Progress Illinois

I think it would be unwise to rush to implement a recall at this time. It will having a chilling effect on government action and any progressive idea coming out of IL government will be DOA on the fear that a highly financed corporate or hate group will be able to come up with a recall campaign. Take a look at Federalist 65 wherein Hamilton discusses concerns with federal impeachment. Here, he is talking about whether a special court should be created:

A well-constituted court for the trial of impeachments is an object not more to be desired than difficult to be obtained in a government wholly elective. The subjects of its jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust. They are of a nature which may with peculiar propriety be denominated POLITICAL, as they relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to the society itself. The prosecution of them, for this reason, will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole community, and to divide it into parties more or less friendly or inimical to the accused. In many cases it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence, and interest on one side or on the other; and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.

The US federal system upon which the state's rules are based, modeled after the British system because, as Hamilton describes, because they were looking for a system as dignified and independent as possible.They wanted a body with "confidence in its situation" and I don't think this should be subject to who can or cannot come up with an advertising campaign. A recall will put every administration in a battle over any issue that offens anyone who can come up with the money to campaign for recall. It will be nuts and we, as California, will regret it.

For the same reasons, campaign finance reform should be a top priority for Gov. Quinn and the IL legislature.

Oh, please no Recall! It's a completely destabilizing factor in our democratic system. People prefer it because they always think it's the guy they don't like who'll get recalled.

It fact, it's ideally suited to well-funded and well-connected interest groups that take advantage of a public official's momentary dip in the polls. Organizations with media arms -- say, the Chicago Tribune -- love it.

With budget deficits of $38 and $40 respectively, Gray Davis got recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't (more here). That's all you need to know about recall.