Last week’s historic recall of California Gov. Gray Davis should have served as a wake up call for Democrats; so far, they’re hitting the snooze button.

In his first campaign for governor, Davis campaigned as a “centrist” (which is code for a liberal pretending he’s not a liberal). Five years and a bankrupt state later, Davis is unemployed. What happened between Davis’ election and his subsequent recall was his hard turn to the left once in office.

Once “centrist” Davis reached Sacramento, spending exploded. Huge entitlements and special interests ate up a majority of the state budget. Perhaps Davis was a true moderate but found out how fun it is to spend other people’s money. Liberalism is all fun and games until someone gets fired.

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After massive spending increases, a botched energy crisis in 2000, tripling the state car tax and offering drivers licenses to illegal aliens, Davis had managed to out-liberal even California.

Voters turned out in droves to recall the governor and replace him with a conservative – at least a fiscal one. Essentially, the people of California rejected the liberalism that had been dominating their state.

However, Democrats don’t seem to have gotten the message that it’s their ideals that the people were throwing out of office. State party chairman Art Torres claimed, “They [the voters] chose charisma over substance, it’s very clear.”

What is unclear is how Torres equates a bankrupt state with “substance.” Party spokesman Bob McClellan was frothing at the mouth talking about a possible retaliatory recall of Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger only minutes after the polls closed. Democrats in the state politburo (rather, legislature) are already posturing themselves to do battle with the new governor.

What is it about the recall that Democrats do not understand? This was not merely a rejection of Davis. This was more than replacing a boring technocrat with a popular movie star – this was a full rejection of liberalism.

Nationally, liberals never win elections unless they are “centrists” (see above). It took actual implementation of insane liberal policies to make Californians realize why the rest of America never elects people like Davis. But even though this was a full rejection of liberalism, Democrats don’t seem to mind. Paging George McGovern …

The whole situation is reminiscent of how Democrats reacted to their huge defeat in the 2002 election. Normally, the party in opposition to the party in the White House gains seats in Congress at the midterm election. In 2002, Democrats defied history and managed not only to lose more seats in the House of Representatives but also lost control of the Senate. This was a crushing blow that Democrats refused to acknowledge – sort of like California.

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Democrats claimed the reason they were defeated in 2002 was that they did not offer a “clear alternative” to President Bush and that their message was not heard. Unless people completely stopped watching ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and PBS, missing the Democrat message would have been like missing a comet falling onto a city. Democrats got their message out, alright. The message was higher taxes, more spending and weakness on national security, and the American people were not impressed.

But Democrats seem to think the answer for 2004 lies in drafting bigger, more in-your-face liberals to run for president, which is always a good idea (see 1972, 1984 and 1988). To Democrats, getting the message out consists of using the same old message, only with 10 Liberal presidential candidates repeating it. It’s assumed that they must amplify their high-pitched hysteria about the PATRIOT Act in order to recapture the White House.

Of course, this all begs the question as to whether Democrats actually do not realize what the voters are telling them, or whether they’re simply ignoring it. In either case, it spells victory for Republicans. The people voted many Democrats out of office in 2002 and threw a Democrat out of office in 2003, and the Democrat strategy is sprint to the left?

If California is rejecting liberal Democrats, what makes Democrats think liberal Democrats can win in the rest of America?

The Democrats just don’t get it. Presidential candidates are actually claiming that the Davis recall is a loss for Bush! Not only do they refuse to accept what is happening to them, but they’re attempting to spin the issue to hurt their opposition. The Democrats’ world is crumbling around them, yet Dean, Clark and the rest are claiming victory! Too bad none of these guys are running for the position of Iraqi Information Minister.

If the lessons of 2002 and 2003 are ignored by the Democrats, Davis will have plenty of company in the unemployment line in 2004.

Right Angle appears every Monday. Brian is a law student. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.