Cantor: YES on the SD-29 Recall

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I’ll be honest.  I have not been looking forward to writing this piece.  It’s not an easy subject.  After all, the Josh Newman Recall isn’t even about Josh Newman.  It’s about Democrats and what they’re doing with their Super-Majority in Sacramento.

Do they deserve to be punished or don’t they?  <– That’s the real question on the table and most voters will be voting on impressions, not facts.  Senator Newman is just the goat de jour for his party.  That sucks for Josh, but that’s the position his party put him in.

Here’s my impression: The Josh Newman Recall is stew made up of bad things.  It’s not easy to talk about, gets lots of people upset, and probably won’t end well.

Democrats stealing? Bad.  Gas tax doesn’t do what it says it does, costs families hundreds of dollars.

Democrats cheating?  Bad.  Illegally changed laws to subvert your rights to protect their majority.

Democrats lying?  Bad.  Claimed thousands of people who signed the recall petition didn’t mean to.

Most significant?  There are lots of semi-rabid people in SD-29 who refuse to concede that Democrats stole, cheated, and lied over the last year.  What the MAGA throng are to Donald Trump, these people are to the Democrat Super-majority.  Short of murder on the Capitol lawn in Sacramento, this group will not admit to any wrong doing from their side of the aisle.  The attitude that your party and your cause are righteous irrespective of actual evidence on the table is an epidemic throughout this country, and California is not an exception.  If the recall fails, these are the people who get empowered.  That can’t happen.  Before you ask, yes, I believe that’s the case on both sides of the fence.

Of course, Democrats aren’t the only chefs in this particular kitchen.  Republicans have added plenty to the stew of suck.

Yes, it’s true.  Republicans are trying to undo the results of a free and fair election in November of 2016.  But they have a Constitutionally protected right to do so.

Yes, it’s true.  Republicans are conflating the repeal of a gax-tax with the recall of one legislator that voted for it.  But this particular legislator DID vote for it.  Without his vote, it doesn’t pass.

Yes, it’s true.  Republicans used resources from all over the state to organize and fund the recall.  But Democrats literally changed campaign finance law to do the exact same thing for their benefit.

In the end, what I’m left with is a political party with a super-majority in Sacramento caught red handed stealing from its constituents, cheating the law to protect itself, and lying to the public about demons and hobgoblins fooling the public.  Democrats are getting called out for bad behavior and like any spoiled child that gets in trouble, they’re whining about it.

So, like any spoiled child that’s whining about getting in trouble, Democrats need a correction.  A redirection towards acceptable behavior.  What they absolutely don’t need is a reward for their bad behavior.  As every parent knows, rewarding bad behavior simply encourages more bad behavior in the future.  If we fail to vote “YES” on the recall, expect more stealing, more cheating, and more lying.  That isn’t an impression.  That’s a fact.

If only it were that simple.  It’s not.  Like I said at the start of this post, the recall isn’t even about Josh Newman. It’s about something else.

Enter Ling Ling.  I’m not going to rehash this.  Short version: She’s not fit for office and certainly not fit for a second shot at the one she just fumbled.  Irrespective of how you choose to vote for the recall, you should not vote to send Ling Ling Chang to Sacramento.  If the recall fails, she’s the main reason why.

You also shouldn’t vote for anyone who will let Democrats off the hook.  For all the ceremony and celebrations of unity in the last several weeks about “Having Josh’s Back” (see the paid ad in the corner), power-brokers in San Francisco and Sacramento do not — AT ALL — care about Newman or who represents Democrats in SD-29.  They’ll take any Democrat that votes how they tell him to vote.  If Newman goes, it’s because those same power-brokers, the ones who stole, cheated, and lied, failed to protect him when it mattered.  Don’t send another goat to get slaughtered when they screw up again.

Joshua Ferguson (D)– The opposite of Gavin Newsom.  What the state and Democrats need to evolve.

Bruce Whitaker (R)– Experienced, very strong connections to the district, strongly recommended by this author and others at OJ.

George Shen (R)– Great resume, no experience.  Hope he sticks around.

Kevin Carr (D)– Anti-Tax, but unenthusiastic campaign.  If you want a Dem, vote yes and vote for Josh.

— THIS IS THE MINIMUM LINE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE —

Joseph Cho (D), might be a nice guy, but his entire campaign reeks of insincere opportunism.  Ick.

Ling Ling Chang (R), don’t get me started.

Vern’s note:  Whether you vote for or against the recall, make sure to ALSO vote for Whitaker or Ferguson, or we could end up with Ling Ling till the end of 2020.  Me, I’m doing NO on recall, and yes on the other Josh.


About Ryan Cantor

Our conservative columnist, raised in North Orange County, works as an auditor.