by wj
There have been a number of analyses of the 2020 election which comment on the fact that pre-election analyses tended to treat Latino voters as a group. When, in fact, there are a large number of groups there, with quite different world-views, experiences, etc. You've got descendants of Cubans who fled Fidel Castro. You've got economic and political refugees from Central America. You've got folks whose families have been here a couple of centuries, since California was a Spanish colony. The quite valid point being: if you don’t pay attention to things below the broadest generalizations, you are going to miss something significant.
The same might be said for current views (including here) of the Republican Party. No question, a lot of the GOP, especially national level politicians, have behaved appallingly. And this isn’t a sudden new turn for many of them. But that misses some details. Consider:
- Yes, 17 GOP Attorneys General signed on to the Texas’ AG’s lunatic suit. (Rejected unanimously by a Supreme Court which is 6-3 conservative, including 3 Trump appointees. Which tells you something.) But another 9 refused to have any part of it.
- Numerous state and local GOP election officials insisted on doing their job according to the law. Even though it meant that their preferred candidate lost. Even when their actions resulted in threats against their lives and their families.
- And then there’s something here in California. Note that, as I’ve said before, the California GOP is actually on the leading edge of the race to insanity in the party. But there are still some sane Republicans even here. Republican Kevin Faulconer, the mayor or San Diego**, is contemplating a run for governor.
And he might well have a chance. Why? How? Well, first off he is your basic traditional moderate Republican. (An increasingly rare type, but not quite extinct.) That is, pro-choice, pro gun control, pushed for more housing services for the homeless, released San Diego's first Climate Action Plan to address global warming, supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, etc. Which is how he got elected mayor of a blue city.
Second, California runs an open primary. Which means, to make it to the general election, all you have to do is finish in the top two – no matter what party you are in. (Mostly because, otherwise, the Democratic primary was essentially determining who got elected in most statewide races.) Typically, there will be several rwnj Republicans running, which would split that vote. So all he would need to do is be the lone sane one to have a shot at a plurality.
Of course, the critical question is, will another Democrat run against Governor Newsome? Because frankly, Newsome has done a poor job of dealing with covid-19. Better than most Republican governors (a seriously low bar), but well below the average for governors who at least took the problem seriously.
I mean, how dumb do you have to be to make a production of urging people of the state to avoid big gatherings in order to slow the spread. And then turn around that weekend and attend a party of 50+ people in the close confines of a fancy restaurant?
Plus, just to gild the lily a bit, the state Employment Development Department had been mistakenly paying out unemployment benefits to convicted murderers, and other state prisoners and local jail inmates. It’s being characterized as “the biggest fraud in California history.”
What it comes down to is, Newsome has demonstrated serious incompetence. So unless there is another Democrat running, Mayor Faulconer would be an acceptable option for lots of Californians. After all, given that both the Assembly and state Senate have veto-proof Democratic majorities, it’s not like he would be doing anything radical if in office. Well, except for possibly getting the attention of the state GOP that someone who isn’t a froth-at-the-mouth conservative can still win here.
I submit that, however much you may disagree philosophically with these folks, they are still people you could work with. Because they are actually interested in governance, and in doing what’s right for the people they represent. Someone like that, you can make a deal with and get things done. And not waste time arguing about whether the other guy is an existential threat to the future of the nation.
Open thread –- ‘cause we’re way over due for one.
** That makes San Diego the largest city in the US with a Republican mayor.
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