Liberal Democrats have never been a friend to Democracy, especially when things don't go their way. When voters don't support the Democrat agenda, liberals tend to think there must be something wrong with them, or that the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has operatives working behind the scenes. When voters don't see things their way, they are more likely to sue (Calif. recall), or cheat (Florida recount), or change the rules in the middle of the game (Torricelli).

In California, where the Gray Davis recall is still a sore spot with some Democrats, lawmakers are trying to make recall elections much more difficult.

Last week, the Senate's elections committee unanimously approved legislation that would prohibit recall proceedings against any statewide official within 90 days of election. SB 1317 would also protect statewide officials who had been the target of a recall within six months or had less than six months left in their terms. Those rules currently apply only to local elected officials. [...]

Changes they are informally bandying about include: separating the recall and replacement votes so they occur on different days, rather than having them on the same ballot; increasing the number of voter petition signatures required to initiate a recall; and making it harder for replacement candidates to get on the ballot.

Separate votes for recalls means lower turnout. A special election already sees meager turnout. Now imagine how low turnout would be if you had two special elections a few weeks apart.

Increasing the number of signatures required and making it harder for candidates to qualify are blatant attempts at incumbent protection. They would make recall elections much more expensive and time consuming, which is the whole idea.

Lawmakers cannot pass an outright ban on recall elections but they can make the process as difficult as possible. These people claim to be advocates of democracy and the common man. But as soon as you aren't looking, they're taking away more of your rights to secure their own political power.