Recently, I was driving through the Tower District in Fresno and noticed a campaign sign in the window of a popular bar that was filled with young people.
The sign supported a candidate for Governor in the California recall election, conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder, who has called the “ideal minimum wage, $0.00.” – no required minimum wage. Just let employers pay what they want.
Really? A local bar is asking its staff and patrons to support a guy who wants to eliminate the minimum wage in this state? How many of those patrons could pay for housing by just working for tips? But what are the odds that even five percent of the people partying in that bar – like millions of Californians – knew the details about this candidate’s policy platform?
People are tuned out of this election, which is exactly what conservatives want. Given the sky-high stakes of the Sept. 14 recall election, that’s pretty frightening.
As a grandmother of mixed race children, I fear the damage that could be done by this alternative candidate, who has repeatedly cited an outspoken white supremacist and told the LA Times that racism no longer exists in the United States.
It’s not like he’s a long-shot, either. Larry Elder is polling ahead of the other 45 “alternative” candidates who would suddenly be running the state if Gov. Gavin Newsom is recalled next month. Oh, and he also opposes birthright citizenship, a sanctuary state, and citizenship for Dreamers.
And what about California women? Elder believes it’s okay for bosses to ask female employees about their child-bearing plans so that employers can “protect their investment.” This guy has also said that women who choose to have children are not dedicated to their jobs and that some “women were too unattractive to be sexually assaulted.”
Did I forget to mention that this man also strongly opposes safe, legal abortion and wants Roe v. Wade to be overturned?
This recall election really scares me because people who support a progressive California are not paying attention to what’s happening – and so much of what all of us have fought for could go out the window if Gov. Newsom is recalled.
Tags: Gavin_Newsom, Recall_election, conservative_extremism, minimum_wage, Larry_Elder