In this installment of their weekly Sunday Six conversation, PF Whalen and Parker Beauregard of The Blue State Conservative focus on six compelling reasons to vote Yes To Recall the horrendously inept and corrupt Gavin Newsom and mark the box next to the inimitable Larry Elder. Go to ElectElder.com to support the last few days of his campaign!
#6: Elder has a plan to improve outcomes for students.
Parker: The monopoly on public education is, without a doubt, the primary reason why more Americans than ever hate their own country (the best in human history) and also a significant roadblock for student advancement (family always comes first). Despite the vast spending on students, who could honestly say they’re smarter, more prepared for adulthood, or happier?
In no uncertain terms, we need to drastically overhaul the system to save America. Whereas the Marxist leanings of teachers were once relegated to college campuses, the effect of indoctrinating aspiring teachers between the impressionable ages of 18-22 has finally trickled into Pre-K and beyond. No student, if they are in a public school, is safe from brain damage that inevitably seeps in from leftist ideology. It is made all the more worse by capturing them at the age of three.
To the issue of schools providing hope for many students, there will never be a replacement for family support and instill values. That won’t change. However, the fact is that parents need to work and kids need to be supervised. In today’s world, it is impractical (though ideal) to think that we can return to a single-earner household. If kids need to go, why not strive to provide them the best alternative to the home as possible? Gavin Newsom certainly thinks this way, which is why he sends his own kids to a private school. This school was conveniently open and unmasked throughout the last year – at the same time Newsom collected donations from the teachers unions to keep schools locked down and masked.
I am a product of public schools and a career employee of public schools. I have experienced the ineffectiveness and limitations of this model for over four decades. It doesn’t work, mostly because not everyone is equipped to be successful when they enroll as a result of early childhood development at home and because no two students have the same intelligence, ability, or aptitude. Schools teach to the lowest common denominator and school systems hire below-average teachers. It’s a recipe for failure. And guess what? It’s a failure.
Larry Elder’s basic premise to encourage school choice is the least bad option when it comes to providing childcare and educational services. (Yes, I am conflating the two; school is childcare). If kids have to be somewhere, we want their time spent as well as possible. The marketplace is always better than government bureaucracy, so if schools finally have to be held to account based on whom they hire and what they teach, there is nothing to lose.
#5: A black Republican like Elder defeating a lily-white Democrat like Newsom in the bluest state in the country will totally blow-up the notion that black Americans must be Democrats
PF: Larry Elder wouldn’t be the first black Republican elected to a high-profile office. Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) come readily to mind. But California isn’t Oklahoma or Utah, and being elected governor isn’t the same as being elected to Congress.
In almost a quarter of a millennium since our founding, America has only elected two black folks to be governor, and no, that doesn’t count Stacey Abrams, even though she would argue otherwise. Furthermore, both of those governors – Douglas Wilder and Duvall Patrick – were Democrats. It’s also worth noting that currently there are no black governors.
And again, being elected to office in South Carolina, Utah, or Oklahoma is admirable, but all three are dark red states. Larry Elder would be elected in California, the largest state in the union from a population perspective, and the most Democratic of any state. Elder defeating Newsom would be a monumental upset, and one of the most unlikely political stories of our generation.
Larry Elder didn’t grow up in a privileged household. He’s the son of a janitor and café owner, he grew up in blue-collar neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and he attended public schools. Gavin Newsom’s father was a judge/attorney, he grew up in a posh area of San Francisco, and he owns a winery. Newsom fits all the stereotypes the left like to paint of conservative Republicans, and Elder fits the stereotypes they like to portray of Democrats.
Democrats believe they have a lock grip on the black vote; everywhere, but particularly in blue states like California. Larry Elder would turn their argument upside down, and it is for this reason that Democrats are running particularly scared. If Elder is elected and not only starts to get his conservative/libertarian messages across but is, in fact, effective, the “black folks must vote for Democrats” narrative takes a huge blow. It could be a transformational election if Elder wins.
#4: Larry Elder recognizes how the highest tax rates and economic burdens in the nation have led to the shrinking of the California middle class and flight of residents.
Parker: Is it any wonder people flee in droves from the most beautiful state in the country? There is every reason to stay in California, and yet those that are able to get out do get out. Aside from merely paying as much as 13% of one’s income on state taxes (this ignores the high federal tax brackets), there is also the insane cost of living, driven entirely by climate change agendas of the left. Elder promises to tackle both.
Assuming Elder can push through his ideas and make them a reality, it would be amazing to see Californians have more money in their pockets and more freedom to buy a home or gas up their car. Other than handing out free money and benefits to people – money which is confiscated from others – the left has no real function. The case for Donald Trump’s reelection was self-evidenced by the fact that no American’s life was worse. Not a single one. Everyone was better off under Trump’s America, and though they didn’t realize it at the time (because he sent mean tweets and he pointed out the obvious that women are drawn to men of wealth and power), Joe Biden is making sure to point it out. Larry Elder might just be the second of the one-two punch to finally knock some permanent sense into decades-long idiots in the voting booth.
A final thought on some terrific policy ideas: Elder might be running as a Republican, but anyone that listens to his show for five minutes knows that he identifies as a libertarian. It will be interesting to watch his role as governor cause headaches among the established political class of RINO and Never-Trump Republicans likewise demonstrate some disdain for crumbling the entrenched political infrastructure that serves the ruling class well but rarely trickles down to the voting class.
#3: If Larry Elder is victorious, the leftwing media (aka the mainstream media) will have another meltdown.
PF: I know it seems like a century ago, but if you live in California and aren’t a leftwing loon, think back to election night 2016, and try and remember that sense of elation and satisfaction you felt while watching the mainstream media lose their collective mind over Donald J. Trump’s defeat of Hillary Clinton. If Newsom is recalled, and if Larry Elder becomes the new governor, we will undoubtedly have another opportunity to watch the MSM’s sanity disintegrate before our eyes. And wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Democrats and their media are pulling out all the stops to defeat Elder, which means they’re scared. At a recent Newsom rally, a speaker accused Elder of being “the black face of white supremacy,” which is about as bizarre of a comment as someone can make; yet the media ate it up. The San Francisco Chronicle has attacked Elder claiming he “advances racist tropes,” which is inexplicable if you consider that Larry is about as black as they come. They’ve gone after him on everything, including his thoughts on COVID, a false claim about him flashing a gun in 2015, and an article he wrote over two decades ago in which they totally twisted his words to make him appear sexist. The mainstream media is all-in on defeating Larry Elder, and if you’re a California voter, you can help defeat them.
But the satisfaction of watching the media cry in their coffee mugs the following morning won’t be the only achievement. Similar to Trump in 2016, an Elder victory will prove once again that the left can be defeated regardless of the media putting their heavy thumb on the scale. Whether it’s by social media or online publications like The Blue State Conservative, Americans aren’t relying on the mainstream
#2: A victory by Larry Elder would inject much-needed, viable hope for the movement to save America from leftist tyranny.
Parker: Larry Elder’s potential win would do more than just signify a sea change within California. While that’s important, the larger picture is that if California can be saved, then so too can America. It would mean people are waking up and capable of being woken up.
It is easy to get caught up in the moment. Each election cycle is “the most important ever.” Having stated the obvious, I nevertheless stake my reputation on this recall effort to be one of the most critical opportunities to 1) make a change and 2) represent that a groundswell and backlash to leftism is both possible and underway.
If California somehow votes “No” on the recall effort, it would be a reaffirmation to Democrats that they have a carte blanche on policy and effectively ending the American experiment. After Newsom’s own ruinous policy in California – one that has exacerbated crime, homelessness, illegal immigration, business closures, and so much more – and Biden’s clueless, destructive Democrat stewardship at the national level, there is no other way to describe the sense of dejection and hopelessness half of this nation would feel. If the grimy, sleazy, incompetent, and corrupt leadership style of Democrats isn’t enough to sway voters to reality, then I am at a loss as to what would.
On the other hand, if Elder can manage to overcome entrenched narratives, media lies and slander, ballot harvesting, election fraud, and everything else the Democrat establishment tries, it will send a reverberating message across the land. I don’t think it’s too much to suggest that a red California would redraw the landscape. We need this.
Also, in true horse-before-cart fashion, I can’t help but imagine what the political future for Elder might look like on the tails of a monumental gubernatorial victory. Would there be a presidential run in 2024 or 2028? As much as I like De Santis (you and I both keep saying Trump has to and needs to sit out), there is something equally compelling about the outsider Elder. He already has my vote if that’s the case.
#1: If elected, Larry Elder would have a unique opportunity to showcase conservatism and its ideals.
PF: I think this is the most intriguing aspect of a Larry Elder governorship. Those of us on the right are confident and comfortable in our conservatism, because conservatism works and leftism doesn’t. And every time one ideology is implemented in earnest, the results comply. We saw it with Reagan and now we’re seeing it in Florida with DeSantis; conservativism works. And we saw it with Jimmy Carter and now in California with Newsom; leftism doesn’t. But for a multitude of reasons, that message misses a large swath of the left. Larry Elder could totally change that dynamic.
Elder believes in limited government intrusion into our lives. He supports the rule of law, is pro-police, and staunchly opposes Critical Race Theory. Larry Elder isn’t as far to the right as some other prominent conservative figures, but he’s far enough. And there’s little doubt he’ll have some significant successes to point to, even though he’ll have a short time to achieve those wins.
California hasn’t really had a conservative Republican as governor since Ronald Reagan in the 1960s. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the epitome of a RINO, and Pete Wilson was a moderate, at best. Many are pointing to the super-majority that Democrats hold in California’s legislature as evidence that he won’t be able to get much done, and he’ll be required to move to the center if he wants to make anything happen, but I’m not so sure.
Larry Elder is persuasive, and a lot of Californians are going to want to give him a chance to do his thing. Legislators will be aware of that fact and may act accordingly. But even if he is gridlocked, he’ll still have the bully pulpit from which to preach conservative views. And my guess is that a lot of those who hear what he has to say will be hearing it for the first time. The left live in their own little echo chamber and don’t often hear what we on the right believe, they only hear the CNN/MSNBC tainted version of what it means to be a conservative. Larry Elder will have an opportunity to show the truth, and that prospect is exciting to consider.
