Extremist Boogyman of the Month Club in California

In our latest dig, we examine the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom in California. If you want to see what hopeless desperation looks like, then read onward. "California Governor Gavin Newsom accused right-wing militia groups like the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters of initiating the recall campaign that appears set to trigger a recall election later this year (Roos, 2021)."

Do we guess Newsom missed the memo about who signed the recall petition against him?

Of the signatures submitted, just over 64 percent represent Republicans, about 25 percent are from people with no party preference and 9 percent are from Democrats, according to Republican recall strategist Dave Gilliard.

Governor Newsom is using an old propaganda technique called faulty cause and effect (Cuesta College, 2021). He suggests that because some Republicans are members of the Proud Boys, Proud Boys must have caused the Republicans to fight to recall him. It should be noted that approximately 762,382 signatures to recall the governor are unaffiliated with the Republican party, so this cheap propaganda trick really doesn't hold up well to scrutiny at all. Not to mention the fact that anyone who needs the cackling hens from the view to save their political behind is already in deep doo-doo. His Q'Anon, Proud Boys, insert your flavor of the month fake extremist boogyman deflection attempt is definitely not working. "Of the signatures submitted, just over 64 percent represent Republicans, about 25 percent are from people with no party preference and 9 percent are from Democrats, according to Republican recall strategist Dave Gilliard." and the reader should also "note that the direct mail campaign did not target Democrats, so the 9% comes from Democrats who sought out the petition at either an outdoor signing table/booth or online (Axelrod, 2021)."

Powerful figures and businesses are leaving California, and these tectonic shifts have been very public and pronounced. They have an impact in terms of California's ability to attract talent, and they impact job opportunities. From Joe Rogan, who was quoted as saying he wants to move to Texas where "we have little more freedom (Rodriguez, 2020)" to Elon Musk, who "angrily tweeted that Tesla would move its headquarter to Texas (or Nevada) 'immediately' after local governments refused to let the company reopen its Fremont factory (Cau, 2020)." There is no question that Newsom's dystopian leadership and policies have strained the Great State of California, and the people are fed up with him.

We have 30 days to wait for signature verification, and then America will get to see if Democracy truly gets to prevail. Newsom was a shoo-in as a future Presidential candidate for the Democrat party. A successful recall would undoubtedly damage his credibility and remove him from the shortlist. The governor can try to leverage creative wordsmithing and blame others with old propaganda techniques, but the fault rests solely on his policies. California will recall Newsom for one reason, and one reason alone, and that is poor leadership.

References:

Axelrod, T. A. (2021, March 18). Newsom recall organizers submit 2.1 million signatures. The Hill. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/543803-california-recall-organizers-submit-21-million-signatures

Cao, S. C. (2020, December 15). Why Elon Musk And Other Tech Billionaires Are Leaving Silicon Valley For Texas. Observer.Com. https://observer.com/2020/12/elon-musk-tech-leaving-silicon-valley-for-texas-billionaires/#:~:text=At%20an%20event%20last%20week,it%20was%20not%20unexpected%20news.

Cuesta College. (2021). Critical Thinking: Recognizing Propaganda Techniques and Errors of Faulty Logic. https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/study_guides/critical_thinking/103_think_logic_errors.html

Rodriguez, J. R. (2020, August 9). Gone to Texas: Joe Rogan makes good on Texas move. KSAT.Com. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/08/09/gone-to-texas-joe-rogan-makes-good-on-move-to-texas/

Roos, M. R. (2021, March 16). Gavin Newsom Blames Proud Boys, QAnon for Recall Campaign As Deadline for Signatures Approaches. Microsoft News (MSN). https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gavin-newsom-blames-proud-boys-qanon-for-recall-campaign-as-deadline-for-signatures-approaches/ar-BB1eEdV2?li=BB141NW3