I am truly grateful whenever any reader cares enough about what I write to truly engage. When that occurs, it is my privilege to share the conversation.
On Tuesday, a friend and faithful reader of this blog (it's really a newsletter) sent me an email. This was in advance of yesterday's post regarding California's recall election, which determines the fate of Gavin Newsom, who was elected in an undisputed election in 2018.
In the interest of fairness, I will share with you now, unedited, my friend's initial and follow-up comments, and my responses. You can decide for yourself the veracity of my friend's position, and those of the person he is advocating.
First, from Tuesday night, pre-post:
On Tuesday, a friend and faithful reader of this blog (it's really a newsletter) sent me an email. This was in advance of yesterday's post regarding California's recall election, which determines the fate of Gavin Newsom, who was elected in an undisputed election in 2018.
In the interest of fairness, I will share with you now, unedited, my friend's initial and follow-up comments, and my responses. You can decide for yourself the veracity of my friend's position, and those of the person he is advocating.
First, from Tuesday night, pre-post:
"Ever heard of this guy?" Michael Shellenberger's Substack On Why Newsom Must Go
I responded:
"This guy's blaming California's homeless problem on Newsom alone? That makes no sense.
And wait to you see today's blog!"
Then, early Wednesday, having not yet read Shellenberger's piece, I published my post on the recall.
My friend followed up to that post with this.
"Just a follow up….maybe you can just subscribe to Mike's blog to keep current and cut me out of the loop. If you so choose to read something from the other side and expand your limited view on the world?"
Shellenberger's Substack On Media Reporting on California's Problems
This particular friend loves to get me rolling, and I played along.
"You are fantastic - keep up the good work. Pretty easy to see the Republican strategy for 2022 and 2024, that being to hammer on inflation and crime. Maybe it's justified?
But just so I'm clear: are you on the side of elections counting or not? Are there crimes Newsom has committed that I've missed?
You and many may not like him. He may even be doing an awful job. That's doesn't warrant a recall. He was elected legally and in a free and fair election and I'm sorry some can't handle that.
It's not like Newsom tried to get a foreign government to interfere in a US election, or attempted to thwart the peaceful transfer of power after the most open and examined election in our history."
He replied:
"I have no opinion but one could argue that the question you are asking is the same asked over the last 4 years and that individual too, was not found guilty?
As far as the recall, isn’t it in the California Constitution….maybe we should change the law?"
I wanted to give my friend the last word, but the comparison to Tr*** and the verdicts on his impeachment trials won't let me. I have an apple (Tr***, Ukraine, and Insurrection), and I have an orange (Newsom, and California's ongoing and huge problems). Living here and having witnessed both, they are two different things.