Newsom didn't pick Barbara Lee, who is a black woman and who is running to win that Senate seat in the 2024 election. He'd said he didn't want to have an impact on that race. Presumably, Laphonza Butler is committed to completing Feinstein's term and not attempting reelection. Lee is behind in the polls, so by declining to boost Lee, Newsom helped Adam Schiff, who's been leading.
But Newsom’s spokesman denied that the Butler was bound not to enter the 2024 Senate race. Maybe Lee should support Butler. We're told Butler has been "a prolific fund-raiser at Emily’s List."
The NYT article also informs us that Laphonza Butler is a lesbian and that her background, unlike Feinstein's, was not privileged.
Born in Magnolia, Miss., Ms. Butler, whose father died when she was 16, told The New York Times in 2021 that their household was supported afterward by her mother, who worked, among other jobs, as a security guard, gas station cashier, home-care worker and teaching assistant. Ms. Butler attended a historically Black college, Jackson State University.
Before taking the job at Emily’s List, she spent nearly two decades at the Service Employees International Union, where she organized nurses and janitors before moving in 2009 to California, where she rose to eventually lead the largest union in California, a branch of S.E.I.U. representing 325,000 home-care workers. Her accomplishments in California included the passage of a $15 minimum wage....
She moved from California to the Washington, D.C., area when she became president of Emily’s List in 2021, and she will re-register as a voter in California, where she still owns a home, according to Mr. Newsom’s administration. Ms. Butler and her wife, Neneki, have a school-aged daughter.
I see that there is room to argue that Butler is not a resident of California. Who would want to make that argument?
ADDED: To answer that question of mine: Barbara Lee! The argument could be expanded into an accusation that Newsom is furthering white privilege: He's casting the black woman, Butler, in the role of a "caretaker," and, by avoiding Lee, an active candidate in the 2024 election, he's bolstered the prospects of the white man, Adam Schiff.
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86 comments:
Bad writing: "has been a fixture in California politics for nearly 15 years as a former leader of the state’s largest labor union."
She was the leader of the union during those 15 years, not the "former leader." She's the "former leader" now. I feel sorry for everyone who has to struggle through that.
Wonder if Newsom approached Kamala and she turned him down?
This is about the ‘Feinstein seat’ but I cringe at calling the establishment of an ever higher minimum wage an ‘accomplishment’. A minimum wage set above the market clearing rate for labor causes marginal workers to become or remain unemployed. It harms the most vulnerable workers at the bottom of the pay scale.
If an ever higher minimum wage is such an accomplishment why not raise it to $1 million/hr? We hashed all this out in the 20th century but now we’re doomed to repeat…
It looks like Gavvy Baby is upsetting California's apple cart: Barbara Lee is a historic black figure, by working on the presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, and as the only member of Congress who voted against going to war in Iraq. I know, until recently, Oakland California was devoted to her, and happy with her performance.
Emily’s List don't mean shit to them.
... by declining to boost Lee, Newsom helped Adam Schiff, who's been leading.
As far as I know, Newsome only promised that he would appoint a black woman to Feinstein's seat if it became vacant, not ensure that a black woman would be elected to the seat.
He named an activist fundraiser. So…sticking with the new norm.
By limiting himself to black females, Newsom excluded 15 out of 16 Americans, so it wouldn't really be fair if he had to find a real California resident, too.
Who would want to make that argument?
ADDED: To answer that question of mine: Barbara Lee!
Judging by my Twitter feed, every single person who doesn’t want her to succeed. It’s the simplest and most obvious weak spot.
Newsom is likely trying to move the very old Dem warhorses (with heavy baggage) out of the way. CA elections are usually contests between the loony left and the pragmatic left. Installing Ms. Butler surely gives her an edge in 2024, as some voters will perceive her as "fresh and clean, and on our team."
I expect her to become very comfortable with a senator's power within 3-6 months.
The "elites" choose their candidate to serve in whatever district or polity they find convenient. As a lifelong union organizer and Democratic partisan, she brings all the qualities to the job they need, and the fact that she is black and lesbian is the icing on the cake. To reach the top, she's probably pretty good on her feet in front of a camera and behind a mike, but I have no knowledge to bring to this.
Almost a perfect candidate, it seems. But promises have already been made, and dividing Black loyalties in favor of a character like Schiff tells you who really runs the party. It's very characteristic of the way these folks do the work. Divide and conquer, and take care of your people along the way.
Maryland resident appointed US Senator from California.
One thought: Napoleon Dynamite and Uncle Rico.
What is a woman? How does Newsom know Butler is one?
Baby killer and pervert, the new ideal of the American woman, whatever that is. Are they requiring a porn video for pervert ID?
Althouse’s fag hag feminism is now the spearhead of CIA coups and foreign wars and the wellspring of the insane trans movement to sterilize and mutilate kids. The 60s tactic of inciting hatred between men and women and dismantling orthodox Christianity and Judaism is now institutionalized in government and education. We have fag hag feminism to thank for several generations of feral kids rioting, looting and murdering.
Any plans to renounce the devil worship ideology, prof? I screwed up a lot when I was a kid, too. I understand how this happened. You had outstanding T&A when you were young. The temptation to manipulate and tweak men with your feminist bullshit was irresistible. Go ahead. Confess. You fucked up. I fucked up a lot when I was young, too. I go to confession. Try it.
Emily’s List- ‘Early Money is Like Yeast’. Well…make up our minds! Is a woman’s place not in the kitchen or not?
Bad writing: "has been a fixture in California politics for nearly 15 years as a former leader of the state’s largest labor union."
And so easy to fix, "as then leader of the state's largest labor union."
But, it's the NYT, so . . .
And she lives in, and registered to vote in Maryland last year. Another Carpetbagger Democrat. And of COURSE...she is BLACK and gay. Checks most of the boxes.
Congratulations to Democrat Gavin Newsom in filling an elected position with a preferred racial appointee. Gavin has learned well from his party's long history of racial preferences.
Black woman. My victim card trumps your competence.
We kicked Adam Schiff out of the "White Man" club a long time ago.
Are there no traditional Democrats to choose from? Those would be misguided but not malevolent. Take Hubert Humphrey as the model. Buckley had nice things to say about him in his obit. It's hard to imagine that for the current crop.
I'm not a Lee supporter, but if Newsome believed the next Senator should be a black woman he should have picked the black woman running. What does it mean to want the Senate seat to be filled by a black woman if he's not going to throw his support to the black woman running?
Can someone interpret Shouting Thomas's post for me? Please.
Democratic Candidate Checklist
Black? Check, as declared by the Governor (who apparently thinks of this as a qualification).
Ebonically-spelled first name? Check.
Gay or Lesbian? Check.
Politically Inexperienced? Check.
Still-to-be-determined:
Preferred Pronouns.
Preferred Grievances.
Behavioral / Criminal Issues.
For those ready to 'pounce' with the finger-pointing Racist! howl, there is a similarly-constructed list for use with John Fetterman that has most of the same checkpoints.
Maryland resident appointed US Senator from California.
What happened to "legal resident of the state she represents"?
This is going to work out well. Californians are getting exactly what they deserve. There is no one on the Dem side of that race worth voting for.
Shorter ST:
The world is in a state of chaos---and so am I!
Win win. Get's to virtue signal he's down with the struggle appointing a black woman, but eventually get's his intended senator in Schiff.
Well, he never said he would appoint a black woman from California.
"Her accomplishments in California included the passage of a $15 minimum wage."
You will note what she did NOT pass: A minimum wage pegged to inflation that automatically rises. $15/hour isn't even a living wage in 2023. You cannot even buy 3 gallons of gas with $15.
These people aren't our top people. They're not even middling intelligent. But they sure do like killing black babies so they'll always have a place in the Democrat Party - prime beneficiary of slavery in the United States.
"Her accomplishments in California included the passage of a $15 minimum wage."
You will note what she did NOT pass: A minimum wage pegged to inflation that automatically rises. $15/hour isn't even a living wage in 2023. You cannot even buy 3 gallons of gas with $15.
These people aren't our top people. They're not even middling intelligent. But they sure do like killing black babies so they'll always have a place in the Democrat Party - prime beneficiary of slavery in the United States.
“Can someone interpret Shouting Thomas's post for me? Please.”
Althouse’s fag hag feminism was the first fake victim identity politics movement, and the progenitor and model for all the fake victim movements that followed.
If you’re looking for the reason why being a pervert and baby killer is now the first requirement for high public office, Althouse’s devil worship ideology is your answer. It’s the state religion, and imperial war ideology.
With all the black lesbians in California he couldn’t find ONE that he liked?
Adam Schitt(D) -The White Left king of Lying liars who LIE.
Current requirements for becoming a US Senator:
1) Woman- check.
2) Black- check.
3) LBGTQ+- check.
4) Leader of major Democratic fundraising organization that 99.999% of Americans don't care a whit about- Check.
5) If no checks above, then: Stroke victim who can only wear baggy shorts and a hoodie. - Check
We do get the leaders we deserve. And...Gavin wants to be your President.
The best way to get a feel for the kind of unctuous, insincere, transactional politician Newsom is, is to watch video of him without the sound up. You miss none of the platitudinous talking points that someone like AOC utters, but you get to concentrate on how utterly inauthentic he is. A carbon-based deep fake. There's no way his people will allow him to debate RDS in a few weeks. He couldn't even handle Adam Carolla a few years ago.
The amount of cynicism in this calculated appointment will register on the Richter scale here in CA, even as Dems pretend to insist it's a "wonderful choice." For people like me, the best thing about it is that Feinstein's death and the new senator hit Adam Schiff the hardest. His path to the Senate now looks like Odysseus's journey to Ithaca.
Another Marxist in the US Senate to go with Bernie Sanders. Just great . Newsom just knee capped the declared candidates as the fix is in as she will run in 2024 as the incumbent (I guarantee it). Black, lesbian, and (allegedly) a great fundraiser who doesn’t live in CA and only spent a small part of her life in CA. But then again, Californians would vote for a rock on the ballot as the Dem operated educational system has programmed them to do so.
According to my sources, Newsome was just about to say, "Barbara Lee" when Phonzie whipped out her best power pose. Newsome was instantly rendered helpless and blurted out her name. Schiff extended his arms in a victorious V.
Did Esther Rolle decline the opportunity?
by working on the presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm
That was 50 years ago! So she's an old woman. A member of the gerontocracy. I agree she'd therefore fit right in!
Amazing that the rest of the country can watch California cities turn to complete shit, and this guy Gavin Newsome is actually taken seriously. There has to be and fraud / installation scam being planned for him to "win" the presidency in 2024. He's such a snake.
Between California cites, Philly, NY, Chicago, Milwaukee and the rest of our shitholes, it's just insane women flock to Democrats. The AWFLs are truly awful.
I don't find myself so concerned anymore about the inner city violence, looting, crime, and deterioration. I'm just hoping it can be contained to inside their city borders. There's NOTHING we can do. There is nothing any Democrat is going to do.
Just remember what happened last time Fonzie went to California.
An Emily’s List telemarketer called me a few months ago, claiming I’d given in the past and I should do so again.
@Breezy, what would have made my day would have been to engage the telemarketer for an extended period of time, at least an hour and preferably longer. That’s an hour or more when he isn’t able to wheedle money out of people who might be more susceptible to his pitch. Then I give the bastards my shutdown spiel.
I have my shutdown spiel prepared and mildly scripted. I complain about inflation — do they know what eggs and bacon cost dince Trump left office? I complain about my meager 401K being hammered by Biden’s policies. I remark how hard it is to pay for gas to go see my grandkids. Then I tell them I just can’t help them because I’m retired and have no money, I’m so sorry.
BTW, what sort of incel does telemarketing for Emily’s List? Can’t Emily’s List recruit women to do any work?
Adam Shithead will be the next Senator from CA - after this lady steps down. Not that it matters.
CA is a one party state. Almost all the "moderate" "pragmatic" Republicans who helped the Democrats take over, and who fought the "Rightwing" and "Reached accross the aisle" are now Democrats or dropped or moved out of state. The robot D's, minorities, and sainted "immigrants" who make up a majority of voters, just vote D no matter what and accept whatever the politburo gives them.
So, we get crap like this. But again it doesn't matter. The Senate D's all vote as a bloc on the orders of Schumer, with a couple fake "Moderates" who will break ranks on a handful of issues to get re-elected in WV or Arz.
CA is the future of the USA. But you don't want to believe that.
Like yeast indeed. The yeast infection goes to the Senate. She will piss our money away in the most painful way possible....I wonder if Arnold is thinking of making a Senate run. At seventy six, he's a little young for such a position, but he does have experience as California's governor. He's probably not the first choice of many here, but he's got a shot at winning. In the context of California politics, he's about the best you can hope for.
Like yeast indeed. The yeast infection goes to the Senate. She will piss our money away in the most painful way possible....I wonder if Arnold is thinking of making a Senate run. At seventy six, he's a little young for such a position, but he does have experience as California's governor. He's probably not the first choice of many here, but he's got a shot at winning. In the context of California politics, he's about the best you can hope for.
I thought it was a joke name at first.
Wasn't this the name of Kip's girlfriend in Napoleon Dynamite?
Black people will not be taken seriously in positions of power until parents start naming their kids Bob or Cindy.
Newsome took 94% (in theory) of the population out of the running.
How in the fuck can he ever say he chose the best person?
Seen on X yesterday:
As is traditional, Feinstein’s legislative staff will be entombed with her to help her with legislative markup, scheduling, and constituent services in the next life.
"How in the fuck can he ever say he chose the best person?"
Doesn't matter. Democrats will believe him anyway.
When a member an underrepresented group is appointed to a prestigious position (senator, SCOTUS, ...), credit goes to two parties: The appointee for being deserving of that position, and the appointer for being progressive in selecting that candidate.
Announcing in advance that the candidate will be chosen from a particular group shifts a lot of the credit from the appointee to the appointer.
Dave Begley said...
Maryland resident appointed US Senator from California.
No more surprising than the voters of New York electing Arkansas resident Hillary Clinton to the United States Senate.
I think African American women of color trumps Black woman.
Lucien said...
"By limiting himself to black females, Newsom excluded 15 out of 16 Americans..."
The ratio is actually more tilted than that. Just 5% of Californians are black. Assuming a 50/50 gender ratio (*), that means he limited himself to just one in forty Californians. Small wonder he went out of state.
(*) - Yes, I know.
I for one will be holding my breath waiting for Fetterman and other Ds to "troll" the Phonz for having a home in Maryland.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/07/magazine/dr-oz-pennsylvania-senate-race.html#:~:text=Fetterman%20tweeted%20a%20tip%3A%20%E2%80%9CDon,OZ.
I think Kip's girlfriend was LaFonda...
Of course a lesbian is president of Emily's List. Of course.
If she’s not a resident (and it appears very clear that while she is a former resident she is not a current resident) why would anyone have to hesitate to make that argument?
When we are in crisis because of our crummy leaders, it's pathetic that the Dems want Schiff, the worst congressman to be senator.
The oxymoronic juxtaposition of Democrats, labor unions, and immigration reform (i.e. labor arbitrage, democratic gerrymandering).
The nexus of diversity and transgender spectrum. Who's the father? If her daughter is natural born, I suppose a male donor's sperm injection, is better than a rent-a-womb used to satisfy the male cisgender transgender couplet's ego.
10/2/23, 8:34 AM
Blogger Temujin said...
Current requirements for becoming a US Senator:
1) Woman- check.
2) Black- check.
3) LBGTQ+- check.
4) Leader of major Democratic fundraising organization that 99.999% of Americans don't care a whit about- Check.
5) If no checks above, then: Stroke victim who can only wear baggy shorts and a hoodie. - Check
We do get the leaders we deserve. And...Gavin wants to be your President.
10/2/23, 8:35 AM
I declare I fulfill all of those qualifications! I also declare that all posters here also fulfill all of those qualifications. We'll arm wrestle to see who most qualified for CA senator. No CA residency required.
Well, at least she's not an Ivy-leaguer.
Home-girl from The Sip.
"I declare I fulfill all of those qualifications!"
I am Spartacus!
Even if you accept the notion that race/gender/sexual orientation are the most important criteria for a US Senator why is Newsom pandering to blacks? The largest ethnic group in California is Hispanics, who outnumber non Hispanic whites 40% to 35%. Blacks are only about 6% of the state’s population and are outnumbered by asians more than 2 to 1.
Re: Laphonza Butler:
It’s like the Democrat version of the movie “Weird Science,” only instead of Kelly LeBrock, they got a Black Lesbian High Priestess of Moloch.
What happened to "legal resident of the state she represents"?
Don't think about it as elected representation. Consider it more a conferred title of nobility.
Amadeus 48 said...
"This is going to work out well. Californians are getting exactly what they deserve. There is no one on the Dem side of that race worth voting for."
It's even worse than that. A few years ago the Democrats switched California to an open primary and the two candidates who get the most votes advance to the general election, no matter what party they are.
Because the Democrats have a supermajority in California, that means that when the general election rolls around, we almost always have to chose between two Democrats for all the statewide offices. So I'll probably have to choose between Porter and Schiff. (Both terrible candidates.)
Barbara Lee is old!
77 years old.
If you are going for the youth vote in Cali
go with lesbian and pro-abortion
Laphonza Butler
she's pretty and young
and not a Black Panther groupie from the 1970's
who is old, old, old
Pick somebody from the Black Panther movie, not the Black Panther hit squad.
And we all know heterosexuality is so 20th century.
oh my God, she's a breeder!
so ancient
lesbian is the new black
She was just put on a list of most powerful women who live in Washington, D.C.:
https://twitchy.com/samj/2023/10/02/would-you-look-at-that-new-ca-sen-laphonza-butler-just-made-list-of-the-most-powerful-women-in-dc-n2388033
So, no, she does not live in California, at least not anymore. And she did not pretend to live in California until, like, this morning.
So, this notion of pledging to consider only a Black woman for a significant political appointment seems to have become a Dem thing -- Biden with Kamala and now Newsome with Butler. My guess is that other Dems have been doing the same, although I haven't looked to see if that guess is right. An up-front commitment like that would be a problem under Title VII in any other employment context, since an employer's statement that it would only consider persons of a particular sex/race necessarily discriminates against persons of all other sexes/races. And SFFA v. Harvard/UNC establishes that it would be a violation in other contexts too. But perhaps it's an upside that at least Biden and Newsome know how to distinguish men from women, even though they aren't biologists.
Strange how overt, in-your-ace sex/racial discrimination has become a political virtue (perhaps a political requirement) for the Dems, provided its the right kind of discrimination. Heads would explode if a president (or anyone else) committed in advance only to consider white men for any position.
A resident of a blue state has been appointed Senator of a blue state. Nothing to see here.
A blue state resident was selected for a blue state Senate seat, so no residency issues exist.
Whomever she is doesn't matter.
The most dangerous person in California remains Scott Wiener.
Because the Democrats have a supermajority in California, that means that when the general election rolls around, we almost always have to chose between two Democrats for all the statewide offices. So I'll probably have to choose between Porter and Schiff. (Both terrible candidates.)
Use the write-in option, "Reject." I plan to do that for all unopposed judicial races. Judges are supposed to be elected, but they pull a switch-aroo. A retiring judge will not announce that prior to the filing deadline. Instead he/she will announce after the deadline, the governor will then appoint a judge for that seat. The new judge is then an incumbent, and few lawyers want to anger a sitting judge by running against said judge. So, most races are unopposed and meaningless.
So I'll probably have to choose between Porter and Schiff. (Both terrible candidates.)
You do realize you're not required to vote for either one of them.
I also viewed this choice as greasing the way for Schiff.
If Butler runs, she divides the black lady vote with Lee, and Schiff wins the primary and gets to run against a Republican in the general election heads up.
If Butler doesn't run, then nothing has changed- Schiff still has to beat Lee and will still likely have to beat her in the general election, too. Lee vs Schiff in the general election isn't easy to predict- Schiff is despised by Republicans who can be convinced to vote for Lee as revenge on Schiff. In fact, were I a Republican voter in CA, I wouldn't even bother with voting for a Republican candidate- I would vote for Lee in the primary.
"She moved from California to the Washington, D.C., area when she became president of Emily’s List in 2021, and she will re-register as a voter in California, where she still owns a home, according to Mr. Newsom’s administration."
I don't know how it works in California, but for Minnesota snowbirds, who have a summer home in Minnesota and a winter home down in Florida or Arizona, the residency requirement to determine their taxes and voter registrations are determined by where they resided 50% and a day during that year. If I live in Florida for 183 days, and in Minnesota for 182 days, per Minnesota, I am a Florida resident.
African American women of color trumps Black woman
Black transgender Afro-American trumps black Afro-American trumps white Afro-American trumps albino - see the rainbow - Afro-American. A hierarchy of Democrat leverage and phobias.
Has Laphonza Butler ever vacationed in RUSSIA!?
Couldn't they have just found a black, left-handed lesbian in a wheelchair?
Instead of getting a three-fer, they could have had a five-fer.
"As is traditional, Feinstein’s legislative staff will be entombed with her to help her with legislative markup, scheduling, and constituent services in the next life."
One could could only hope.
"Even if you accept the notion that race/gender/sexual orientation are the most important criteria for a US Senator why is Newsom pandering to blacks?"
Why is everyone pandering to black? They are the most privileged people in the US. Crack was born 40 years too soon.
It was probably easier to find a negress in Maryland than in California.
So, no, she does not live in California, at least not anymore. And she did not pretend to live in California until, like, this morning.
Yesterday, relying on what I had read online, I commented that she and her wife and daughter lived in LA. That may have been true once, but not at the time Gavin Newsom made his selection. And here I thought I was pretty skeptical about things I read online. Not nearly enough, it seems, not nearly enough.
Butler's appointment only lasts until March of 2024. Then there will be a special election to fill the seat for the rest of the term, which is until January 2025. She will mostly likely run in that special election and win it. On that same ballot will be the primary for the next six year term of office for that seat. She almost certainly will not be on the ballot for that. Lee and Schiff will probably win that primary and face each other in the general election in November 2024. The winner of that election will sit in the Senate from January 2025 to January 2031.
None of this really matters. Everyone who has a chance of sitting in that seat will vote exactly the same.
What a choice down the road: Adam Schitt or Katie Porker.
We in California remain well-fucked
Here’s the Constitutional requirement for residency.
“No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.“
Obviously, by its terms that only applies to men. But I do see an intriguing legal question as to what “when elected” means in the case of an appointment.
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