Recalls, Leaking and GM Stock

The Wisconsin Governor won the recall election, and did so by pretty much the same margin over the same opponent as the original election. I have to say that I find that outcome rather satisfying, since I generally consider recalls an abuse of process. The losing side is almost never going to like what the winning side does, and they are supposed to accept that until the next election.

Losers of the recall are, of course, saying that the higher spending by their opponent was the cause of their loss (it’s all the fault of the Koch brothers), but with the margin of the vote being so close to the original election, that seems unlikely to me. It seems to me that the people who voted him into office in the first place wanted him kept in office, and that really should not come as any big surprise.

It’s called democracy, majority rule, but more and more this country is claiming that it’s only democracy if my side wins. If I don’t win I’m going to screw up the side that does, or try to get a do over. Republicans are doing that with their refusal to negotiate in the legislature, and Democrats are doing it proactively with their prognostications of doom should Republicans win. It’s childish, selfish and stupid.

John McCain is claiming that Obama’s administration is leaking classified information to “enhance President Obama’s image as a tough guy for the elections.” He’s referring, of course, to the articles about the drone programs and the “Kill List” stories. I basically think of John McCain as a senile old fool, but I think he’s actually right on this issue.

Mitt Romney is accusing Obama of “sitting on the government's 26 percent stake in General Motors in order to avoid an embarrassing financial loss before Election Day.” That one is, I think, nonsense. It’s true that the stock is worth less than what the government paid for it in the GM reorganization, and it’s true that the government is “sitting on it” in that they are not selling it. But there was no commitment to sell it at any particular time, and holding on to stock which you believe will rise in value is a perfectly reasonable thing to do; sound fiscal policy.

I would, in fact, be a little pissed at Obama if he did sell that GM stock now.