California Snollygosters
Harry Truman once lamented that Dwight Eisenhower had given in to congressional "snollygosters", shrewd unprincipled politicians. That was his opinion, but the term aptly describes a lot of the candidates running for various offices in the Golden State.
Since the days of the Spanish conquistadors California has been a paradise in the minds of many. The Gold Rush of the 1840s, the arrival of the continental railroad in the 1860s, and the travels of Dust Bowl Okies seeking relief from the hostile conditions of the Midwest in the 1930s are emblematic of the magical draw the state had. Songs have been written about the lore of California. Who can forget the timeless “California Here I Come”, (right back where I started from) or the Mamas and Papas 60s hit “California Dreaming” (I'd be at home if I was in LA) and even Frank Sinatra’s forgettable classic “LA is My Lady”. But now the state is in such lousy condition, that it needs to make a transition back to its roots as the ultimate American destination.
A significant political primary race is happening in the state, the selection of two candidates for governor. The leading candidates are five Democrats and two Republicans, the top 2 vote getters, regardless of party, will run for the office in November. The democrats are left with quite a cast of characters now that the disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell has left the race. He was the favorite but due to allegations of sexual assault and other sexual misconduct, the only office that Eric is now running for is, from one law office to another seeking legal help.
That leaves the following Democrat contenders; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Congresswoman Katie Porter, billionaire Tom Steyer, former California Attorney General and Biden Cabinet Secretary of HHS Xavier Becerra, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. All of them are in lockstep with only slight variances in their vision for the future of California. Basically, they all think the state is doing well under current Democrat governance. Seriously.
When asked the following question “What is one word you would use to describe Gov. Newsom’s performance as governor?”, the one-word answers from this bunch were amazing. Their responses were “performative”, “bold”, “progressive”, “game-changing” and “incomplete” in the order listed above. The two leading Republicans, former Fox News Commentator Steve Hilton and San Bernadino Count Sheriff Chad Bianco responded with “failed” and “failure”. Both are strong advocates for course correction.
California is the only state dependent on oil coming through the Strait of Hormuz. Thanks to their fealty to the tree huggers, the majority Democrats have blocked every pipeline, transmission line and new refinery construction, turning the state into an energy deficient island. Meanwhile, the state is sitting on top of the 3rd largest oil reservoir in the United States. The recent closure of 2 refineries, which account for a third of the available gas in the state, has contributed to the pain at the pump for the state’s residents. As a result of gross energy mismanagement, California’s leading the Nation with the highest energy prices per gallon of gas fuel, 70 cents a gallon.
The Democrat candidates make no apologies for the highest individual state taxes in the nation, the rampant homelessness and continuing outmigration. Everything is Trump’s fault. In fact, if any watcher of the last debate had taken a shot of tequila every time one of them said “Trump”, the viewer would have been knee-walking drunk within a half hour. What they forget is that President Trump is also President of the states Californians are leaving for. He’s not the reason the state has epidemic outmigration, high taxes, high cost of living or homeless addicts populating the streets.
Because facts matter, California’s insane regulations, wasteful spending and coming fraud revelations have created a political environment that uncovers who is and who isn’t a “Snollygoster”. These existing Democrat “leaders” only seemed focused on the pursuit of personal power and not solutions that would make California once again the Golden State.
California is not alone. Across the Nation, with little or no effort, these unprincipled politicians are evident. They are resident in every state. Look no further than Minnesota Congresswoman Omar or Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy…a couple of beauties as Trump would say. They define the term…snollygoster.