Oregon GOP is trying to recall the Democratic governor for doing her job

The Oregon GOP is throwing what can only be described as a tantrum. Republicans haven’t prevailed on their extremely conservative agenda, so they’re launching an effort to recall duly elected Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.

Voters in Oregon have made it clear they want to be represented by Democrats. In addition to holding the governor’s seat, Democrats have supermajorities in the Oregon state House and Senate. But that doesn’t matter to the GOP. Since Republicans can’t win at the ballot box, they’re launching a recall petition to unseat Brown.

The chair of the Oregon GOP, Bill Currier, kicked off the recall effort on Monday, when he filed a petition with the Oregon secretary of state. If the GOP collects 280,050 signatures in 90 days, Brown would have to resign or give a reason for her refusal. If she chooses the latter, that reason would go on a recall ballot in a special election.

Of course, the GOP doesn’t have a legitimate reason to recall Brown. She hasn’t done anything wrong, Republicans just don’t like her policies. The reasons listed for recalling Brown include an attempt “to deprive Oregon’s working families of jobs using faulty environmental policy” and granting driving privileges to undocumented immigrants.

This isn’t the first time the GOP has tried to thwart Brown. Last month, every Republican state senator fled the Capitol instead of voting on climate change legislation. One state senator even threatened to murder the police officers Brown dispatched to bring them back to do their jobs and vote.

Brown also faces another recall attempt that is being spearheaded by a private citizen, Michael Cross. Cross thinks Brown should be recalled because Brown “raised taxes mercilessly and spends OUR money recklessly.” He’s also mad about the public employee retirement system.

These attempts have become a part of the GOP’s sore-loser playbook. When Republicans can’t win statewide, they try to strip power from Democrats who can. After Michigan elected a Democratic attorney general in 2018, the GOP-controlled legislature immediately tried to decrease her powers.

After voters ousted Scott Walker from the governor’s office in Wisconsin, he went after his Democratic replacement, Tony Evers, and the newly-elected Democratic attorney general. On his way out the door, Walker signed a bill giving the GOP-controlled legislature control over an important state agency. He also blocked Evers from withdrawing the state from Walker’s anti-Obamacare lawsuit.

Republicans — or Cross — have until October 14 to gather their 280,050 signatures. If they don’t, the recall effort is over. Hopefully that will be the last time Republicans try to ignore the will of voters.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.