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| photo: Lucky Thompson, Oakland CA, Laney Tower News |
Many of us truly
believed that Governor Newsome could be recalled. But The Evil Disney Cartoon Villain*
prevailed. (credit:*Dave
Rubin) It had been a fair fight until mainstream media and Silicon
Valley stepped in to silence those fighting to save our state.
What had been a
movement to recall a truly inept, corrupt governor, became a Republican
Takeover mantra. Local television stations, which not that long ago were
fairly unbiased, began to report on the Newsome vs Elder contest. They echoed
the cable news talking points. Stories ran on how Newsome would save us all
from Covid, and Elder would kill us. Newsome actually stated that it “…was a
matter of life and death.” That one, unsubstantiated lie, kept him in office.
Anyone who lives
in California can drive around their city and see that one third of the small businesses
are closed for good. Newsome did that. Parents can vouch that their children
missed nearly a year and a half of in-person teaching and that schools are is
still not back to normal. Newsome did that. Homeless encampments have blighted
the entire state. Newsome did that. Forests continue to burn at an alarming
rate, the power gird fails, water shortages are at an all-time high. Newsome
did nothing to fix those problems.
How, I asked several
people, can you possibly not vote to recall Newsome? The answers: “It’s
not Newsome’s fault things are so dire. We might get someone worse. I looked at
the other candidates and didn’t like them.”
At the time, I
could only stare back in incomprehension. Now, possibly I have an answer.
For years, I
have not been able to understand why the residents of the San Francisco Bay
Area are so completely stuck in their view of Left is Good, Right is Evil. My
conclusion: They are so wrapped up in their 1960’s liberalism that they do not
realize that that world longer exists.
Back in the
60’s, middle- and working-class families, mine included, made up a good portion
of the Democrat party, especially in Northern California. They represented the
generation who had lived through the depression and WWII, gone on to build
homes and raise families, all while keeping an eye on the world and the powers
in charge. They were the party that would represent the downtrodden, prevent
another world war, and protect against government overreach. That there
happened to be more than a few Democrats in positions of power who were as
corrupt as any Republican in the state, went without challenge.
In sharp
contrast, they saw Republicans as country club elites. The fat-cats who drove
Rolls Royce’s, wore diamonds and gold lamé, and, of course, ran Hollywood. These
privileged rich folks had ever picked up a screwdriver or swung a sledgehammer.
They looked down on the working class, and anyone who had to scrub out their own
toilet. And naturally, they assumed that only they knew how to run the world.
Over the past
few decades, that equation has been turned upside down. The working class is now
represented by the right; the elites control the left. However, the old and
young hipsters in California have not figured that out. They are just happy
that they turned California blue.
The rich and
powerful no longer run country clubs but invent technology. The new crowd eschews
the old symbols of power and wealth. Tesla’s replaced Rolls Royce’s. Solar
panels and wind turbines, despite their severe damage to the environment,
replaced a third of the power grid. Tree huggers prevented forest maintenance.
None of this occurred
in the dead of the night with secret societies. It happened right out in the
open. Those millionaire titans of industry began to dress like the common man,
jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. They were defiantly the new cool kids in town. They
spoke of saving the environment and helping the poor. Motivations of power and
greed could be ignored if they looked like the average guy or gal, and preached
a good line. Hollywood, a true old boys club, slipped right in with the caring
Democrat persona. No matter how much of an elitist life they led, they offset
any challenge to their privilege by pretending to care about the peons.
It is not that I
am against elitists, or millionaires, or working hard to make vast fortunes, as
many have. It is the blatant hypocrisy that makes my blood boil. Suddenly, the Tech
Oligarchs can decide who has the right to speak and who does not. Hollywood stars
truly believe that their opinions and views outrank anyone else’s. Elected democrats
ignore half the country because “they are wrong.”
As to the Bay
Area crowd, they appear to be unaware of what is taking place right in front of
their eyes. They still believe that if a politician has an R in front of their
name, they are the devil incarnate. It is why no one I spoke to would even
consider voting out Newsome and replacing him with Larry Elder or any other
Republican. Not one of them, I am sure, bothered to look into the
qualifications or statements before the election. How could they have done so?
Newsome ran on a failed record, and If you vote me out, the Republicans will
kill you. Nothing else. No track record, no plans for the future, no
solutions to problems. Meanwhile, Elder and others addressed the issues and had
actual plans to improve California’s miserable existence.
I have long
believed that there is no hope for the State. The recall had given me something
to grab on to. Maybe even reverse my views on the death of California. But it
failed, and I now know that this state will never, ever be The Golden State of years gone by.
