MSNBC’s The ReidOut host Joy Reid continued the liberal media’s meltdown over the possibility of Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) losing Tuesday’s recall election, warning Friday that Republican candidate Larry Elder would not only bring a far-right vision to California, but he will have exploited recall process with help from “right-wing activists” and “wealthy conservative donors” to infect Californians with deadly bouts of COVID.
Reid opened by bragging about improving polls for Newsom because of what The Los Angeles Times called “a referendum on Trumpism,” adding she meant it translated into scaring voters that Elder “would turn the great state of California into another Texas or Florida.”
Reid then painted a brief, cartoonish sketch of Elder, making no mention of the state’s crime, sagging economy, and shrinking population (among any number of issues):
Elder opposes vaccine and mask requirements. He thinks the minimum wage should be zero. He said it’s smart for women to tolerate crude behavior in the workplace. And he’s argued that the descendants of slaveholders, well, they’re the ones who deserve reparations. No joke. Those are the stakes on Tuesday.
She also dismissed disapproval of Newsom in the Golden State as Astroturf, spitting on the face of millions of California by dubbing recall as “nothing more than a Republican power grab organized by right-wing activists and financed by wealthy conservative donors.”
After bringing in Newsom predecessor and former Governor Jerry Brown (D), Reid lamented that the state’s recall rules are unfair because “very wealthy right-wing interests” have hijacked “the state with this recall.” Brown agreed, saying the rules need to be changed to make recalls harder (click “expand”):
REID: I have to say, California is such a progressive state in some ways, but, in some ways, it is a very scary state. These recalls — FiveThirtyEight wrote today that: “California’s recall process is one of the most lenient in the country. Of the 29 recall elections for state legislators that have had — that have taken place in the United States, nine have been in California. And after Tuesday, two of the nation’s four gubernatorial recall elections will have taken place in that state.” When you look at the people who are funding this recall, very wealthy right-wing interests, does it worry you that it’s been so easy for them to jeopardize the state with this recall?
BROWN: Yeah, it is — it is worrisome and I think we’re seeing more recalls because we’ve seen more money and over the last few decades, and, increasingly, over time, more and more money is available, particularly on the right. It’s available from many corners. So, it would be inconceivable 30 or 40 years ago to think of a successful recall. So, it’s all about money and maybe there’s some way that the requirements can be increased, so we don’t have to go through this nonsense[.]
Reid continued down this line that the election was illegitimate, griping that it’s been proof that Republicans control the state: “[I]t is the ultimate in sort of minority rule, right?”
Elder was also branded with one of Reid’s newer and more gruesome character traits in the vein of the late Ed Schultz, which has been that conservatives and Republicans who oppose lockdowns, multiple masks, and vaccine mandates wanted to do everything in their power to work with Covid to purposefully kill as many people as possible.
After insisting California’s death rate was due to “smart policies” in contrast to Florida and Texas, Reid ghoulishly claimed Elder “could come in and basically force California to get more COVID and more COVID deaths.”
Brown didn’t directly entertain that view, but downplayed the intelligence of voters, saying some people have just needed to blow off “some steam” before letting Newsom continuing running Sacramento (click “expand”):
Look, the way it is today, there’s a lot of discontent, discontent about the vaccine, discontent for the loss of jobs, probably discontent over Afghanistan, all sorts of things, both local, state, and federal. Therefore, if you just start in kind of in a vacuum and say, are you happy, people are gonna say, no, I’m not happy, darn it? Let’s change. So that was the basis of the recall getting some steam. But once they understand that change is much worse, and — and not what people want, then they say no and that’s what’s going to happen. It’s no. Newsom will be resoundingly retained and I think California will go on its way uninfluenced by the characters who are getting their moment of glory in this recall. Crazy.
(....)
He likes to use provocative language cause he is a provocateur. That’s why he’s good at talk radio, but he’s certainly not good at government and the people have figured that out by now.
Reid’s ugly rhetoric was made possible thanks to the endorsement of advertisers such as Discover, GMC, and Safelite Auto Glass. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from September 10, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s The ReidOut
September 10, 2021
7:38 p.m. EasternJOY REID: With the California recall vote just days away, there are some encouraging signs for Governor Gavin Newsom. A new poll from U.C. Berkeley shows a whopping 60 percent of registered voters say they oppose recalling Newsom. That number was hovering at 50 percent just six weeks ago. The Los Angeles Times reports that the turnaround is thanks in part to Newsom’s effort to redefine the recall campaign as a referendum on Trumpism. I guess it helps that Newsom’s leading opponent is Larry Elder, the conservative talk radio host and Trump fan who has made it clear he would turn the great state of California into another Texas or Florida. Elder opposes vaccine and mask requirements. He thinks the minimum wage should be zero. He said it’s smart for women to tolerate crude behavior in the workplace. And he’s argued that the descendants of slaveholders, well, they’re the ones who deserve reparations. No joke. Those are the stakes on Tuesday. Now, that’s not to mention that Elder has also embraced the Big Lie and is already questioning the legitimacy of the vote next Tuesday, claiming it’s all rigged. And he’s actually said that Stephen Miller, the anti-immigrant former Trump adviser, should be president of the United States. That means that, if anything should to Dianne Feinstein — let’s say that she retired — a Governor Elder could appoint Miller to the United States Senate. Of course, the recall itself is nothing more than a Republican power grab organized by right-wing activists and financed by wealthy conservative donors. Among those who funded the recall, there’s Geoffrey Palmer, a luxury condo developer who opposes affordable housing, John Kruger, an opponent of COVID restrictions in churches who used a shell company to hide his identity. And Mike Huckabee even chipped in almost a quarter-of-a-million bucks through his PAC. Then you have got some venture capitalists and oil and gas companies, some private equity investors, and you get the idea. Joining me now on the phone is Jerry Brown, who served 16 years as governor of California. Governor Brown, I have to say, California is such a progressive state in some ways, but, in some ways, it is a very scary state. These recalls — FiveThirtyEight wrote today that: “California’s recall process is one of the most lenient in the country. Of the 29 recall elections for state legislators that have had — that have taken place in the United States, nine have been in California. And after Tuesday, two of the nation’s four gubernatorial recall elections will have taken place in that state.” When you look at the people who are funding this recall, very wealthy right-wing interests, does it worry you that it’s been so easy for them to jeopardize the state with this recall?
FORMER GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN (D-CA): Yeah, it is — it is worrisome and I think we’re seeing more recalls because we’ve seen more money and over the last few decades, and, increasingly, over time, more and more money is available, particularly on the right. It’s available from many corners. So, it would be inconceivable 30 or 40 years ago to think of a successful recall. So, it’s all about money and maybe there’s some way that the requirements can be increased, so we don’t have to go through this nonsense, because there’s an election in another year, where all these same issues will be relitigated. So, it’s just there’s a lot of discontent in politics, very big polarization. So, it isn’t too hard to get 12 percent of the people to sign a recall for almost anything. And that’s really the dilemma here, that the polarization, the antipathy toward anything on the part of somebody can translate into this crazy recall, but I think, as more information came out, it’s very obvious the recall is going down.
REID: Yeah.
BROWN: People don’t want what the recall backers want. And they don’t want what these leading recall candidates are offering. It’s kind of going back, I don’t know, to the 1920s. Very crazy.
REID: Yeah.
BROWN: And it only worked because nobody knew what the stakes were or who were these characters who want to be governor if the recall could ever go through.
REID: Right. I mean, it is the ultimate in sort of minority rule, right? I doubt that very many Californians want to be Texas or Florida, and have their numbers. We pulled — our wonderful producer here pulled the numbers here. The national average for COVID deaths per 100,000 people is 202. California is below that average because of, you know, smart policies to try to stop COVID. Texas and Florida are both well over the average. Look at Florida peeking out there at 225 per 100,000. I mean, the idea that somebody like Larry Elder could come in and basically force California to get more COVID and more COVID deaths, what do you do — do you think that that message has gotten through?
BROWN: Well, the message is getting through, who Elder is, what the recall is all about. Look, the way it is today, there’s a lot of discontent, discontent about the vaccine, discontent for the loss of jobs, probably discontent over Afghanistan, all sorts of things, both local, state, and federal. Therefore, if you just start in kind of in a vacuum and say, are you happy, people are gonna say, no, I’m not happy, darn it? Let’s change. So that was the basis of the recall getting some steam. But once they understand that change is much worse, and — and not what people want, then they say no and that’s what’s going to happen. It’s no. Newsom will be resoundingly retained and I think California will go on its way uninfluenced by the characters who are getting their moment of glory in this recall. Crazy.
REID: Yeah, let me — let me just — this is — I don’t even know if I have a question for it, but here’s an ad. This is one of the Larry Elder ads. It’s real weird.
[ELDER AD]
REID: I don’t even know if I have a question for it, but what do you make of that tactic, going after him because I guess he’s handsome? I mean, do — listen, you’ve dated a famous person. You dated the beautiful Linda Ronstadt back in the day. So, I hope you don’t mind me asking what you think of that tactic.
BROWN: Well, it’s characteristic. This guy Elder, I was on his talk show 10 years ago, and we were talking about the high-speed rail. And I said something, well, you don’t even believe in public infrastructure. He says, you want — kiss my behind. He used another word, by the way. I — no, I didn’t. I didn’t say that. He likes to use provocative language cause he is a provocateur. That’s why he’s good at talk radio, but he’s certainly not good at government and the people have figured that out by now.
REID: There are a few roadblocks that are potentially there for the governor, as you said, people’s just sort of general maybe unhappiness, maybe low turnout.
