Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (D) Defeated A conservative campaign almost withdrew him in September 24 percentage points.
But A struggles to cope with the Golden State Increase in violent crime And outdoor Homeless camp In major cities, news critics Michael ShellenbergerA centrist writer and nonprofit leader, he sees a beginning of success where previous rivals have failed.
“I am just heartbroken to see the human tragedy on our roads, sidewalks, highways and parks,” Shellenberger told Halfpost. “It’s completely unnecessary.”
“It’s just a logical evolution of my support for reforming our policies on drugs, mental illness, housing, energy and education,” Shellenberger explained.
A Berkeley resident and founder of the Advocacy Group Environmental progressShellenberger wrote two books aimed at dismantling left-leaning righteousness from a moderate liberal perspective, which shares some of the broader goals of the left.
Shellenberger’s new Tom, “San Francisco: How Progressive Ruin Cities”. “Before accommodation” And the approach to reducing the loss of homelessness that he believes has simultaneously failed to improve the living standards of homeless people in California and has actively reduced the quality of life of the communities where these people live.
As an alternative, Schellenberger suggested that the state increase its capacity to provide safe, in-house beds for street dwellers, but also to practice a kind of “hard love” with drug addicts in order to get them out of drug addiction. Outdoor camps and medical facilities or shelters. He envisions merging state city, county, and state-level mental-health care agencies into a single entity, which he calls “Calpike,” which will efficiently locate resources in the state’s problem spots.
“The Beatles were wrong: you don’t need love,” Shellenberger said, summarizing his critique of the Left. “You also need hard work and discipline and rules and civility.”
Instead of a Republican-leaning state, Shellenberger cites the Netherlands, where he conducted research for “San Francisco” as his policy model.
“My goal is to make us look like Amsterdam, not like Houston,” he said.
Republicans have long denounced Newsom as an outspoken opportunist who seeks to adequately address left-wing experts and working groups to adequately address the state’s homelessness crisis and other problems.
In a deeply democratic state, Newsom has benefited from the conservatism of its opponents. One of the main reasons he was able to easily pass the 2021 withdrawal effort was that he could reliably portray his main rival, right-wing radio host Larry Elder, as Donald Trump Acolyte, who was too extreme for California.
What makes Schellenberger’s candidacy potentially unique is that he lacks the ideological baggage of Elder, or even State Sen. Brian Dahl, a conservative Republican and farmer who is challenging Newsom in the June 7 state non-partisan “jungle” primary. Instead Shellenberger is closer. In the character is New York Mayor Eric Adams (D), a moderate critic of some leftist doctrines.
Shellenberger supports abortion rights, gun safety controls, the 15 minimum wage, universal health care, the right to collective bargaining, and the option of imprisonment for drug-related violations.
Shellenberger said he was a registered Democrat until April 2021, when he switched to the California term for independent voters – “no party choice”. He was a vocal advocate for the withdrawal of Newsom, but supported the candidacy of former San Diego mayor Kevin Falconer, a moderate Republican whose vote was in favor of the withdrawal. Dwarf by Elder.
“California is a stigmatized gem,” Shellenberger said. “The threat is very serious. But on the contrary, we have everything we need to regain our former glory. “
“There’s no reason we can’t, but I think you need to be a little more liberal than what the Republicans are proposing,” he added.
“My goal is to make us look like Amsterdam, not Houston.”
– Michael Shellenberger, the center-right candidate for governor of California
Shellenberger focuses on criticism of Newsom – and leaves activists who he believes are highly influential in Newsom’s administration – on the way the governor has dealt with housing, crime, education, energy and environmental policy.
Shellenberger maintains that more funding is needed for better and more effective policing, not less. He opposes positive measures and public-school teacher tenure and supports a combination of dense urban housing and greater suburban development.
He is also an outspoken critic of some environmentalists’ opposition to nuclear energy and of what he sees as their irrational pessimism, which was the subject of his 2020 book, “Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Fear Hits Us All.”
“I oppose the invasion of civilization – be it in the form of radical ‘wake-ism’ from the extreme left, which seeks different rights for different people based on prey or oppression, or aggression. Has tried to legitimize and regularly invented wild conspiracy theories, ”he said.
Without the support of any major political party, Schনlenberger faces an ups and downs to exclude Newsom. Towards the end of 2021, News had a $ 25-million propaganda war book.
Shellenberger started late, Falconer decided to run after canceling a bid.
Although thanks to the relative lack of big-name candidates, Shellenberger hopes to come out second in California’s non-partisan, top-two primaries and then garner the support of centrist and conservative voters before the general election in November. He already has the backing of some of the state’s most influential technology industry figures, including WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who have made the legal maximum contribution to his promotion.
What’s more, Shellenberger sees signs that the tide is turning to leftist policies in California. Voters, for example, expelled three members of San Francisco’s left-wing school board in February, and efforts to recall left-wing San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Baudin appear to be evaporating this June.
And in Los Angeles, the mayoralty is dominated by controversy over how to deal with the city’s homelessness crisis. In that contest, Karen Bass (D), a progressive Republican, ranked some progressive activists with her hard-on-crime speech because she wanted to neutralize the candidacy of real estate billionaire Rick Caruso, who is a more conventional, center-right platform.
Shellenberger sees the rise of a non-partisan centralist coalition in California that he is ready to tap.
The real hope here is that I am the one who can try to bring people together on a common common sense agenda. [mental-health care]Shelter-first approaches for the homeless, and a wider choice of parents in education, as well as higher standards to ensure that disadvantaged children receive the education they need, ”he said.
Shellenberger’s candidacy is the first test of a diverse group of public intellectuals and media personalities who have been dubbed the “intellectual dark web” by journalist Barry Weiss – a friend of Shellenberger’s.
For intelligence, he plans to rely on both mainstream media outlets and less-conventional sources of news and commentary. Shellenberger was a special guest on Thursday’s episode of “Joe Rogan’s Experience,” where he had the opportunity to speak for about three hours about Rogan’s candidacy to an estimated 11 million listeners. (Schellenberger does not share Rogan’s doubts about the relative benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine.)
Shellenberger acknowledges, however, that his intelligent style and choice for policy discussion may require some adjustment when he hits the campaign trail.
“I’ve made a lot of prose,” he said, referring to his books and articles. “And now we have to turn it into poetry.”
