The Unimportance of Being Camejo

None of Camejo’s analysis is likely to break through the media membrane during the recall campaign, if only because there’s just too much else going on. And with the Greens divided on the merits of the recall, Camejo now has the added burden of his party’s ambivalence: While 90 percent of Greens voted to endorse Camejo in an emergency poll of the party’s 11 regions completed last week, the Greens “are still deeply holding positions on opposite ends of the spectrum” about the recall, says Haines, the party spokesperson. “Some people feel it’s really inappropriate to align ourselves with an effort to undo a democratic election. Others think that as long as the playing field is leveled for the benefits of the Democrats and Republicans, we should take advantage of this opportunity, even if it’s not of our making.”

Camejo himself says he welcomes the intra-party debate: “To go public with the criticism is fine,” he says, adding that a lot of Greens have changed their minds in favor of the recall once Bustamante joined the race. “I’ve encouraged the Greens who oppose the recall to speak out.” Speaking strictly for himself, however, Camejo can’t wait to see Davis thrown out. “I think it’s wonderfulthat he’s going to be removed,” he exulted over the phone from Oakland last week. “All I’ve ever said from Day One is that Davis should be removed. He and the team around him have been totally incompetent and irresponsible.” So irresponsible, in fact, that “he makes Republicans sound reasonable.”