It would be a mistake to pursue a recall amendment to Illinois constitution…

The editorial page of the Chicago Tribune issued a request for feedback from readers as to whether or not they would support an amendment to the Illinois State Constitution that would give the voters of Illinois recall power over the Governor, and presumably all statewide elected officials.  Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn came out publicly in full support of just such an amendment, which was proposed by Representative Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) and Senator Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst) Thursday in Springfield, and the response to the Tribune open forum was overwhelmingly supportive of the idea.

Predictably, Blagojevich shrugged off the bold statement by his independent deputy and the Tribune editorial staff Friday, though local pundits and bloggers have seized upon the prospect of shortening the Blagojevich reign in Springfield and brought the debate over the merits of a recall measure to the forefront of local political discourse, as people have become absolutely fed up with his $6,000 per/day, taxpayer financed commute to Springfield from his Chicago home, among other glaring deficiencies as a Chief Executive.  Blagojevich is not the only Democratic politician that has the state lusting for his head on a stick.  Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has discovered previously unheard of means of dispensing patronage to loyal political allies, failed to cut a penny from the massive county budget and introduced several new sales and property taxes to pay for his disastrously managed agenda.  Even the usually popular Speaker of the House Michael Madigan has been vilified for his lack of influence over the impending CTA funding crisis.

Personally, I share the opinion of State Comptroller Dan Hynes as he articulated it on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight yesterday, and view the possibility of every major policy decision carrying the burden of a potential recall as a totally unacceptable option. If leaders are overly obsessed with the results of their decisions before they even make that final judgment, what types of positions could be reasonably expected from leading state politicians other than unimaginative and overly cautious policies that will have minimal effect on the state of affairs.

The events of a few years ago in California were the exception to the rule, and should not be considered a viable strategy for quickly removing one government in favor of another in every other state. California is in many ways entirely unique from the other 49 states, and one of the most unique characteristics of the Golden State is its long-standing tradition of utilizing referendum to make statewide policy.  Essentially, a recall is a public referendum on the performance of a sitting politician.  It fits much better into the political culture of California than it does in Illinois, though it is difficult to reject the idea of throwing Blago out of the Governor’s mansion that he has never slept at and only seen from the backseat of his SUV en route to the Capitol complex from the Springfield airport.

It seems as if I am the last Chicago political blogger to weigh in on the question of whether or not we need a recall provision, which makes all of my thoughts totally unoriginal, but it allows me to weigh the insights of Illinois’ sharpest political thinkers as I consider the growing movement against the Blagojevich Administration. The movement to oust Blago has been floating around op-ed pages and gathering momentum for a few months. The oldest opinion piece I have found so far calling for the explicit recall of Blago was in the Daily Illini. My favorite north side political thinker, Backyard Conservative, also falls in the pro-recall column. Popular local blog The Chicagoist points out that though we may all think recalling Blago is the greatest idea since sliced bread, reality is that it would take a Constitutional Convention, as per Article 14, Section 1,

Whenever three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly so direct, the question of whether a Constitutional Convention should be called shall be submitted to the electors at the general election next occurring at least six months after such legislative direction.

It may well be the case that we are stuck with Bla-joke-avich for the remainder of his second term, but the widespread expression of disgust for the government in Springfield, not to mention the Cook County Board and City Hall, shows that the stranglehold on Illinois political institutions maintained by Democrats for years in some places and generations in others, is on the verge of total collapse. The opportunities for the IL GOP to resurrect the party by seizing upon general disenchantment with the Democrat’s unabashed power trip and unproductive legislative agenda are clear and if Republicans fail to build momentum behind this anti-establishment movement the hope for the future is not bright.