet Puts the 'e' in Recall
"We live in a remarkable moment when technology is turning the impossible into the commonplace. Just as computers and the Internet have transformed the way we shop, communicate and work, it is a matter of time before these innovations transform the way we govern ourselves
Who was that techno-enthusiast? California Gov. Gray Davis, writing in a newspaper article he co-authored with New York Gov. George Pataki in 2000. The governors were hopeful that citizens could be empowered to vote electronically one day.
But when the power of a technology is unleashed, its effects are unpredictable. Davis is finding that out as the technology he championed -- and defended against taxation and other burdens -- is being harnessed in an effort to remove him from office.
What would have only recently seemed "the impossible" to Davis -- that he would be the first governor in the United States in three generations recalled from office -- has very quickly become a distinct possibility. How did this happen?
There are those who think Davis is being hoist with his own petard. The Democratic governor poured millions of dollars into the last Republican primary to defeat then-Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who Davis believed was his strongest potential opponent.
Peter Schrag, author of "Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future," recently wrote that in doing so, Davis contributed to "the anything-goes atmosphere" in California political life these days, an atmosphere that now threatens to overwhelm the unpopular governor.
But there's more to it than that. California has long been known for its affection for direct democratic politics, especially the initiative process. There have been 31 attempts to recall California governors, but so far none has gotten the requisite number of valid signatures to make it to the ballot -- 12% of the number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election. But combine direct democracy with technology and the process gets a goose.
For instance, there is a proliferation of Web sites, such as www.RescueCalifornia.com, that makes the once-arduous process of signature gathering a lot easier.
At www.RecallGrayDavis.com, the Web site for the recall organization started by former California Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian, it's possible to download and fill out the petition form in a matter of seconds. You have to mail it in, but it still means that if you're listening to the radio at work and another story about the California budget crisis airs, you no longer need to vent your civic frustration at the water cooler. Instead, log on and turn your anger into action.
