On Wednesday, MSNBC’s Morning Joe was so worried about embattled California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom losing his upcoming recall election that it brought on far-left Los Angeles Times columnist Jean Guerrero to hurl invective at the organizers of the effort and leading Republican contender Larry Elder. She ranted that the recall was fueled by “anti-immigrant nativists” who would spell doom for California and the Democratic Party.
“So what does this look like to you as you sort of handicap this race?...How’s this going to turn out?,” co-host Willie Geist asked the far-left pundit, who recently compared Elder to Ku Klux Klansman David Duke. Guerrero wailed: “I think it’s important to remember that this is a recall that was fundamentally launched by anti-immigrant nativists...the people who were angry with Gavin Newsom’s pro-immigrant stance are the people who launched this recall.”
She desperately tried to convince voters to back Newsom and reject the recall:
He has been the most pro-Latino governor that this state has ever seen according to immigrant rights leaders who I’ve spoken to. You know, he’s invested heavily in public education, which has helped working class Latinos. He has expanded health insurance to undocumented seniors and protected essential workers during the pandemic. He’s prioritized high-risk Latino areas for COVID vaccines.
Despite her assertions, the Democratic Party hack ignored polls showing California Latinos very divided on supporting Newsom.
Guerrero then denounced Elder for being “far to the right of Donald Trump on immigrant rights and racial justice issues.” She was particular aghast that the conservative Republican wanted to rollback radical left-wing policies like sanctuary laws, driver’s licenses, and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
Later in the discussion, Guerrero direly warned that Democrats across the country would be in serious trouble if Newsom lost:
So, you know, if the Republicans succeed in flipping the most pro-immigrant rights, pro-racial justice state in this country, it is going to set a nightmare precedent for black and Latino communities across the United States because it’s going to feature heavily in midterm ads, it’s going to embolden anti-immigrant xenophobic governors in other states, it is potentially going to stall immigration reform efforts in Congress and create questions around whether Latinos are a legitimately powerful political entity given that Newsom has done so much for Latino communities.
On that last point, if Newsom loses because Latino support for him evaporates, that would clearly reinforce their political influence.
Of course Guerrero was never challenged on any of her outrageous rhetoric against Elder or Republicans in general, she was just on to gin up the Democratic Party base ahead of an unusually close election that leftists are terrified of losing.
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Here is a transcript of the September 1 segment:
8:43 AM ET
WILLIE GEIST: I want to bring into the conversation columnist for the Los Angeles Times Jean Guerrero. Jean, great to have you with us this morning. So what does this look like to you as you sort of handicap this race? Obviously this is only the second time, as Jacob [Soboroff] pointed out, in the history of California that an effort, a recall effort got enough signatures to make it onto the ballot. Gray Davis was recalled in 2003, replaced with Arnold Schwarzenegger. How’s this going to turn out?
JEAN GUERRERO: Well, it’s unclear. I mean, it depends on how many people turn out. I think it’s important to remember that this is a recall that was fundamentally launched by anti-immigrant nativists. I mean, despite the fact that it has picked up steam among people who are frustrated for more legitimate reasons, the fact of the matter is that the people who were angry with Gavin Newsom’s pro-immigrant stance are the people who launched this recall.
He has been the most pro-Latino governor that this state has ever seen according to immigrant rights leaders who I’ve spoken to. You know, he’s invested heavily in public education, which has helped working class Latinos. He has expanded health insurance to undocumented seniors and protected essential workers during the pandemic. He’s prioritized high-risk Latino areas for COVID vaccines. And those are the reasons – I mean, when you look at the voter information guide that comes with the ballot – those are the reasons that the recall was launched.
And it’s important to remember as well that while Newsom is not perfect and there are legitimate reasons to potentially vote him out in the next legitimate, not anti-democratic election like this one, the alternative is Larry Elder, who is in fact, you know, far to the right of Donald Trump on immigrant rights and racial justice issues. He wants to reverse all of California’s progress on sanctuary laws. He wants to take away driver’s licenses from undocumented immigrants. He doesn’t believe in in-state tuition for Dreamers, he doesn’t even believe in birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in our Constitution. Larry Elder has made a career as a talk show host who denies the fact of systemic racism and he mentored Trump senior advisor Stephen Miller, who calls him his one true guide. So there’s a lot of reasons to be concerned about this recall election.
GEIST: Yeah, Jacob, there is a regularly scheduled gubernatorial election next year. In fact, the primary is only nine months away, in next June. But talking to people on the ground like you have been, Jacob, what is the impetus for those who are saying, “Yes, this governor should be recalled”? Many of the leaders who are launching it have pointed to restrictive mandates, shutting down of businesses and schools and masks and all the other things that have accompanied this pandemic, but what is the thrust of the argument against Governor Newsom?
JACOB SOBOROFF: Well, I think the Governor actually laid it out himself relatively well to me – this has been a horrendous 18 months in California for virtually everybody, including COVID, but not just limited to it. This is the most unequal state in the union when it comes to income inequality. I drove in this morning in Los Angeles past multiple homeless encampments of unhoused people. There are more unhoused people sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles County than anywhere else in the nation.
But I think Jean, you know, makes a really important point, Willie. These are big, big policy differences here, especially when it comes to issues like immigration. And, Jean, I just wanted to ask you, you mentioned it briefly, but I see on the shelf behind you, your book Hatemonger. You studied Stephen Miller extremely closely and Larry Elder essentially is a mentor to Stephen Miller. He appeared multiple times, as you’ve reported, on Larry Elder’s program. Stephen Miller of course one of the architects of the family separation policy that here in California and throughout the nation was sort of uniquely disavowed by Republicans and Democrats. What has Larry Elder said about the role Stephen Miller would play in a Larry Elder governorship in California?
GUERRERO: Well, according to correspondence that I obtained for my book, Hatemonger, he wants Stephen Miller to be President of the United States some day. He told Stephen Miller that. And as I mentioned before, Stephen Miller called Larry Elder his one true guide. When I interviewed Larry Elder for the book, Larry Elder told me that, you know, he defended Stephen Miller’s family separation policies.
As I mentioned, you know, he is very anti-immigration. And we’re not just talking about illegal immigration, I’m talking about legal immigration. He doesn’t believe people who are born in this country should be citizens if their parents don’t have their papers in order, which again is enshrined in the Constitution.
So, you know, if the Republicans succeed in flipping the most pro-immigrant rights, pro-racial justice state in this country, it is going to set a nightmare precedent for black and Latino communities across the United States because it’s going to feature heavily in midterm ads, it’s going to embolden anti-immigrant xenophobic governors in other states, it is potentially going to stall immigration reform efforts in Congress and create questions around whether Latinos are a legitimately powerful political entity given that Newsom has done so much for Latino communities. While it is, you know, as you mentioned, true that many Latinos are upset with Newsom because of how difficult it has been during the pandemic.
GEIST: Well, that election is 13 days away on September 14th. And as Jacob points out, much closer right now in the polling than Governor Newsom would like it to be. Jean Guerrero, columnist for the L.A. Times, thank you. Jacob, thank you as well.
