We've noted California Democrat gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has lied repeatedly about his life story, for example, announcing in a September 30 CNN debate that his parents “came to this country with $12, and they settled in California.” He also told Ana Navarro his father came to America in his 20s with $12 in his pocket. But an obituary said his father was born in Sacramento.
On the front page of Thursday's New York Times, it was all puffery about Becerra's election making "history." The headline:
Becerra Could Make California History. He's Not Dwelling on It.
In the third column, there was a subhead: "Favored as First Latino Governor Since 1875." For Democrats, it's always about Diversity breakthroughs. When Republicans run minority candidates, that is never something to celebrate. Steve Hilton is an actual immigrant from Great Britain. His parents were actual immigrants from Hungary to Britain (who changed their name to Hilton).
Three reporters -- Laurel Rosenhall, Jennifer Medina, and Orlando Mayorquin -- make this puff piece all about the heritage. It began:
The table decorations at a Los Angeles event earlier this year told the story of the guest of honor, Xavier Becerra, a son of Mexican immigrants who has emerged as the front-runner to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
Colorful cards in the style of a Mexican lotería game represented his political rise, in Spanish, from El Congresista to El Fiscal General to El Secretario de Salud. The final card, El Gobernador, captured the hope of many of the Hispanic leaders at the event that Mr. Becerra would become California’s first Latino governor since 1875.
Those leaders have been more animated about the potential milestone than the candidate himself has been.
“I certainly am Latino, and I’m certainly proud of it,” Mr. Becerra said in an interview. “But identity has never been what has fueled my campaigns for office or public service.”
This is the Democrat playbook. They count on the reporters to play up the biography, allowing them to insist oh no, that's not what's fueled my campaign.
Like Becerra, the Times painted Becerra half-wrong as the "son of immigrants."
Mr. Becerra said his background as the son of immigrants had no bearing on his legal strategy but informed the “passion and the personal interest” he brought to such cases.
“I want to make sure I protect my mother’s right to vote,” he said. “My mother became a citizen when she came to this country.”
Later, they get it right -- after getting it wrong twice: "Mr. Becerra’s father was born in Sacramento, and then moved back to Mexico as a child before returning to the United States. Though Mr. Becerra has not focused much on Latino issues during the governor’s race, he has invoked his family history at almost every public appearance."
This is the whole point -- that Becerra is lying in all these invocations. It's still there on Becerra's campaign website: “Two immigrants with 12 dollars and a dream. Come to California in pursuit of a better life.” Remember this when they lecture about campaign misinformation.
