Gavin Newsom Recall

[Born to Run 6524]

We're going to see more and more of this, especially in Texas, where the new election law allows greater power to this "poll watchers." In my opinion, it'll prove to be the worst part about what the lege passed.
Some elections officials are seeing ‘more aggressive behavior’ from partisan poll watchers.
There is no evidence of any fraud in the California recall election so far, but that hasn’t stopped a large number of partisan election observers from hunting for nefarious actors.
Across California, partisan poll watchers have been monitoring ballot boxes, early-voting locations and Election Day polling sites. Some have been aggressive toward voters, while others have repeatedly challenged voter signatures, according to election officials. And some have even tried to obtain personal information about election administrators.
“Our office is seeing more aggressive behavior by observers,” said Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, the county’s elections office. “Election-related activities are open and transparent, and we welcome members of the public to observe the process. But observers cannot disrupt the election process, or interact/interview our employees.”
Multiple groups that call themselves election integrity outfits have been focusing on the recall election, including one from Larry Elder, the leading Republican candidate. The California Republican Party has also revamped its election integrity operation for the recall. The expansion of such groups comes as false allegations of election fraud in California have become widespread among conservatives both in the state and nationally.
Mr. Elder has suggested, without any evidence, that there might be “shenanigans” in the administration of the election and that there are fraudulent mail ballots. Former President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly made the false claim that the election is rigged. That narrative quickly spilled into the voting process on Tuesday.
“Our inbound calls that we receive in our phone bank have very similar and consistent themes,” said Neal Kelley, the top elections official for Orange County. “It’s almost like people are kind of reading things on the internet and then they’re just kind of repeating that to us. And we’re seeing the same things from the observers as well.”
One group, known as the Election Integrity Project, has been particularly prevalent across the state, with observers continually making challenges or disrupting the process, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. Mr. Sanchez confirmed that the Los Angeles County elections office had received complaints of aggressive behavior by members of the Election Integrity Project.
Formed roughly nine years ago, the Election Integrity Project claims to be a nonpartisan nonprofit group. The organization says it seeks “to fulfill our duty to actively participate in the governing of our state/country by helping to defend the integrity of the voting process that protects our freedoms and way of life,” according to its website.
Despite its claims of nonpartisanship, the project has teamed up with conservative groups such as Judicial Watch and has espoused conspiracy theories about American elections, especially about mail ballots. The group claims to have trained more than 10,000 observers since its formation, though election officials across the state estimate that only a small percentage of those observers have actually shown up at the polls.
The group is well known to Shirley Weber, a Democrat who is California’s secretary of state. She said the group had been challenging signatures at registrar’s offices, which was causing confusion because it did not have the authority or right to make such challenges.
“That’s been an issue that we’ve had to kind of restrict folks to make sure that they understood what their role was as observers, and not as persons who work here in the secretary of state’s office,” Dr. Weber said in an interview.
The Election Integrity Project did not respond to a request for comment. Dr. Weber noted that the group claims to be gathering information for a possible legal action or challenges after the election.
“We know that they’re collecting material,” Dr. Weber said. “Whatever that is, we have yet to see it, because I understand all of that is being collected for a lawsuit, and not necessarily just to be given to us as, ‘Here’s some things we think will help you do a better job.’ So it’s not like they’re the helpful hands that we get. No, they’re not.”

Based on my experience in 2020 thats exactly the play, which is why my country ass will invest most of my political time and energy into poll watching. Fortunately I'm in Travis County, but also Lake Travis. The GOP watchers actively tried to nullify likely Dem votes and had bizarre marching orders to tally all people through the door, which was laughably inaccurate as multiple people didn't get to vote, and of course tail the sheriff all they way to the final destination of the ballot. Intimidation and sowing doubt is the play.

I'll be there, and I'm not taking any bullshit

[Beau Vine 53965]

6 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

So that's why you didn't join the gang at the bar of Pretension. Maybe after payday you can dine with us at Sneer. Their menu is all lower case, and they use Roman numerals for the prices. Also lower case. mmcdiii, how can you afford not to?

Yeah, are you too poor to join us, aggieviii?

[Sawbonz 27376]

9 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

Seems like it should be harder to recall than to elect in the first place, not easier

 

[brakeman 28214]

[RomaVicta 29756]

15 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

Yeah, are you too poor to join us, aggieviii?

He and I were having sauteed lizard tails in duck confit with a vegetable whose name you would not recognize over at Haute. We snorted a dessert of citrus and honey foam off of a plank of dark chocolate.

For reservations call 1-And you are?

[WhatTheBuck 28700]

4 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

He and I were having sauteed lizard tails in duck confit with a vegetable whose name you would not recognize over at Haute. We snorted a dessert of citrus and honey foam off of a plank of dark chocolate.

For reservations call 1-And you are?

I’m betting you’re a fan of Hunter S. Thompson. 

[Pato del Muerto 52322]

5 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

He and I were having sauteed lizard tails in duck confit with a vegetable whose name you would not recognize over at Haute. We snorted a dessert of citrus and honey foam off of a plank of dark chocolate.

For reservations call 1-And you are?

Thursday reservations huh. 

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20342]

The "Diploma Divide"  is real and it is increasing in election after election.
 

 

[Biff Tannen 45478]

1 hour ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

The "Diploma Divide"  is real and it is increasing in election after election.
 

 

We landed on the fucking moon.

[Brisketexan 104465]

The "Diploma Divide"  is real and it is increasing in election after election.
 
 

My hypothesis is that diplomas are a proxy for other things. That is, it’s not a college curriculum that teaches you to make smarter choices. Rather, it’s the exposure to critical thinking, to ideas different than those in the bubble in which we were all raised (in either direction, by the way - liberal city kids get to meet conservative country kids, for example), and to diverse living experiences created by career opportunities that come with a degree (college grad may take a job in Seattle, or Denver, or Tulsa, or Phoenix, etc…..conservative high school diploma kid stays in Bugtussle, Alabama).

It’s the “somewhere people” (I’m from Bugtussle, it’s who I am, and why would I want to go anywhere else?) vs “anywhere people” (I grew up in Chino, but went to college in San Diego, took a job in Seattle, and am looking at a transfer to Boston, and think all of those places can be great) distinction writ large.

Retrograde thinking vs, yes, open-minded and progressive thinking. And to be fair, we need both kinds in this world - each can serve as a check on the other run amok. But right now, the retrograde thinkers are in a bad place, because their thinking is dominated not by what can help, but by what can hurt the other. Owning the libs is the only guiding principle left….and that’s a shitty guiding principle.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

It's why Campus Reform has been flooded with money. They've been up to all sorts of hijinks coast to coast. I think the pay is about $50 a pop for students who video their profs (in order to provide editable material for eyeballs and outrage or to outright get them to shut up or get fired)

The Rw knows they've got a problem with critical thinkers and they are on a mission that is more powerful than the McCarthy era simply due to social media. In the past you might catch Father Coughlin's radio show or read in the newspaper about the Red Menace in Hollywood and on those snobby college campuses but now you've got a multi-pronged approach and a whole lot of dogpile agents to go after individuals whose university may not be prepared or willing to back them.

And for anyone who says, 'not my problem,' or 'good; those libtard profs have it coming to them,' they aren't going to stop there. They never do.

 

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20342]

Rural California Republicans despair as they realize that that other people live in the state, too. Denise Pickens of Janesville, California, for example, thought that Newsom might be recalled or at least get a good scare. Then came Newsom's landslide victory.


"“I went to bed really wanting to put a For Sale sign in front of my house,” said Pickens, 50, as she sipped a chai tea latte outside Artisan Coffee in Janesville, population 1,400."


https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-18/rural-red-california-recall-election

[Js1 85056]

2 minutes ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

Rural California Republicans despair as they realize that that other people live in the state, too. Denise Pickens of Janesville, California, for example, thought that Newsom might be recalled or at least get a good scare. Then came Newsom's landslide victory.


"“I went to bed really wanting to put a For Sale sign in front of my house,” said Pickens, 50, as she sipped a chai tea latte outside Artisan Coffee in Janesville, population 1,400."


https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-18/rural-red-california-recall-election

I read this article.  It was a classic case of confirmation bias.  Pickens lived in a county that was 80% "yes" on the recall and assumed it would win statewide.  It's the equivalent of the urban/highly educated "I don't know anyone who voted for Trump, how on Earth did he win?" crowd in 2016.  The rurals are the same way "No one in my county supports Biden, how did he even win? It must be fraud!" 

[Queen Bitch 1692]

Denise, 1400 people live in my block in LA, which balanced out the vote of your entire shitty town. Good luck with the move!

[Biff Tannen 45478]

18 minutes ago, Queen Bitch said:

Denise, 1400 people live in my block in LA, which balanced out the vote of your entire shitty town. Good luck with the move!

The google maps photo when you search Janesville is this:

 

 

[Beau Vine 53965]

On 9/18/2021 at 10:52 AM, Brisketexan said:

My hypothesis is that diplomas are a proxy for other things. That is, it’s not a college curriculum that teaches you to make smarter choices. Rather, it’s the exposure to critical thinking, to ideas different than those in the bubble in which we were all raised (in either direction, by the way - liberal city kids get to meet conservative country kids, for example), and to diverse living experiences created by career opportunities that come with a degree (college grad may take a job in Seattle, or Denver, or Tulsa, or Phoenix, etc…..conservative high school diploma kid stays in Bugtussle, Alabama).

I've mentioned this before, but when my daughter comes home from Denver, she does not enjoy visiting Wimberley, because she says 90% of the people she graduated HS with who stayed in Wimberley are complete loser lunatics.  

[HenryJames 65868]

 

[Pancho 44359]

Get the sense Gavin is going to run.  Between his commercial hammering DeSatntos in Florida and now this below, it sure feels like he’s more than testing the waters…

 

[George Clooney 378]

Yeah it certainly feels that way. His VP nomination would be especially critical to appeal to midwestern voters.

[We’reTexas 1467]

Eh, I tend to believe his claim that he’s less than zero percent interested. 

[chainsaw 9831]

Too much of a centrist for me but probably has a better chance than Brandon

[Gil Bang 25865]

On 9/15/2021 at 1:15 PM, Sawbonz said:

Has a California Governor ever been recalled?

Since the people added the power of the initiative, referendum, and recall to the California Constitution in 1911, there have been 54 previous attempts to recall California Governors. Only one Governor has been recalled – Gray Davis in 2003.
 

From Ca SoS website
 

it does seem ridiculously easy to get the whole process to a vote. Even setting the numbers higher than 12% of the number of people that voted in the election to be recalled, I still think you need to keep the incumbent on the ballot. Having to have a majority to win also is a good idea.
 

And the French laundry angle is bullshit. The GQPers saw a chance to steal a governorship with 1/3 of the popular vote and went for it.

I'm a little late, but a couple of thoughts from this life-long Californian:

1. Davis was a good governor, and he got totally ratfucked by Enron, and then by talk radio assholes blaming him for the blackouts arranged by the thieves and criminals at Enron. 

2. The French Laundry thing was really stupid in Newsom's part.  It was a "let them eat cake" moment.  I voted against the recall, and I like the job he does as Gov, but I'd totally kick him in the taint for that stupid episode. 

[Ghost of LL 15348]

21 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

I'm a little late, but a couple of thoughts from this life-long Californian:

1. Davis was a good governor, and he got totally ratfucked by Enron, and then by talk radio assholes blaming him for the blackouts arranged by the thieves and criminals at Enron. 

2. The French Laundry thing was really stupid in Newsom's part.  It was a "let them eat cake" moment.  I voted against the recall, and I like the job he does as Gov, but I'd totally kick him in the taint for that stupid episode. 

1) In retrospect, you're totally right.

2) Yeah, but oysters & pearls.  

Regardless, it's at least clear that he's testing out the idea of running.  And I have always liked Western governors as presidential nominees.

[Biff Tannen 45478]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

Too much of a centrist for me but probably has a better chance than Brandon

ok really?

[HenryJames 65868]

16 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

I'm a little late, but a couple of thoughts from this life-long Californian:

1. Davis was a good governor, and he got totally ratfucked by Enron, and then by talk radio assholes blaming him for the blackouts arranged by the thieves and criminals at Enron. 

2. The French Laundry thing was really stupid in Newsom's part.  It was a "let them eat cake" moment.  I voted against the recall, and I like the job he does as Gov, but I'd totally kick him in the taint for that stupid episode. 

Just impressed you didn’t start a new thread to say that tbh.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

I'm a little late, but a couple of thoughts from this life-long Californian

My oldest is only a Californian from moving out there from Texas to go to grad school but agrees with you on the French Laundry Affaire and additionally adds that when comparing recent governors, Texas is not allowed to throw shade.

[Gil Bang 25865]

Oh fuck, our Governors are so much better than Texas'.  I'd put Brown and Newsom against Hotwheels and Perry any day of the week.  

[safe sex 11659]

Shit, I'd love for Arnold to run Texas at this point.

[We’reTexas 1467]

35 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Oh fuck, our Governors are so much better than Texas'.  I'd put Brown and Newsom against Hotwheels and Perry any day of the week.  

Hell, Jerry Brown is one of the finest statesman in US history. Just finished “The Browns of California” by Miriam Pawell and highly recommend it if you’re into CA history, btw. 
 

I see Newsom’s narrative as something like Tommy Carccetti’s from The Wire. Young, douchey ambitious guy who gets into politics for all the wrong reasons (which is to say, the usual ones) and through age, experience and quite a bit of public embarrassment matures to recognize the gravity of his public service. I genuinely think he’s a good guy. You’ll hear stories around SF about his hooker and blows days when he was mayor, and while they may very well be apocryphal folks agree that would have been on brand at the time. But nowadays I’ve also seen him doing unannounced cleanups in the Tenderloin, and by all accounts he does it just for the sake of it. 
 

I think he feels strongly in his need to carry on Brown’s progress to lead the world’s 5th largest economy and address inequality, climate change and the housing crisis, but can’t help but ponder how he could fill in the vacuum in Dem leadership. But a rich white guy from California who checks all the limousine liberal boxes and used to have a coke/Guilfoyle problem? I mean I think he’d be great personally but c’mon. 

[safe sex 11659]

3 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

Hell, Jerry Brown is one of the finest statesman in US history. Just finished “The Browns of California” by Miriam Pawell and highly recommend it if you’re into CA history, btw.

Jerry Brown's first gubernatorial portrait is one of the best political portraits ever, up with Wiley's and Sherald's respective portraits of the Obamas. Thanks for the book rec!

[YChang 3430]

56 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Oh fuck, our Governors are so much better than Texas'.  I'd put Brown and Newsom against Hotwheels and Perry any day of the week.  

Not exactly a high bar to pass there chief. 

[WhatTheBuck 28700]

6 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

And I have always liked Western governors as presidential nominees.

Fuck both Nixon and Reagan. 

[Ghost of LL 15348]

5 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Fuck both Nixon and Reagan. 

They won, didn't they?

[Dbeasy 14953]

This is great. I wish I could get the best of each political party. Instead we always seem to get the worst. 

[WhatTheBuck 28700]

20 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

They won, didn't they?

And the nation lost. 

[Js1 85056]

12 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

ok really?

It’s an automatic asshole alert. So edgy, so cool, so funny. Not 

[chainsaw 9831]

30 minutes ago, Js1 said:

It’s an automatic asshole alert. So edgy, so cool, so funny. Not 

Lighten up. You don't have to be a MAGA dork to acknowledge Biden is incredibly vulnerable and Harris isn't exactly popular, either.

[Js1 85056]

1 minute ago, chainsaw said:

Lighten up. You don't have to be a MAGA dork to acknowledge Biden is incredibly vulnerable and Harris isn't exactly popular, either.

Only seeing one dork here. And it’s the guy who said Brandon. 

[Vegas64 657]

43 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Only seeing one dork here. And it’s the guy who said Brandon. 

My neighbor put a Let's Go Brandon sticker on his truck. This is the idiot world we still live in.

[Bullneck 18976]

21 hours ago, trauma babe said:

Jerry Brown's first gubernatorial portrait is one of the best political portraits ever, up with Wiley's and Sherald's respective portraits of the Obamas. Thanks for the book rec!

 

Is this it?  Is this the painter?

Spoiler

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by Bullneck

[StassneyHorn 6534]

5th largest economy in world, ahead of Texas, “does something”

[DigglerontheHoof 21022]

SCOTUS will kill it.

[Ag with kids 581]

On 7/7/2022 at 7:37 PM, Ghost of LL said:

1) In retrospect, you're totally right.

2) Yeah, but oysters & pearls.  

Regardless, it's at least clear that he's testing out the idea of running.  And I have always liked Western governors as presidential nominees.

I have zero give a shit about Newsom.  I guess he's a douche from the French Laundry thing.

But, I went to Per Se, Thomas Keller's OTHER 3 Michelin Star restaurant, literally right before the whole Covid shit hit the fan...late Feb 2020.

The Oysters & Pearls may have been the best thing I have ever eaten in my life.  It was fucking sublime...The rest of the meal was great, too...but...I could have done 10 courses of the Oysters & Pearls and been the happiest man alive that day.

[Sbbruin 21697]

40 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

SCOTUS will kill it.

Yep.  And he knows it.  He just gets to say he signed the bill.

[Vegas64 657]

11 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Yep.  And he knows it.  He just gets to say he signed the bill.

 Politics baby! At least someone with a D next to their name has decided to lace up and get in the game.

[Blotto 23418]

On 7/7/2022 at 9:17 PM, We’reTexas said:

Hell, Jerry Brown is one of the finest statesman in US history. Just finished “The Browns of California” by Miriam Pawell and highly recommend it if you’re into CA history, btw. 
 

I see Newsom’s narrative as something like Tommy Carccetti’s from The Wire. Young, douchey ambitious guy who gets into politics for all the wrong reasons (which is to say, the usual ones) and through age, experience and quite a bit of public embarrassment matures to recognize the gravity of his public service. I genuinely think he’s a good guy. You’ll hear stories around SF about his hooker and blows days when he was mayor, and while they may very well be apocryphal folks agree that would have been on brand at the time. But nowadays I’ve also seen him doing unannounced cleanups in the Tenderloin, and by all accounts he does it just for the sake of it. 
 

I think he feels strongly in his need to carry on Brown’s progress to lead the world’s 5th largest economy and address inequality, climate change and the housing crisis, but can’t help but ponder how he could fill in the vacuum in Dem leadership. But a rich white guy from California who checks all the limousine liberal boxes and used to have a coke/Guilfoyle problem? I mean I think he’d be great personally but c’mon. 

I lived in San Francisco for about 12 years starting in 08. When I first moved out there, Newsome was running for the board of supervisors having been previously appointed to a vacancy by mayor Brown. I remember we stumbled across some low-end, local public TV style broadcast of a debate between candidates that maybe 500 people watched. I joked with my roommates after watching that dude "campaigning" for about 15 minutes, that he would end up president one day. Now, I probably wouldn't have bet money on it at the time, but watching the guy at the age of ~30 running for basically a city council spot was all it took for me to realize he was the most natural, effortless, politician I had seen.

Watching him eventually become mayor and then Lt Gov around the time I moved out of CA, it was clear that what was once a joke was actually a possibility. Its like he was grown in a lab to be president. He has had his fair share of fuckups (affair with his campaign managers wife, rehab, the french laundry fuckup, etc...), but he also possesses that innate ability to navigate through those fuckups and keep climbing upwards. he's a smart guy, a compelling public speaker, and I think he generally has good political instincts. Having reached the position of Governor of California, he's already done enough right now to launch a viable campaign for president. 

His biggest liability right now is probably that he is a white male in a party that would probably like to deemphasize white male leadership in their ranks. I'm not sure what the dems plan to do with the Biden/Harris clusterfuck, but I doubt running it back in 24 with those two is a winning strategy. It would take some serious maneuvering on his part to end up the Dem nominee in 24, but I wouldnt bet against the guy. My gut feel tells me he's probably the Dem's best shot. Throw Abrams into the mix as the VP and you might have something. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Blotto

[Sbbruin 21697]

1 hour ago, Vegas64 said:

 Politics baby! At least someone with a D next to their name has decided to lace up and get in the game.

Yeah, but he's the former mayor of SF, basically the poster child for failed progressive policies.  He will be a tough sell to the broader base.  And he's a card carrying commie in the eyes of any R.  Then again, who isn't?

[chainsaw 9831]

18 minutes ago, Blotto said:

I lived in San Francisco for about 12 years starting in 08. When I first moved out there, Newsome was running for the board of supervisors having been previously appointed to a vacancy by mayor Brown. I remember we stumbled across some low-end, local public TV style broadcast of a debate between candidates that maybe 500 people watched. I joked with my roommates after watching that dude "campaigning" for about 15 minutes, that he would end up president one day. Now, I probably wouldn't have bet money on it at the time, but watching the guy at the age of ~30 running for basically a city council spot was all it took for me to realize he was the most natural, effortless, politician I had seen.

Watching him eventually become mayor and then Lt Gov around the time I moved out of CA, it was clear that what was once a joke was actually a possibility. Its like he was grown in a lab to be president. He has had his fair share of fuckups (affair with his campaign managers wife, rehab, the french laundry fuckup, etc...), but he also possesses that innate ability to navigate through those fuckups and keep climbing upwards. he's a smart guy, a compelling public speaker, and I think he generally has good political instincts. Having reached the position of Governor of California, he's already done enough right now to launch a viable campaign for president. 

His biggest liability right now is probably that he is a white male in a party that would probably like to deemphasize white male leadership in their ranks. I'm not sure what the dems plan to do with the Biden/Harris clusterfuck, but I doubt running it back in 24 with those two is a winning strategy. It would take some serious maneuvering on his part to end up the Dem nominee in 24, but I wouldnt bet against the guy. My gut feel tells me he's probably the Dem's best shot. Throw Abrams into the mix as the VP and you might have something. 

He's pretty polished and reinvigorated after the recall landslide. I don't think being white is that much of a liability for him. My personal hypothesis is that "identity politics" has evolved from Clinton-style pandering to our current unsustainable stalemate between Obama-era "representation matters" and Trumpist tokenism masking "white grievance" dogwhistling.

Representation still matters at all levels, but when the candidates are high-profile the low-information voter is no longer swayed by "he looks like me" or "his name is like mine" as much as they were before. In terms of the Democratic base turning out, any nonwhite votes that stay home or vote R were not going to change their minds about the D candidate, and that doesn't change if the D were to have had some a particular nonwhite identity.

He will have a very difficult time if he's planning on promising more of the same, or coasting on "not MAGA" as his selling point.

[TheStoicPaisano 9904]

Newsom needs to answer for the spreads with Guilfoyle. And it’d be nice if someone dented that pretty face of his, but I’ll give him a whirl otherwise.

 

Ron Darling >>> Ron DeSantis

[We’reTexas 1467]

57 minutes ago, Blotto said:

His biggest liability right now is probably that he is a white male in a party that would probably like to deemphasize white male leadership in their ranks. I'm not sure what the dems plan to do with the Biden/Harris clusterfuck, but I doubt running it back in 24 with those two is a winning strategy. It would take some serious maneuvering on his part to end up the Dem nominee in 24, but I wouldnt bet against the guy. My gut feel tells me he's probably the Dem's best shot. Throw Abrams into the mix as the VP and you might have something. 

Oh I’m with you, just given GQP messaging I don’t know how he would overcome the California baggage. As @Sbbruin mentioned, he’d be portrayed as the poster child of failed progressive politics, even though as you’re well aware in SF he was staunchly in the moderate wing and was basically viewed by the DSA/progressive crowd as a Republican. I can’t even imagine how absurd a Newsom/Trump general would be.