With three months left to collect signatures, one of the largest and most organized grassroots efforts in the history of California politics is at a crossroads.
The Recall Newsom campaign has mobilized a bipartisan coalition involving volunteers in every California county, with momentum that is still building despite being almost completely ignored by the media, major donors, politicians, and political organizations. Those political organizations would include the CAGOP despite the fact that CAGOP tailors a significant percentage, perhaps even a majority, of its mass email messages to disparaging California’s hapless sitting governor.
This dismissal of California’s disenfranchised grassroots by their supposed professional champions not only signifies excessive caution and unfortunate hypocrisy, it is a practical blunder. A concerted and unified recall effort, backed by establishment political forces, would yield tangible political benefits. It would finally offer conservatives a cause that makes a compelling case to independents and disaffected Democrats. It would lend momentum to the campaigns of CAGOP candidates who endorse the recall, harnessing for their benefit the power of the recall volunteers.
Most significantly, a recall effort that was backed by the conservative establishment would be a courageous shot heard around the world. It would serve notice to anyone, anywhere, who has written California off as an ungovernable cesspool of corruption and chaos. People are fighting back, and they mean business.
What the political experts that consider a gubernatorial recall effort futile must understand is that Gavin Newsom’s failures are bigger than Gavin Newsom. If you successfully destroy the credibility of Gavin Newsom, you destroy the credibility of California’s Democratic party.
Newsom is the figurehead that represents a ruling class that has destroyed the aspirations of ordinary Californians. This ruling class incorporates leftist billionaires who are indifferent to California’s high cost-of-living. It includes public sector unions who have “negotiated” outrageous pay and pension packages which serve to exempt their members from the worst effects of California’s un-affordability.
California’s ruling class also includes radical environmentalists who, more than any other special interest, have tied California’s economy up in knots, making it nearly impossible to build new and affordable suburbs on open land, making energy and water both scarce and prohibitively expensive, and crippling with excessive regulations California’s manufacturers, oil and gas producers, timber companies, and countless other concerns that do actual productive work.
It’s time for California’s conservative establishment to stop playing only defense, or when they do go onto offense, only wage incremental battles. “We can take back an assembly district!” “We have to put all our resources into stopping the ‘split roll’ initiative!” Well, yes. And no. Of course these battles have to be fought. Meanwhile, however, there is no overall strategy or message. No unifying theme. No simple but profound rallying cry. No ecumenical passion that reaches out to every voter in California, regardless of their ideology or background. In short, it’s all tactical, which in these times of epic transformations and tensions, nobody cares about.
Getting rid of Gavin Newsom offers that strategic battle. Not just because he’s Gavin Newsom, a pompadoured white scion of incredible wealth and privilege, who nonetheless mouths “anti-racist,” “anti-sexist,” “anti-transphobic,” etc., etc., etc., identity politics bullshit that has been a useful distraction for Democrats for decades. No. Getting rid of Gavin Newsom sends a message that conservatives are serious about political realignment. Not in twenty years. Not in twenty months.
Now.
If the Gavin Newsom recall effort were backed by serious money and if this grassroots volunteer army of unprecedented size were assisted by experienced professionals, well, to paraphrase J.R.R. Tolkien, “even in Sammath Naur the very heart of his realm, the Power in Barad-dûr was shaken, and the Tower trembled from its foundations to its proud and bitter crown.”
Imagine the consternation that might spread among Democrats from Sacramento to Minneapolis if real money, serious professionals, mega donors and national conservative media were to recognize and support this Recall Gavin campaign. Imagine how the nation would react to a determined recall effort that takes to task the entire legacy of California’s democrats, holding their leader accountable.
Let’s take a visual excursion into what this campaign might include:
Picture television commercials and internet videos, depicting California’s ruined cities, graphically examining these lawless cesspools of crime and drugs and feces, while blaming Gavin Newsom and his democratic party.
Imagine prime time spots, depicting California’s homeless, numbering 150,000 or more, occupying neighborhoods and city centers, the vast majority of them either substance abusers, criminals, or psychopaths, if not all three.
Imagine an aggressive media campaign to expose the corruption of the homeless advocates, who have become mere shills for subsidized developers that make their money by building “homeless housing” at a cost of between a half-million and a million dollars per unit on some of the most expensive real estate in the world, ruining these neighborhoods forever. Imagine exposing these corrupt boondoggles that cost billions, but only help a small fraction of the people in need.
Picture the videos of raging forest infernos, caused by environmentalist “experts” who conned the public and manipulated the politicians, using lobbyists and litigators to prevent forest managers from doing underbrush removal and controlled burns. Imagine getting out the truth, that these extremists and their opportunistic allies destroyed most of California’s timber industry, and tied up rational efforts to clear out the accumulating tinder in litigation and endless cycles of permit applications that wasted precious time and deterred countless efforts.
The list goes on.
Low income Californians sweltering in brownouts, because safe nuclear and hydroelectric power is being decommissioned, and development of California’s abundant clean natural gas reserves is completely off the table.
Failed public schools that are cramming transgender ideology down the throats of 3rd graders, instead of teaching them multiplication tables.
Millions of Californians denied their livelihoods because of ill conceived, misanthropic laws that force businesses small and large to convert their independent contractors into employees, even in situations where that makes no practical or moral sense.
It doesn’t take a genius to think up all the ways California’s democrats have betrayed and oppressed ordinary Californians. It just takes the courage to say it.
Spouting Black Lives Matter slogans or parroting the latest Sierra Club press releases on “climate change” may be the currency of today’s democrats, but it takes no courage and even less thought. For that matter, fighting only incremental battles for reform requires only incremental courage, and even less vision.
What California needs is for conservatives with resources and influence to seize this moment, during this critical election cycle, to capitalize on the opportunity that brave volunteers have given them. They need to hop onto this bandwagon, and make Gavin Newsom the face of everything wrong with the Democratic party. They need to take this chance to expose Newsom and his party for what they are: an elitist clique of rhetoric spewing incompetents, backed up by a coopted lying media, and funded by some of the most conniving oligarchs in the history of the world.
The Recall Gavin campaign is at a crossroads right now, but there is still time. All the pieces are in place. The hardest work has already been done.
Who will stand behind this recall? Who will give this army of volunteers the legitimacy it deserves in their battle against a failed governor and a failed party? Who will do this knowing that in return, this army shall remain intact for the next battle, and the one after that?
The Recall Gavin campaign offers millions of disenfranchised voters a voice at last. It offers conservative leaders a chance to decapitate the enemy leadership, instead of fighting a war of attrition that they’ll never win. It is a springboard from which, with stupefying rapidity, not only can the Democratic syndicate finally be rejected and broken, but policies of prosperity and freedom can be offered and accepted by voters across this great and trendsetting state.
View Comments (43)
Great, passionate argument. You make an EXCELLENT case. Thank you, Ed Ring, because we are desperate out here. Not only the volunteers working tirelessly for the recall movement (God bless them) but others too whose voices have fallen for years on deaf ears. I think we would all cheer and be motivated anew to see the CAGOP respond as you describe. Which is what they should be doing and it's always been a mystery to me that they are not. I hope they are listening to you.
Thanks for picking up the ball against the unconsciously run golden staye of Ca. Newsome, Polosie and kamala ruined CA. Vote people not politics!!!!!!
The Conservatives need to keep quiet!!! Your Laissez Faire approach to matters, hence without a Plan B, is unacceptable. You do not like California, then move back East so you can be closer to Moscow Mitch and Orange Permatan!!! Liberals are long sighted and the Right Wing only operate by Chaos and Illegitimate Hope. You theory is a failure, hence BUSH II and the Current Moron!!!
Spoken like a true communist
Shut up leftist marxist bozo insurrectionist scum. Take your ass back to burning cities with Antifa so you can get pavement splattered.
Heeeeeee.... That's good!
Good point, I’m with you????
Newsom is dangerous. Should be dragged through the streets and kicked out of California. He does not give a damn about you and I. All should recall the he stated that he would use this “pandemic” to further his progressive agenda. We are being used.
No doubt about that. It’s all BS, propaganda of pandemic on the purpose to scare people and suppress the economy for political reason. We have to keep working on recall Newsom
Right on! Corporate poisoners need to leave now.
Take your communist propaganda back to China where you, and it, belong
Your writing style and content is pathetically terrible. Did you drop out of high school?
Some people, including the governor and his new, changed, color-coded state shutdown that once again pulls the rug out from under CA residents for no good reason, seem to be having a very bad reaction to the powerful Republican Convention of this past week.
A great commentary Mr. Ring. It is high time those who have the power and influence to balance the idiocy of California Politics act now!
I would like to add that what Mr. Newsom has done to small business in this state will be felt for many generations to come. How is that for foresight? There has always been a bigger picture here, an economic and psychological fallout from a response to Covid19 ,not the virus itself. The virus and economic fallout should have been both considered when decisions were being made by this governor.
I think there are many Californians who have no allegiance to either party that can see Newsom has not been acting in the best interests of the public. Many cannot make a living and their civil rights have been trampled on. Elon Musk would be a good example of someone who could move this campaign forward.
@Show and Tell, good point, add the color coding to the ridiculousness!
I am sorry but no one should be commanded to be kept quiet because there is a disagreement. Ever heard of the first amendment?
There is enough information in public that should send Newsom to prison for life. I'm furious Barr has done nothing. Recalls don't work, I collected thousands for Jerry Brown a few times, Newsom had the signatures the first time and he tossed them and said they were invalid. How can we win when he has control? This new covid scam is Newsom old climate scam. He is shut out the republicans from the covid meeting, he thumbed his nose at the audit that listed several organizations taking advantage of covid funds.
Now Newsom thinks he's a doctor masks don't work covid is less threatening than a common cold..LOOK UP THE STATS!! .I WANT HIM ARRESTED he's nothing more than a thief....Open up this state!!
recallgavin2020.com
I read a lot of opinions,
WHERE IS THE ACTUAL PETITION TO SIGN?
getGavinGONE.com - follow the instructions to sign and certify - then get others to sign, too!
the official petition site is recallgavin2020.com the only official petition site. If you signed a petition before June 10, 2020 you need to sign AGAIN.
You mean you can't do your own web search? I just did one and it was second from top. Now get off yer arse and show me you are capable of something other than mouth breathing.
https://recallgavin2020.com
https://recallgavin2020.com/petition/
this link will take you directly to the site - you are able to download the petition, print on standard 8.5x11 paper, get up to five signatures on one form, then return to the address on the form. Follow the directions.
https://recallgavin2020.com/petition/
Follow this link, download and print the petition. There are permanent locations throughout the state where you can drop of your petition. Print extras! Share them! This is your chance to save our state! https://recallgavin2020.com/
https://recallgavin2020.com/petition/
Join a recall group on Facebook. Find out where the booths are and go sign. That's the best option, but also recallgavin2020.com. print it out, sign it, mail it in. Share with your friends, family and neighbors.
https://recallgavin2020.com/petition/
COVID & DICTATOR, CRIMINAL, AND TRAITOR TO THE US CONSTITUTION: NEWSOM
Remove from the list of dead all those over the age of 70, all those that died in nursing homes, all those with SERIOUS other issues such as grossly obese weight issues, diabetes, lifetime cigarette smokers, etc.
Now what do you have left?
Not very much.
The governor has destroyed the state. Next year, if not before, we will be in the middle of a live fire civil war.
The governor is involved in violating the US Constitutionally guaranteed “BILL OF RIGHTS” while he STEALS people’s property. You can make a case for 3rd Amendment (essentially forcing upon the property owner an occupant of your property), the 4th Amendment (unreasonable seizure), The 7th Amendment (since we cannot litigate to remove any occupant of property that, until the governor stole it, WE OWNED), Most importantly, it is an ALL OUT ASSAULT ON THE 5th AMENDMENT
(''When . . . [the] power [of eminent domain] is exercised it can only be done by giving the party whose property is taken or whose use and enjoyment of such property is interfered with, full and adequate compensation, not excessive or exorbitant, but just compensation.'' The Fifth Amendment's guarantee ''that private property shall not be taken for a public use without just compensation was designed to bar Government from forcing some people alone to bear public burdens which, in all fairness and justice, should be borne by the public as a whole.'')
In short, he is a complete and total piece of fucking shit. He is part of a ruling cabal:
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2019/01/gavin-newsoms-keeping-it-all-in-the-family/
Honestly, he should be hung for treason. Considering the destruction, he continues to wield upon citizens that punishment seems highly inadequate.
For any of the brainwashed fools who think the governor is doing the right thing, this post is an OPINION (a factual one) and I do not in any way, shape, or form, advocate any violence or illegal activity. I DO advocate a statewide peaceful, but forceful in numbers and potential civil disobedience, an uprising to rid ourselves of this piece of shit criminal dictator.
Today you are not asked to grab a weapon. You can do your part by making one commitment; TODAY, no matter the hardship it may require, go, and find a petition taker for the recall of this piece of shit Newsom. Remember, that we got rid of a shithead once before when we recalled California Governor Grey: The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003.
Ask yourself how many deaths and pain will occur when there is no more money for unemployment checks with $300 - $600 top off. That is coming sooner than you think. When it does there will be NO JOBS to return to. GET RID OF THIS PIECE OF SHIT DICTATOR NOW
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
From what I've seen and read and lived...nothing will change in that state until it completely collapses.
Being from Havasu, I have seen and lived with people from there first hand...I will just leave it at that.
Well written, but unfortunately it will fall on deaf ears in Sacramento. The reason is that there is only one political party in California. With very few exceptions, Republicans are all RINO's, content to be the controlled opposition, playing at fighting the good fight, but with no intention of actually winning. If we somehow succeed at removing Goofy Gavin, we will still have the herculean task of removing most of the legislators of BOTH parties to contend with. We'd best recognize and be ready for that. I fear that it will take more than votes to save California.