cawacko
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For those not from California, here's a run down on what's happening from our local progressive political reporter. Long story short, during the re-call Newsom promised to appt a black woman if an opening (i.e. something happened to Feinstein) occurred in the Senate. (Politicians don't like to take chances but it's interesting to think Newsom felt such at risk of losing that he had to make this promise).
There are three people running for Senate; Schiff, Porter & Lee. Newsom is saying he won't pick any person running for the Seat because that wouldn't be fair and wants to appoint a placeholder. Barbara Lee, a 77 year old black woman running for the Seat, said it is disrespectful to call a black woman a placeholder and that she as a black woman is at a disadvantage and thus appointing her to the seat would even out the race.
Gavin cannot run for President, especially against Harris, without at least some support of black women. Thus a conundrum of his own making.
Gavin Newsom is in a no-win situation with Dianne Feinstein replacement
The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein puts Gov. Gavin Newsom in a no-win position politically.
No matter who he appoints on an interim basis to replace her before California’s March 5 primary, Newsom is going to tick off someone.
His decisions won’t just have a short-term effect on the Senate and on California politics. If Black activists feel that Newsom hasn’t fully fulfilled his promise to choose a Black woman to replace Feinstein, it could cripple Newsom’s potential plans to seek national office after his term expires in 2026 — just as the 2028 presidential campaign will be kicking into gear.
Newsom’s promise has backed him into a corner.
A top-level Feinstein staffer, for example, could probably take over the role temporarily without much friction. So, too, could former Sen. Barbara Boxer, former Rep. Jackie Speier or a long-serving member of Congress such as Rep. Doris Matsui. After the death of Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2009, one of his former aides and former Democratic National Committee Chair Paul Kirk was appointed on an interim basis to replace him.
But they are now off the table, given Newsom’s promise.
Now that he’s committed to appointing a Black woman, he could pick someone who does not have high name recognition or a high-profile background but who could competently execute the job for a short period of time. On KQED’s “Forum” show Friday, Speier suggested appointing Angela Glover Blackwell, the founder of PolicyLink, an organization devoted to advancing racial and economic justice.
But there is mounting political pressure among many Black activists who want Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee, who has represented the East Bay in the state Legislature and the U.S. House for more than three decades.
Newsom won’t do that because Lee is running for Feinstein’s Senate seat, and he doesn’t want to tip the scales in her favor.
“It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away, I don’t want to tip the balance of that,” he said earlier this month on “Meet the Press.”
An appointment would be a significant boost for Lee.
Lee is trailing in polls and will never be able to raise enough money to keep pace with her top Democratic rivals, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, and build her statewide name recognition. Both Schiff and Porter are better known to voters, largely because they have built their profiles through their national TV exposure on cable news and have created viral moments on social media.
That’s never been Lee’s style. Plus, as Lee has told me on the Chronicle’s “It’s All Political on Fifth & Mission” podcast, it is harder for Black women to raise money nationally. Having “U.S. Senator” on the ballot next to her name could level the playing field for Lee.
But Newsom is not going to toss Lee the lifeline of an interim appointment. And that will put Newsom in a political quandary.
If he wants to run for president, one of his primary opponents is likely to be Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black person, first Indian American and first woman to serve in that position. He needs to get some support from Black women to compete with Harris.
If he doesn’t appoint Lee, Newsom risks alienating Black women, among the most loyal voters in the party, if he is perceived as disrespecting them.
If they turn against him, his presidential ambitions will be badly damaged, said Aimee Allison, an Oakland resident who founded She the People, a national group that works to advance women of color in politics.
“If he doesn’t support a Black woman, he will hurt his legacy and push Black women voters — a significant and critical voting bloc — to view him as someone who is unwilling to support us when it counts,” Allison told me this year.
Boxer, who served with Feinstein for 24 years in the Senate after they were first elected in 1992, told me Friday that Newsom should stick with his promise to appoint a Black woman.
But Boxer doesn’t think that appointing Lee would level the playing field for Lee against her rivals. It would give her an inappropriate advantage.
“That doesn’t level anything — if he picked one of the three,” Boxer said. “You have to stay out of it. It’s ridiculous. This is a hotly contested race. Why on earth would the sitting governor do that?”
Boxer has told the top Democrats in the race that she doesn’t plan to endorse any of them before the primary.
And forget other names being floated around for the interim gig, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. They all HAVE jobs. Why would they leave them for a temporary gig? Plus, they’ve all said that they don’t want to do it.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber has declined to comment on whether she would take the interim job. Weber has endorsed Lee for Senate.
Boxer said that because the interim gig would be a temporary one, Newsom doesn’t have to pick a political veteran. She declined to suggest any.
“This is a caretaker position. You don’t need someone who is super-experienced,” Boxer said. “This is an election year. What he needs to find is someone who will be a team player and get these bills across the line. I don’t think you need a seasoned person.”
Boxer said Newsom shouldn’t worry about getting blowback for his pick. Boxer said Bill Clinton once said that it is “better to be strong and wrong than weak and right.”
And he should be ready to accept the consequences.
“Whenever I had to make a tough decision,” Boxer said, “I knew that one-third of the people would love me for it, one-third of the people would hate me and one-third would say, ‘Who is Barbara Boxer? ’ ”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/newsom-feinstein-politics-18396515.php
There are three people running for Senate; Schiff, Porter & Lee. Newsom is saying he won't pick any person running for the Seat because that wouldn't be fair and wants to appoint a placeholder. Barbara Lee, a 77 year old black woman running for the Seat, said it is disrespectful to call a black woman a placeholder and that she as a black woman is at a disadvantage and thus appointing her to the seat would even out the race.
Gavin cannot run for President, especially against Harris, without at least some support of black women. Thus a conundrum of his own making.
Gavin Newsom is in a no-win situation with Dianne Feinstein replacement
The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein puts Gov. Gavin Newsom in a no-win position politically.
No matter who he appoints on an interim basis to replace her before California’s March 5 primary, Newsom is going to tick off someone.
His decisions won’t just have a short-term effect on the Senate and on California politics. If Black activists feel that Newsom hasn’t fully fulfilled his promise to choose a Black woman to replace Feinstein, it could cripple Newsom’s potential plans to seek national office after his term expires in 2026 — just as the 2028 presidential campaign will be kicking into gear.
Newsom’s promise has backed him into a corner.
A top-level Feinstein staffer, for example, could probably take over the role temporarily without much friction. So, too, could former Sen. Barbara Boxer, former Rep. Jackie Speier or a long-serving member of Congress such as Rep. Doris Matsui. After the death of Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2009, one of his former aides and former Democratic National Committee Chair Paul Kirk was appointed on an interim basis to replace him.
But they are now off the table, given Newsom’s promise.
Now that he’s committed to appointing a Black woman, he could pick someone who does not have high name recognition or a high-profile background but who could competently execute the job for a short period of time. On KQED’s “Forum” show Friday, Speier suggested appointing Angela Glover Blackwell, the founder of PolicyLink, an organization devoted to advancing racial and economic justice.
But there is mounting political pressure among many Black activists who want Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee, who has represented the East Bay in the state Legislature and the U.S. House for more than three decades.
Newsom won’t do that because Lee is running for Feinstein’s Senate seat, and he doesn’t want to tip the scales in her favor.
“It would be completely unfair to the Democrats that have worked their tail off. That primary is just a matter of months away, I don’t want to tip the balance of that,” he said earlier this month on “Meet the Press.”
An appointment would be a significant boost for Lee.
Lee is trailing in polls and will never be able to raise enough money to keep pace with her top Democratic rivals, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, and build her statewide name recognition. Both Schiff and Porter are better known to voters, largely because they have built their profiles through their national TV exposure on cable news and have created viral moments on social media.
That’s never been Lee’s style. Plus, as Lee has told me on the Chronicle’s “It’s All Political on Fifth & Mission” podcast, it is harder for Black women to raise money nationally. Having “U.S. Senator” on the ballot next to her name could level the playing field for Lee.
But Newsom is not going to toss Lee the lifeline of an interim appointment. And that will put Newsom in a political quandary.
If he wants to run for president, one of his primary opponents is likely to be Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black person, first Indian American and first woman to serve in that position. He needs to get some support from Black women to compete with Harris.
If he doesn’t appoint Lee, Newsom risks alienating Black women, among the most loyal voters in the party, if he is perceived as disrespecting them.
If they turn against him, his presidential ambitions will be badly damaged, said Aimee Allison, an Oakland resident who founded She the People, a national group that works to advance women of color in politics.
“If he doesn’t support a Black woman, he will hurt his legacy and push Black women voters — a significant and critical voting bloc — to view him as someone who is unwilling to support us when it counts,” Allison told me this year.
Boxer, who served with Feinstein for 24 years in the Senate after they were first elected in 1992, told me Friday that Newsom should stick with his promise to appoint a Black woman.
But Boxer doesn’t think that appointing Lee would level the playing field for Lee against her rivals. It would give her an inappropriate advantage.
“That doesn’t level anything — if he picked one of the three,” Boxer said. “You have to stay out of it. It’s ridiculous. This is a hotly contested race. Why on earth would the sitting governor do that?”
Boxer has told the top Democrats in the race that she doesn’t plan to endorse any of them before the primary.
And forget other names being floated around for the interim gig, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. They all HAVE jobs. Why would they leave them for a temporary gig? Plus, they’ve all said that they don’t want to do it.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber has declined to comment on whether she would take the interim job. Weber has endorsed Lee for Senate.
Boxer said that because the interim gig would be a temporary one, Newsom doesn’t have to pick a political veteran. She declined to suggest any.
“This is a caretaker position. You don’t need someone who is super-experienced,” Boxer said. “This is an election year. What he needs to find is someone who will be a team player and get these bills across the line. I don’t think you need a seasoned person.”
Boxer said Newsom shouldn’t worry about getting blowback for his pick. Boxer said Bill Clinton once said that it is “better to be strong and wrong than weak and right.”
And he should be ready to accept the consequences.
“Whenever I had to make a tough decision,” Boxer said, “I knew that one-third of the people would love me for it, one-third of the people would hate me and one-third would say, ‘Who is Barbara Boxer? ’ ”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/newsom-feinstein-politics-18396515.php