On Tuesday, Californians delivered their punishing judgment on liberalism.
In San Francisco, voters dumped Chesa Boudin, the city’s progressive district attorney. This comes on the heels of last February’s recall of three school board members for lurching hard left. Meanwhile, down in Los Angeles, an ex-Republican made it into the mayoral run-off. Denizens of the Golden State also hit the mute button on the debate over Israel.
“Progressive prosecutor” has emerged as another oxymoron—along with jumbo shrimp and military intelligence. Safe streets are now in demand as crime and homelessness have come to haunt the affluent.
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Boudin’s resounding defeat and the school board recall augur badly for President Joe Biden and the Democrats. On top of rampant inflation and the possibility of recession, the party is being held to account for its cultural excesses and cluelessness as it careens toward the midterms.
Meanwhile, in the race for mayor of Los Angeles, Rick Caruso—a former Republican and a billionaire real estate developer—led Karen Bass, a favorite of progressives, by a narrow margin. The two will face each other in a November run-off.
Bass is the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. In 2017, she delivered a eulogy for a leader of the Communist Party USA. Three years later, Biden considered her as a possible running mate.
Caruso received backing from Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, and Snoop Dogg. Beyond that, he garnered the endorsement of Bill Bratton—Los Angeles’ and New York City’s legendary former police chief. To top it off, Caruso sits on the board of the Ronald Reagan Foundation. Reaching across the aisle and coalition politics are difficult, but not impossible.
Don’t bet against Caruso. In the 1990s, Los Angeles voted for Richard Riordan, a Republican. Meanwhile, Latino voters continue to sour on the Democrats.
As for the Middle East conflict, Long Beach’s pro-Israel Mayor Robert Garcia appears to have snagged the Democratic nomination for an open congressional seat in Southern California, and will likely face Republican John Briscoe. Consider the Democratic mayor to be the favorite in that race.
On the other hand, the big loser in that race was Cristina Garcia, a state legislator (no relation to the mayor). She underperformed expectations, and failed to advance to a run-off. Ms. Garcia voted against legislation that would have curbed anti-Israel boycotts, and referred to John Pérez, a former Assembly Speaker who is gay, as a “homo.” Being perceived as both anti-Israel tethered to being anti-gay was a bridge too far for too many.
Mayor Garcia framed matters this way: “For me, what’s really important about our relationship with Israel is Israel is the one place in the region where me, as an openly gay person, can walk around with my husband, and know that you are supported and that you are safe, and that you can be openly gay.”
To be sure, Israel will not be disappearing as a campaign issue. In the summer’s Michigan primary, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a founding member of the Squad and an anti-Israel firebrand, will face a primary challenge from Janice Winfrey, the Detroit City Clerk. Tlaib has voiced her opposition to Israel as a Jewish state, making her a minority of one in Congress.
Looking back, Benjamin Netanyahu’s feud with Barack Obama, America’s first Black president, left Israel and the Democrats both worse for the wear. Israel is now one more agenda item in America’s culture wars—along with guns, abortion, and critical race theory. Biden may end up being the last pro-Israel Democrat in the White House.
For the Democrats, the coffee has been burning for a while even as they prefer not to notice. Tlaib has yet to recant her demand for defunding the police. Bill de Blasio, New York City’s failed former mayor, is running for Congress in a late August primary. Jamaal Bowman, the hapless Squad member from the Bronx and Westchester, opposed the infrastructure bill—one of the president’s real accomplishments—while touting his own support for tax cuts for the rich.
With Donald Trump out of the White House and gas prices at record highs, Americans are not in a forgiving mood. Intellectual detachment and escapes from reality are no longer acceptable. The Jan. 6 Committee hearings will not save them. When the Democrats trail among Hispanic voters, they are marinated in crisis. Reckoning approaches. It’s not just about the contours of redistricting.
