The California Recall Election

There were two issues on the ballot in California:  1) Should Gavin Newsom be recalled?  and 2) If he is recalled, who should replace him?  The most prominent person running to replace Newsom was author and radio talk show host Larry Elder.  Elder is a Republican/Libertarian.  And he is black.

It was no surprise that in heavily democratic California Newsom beat back the recall by a large margin.  When I last checked the numbers a few days ago, voting against the recall were over 6.7 million people, or  63.5%.  Voting for the recall were over 3.8 million people, or 36.5%.  Newsom only needed 50% plus one vote to remain in office.  

But here is an interesting statistic.  Of the (I think) 56 people running to replace Newsom, Larry Elder, a black Republican, received the overwhelming number of votes, with over 2.7 million, or 47.3% of those other candidates receiving votes.  The next highest vote getter was Kevin Paffrath, with only 585,000 votes, or 9.9%.  What?  All those "racist" Republicans voted for the black man?  

But is Larry Elder really black?  Can I believe my lying eyes?  In a column by Erika Smith, run by the Los Angeles Times before the election, Smith asserted:  "Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy.  You've been warned."  Here was a major newspaper, in the year 2021, essentially endorsing an accusation against Larry Elder that he is an "Uncle Tom."  It is beyond outrageous.   On the other hand, I am long past the point in time where I expect Democrats to debate based on facts, logic and reason.  No, name calling will do just fine.

Here is Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter:  "...everything that he's pushing, everything that he stands for, he is advancing white supremacy."  And:  "Few things infuriate me more than watching a Black person use willful blindness and cherry-picked facts to make overly simplistic arguments that whitewash the complex problems that come along with being Black in America."  

And in a New York Times Op-Ed, Farhad Manjoo wrote this:  "In the year 2001, (Elder said that) racism is not our major problem.  Personal responsibility is."  And, Manjoo told us that Elder called Blacks "victocrats."  Actually, Elder has called many on the left "victocrats."  

So, a black man who thinks for himself (i.e. does not adhere to the left-wing party line) is called the black face of white supremacy.  A black man who talks about personal responsibility is obviously abhorrent.  

On the bright side, we did get to keep Gavin Newsom as Governor.  Crime is rampant.  Homelessness is out of control, with tent cities everywhere.  Gas prices are no doubt the highest in the nation.  We are teaching critical race theory and antisemitism in our schools.  The quality of life has so deteriorated that many people and businesses have fled the state.  According to the latest census, California will actually be losing a House seat for the first time, as a result of the exodus.  

And if Larry Elder is the black face face of white supremacy, then Gavin Newsom is the white face of white privilege.  After all, Newsom's kids get to go to private schools.  And he sides with the teachers unions against giving that right to low income and minority kids.  And given his political connections, Newsom was able to raise $70 million for the recall fight, compared to Elder's $13 million. 

Someone said to me that Newsom screwed up San Francisco when he was Mayor.  So he got promoted to Governor.  After screwing up California, next stop...the White House.  You've been warned.