Keep an eye on California (even though there's a lot going on in D.C.)

Last Year:

Gavin Newsom demands answers from whoever is running California

Babylon Bee, January 2022

This year:

Governor Of State People Are Fleeing From Agrees To Debate Governor Of State They Are Fleeing To

Governor Of State People Are Fleeing From Agrees To Debate Governor Of State They Are Fleeing To https://t.co/3gmsv3E3n0 pic.twitter.com/Gpz4CsWxsZ

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 3, 2023

Gavin Newsom really wants to be president.

Story:

When Vice President Kamala Harris rejected Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) offer to sit down and hash out their debate over Florida curriculum standards pertaining to the teaching of slavery, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) saw an opportunity. The governors of Florida and California have now tentatively agreed to debate on prime time, with Fox News's Sean Hannity moderating.

Newsom is the wannabee backup to President Joe Biden who insists he isn't hoping to unseat the 80-year-old president for the Democratic nomination (or the first female and first black and Asian American vice president whom he considers a friend, for that matter). DeSantis is the Republican whose 20-point transformation of a former purple state was supposed to portend the future of the party. And yet, both have remained solidly B-list, waiting in the wings for two senior citizens older than the average American male life expectancy to bow out from politics or, more realistically, perish.

This piece goes on to discuss the personal strengths and weaknesses of the two men, linking another article on Gavin Newsom's messy personal life. How did I miss that Newsom had had problems with alcoholism? The writer here almost reminds us that Newsom was the guy they sent to rescue Kamala Harris from her failed primary bid so that she could be nominated for VP. Is it a complication that they are friends?

There is a lot of negative content about Newsom here:

Newsom's least problematic romantic liaison was arguably his marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle, who has been the girlfriend (now fiancee) of Donald Trump Jr. for the last five years. While Newsom and Guilfoyle were in the process of divorcing, the then-San Francisco mayor had an affair with his secretary -- who also happened to be married to one of his best friends -- and siphoned off $10,000 in public funds to her. Right before the news broke, Newsom, then pushing 40, began dating a series of outlandish partners: a Scientologist who controversially took him to a public event sponsored by the cult, a reality television star, and a literal teenager. Newsom would later blame the I-banged-my-secretary incident on his alcoholism, but as evidenced by that infamous French Laundry incident, Newsom still drinks alcohol to this day. (Reporters later figured out that he never actually went to rehab, despite saying he did so at the time of the scandal.)

Now, this is all the scandalous stuff that's already out in the open. While it would certainly be relitigated in the same way the Willie Brown stuff was in 2019, it is technically already public knowledge, meaning that its influence on public opinion is at least partially baked into Newsom's polling.

But select Democratic operatives in California are sitting on an alleged treasure trove of juicy oppo. . .

The Washinton Examiner also published another piece on the DeSantis acceptance of the challenge from Newsom. Do you think it was a good idea?

The Washington Examiner understands that DeSantis intends to take every opportunity that comes his way to present to the country what he believes the ultimate choice to be in 2024: decline or revival. This may come in the form of confronting prominent Biden adjacent figures such as Harris and Newsom.

This strategy could be hit or miss for the Florida Republican, according to political strategists and pollsters. While some praised the idea as a smart move in an unusual media environment, others dismissed it as desperate.

According to Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, this is "a smart strategy to impress voters" but only so long as "he can prove that he is effective at scoring points against a leading Democratic player." . .

"I think right now DeSantis is struggling and scrambling to get some air. So to do something like this could help at least provide him some headlines that get away from Trump, which is what he desperately needs," said pollster Doug Usher.

However, he added, "You just don't look presidential when you go up against people who aren't running for president." . .

Biden made it clear that the indictments against Trump are political by referring to the latest one in an ad for a Dark Brandon Coffee Mug. Trump news really does suck the air out of the media environment. Even the NYT makes the Trump primary race sound exciting. (Link to Ann Althouse)

Ready for a fourth Obama term? Think Gavin Newsom would go for this? Remember, to a large extent, personnel is policy. The Biden Administration is full of Obama people.

You may have caught Ace's piece yesterday on the Tablet interview of Obama (and MLK) biographer David Garrow. I read most of the interview (see short outline here) and thought that two very interesting points were Obama's interests in self-invention and legacy. Apparently foreign relations was where he thought his legacy would be made. Specifically, cozying up to Iran and distancing the USA from Israel. The Tablet interview revealed some antisemitism in Obama's personal life. Would Newsom be willing to help Obama secure his dream legacy?

Have the Democrats got prospects other than Newsom or Harris? You know it's not gonna be Dark Brandon. The Democrats need to find a way to usher him out.

Ramshackle Chinese Biolab in Reedley, California

Yesterday, Ace featured David Strom's piece on the illegal Chinese biolab in Reedley, California which was subsidized by Gavin Newsom. Strom's story mentioned some recent scattered local stories in addition to the scant national coverage. I saw a couple of local pieces, and heard some radio coverage, which tended to carefully support the responses of local law enforcement agencies, represented with guests on talk radio shows. That was in late July. I was interested to note that the initial code violations were spotted as a result of a garden hose strung into a warehouse. I have been in a warehouse in that general area which was shut down for code violations, also discovered because of a garden hose strung into the warehouse. Small world. Though no COVID-infected lab mice were involved in the warehouse I saw. It was just a machine shop. But the "Officials" were keeping a close eye on when and how the owners fixed code violations.

The code enforcement officer who discovered the illegal lab described what she found yesterday for the Fresno Bee. "The lab inside the warehouse in downtown Reedley operated from December through March, when city officials deemed the building unsafe and padlocked it. The removal of equipment, medical devices and chemicals inside may take another month or two." WHAT? I know that several local, state and federal agencies have been involved. Still, what's taking so long?

As Victor Davis Hanson pointed out in Mexifornia: A State of Becoming, building code violations are a big deal for people with money in California, but not so much for compounds where illegal immigrants live. There, electrical wires and panels can be installed willy-nilly with impunity.

I got to thinking that Reedley is not too far from where Victor Davis Hanson lives. It's an area with gorgeous fruit orchards and a river that flooded this spring. It turns out that VDH worked packing fruit as a teenager in the very building where the nefarious illegal lab was found!

He emphasized that the lab was closed in March, but that even local stories have only been heard and seen in the past few weeks. Why???? In the Victor Hanson podcast from August 2, with Jack Fowler, the pertinent segment runs from 1:44 minutes to 18:00 minutes. Since the principals behind the lab have sort of disappeared, he suggests some reasons the lab could have become located in an obscure rural place like Reedley. Unsettling.

This develops into a discussion of the differences in the ways the USA treats China vs. Russia in politics and popular culture (with some discussion of differences under recent administrations). This is a detailed and nuanced discussion. Recommended, even if you don't agree with every point.

Another Great California Policy

I’ve read this over and over. I can see no other interpretation than California has officially legalized being a flasher or peeping Tom as long as you enter a women’s facility to do it.

It is illegal to have a private space for women only in California. 1/

— Jennifer 🟥🔴🧙‍♀️🦉🐈‍⬛ 🦖 (@babybeginner) August 4, 2023

Weekend: Remember the Kids

It's fascinating how as adults we forget crucial lessons that children know instinctively.

The most important thing in life is to keep getting back up when you fall down. A "successful" person is almost always someone who got up one more time than he fell down. pic.twitter.com/N9DEfumvwW

— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) August 3, 2023

Music

Surfin' USA

Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend.

This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.

Last week's thread, July 29, Barbie, the Politician

Comments are closed so you won't ban yourself by trying to comment on a week-old thread. But don't try it anyway.

posted by K.T. at 11:08 AM

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