"...then-Rep. Eric Swalwell, until he was forced to flee the race as well. "
I had just sent an email to you lauding you for generally remaining non-partisan in your newsletters, and in coming here to update my payment method for my subscription, that's a bit of snark in your use of the word "flee" - more neutrally but factually you could have just stated that "he was forced to withdraw from the race" or even include, "due to revelations (or accusations) of ongoing long-term sexual harassment."
Fwiw he was my representative for many years and projected a wholesome family man image, so you can imagine how bitterly disappointing it was to discover his true nature and that these accusations had been previously suppressed over the years. If not for his behavior, if he had truly been authentic, he could have been the next governor of California. Now the Dems have no better options except to choose between Becerra (a "typical" politician supported by oil interests) or Steyer (a billionaire viewed with skepticism despite his environmental and personal leanings).
I can't wait to read your coverage later this week of tomorrow's primaries! The primaries so far this cycle have shown a worrying trend of fringe candidates either winning outright (Ken Paxton), or doing surprisingly well (Maureen Galindo, and to a lesser extent, Lucia Simonelli).
Tomorrow should help reveal if these were flukes, or part of a larger pattern of both parties losing the ability to reject weak candidates.
It's definitely possible, and in the runoff in Texas with Maureen Galindo, outside money was very much a factor. But in most other primaries, I think we're seeing Democrats and Republicans willing to vote for candidates who style themselves as "fighters", even if they would actually be less likely to win a general election.
I read an article semi-recently about how speech writing has shifted from being a long format style of writing to short chunky bits that fit best into social media sound bites, which seems to be befitting of these weaker types of candidates, who don’t have a need for endurance or stamina when they can sound bite their way to office.
You write,
"...then-Rep. Eric Swalwell, until he was forced to flee the race as well. "
I had just sent an email to you lauding you for generally remaining non-partisan in your newsletters, and in coming here to update my payment method for my subscription, that's a bit of snark in your use of the word "flee" - more neutrally but factually you could have just stated that "he was forced to withdraw from the race" or even include, "due to revelations (or accusations) of ongoing long-term sexual harassment."
Fwiw he was my representative for many years and projected a wholesome family man image, so you can imagine how bitterly disappointing it was to discover his true nature and that these accusations had been previously suppressed over the years. If not for his behavior, if he had truly been authentic, he could have been the next governor of California. Now the Dems have no better options except to choose between Becerra (a "typical" politician supported by oil interests) or Steyer (a billionaire viewed with skepticism despite his environmental and personal leanings).
https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/the-case-for-climate-champion-tom-steyer-in-the-california-governors-race/
I can't wait to read your coverage later this week of tomorrow's primaries! The primaries so far this cycle have shown a worrying trend of fringe candidates either winning outright (Ken Paxton), or doing surprisingly well (Maureen Galindo, and to a lesser extent, Lucia Simonelli).
Tomorrow should help reveal if these were flukes, or part of a larger pattern of both parties losing the ability to reject weak candidates.
Could a third option be outside interests flooding elections with money to influence outcomes?
It's definitely possible, and in the runoff in Texas with Maureen Galindo, outside money was very much a factor. But in most other primaries, I think we're seeing Democrats and Republicans willing to vote for candidates who style themselves as "fighters", even if they would actually be less likely to win a general election.
I read an article semi-recently about how speech writing has shifted from being a long format style of writing to short chunky bits that fit best into social media sound bites, which seems to be befitting of these weaker types of candidates, who don’t have a need for endurance or stamina when they can sound bite their way to office.