On Recalls and Referendums

[kentonio]

Yes, and it's called a court decision. They lost that one too.

So something cannot be hugely unpopular but also legal? You're the one who want's to step away from simply the Wisconsin thing so try it, thing about the possibilities. What if a party gains power but then passes laws which 99% of the population hate? Should they have to wait 4 years to reverse those?

[The Mad Monk]

Yes. Period. The courts are a legitimate place to go if you think the executive is overstepping it's bounds. Other than that there are the periodic elections.

[kentonio]

Yes. Period. The courts are a legitimate place to go if you think the executive is overstepping it's bounds. Other than that there are the periodic elections.

So if you elect a party who then pass legal but completely unpopular bills that are contrary to their campaign promises, people should have no recourse for potentially 4 years?

[The Mad Monk]

How many ways do you want me to say it?

[kentonio]

I just wanted to make sure I was understanding you.

[The Mad Monk]

You have to remember, I'm a conservative who spent most his life in New Jersey. I'm used to it.

[The Mad Monk]

You might want to try that argument out on Mojo, see what happens.

[DaShi]

Well, now that that's over, I really am interested in whether people think recalls and referendums are worth it.

Since when?

[Ben Kenobi]

So if you elect a party who then pass legal but completely unpopular bills that are contrary to their campaign promises, people should have no recourse for potentially 4 years?

Yes! That's what elections are for.

[DaShi]

To be fair, aren't there state congressional offices to vote for? It's not like Walker was voted King.

[Wezil]

Am I allowed to fence sit on this issue?

[Al B. Sure!]

Realistically, elected officials should be entitled to some time to do what they got to do. Democracy is a slow process and if we started expecting results after 6 months or a year in office and recalling officials as a result, we'd be in trouble. Likewise, officials changing their stances constantly because of temporary swings in public perception would only make ineffective government.

Our elected officials are already re-election-focused from day 1 of their terms, which comes with a lot of benefits to constituents but also negatives with regards to long-term politics. Common recalls would intensify that focus on the short-term vote-getting.

[giblets]

I don't see anything inherently wrong with having gubernatorial elections every two years instead of every four years. Of course, there is the possibility that voters would get tired of having so many elections but if the requirements for holding a recall are strict enough that should protect against the possibility of constant elections that voters are sick of. If you are offended by the proposition that people in positions of power should have to keep the public satisfied throughout their term and not just once every four years, you hate democracy.

[Hauldren Collider]

Realistically, elected officials should be entitled to some time to do what they got to do. Democracy is a slow process and if we started expecting results after 6 months or a year in office and recalling officials as a result, we'd be in trouble. Likewise, officials changing their stances constantly because of temporary swings in public perception would only make ineffective government.

Our elected officials are already re-election-focused from day 1 of their terms, which comes with a lot of benefits to constituents but also negatives with regards to long-term politics. Common recalls would intensify that focus on the short-term vote-getting.

Virginia's solution to this problem is to forbid governors from seeking immediate re-election. I'm not sure if this is actually good or not. If I had to give an opinion, I think that we should probably go with 5 or 6 year governor terms and require a gap between seeking re-election.

[Al B. Sure!]

There's pros and cons. We want public officials to be held accountable and not just do whatever the hell they want once they get elected; facing re-election forces them to not reneg on campaign promises, etc. But this leads to a short-term focus, a lot of empty populism and pork, etc.

Actually, I think the cons ultimately are problems with a democratic system in general.