Crane's Corner: 8-5-21 Elder... Statesman for California

It’s only one poll, but it’s a shocker. A survey of 11 hundred Californians, conducted by Surveys USA and The San Diego Union Tribune shows voters are not only poised to recall Governor Gavin Newsom, but by a wide margin. 49 percent want the Governor to Go, 40 percent want him to stay. That 11 percent of undecided voters could push Newsom out. 

In this 276 million dollar process, a bit less than 6 weeks away, voters are asked two questions. Should Newsom be recalled, and if that carries, who should take his place. Leading the pack of 46 candidates, a late entrant, and a surprising one; Larry Elder, an African American conservative radio talk show host and recurring guest on Fox News. Elder, an ivy league educated native of South Central L-A, says the fact he has no political experience is his strong suit, pointing to another political novice who did well by California, Ronald Reagan, who governed the state before rescuing America from Jimmy Carter and Iranian terrorists in 1980.

Elder has no fantasy of converting the mostly democrat current California government to his conservative agenda, but he believes his ability to veto progressive legislation can help turn California in the direction of common sense. His first priority is also high on the democrat agenda; easing the homeless crisis, Elder has been telling newspaper editorial boards on his first day in office he would declare a homeless emergency and suspend environmental rules to unleash developers to build housing for the displaced wherever it’s needed.

 He wants more charter schools and hopes to weed out lousy teachers through competition. Among the vaccinated,  Elder opposes mask and vaccination mandates saying if people don’t want to take the shot, it’s their right, while noting that if too many Californians don’t get on board, the state will be in the pandemic forever. Elder says the minimum wage should be zero---explaining that business people not only have the right to pay workers what they can afford to, they're smart enough to know labor costs are competitive, and will adjust as a function of the economy. He opposes abortion on demand, but says the question should be left to the states. Surprisingly he believes LBJ’s Great Society, designed to help black Americans out of poverty caused an explosion in welfare and the erosion of the traditional two parent family in the black community, which he sees as a national problem to this day.

If, as polls suggest Newsom’s sent packing and Elder’s the top vote getter will he be Reagan revisited or a non political disappointment like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Time will tell, but in the most expensive state to do business, a state with a failing education system and a draconian government that turns out hundreds of regressive and repressive laws each year, the view here is….let’s give Elder a chance.