I AM in California and a registered Democrat since basic training in 1979. I have seen a lot of changes, both good and bad, for my state. I’m of Mexican descent and I am a San Diego native. I reside 14 miles from the International Border. I’m also a service connected USAF veteran. I’ve been watching this gubernatorial race very closely as I have anxiety about Newsom’s departure. I watched the debate and Steyer was the clear winner, especially where matters of ICE are concerned. While I respect Becerra and his leadership during the Biden presidency, I also feel concerned that maybe he tried slinging too much mud in Steyer’s direction regarding his investments over twenty years ago involving prisons. However, Becerra never addressed how many immigrant children were lost in the system and to this day have never been reunited with their families since Trump 1.0. That’s not on Steyer. If it were down to just Steyer and Becerra running, my vote would have to go to Steyer. I think, imho, that he’s redeemed himself. Also, I think that Mahan and Porter need to drop out and regroup for the next governor’s race. The two GOP candidates (I’m gonna try to be polite) would never have polled so high had Mahan and Porter (and the others that aren’t Becerra or Steyer) stepped aside. Mathematically, it makes more sense. I think more voters in California need to put it out there if they are like-minded as me. It’s dangerously close at this point and being close to the primaries, to California electing a Republican for governor. Does anyone remember The Governator??? Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Trump equivalent during his term insofar as he gave serious deep tax cuts to the extremely wealthy citizens here and don’t even get me started on what Ronald Reagan did my home state. If you think California has a homeless problem now, go back and look at the homeless problem back then. Immigrants were being profiled and deported immediately back then and lived in squalor in bushes near the fields where they worked. My own grandfather lived in fear of “Imigra” every day of his adult life because he could never prove he crossed the border legally, even though when he crossed with his uncle around the turn of the century, there weren’t the same immigration laws as there were after he’d already married my grandmother after WW1 and was raising their 11 children in the San Fernando Valley. They were always looking over their shoulder until he died of cancer in the mid 70’s. His cancer could’ve been easily cured, but he was too scared (until it was too late) to even seek medical attention because of Imigra. It’s called ICE now. For immigrants of any legal status, it’s a legitimate fear. Has been for decades. It’s why we need someone like Steyer who isn’t afraid to step up and not only abolish ICE, but lock these terrorists up for the criminal acts they’re committing. That, and see to it that immigrants will not have to live in fear of deportation for seeking medical treatment or sanctuary in general. I’m voting for him. If you’ve read this novela of a comment all the way through, I thank you.
Good grief. I haven't seen a Bulwark fumble this bad since Cathy Young repeatedly insisted that a 12yo girl who needed an abortion after Dobbs did not exist. You do know that the positions Steyers are now moving to are Becerra's positions from the beginning? And the advice being given to him by IATSE are things Becerra HAS BEEN DOING for a while now?
The billionaire is billionairing. Taking things from others because he can. And other people and orgs are hanging on his coat tails hoping for some crumbs. Steyer is simply not qualified to lead a state as large, as diverse in economics, industry and people, and as complex as California.
I'm a Californian and it seems to me that Steyer is trying to buy the governorship. He's been around here I don't know how many times? He comes across as arrogant and that he knows better. I noticed that he kept emphasizing Latinos and that's well and good, but what about the rest of California's people? And, I'm just surprised the CTA would even endorse this wolf in sheep's clothing.
I kind of give Steyer credit for being the only guy in the room willing to put his name out there to primary Joe Biden way before what was blatantly obvious at the time became acceptable conversation.
Steyer is an active environmentalist and a supporter of projects for underserved communities. All else being equal, he would have my vote, because I think he would be effective at dealing with some of California's worst problems.
But because of the chance that two Republicans might be the top two in the primary, I'll wait to the last few days to see what the polls look like, and then vote for the Democrat who looks likely to get the most votes. It'd be best if all the lower tier Dems would drop out, giving us a better chance to have both Steyer and Becerra win in the primary.
I am a Californian and am beyond disgusted by the Steyer campaign commercials that have taken over TV. I don’t watch much but the commercials are RELENTLESS and less than honest. He was going to “get rid of ICE” until Bacerra pointed out that the CA governor can’t get rid of a federal agency; he has talked about his funding of school lunches which the State of CA actually did. He could use his money to fund things directly and be a real mover and shaker; but instead he is funding a campaign to lead the FOURTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD with more than 39 million people with competing and important priorities with NO EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND ITS INHERENT POLITICS. Net net, MONEY THAT COULD FUND SEVERAL EFFECTIVE NON PROFITS IS GOING TO AD MAKERS, AD PLACERS, and SELLERS OF AD TIME. While this article does raise some important issues, it 1) dismisses them pretty quickly, and 2) focuses yet more attention on the man and his image. The CA election is not trivial nationally; if the Bulwark, of which I am a very early supporter, is going to cover it, PLEASE get someone who is or can be here and delve into the real complexities and mess that are both this election AND the position of CA as something other than just another (Latino-heavy) State. It is, in our system; but it is also approximately the same size in $$$ and people as the nation of Germany! Deserves better and more informed attention.
My state Massachusetts has a propensity for voting for Republicans in a blue blue state. We have elected Senators Brooks, and Brown. We have elected governors Weld, Cellucci, Swift, Romney, and Baker. Charlie Baker was so popular, he could have run for a third term and been re-elected. I know Former Bloomberg Ran as a Republican in NYC, and as a presidential candidate, however he was a lifelong Democrat, and behaved like one, only he was a billionaire which brings me to my quandary; Steyer is both a billionaire and a Republican, and this country has too many billionaires and Republicans who have no business in politics. Those Republicans who did not fare well misunderstood the people of Massachusetts; a very well educated population that is grounded in the rights of people, the Constitution, and fair treatment. Our Republican Party does not get this which is why the party fields poor candidates who do not get elected. If Steyer can be the person who could represent the blue state of California and stand up to the conventional Republicans and Tech billionaires he would be good for Californians. He needs to make the voters sure he means it. Trojan horses do not last in Massachusetts.
Personally I agree with Steyer on ICE. THEY ARE HITLER’S BROWN SHIRTS. Get rid of them and reorganize. They are terrorists. Tell me you don't think there is going to be a military coup. We have added 12,000 new ICE agents or brown shirts as Hitler would call them, for a total of 22,000. Republicans just added $70 billion for ICE and CBP. And, we now have 400 concentration camps. Steyer is right about ICE.
I am a Californian and am supporting Becerra. Yes, he has many flaws and is the establishment pick. But only after Swalwell left the race. I do not trust Steyer and this campaign in the central valley clinches it. He will not be able to keep those promises. He is too used to using his money to get things done. He doesn't have any government experience. I don't want another old rich man swooping and throwing his weight around; it's a poor model. Becerra has a great plan on healthcare that simplifies the coding process to actually reduce cost by reducing insurance administrative red tape. That's something real that can actually get done. He said he would arrest ICE agents breaking the law, not simply arrest every ICE agent. Again doable. In California, many ICE agents are Hispanic too. And not all of them are bent on violence. It's CPB that causes the most trouble. Steyer only started talking about it now. All of his bay area ads are only about the environment which is actually his bailiwick. But even there, he doesn't get legislation passed, he gets ballot initiatives passed by paying people to get signatures. You shouldn't be able to buy yourself into government. No to Steyer. If you are in CA, vote Becerra. He's the only one who has actually shown competence and we have seen how lack of competency destroys government. He implemented the COVID vaccine rollout which was amazing and in California got to the poorest neighborhoods by going door to door.
Shantha - not a Californian so no direct knowledge. In general, agree 100% w/your observation that Steyer is unlikely to deliver on "dropping the cost of rent, dropping the cost of health care, dropping the cost of electricity" - I'd like a pony and ice cream for all, but show me the detailed plan & budget. Otherwise, sounds kinda like Trump's 2024 campaign promises.
The ICE picture is a mess. In my opinion as well, CBP has been the primary group imposing disorder on American cities, with accent on the overmilitarized, undertrained, largely unsupervised 'BP'
Please see my other posts. I have chosen to donate to and campaign for Becerra. Check out his interview with the LAist. We need a competent, experienced government administrator, not another rich guy who buys his way and makes promises he can't keep, not a politician who is better on Twitter than at getting things done in the legislature, and not a mayor who has barely served two years and hasn't finished anything he started and is supported by AI money. Becerra has real plans to bring down administrative Healthcare costs. The others have fluff.
I don't live in California so I won't speak to who the best candidate may be. That is for Californians to decide.
What I will say is that Democrats really need to stop beating people up for decisions that they made more than 20 years ago if those people have apologized for and tried to rectify the decision. I was a different person 20 years ago. Most people were different people 20 years ago. So if Tom Steyer has legitimately spent the last 15 years trying to make up for the fact that he made a morally bad investment, especially by spending the money that that investment brought him on trying to undo some of that damage, then let's take him at his word that he is sorry and move on.
I just want to make sure leftists have this same charitable view of politicians who aren't endorsed by Bernie Sanders, cause I keep seeing Bernie Bros saying someone like Pete Buttigieg shouldn't be allowed in politics because he worked for McKinsey when he graduated from college. The far left seems very dug in on purity tests for moderate candidates while they're 100% willing to overlook things like investing in private prisons or having Nazi tattoos just so long as those people claim they've changed nowadays (though they have no voting record to lean on to prove it...)
Robin - was gonna post similar. If the knock on Steyer is his investment in CoreCivic, note that Adrian's date of 2004 is closer in time to the 1990's anti-crime era among Dems (including then-Senator Biden's oft-mentioned crime bill, Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991) than it was to Trump's first term 'children in cages' era. In 2004, privatization of government services had bi-partisan appeal. Under its original name, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), CoreCivic was happy to capitalize on those trends (literally 💰). Steyer wasn't so much making an anti-immigrant play, as just making money based on what was a growing market at that time.
As an old geezer, I've seen times change, attitudes & consciousness too. As I understand it, Steyer sold those investments when he left his firm in 2012. CCA had always had some immigration lock-ups in its portfolio but in those days (ya whippersnappers) the Big Hoosgow money was in owning/operating prisons for states. We still lock up way too many people, the change has been the more recent boondoggle of paying tax money to lock up non-dangerous people who are out of compliance with immigration law... to me, pretty clear case of waste, fraud, 'n' abuse
Anyone who would seriously cast a ballot for a billionaire deserves exactly what they get from them. As for whatever Steyer is saying on the campaign trail, the only difference between him and the rest of the politicians is he is beholden to fewer donors, but is no less out for personal enrichment. None of his election rhetoric will survive his inauguration if Cali makes the mistake of putting an oligarch in office, and he'll be having parties with Trump at whatever the new Epstein island is before the week is out whether he wins or loses.
I AM in California and a registered Democrat since basic training in 1979. I have seen a lot of changes, both good and bad, for my state. I’m of Mexican descent and I am a San Diego native. I reside 14 miles from the International Border. I’m also a service connected USAF veteran. I’ve been watching this gubernatorial race very closely as I have anxiety about Newsom’s departure. I watched the debate and Steyer was the clear winner, especially where matters of ICE are concerned. While I respect Becerra and his leadership during the Biden presidency, I also feel concerned that maybe he tried slinging too much mud in Steyer’s direction regarding his investments over twenty years ago involving prisons. However, Becerra never addressed how many immigrant children were lost in the system and to this day have never been reunited with their families since Trump 1.0. That’s not on Steyer. If it were down to just Steyer and Becerra running, my vote would have to go to Steyer. I think, imho, that he’s redeemed himself. Also, I think that Mahan and Porter need to drop out and regroup for the next governor’s race. The two GOP candidates (I’m gonna try to be polite) would never have polled so high had Mahan and Porter (and the others that aren’t Becerra or Steyer) stepped aside. Mathematically, it makes more sense. I think more voters in California need to put it out there if they are like-minded as me. It’s dangerously close at this point and being close to the primaries, to California electing a Republican for governor. Does anyone remember The Governator??? Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Trump equivalent during his term insofar as he gave serious deep tax cuts to the extremely wealthy citizens here and don’t even get me started on what Ronald Reagan did my home state. If you think California has a homeless problem now, go back and look at the homeless problem back then. Immigrants were being profiled and deported immediately back then and lived in squalor in bushes near the fields where they worked. My own grandfather lived in fear of “Imigra” every day of his adult life because he could never prove he crossed the border legally, even though when he crossed with his uncle around the turn of the century, there weren’t the same immigration laws as there were after he’d already married my grandmother after WW1 and was raising their 11 children in the San Fernando Valley. They were always looking over their shoulder until he died of cancer in the mid 70’s. His cancer could’ve been easily cured, but he was too scared (until it was too late) to even seek medical attention because of Imigra. It’s called ICE now. For immigrants of any legal status, it’s a legitimate fear. Has been for decades. It’s why we need someone like Steyer who isn’t afraid to step up and not only abolish ICE, but lock these terrorists up for the criminal acts they’re committing. That, and see to it that immigrants will not have to live in fear of deportation for seeking medical treatment or sanctuary in general. I’m voting for him. If you’ve read this novela of a comment all the way through, I thank you.
Can’t we do both?
Good grief. I haven't seen a Bulwark fumble this bad since Cathy Young repeatedly insisted that a 12yo girl who needed an abortion after Dobbs did not exist. You do know that the positions Steyers are now moving to are Becerra's positions from the beginning? And the advice being given to him by IATSE are things Becerra HAS BEEN DOING for a while now?
The billionaire is billionairing. Taking things from others because he can. And other people and orgs are hanging on his coat tails hoping for some crumbs. Steyer is simply not qualified to lead a state as large, as diverse in economics, industry and people, and as complex as California.
*Espina*, not IATSE, but they are doing the same thing.
If I could vote in California, I would not vote for a billionaire. Haven't we had enough of such folks? Katie Porter would be my choice.
I'm a Californian and it seems to me that Steyer is trying to buy the governorship. He's been around here I don't know how many times? He comes across as arrogant and that he knows better. I noticed that he kept emphasizing Latinos and that's well and good, but what about the rest of California's people? And, I'm just surprised the CTA would even endorse this wolf in sheep's clothing.
I kind of give Steyer credit for being the only guy in the room willing to put his name out there to primary Joe Biden way before what was blatantly obvious at the time became acceptable conversation.
Steyer is an active environmentalist and a supporter of projects for underserved communities. All else being equal, he would have my vote, because I think he would be effective at dealing with some of California's worst problems.
But because of the chance that two Republicans might be the top two in the primary, I'll wait to the last few days to see what the polls look like, and then vote for the Democrat who looks likely to get the most votes. It'd be best if all the lower tier Dems would drop out, giving us a better chance to have both Steyer and Becerra win in the primary.
For the Ice agents that murdered Rene Good and Petti I'm all for arrest and trial
I am a Californian and am beyond disgusted by the Steyer campaign commercials that have taken over TV. I don’t watch much but the commercials are RELENTLESS and less than honest. He was going to “get rid of ICE” until Bacerra pointed out that the CA governor can’t get rid of a federal agency; he has talked about his funding of school lunches which the State of CA actually did. He could use his money to fund things directly and be a real mover and shaker; but instead he is funding a campaign to lead the FOURTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD with more than 39 million people with competing and important priorities with NO EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND ITS INHERENT POLITICS. Net net, MONEY THAT COULD FUND SEVERAL EFFECTIVE NON PROFITS IS GOING TO AD MAKERS, AD PLACERS, and SELLERS OF AD TIME. While this article does raise some important issues, it 1) dismisses them pretty quickly, and 2) focuses yet more attention on the man and his image. The CA election is not trivial nationally; if the Bulwark, of which I am a very early supporter, is going to cover it, PLEASE get someone who is or can be here and delve into the real complexities and mess that are both this election AND the position of CA as something other than just another (Latino-heavy) State. It is, in our system; but it is also approximately the same size in $$$ and people as the nation of Germany! Deserves better and more informed attention.
My state Massachusetts has a propensity for voting for Republicans in a blue blue state. We have elected Senators Brooks, and Brown. We have elected governors Weld, Cellucci, Swift, Romney, and Baker. Charlie Baker was so popular, he could have run for a third term and been re-elected. I know Former Bloomberg Ran as a Republican in NYC, and as a presidential candidate, however he was a lifelong Democrat, and behaved like one, only he was a billionaire which brings me to my quandary; Steyer is both a billionaire and a Republican, and this country has too many billionaires and Republicans who have no business in politics. Those Republicans who did not fare well misunderstood the people of Massachusetts; a very well educated population that is grounded in the rights of people, the Constitution, and fair treatment. Our Republican Party does not get this which is why the party fields poor candidates who do not get elected. If Steyer can be the person who could represent the blue state of California and stand up to the conventional Republicans and Tech billionaires he would be good for Californians. He needs to make the voters sure he means it. Trojan horses do not last in Massachusetts.
He's not a Republican.
Agree with Steyer on ICE
Personally I agree with Steyer on ICE. THEY ARE HITLER’S BROWN SHIRTS. Get rid of them and reorganize. They are terrorists. Tell me you don't think there is going to be a military coup. We have added 12,000 new ICE agents or brown shirts as Hitler would call them, for a total of 22,000. Republicans just added $70 billion for ICE and CBP. And, we now have 400 concentration camps. Steyer is right about ICE.
Becerra is the former AG and promises to arrest ICE agents who break the law. That's what will actually work.
I am a Californian and am supporting Becerra. Yes, he has many flaws and is the establishment pick. But only after Swalwell left the race. I do not trust Steyer and this campaign in the central valley clinches it. He will not be able to keep those promises. He is too used to using his money to get things done. He doesn't have any government experience. I don't want another old rich man swooping and throwing his weight around; it's a poor model. Becerra has a great plan on healthcare that simplifies the coding process to actually reduce cost by reducing insurance administrative red tape. That's something real that can actually get done. He said he would arrest ICE agents breaking the law, not simply arrest every ICE agent. Again doable. In California, many ICE agents are Hispanic too. And not all of them are bent on violence. It's CPB that causes the most trouble. Steyer only started talking about it now. All of his bay area ads are only about the environment which is actually his bailiwick. But even there, he doesn't get legislation passed, he gets ballot initiatives passed by paying people to get signatures. You shouldn't be able to buy yourself into government. No to Steyer. If you are in CA, vote Becerra. He's the only one who has actually shown competence and we have seen how lack of competency destroys government. He implemented the COVID vaccine rollout which was amazing and in California got to the poorest neighborhoods by going door to door.
Shantha - not a Californian so no direct knowledge. In general, agree 100% w/your observation that Steyer is unlikely to deliver on "dropping the cost of rent, dropping the cost of health care, dropping the cost of electricity" - I'd like a pony and ice cream for all, but show me the detailed plan & budget. Otherwise, sounds kinda like Trump's 2024 campaign promises.
The ICE picture is a mess. In my opinion as well, CBP has been the primary group imposing disorder on American cities, with accent on the overmilitarized, undertrained, largely unsupervised 'BP'
Excellent piece. Very helpful as I educate myself on the candidates here in my home state CA.
Thanks Shanta. Will do. Stay involved. Hold whomever is elected accountable from day one.
Please see my other posts. I have chosen to donate to and campaign for Becerra. Check out his interview with the LAist. We need a competent, experienced government administrator, not another rich guy who buys his way and makes promises he can't keep, not a politician who is better on Twitter than at getting things done in the legislature, and not a mayor who has barely served two years and hasn't finished anything he started and is supported by AI money. Becerra has real plans to bring down administrative Healthcare costs. The others have fluff.
I don't live in California so I won't speak to who the best candidate may be. That is for Californians to decide.
What I will say is that Democrats really need to stop beating people up for decisions that they made more than 20 years ago if those people have apologized for and tried to rectify the decision. I was a different person 20 years ago. Most people were different people 20 years ago. So if Tom Steyer has legitimately spent the last 15 years trying to make up for the fact that he made a morally bad investment, especially by spending the money that that investment brought him on trying to undo some of that damage, then let's take him at his word that he is sorry and move on.
I just want to make sure leftists have this same charitable view of politicians who aren't endorsed by Bernie Sanders, cause I keep seeing Bernie Bros saying someone like Pete Buttigieg shouldn't be allowed in politics because he worked for McKinsey when he graduated from college. The far left seems very dug in on purity tests for moderate candidates while they're 100% willing to overlook things like investing in private prisons or having Nazi tattoos just so long as those people claim they've changed nowadays (though they have no voting record to lean on to prove it...)
Robin - was gonna post similar. If the knock on Steyer is his investment in CoreCivic, note that Adrian's date of 2004 is closer in time to the 1990's anti-crime era among Dems (including then-Senator Biden's oft-mentioned crime bill, Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991) than it was to Trump's first term 'children in cages' era. In 2004, privatization of government services had bi-partisan appeal. Under its original name, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), CoreCivic was happy to capitalize on those trends (literally 💰). Steyer wasn't so much making an anti-immigrant play, as just making money based on what was a growing market at that time.
As an old geezer, I've seen times change, attitudes & consciousness too. As I understand it, Steyer sold those investments when he left his firm in 2012. CCA had always had some immigration lock-ups in its portfolio but in those days (ya whippersnappers) the Big Hoosgow money was in owning/operating prisons for states. We still lock up way too many people, the change has been the more recent boondoggle of paying tax money to lock up non-dangerous people who are out of compliance with immigration law... to me, pretty clear case of waste, fraud, 'n' abuse
Anyone who would seriously cast a ballot for a billionaire deserves exactly what they get from them. As for whatever Steyer is saying on the campaign trail, the only difference between him and the rest of the politicians is he is beholden to fewer donors, but is no less out for personal enrichment. None of his election rhetoric will survive his inauguration if Cali makes the mistake of putting an oligarch in office, and he'll be having parties with Trump at whatever the new Epstein island is before the week is out whether he wins or loses.