Andy Dillon

Recall and Re-elect Him -- With the Very Same Ballot!

Joe Mathews — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:08:00 -0400

After recounting signatures in response to a federal court ruling, state election officials have ordered that the bid to recall Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon be restored to this November's ballot. Dillon is up for re-election on the same ballot. So he could be removed from office and re-elected to a new term on the very same ballot. What would happen in such an unlikely outcome? Dillon would be removed from office for the last two months of his current term. He would rejoin the legislature in January 2009 to begin his new term.

What a Blocking Campaign Looks Like

Joe Mathews — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:58:00 -0400

Take out the over-the-top claims about "free speech blockers" and this video posted by supporters of the recall effort against Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon gives you a look at what a blocking campaign looks like. And it's not nearly as big a deal as press reports and advocates on both sides of a measure make it out to be (blockers really don't block much, but they're rarely the "thugs" they're described as by those being blocked). Blocking campaigns are mostly a waste of everybody's time and money.

The video shows some political looking folks showing up and surrounding a circulator. At one point, one of the blockers claims the recall petition is really about gay marriage. Self-styled reformers would like to make it crime to make such false claims, but this is political speech.

Recalls and Boomerangs

Joe Mathews — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:03:00 -0400

Now comes news that an effort to recall the Democratic speaker of the state House in Michigan has gained new momentum. Conservatives there are upset about Speaker Andy Dillon's support for tax increases. It's already a nasty business. As the Detroit News reports, recall supporters are criticizing Democrats for hiring a convicted felon to lead a "blocking campaign" to dissuade voters from signing the recall petition. Dillon's supporters went to court and got an order telling recall backers to stop using out-of-state petition circulators. But Dillon is taking it seriously, sending out mail to every voter in the district.

Recalls are a dangerous game, and not just for the officials who face the recall. Most recalls fail, and in many cases, there's a boomerang effect, with the targeted politician emerging stronger and more popular from the near-death experience. Since recall campaigns tend to be bitter and personal (and backed by some weird folks), sympathy rises for the targeted politician. Just ask Dianne Feinstein, the California senator. As mayor of San Francisco, she was targeted for recall by a group that called itself -- this is not a joke -- the White Panthers who objected to her support for gun control. Since Feinstein became mayor because of the assassination of her predecessor, George Moscone, her views on the issue seemed to make a lot of sense. She overwhelmingly defeated the recall, and became so popular she eventually won a U.S. Senate seat.