E.J. Dionne: The Stakes in the Walker Recall
from truthdig:
The Stakes in the Walker Recall
Posted on May 30, 2012
By E.J. Dionne, Jr.
Recalls and impeachments are a remedy of last resort. Most of the time, voters who dont like an incumbent choose to live with the offending politician until the next election, on the sensible theory that fixed terms of office and regular elections are adequate checks on abuses of power and extreme policies.
The question facing Wisconsins citizens is whether Gov. Scott Walker engaged in such extraordinary behavior that setting aside his election is both justified and necessary.
Voters dont have to get to this large question. Walkers opponents forced next Tuesdays recall vote by using the states laws in an entirely legitimate way. They gathered far more petition signatures than they needed, signaling that discontent in the state was widespread.
The result has been a fairly conventional campaign in which Republican Walker once again confronts his 2010 Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. At this point, preferring Barrett, an affable moderate liberal, to the conservative firebrand Walker is reason enough to vote the incumbent out, but the broader case for recall is important. .................(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_stakes_in_the_walker_recall_20120531/?ln