Neither political party wins award as champion of the rule of law
Chesa Boudin prepares to concede at his recall party at The Ramp on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 in San Francisco. Credit: AP/Gabrielle Lurie
We tout the rule of law as a high American principle. On this point, neither party's leaders hold the high ground.
The successful recall of left-wing District Attorney Chesa Boudin in San Francisco this week marks a public-relations stroke for Republicans, as well as for self-proclaimed moderate Democrats over their more progressive rivals.
Even the liberal voters who elected Boudin, once sold on a laissez-faire approach to street chaos — thefts, vandalism, narcotics and harassment in public — have had enough. They voted to remove Boudin in midterm.
Boudin, raised by Weather Underground revolutionaries of the 1960s and seasoned as a determined public defender, would seem to have had a pretty odd resume, anyway, for a DA. If law enforcement and public safety were not his prime mission, he held the wrong job — or at least couldn't count on the support needed to keep him in it.
People want government to function.
Here in New York, it remains unclear whether dissatisfaction about civic breakdown will inure only to the benefit of Republicans or more to centrist Democrats, like New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Rep. Tom Suozzi, who reacted to the new abnormal earlier than others. In the end, as always, it's about the rule of law.
Boudin’s recall echoes vows by candidates such as Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin for governor to instantly remove Alvin Bragg as Manhattan district attorney. As promised, Bragg raised the bar for prosecution of several crimes — a bad look amid a crime spike. Since this state doesn’t do popular recalls, his removal before the next election would take a governor, in effect, choosing to nullify last November's election for that job.
Trying to overturn elections, legally or not, is a disastrous look for Republicans in New York. People want their votes to matter and see the winner take office — not be canceled by the powerful.
Nationally the GOP is vulnerable this week on just that point. Congressional hearings have just begun into the fraud, crimes and lethal right-wing disorder of Jan. 6, 2021. Like a monarch, President Donald Trump for four years clearly chafed time after time under the rule of law. For him, it never became a principle worth preaching.
Examples of civic behavior are set from the top.
Last year, Democratic mayoral candidates were repeating "defund the police" when they thought groups of angry constituents would reward them for saying it. At the same time, Republicans in Congress embraced a baseless attempt to cancel electoral votes backed by a threatening mob incited by the 45th president who proved too fragile to admit he lost.
For our jittery elected class, faithfully executing the laws sometimes seems to take a back seat to appeasing the extremes.
Founders of this republic, in replacing the privileges of kings with the rule of law, hailed "disinterestedness" as a virtue, historians wrote. They also dreaded the spread of political passions and factions.
This might be a good time for those values to make a comeback. Right now, our politicians sound afraid to challenge enraged constituents.
Given the road we're on, it may take unusual personal boldness in the years ahead for elected officials to campaign and govern with solid dedication to the rule of law and a commitment to all the duties of the job.
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
