POLTICAL SCIENCE

Political Science

The State Governments with the Californian and American Perspective

Introduction

In a liberal democracy, when a certain Governor is placed under any sort of scrutiny, it almost always results in the resignation of that person. As the Governor resigns, the accusations fall apart and the files close down. It seems to be just too easy for anyone to get away with anything on that level. It has been proven time and time again that the Californian government and the political scenario are by far the most notorious when it comes to controversies. The recall of governors, elections of controversial personalities, scandals and the other myths surrounding the political scenario. The point that needs to be addressed is of the firing of Governors, which instigate positive public reactions almost always and the resignations due to public pressure. While the Federal government claims that state autonomy will never be compromised, we can safely say that the role of the Federal Government has always been undermined and a number of examples show that increased Federal pressure, aided by public reactions usually results in the ouster of Governors. A number of actors need to synchronize their roles on order for the play to yield a result (Herian, 2004).

Let's discuss the Californian way of governing. The massive discontent of the public against Governor Gray Davis with regard to the stagnant economy and political gridlock was an effort in which the forces behind the movement were in the form of Darrell Issa pumping an amount of $2 Million into the whole movement. As a result, Californians were left with choosing between two Democrats who had a corruption record that was quite sinister. One being Davis and the other, Bustamante and the third being a Republican with a record of sexual accusations, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The initiative of recall and referendums have become a significant part of the Californian psyche, put in place with the efforts of political agents who have the power to form, change and manipulate public opinions (Herian, 2004).

Unless structural changes are forced, the Californian governments will keep falling prey to scandals and controversies with Governors being recalled, fired or resigning at will. In addition, until the system is improved, the citizens will be left with sub-standard options like the ones mentioned above. The public will have to elect the less corrupt or less shady individual. This is the absolute form of the mockery of democracy.

A political actor can minimize the detoriating political situation just by sitting still. This tactic is often used and is quite successful generally, but in the case of California, where the hand behind a political movement is usually a third one, this does not work. As far as the Federal Government is concerned, they constantly place emphasis on State Autonomy and how the Federal Government respects the right of a state for self governance and that Centre will not interfere with the working of the State government, but we all know where the controversies originate ...