The 'big lie' has reached its lazy phase
Philip Bump
At both the 10,000- and 10-foot levels, there’s every reason to assume that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will not be recalled from office in this week’s election. At the 10,000-foot level, California is a heavily Democratic state, one that preferred Joe Biden to Donald Trump by a nearly 2-to-1 margin last year. As of this writing, more than half of the ballots that have been returned in the recall race come from Democrats.
At the 10-foot level, polling has consistently shown that Newsom is in a safe position, but for one outlier that wasn’t replicated. Polling from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) shows that more than half of likely voters approve of the job Newsom is doing as governor (plus-10 points on net), approve of the job he’s doing on the pandemic (plus-19), are more likely to say things would get worse than better if Newsom is recalled (plus-8) and oppose the recall effort itself (plus-19). Again, those are the likely voters, people who might be expected to return a ballot.
This is not the profile of an electorate that wants to hand control of the state over to a conservative radio host, Larry Elder, who is the preferred choice of only 26 percent of respondents when they’re asked whom they’d like to have replace Newsom. Newsom’s support is twice as robust as Elder’s, but, if the recall were to pass, Elder appears to be the most likely beneficiary, given the two-step process in California that allows a simple plurality to elect an official ousted by recall. But, again, there’s little reason to think that ouster will occur.
Once upon a time, the next part of this story would have been uncomplicated. Should Newsom win, Elder and the other candidates would offer gracious statements, some offering to work with the governor to ensure his success. Such statements can sting, but they are generally acknowledged as an important part of the post-election process, a recognition that the people have weighed in and that their opinion has been respected.
But, again, that was once upon a time. Now, in the ongoing aftermath of a 2020 presidential contest in which the losing candidate has rejected such niceties — and reality itself — Elder is already claiming that the election-he-hasn't-yet-lost was lost because of election fraud.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/the-big-lie-has-reached-its-lazy-phase/ar-AAOqQwX
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