Commentary: California’s Legacy of Political Influence on America

by Richard Truesdell and Keith Lehmann

California has finally arrived. A former California attorney general and U.S. senator is at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket. It’s the culmination of generations of California politicians who have had an outsize influence on American politics and culture, and now, once again, they’re on the verge of taking the highest political office in the free world.

“California is having its moment” said Don Sipple, a California political strategist. More specifically, nationally, California has had its share of moments over the decades.

coming from California Richard Nixon became the 37th president in 1968 after losing to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Nixon was already a known commodity, having served as vice president under Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and been re-elected in 1956. Nixon’s rise to prominence was largely due to his work on the House Un-American Activities Committee, which exposed a State Department official Algerian hiss as a spy for the Soviet Union.

Through his own actions and a rabid media that wants to take him down, Nixon has the historical distinction of being the only U.S. president to resign from office. Repeating history, the odds of that happening are 50/50 Biden resignation due to inability to perform the function of presidentwhich could change the outcome of the November election and allow Kamala Harris to run as the incumbent candidate, which could be the October surprise of this cycle.

Both men came to power in changing times, and their California roots played a significant role in their appeal to the population. At the time, the Golden State was seen as having a forward-thinking culture with opportunities for growth and a lifestyle based on climate that was unique among the 50 states (if it were an independent nation, California’s economy would be the fifth largest in the world). Since then, the stunning weather has remained, but everything else has changed, including the political players.

California Dianne Feinstein AND Nancy Pelosi were highly significant Democratic members of Congress, serving nearly seven decades in office between them. Feinstein and Pelosi governed far outside the mainstream of America and promoted far-left issues that were contrary to the best interests of the country.

But perhaps the most renowned member of California’s congressional delegation is Adam Schiffwho repeatedly lied as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee about accusations that the 2016 Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the run-up to the presidential election, which earned Schiff a reprimand from the House of Representatives.

While Schiff’s lies are not solely rooted in his California roots, they do portray the state as having more than a few fraudulent radicals were gatheredas Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Maxine Waters, Eric Swalwell, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee have proven. And now, because of the current composition of the low-information state’s electorate, There is a mighty possibility that Schiff will be rewarded with a coveted Senate seat in November..

Let’s not forget about the aggressive presidential ambitions California Governor Gavin Newsom. Not only has he taken the country by storm for most of the last two years to augment his national profile, but he has also made high-level visits to Israel and China trying to create an atmosphere of international seriousness.

Of course, Newsom he immediately cleaned up the mess of the homeless in San Franciscoalbeit temporarily, before the visit in November last year by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who participated in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and meeting the cognitively challenged Joe Biden. Oh, how the domestic and international geopolitical landscape has changed in just nine months.

Newsom was sharp. He didn’t register to run for the Democratic nomination in 2024, but circled the White House in plain sightwaiting for an opportunity that he missed by a few minutes when Joe Biden forced to withdraw from re-election campaign and then rushed to endorse Newsome’s California running mate, Kamala Harris. This was done to avoid an open convention, which Obama and the party’s progressive wings clearly wanted.

Would they choose Newsome over Harris? We’ll never know, but if Harris disappoints in November, as we hope, she’ll be clearly ahead of the pack for 2028. Democrats are salivating at the prospect of a Newsom-Whitmer ticket if Harris loses in November.

On the Democratic ticket, would Newsom pose a greater threat to America than Harris? It’s unthreatening to say both would be disasters.

Both have unabashed ambitions and a history of ruthless behavior in pursuit of their goals. Both are far left in their beliefs, both are susceptible to influence on issues, both hold their positions solely because of political affiliations rather than achievements, and both have a history of failures that cannot be easily hidden. Marinated in California’s Progressive Stew Throughout their political lives, they have not interacted with anyone outside their bubble and therefore are unaware of the general population outside of the state of California.

And both will implement “California Values” all over America. From regulating climate change to banning gasoline and diesel vehicles to open borders to benefits for illegal immigrants to taxpayer-funded “gender-affirming” surgeries to sex trafficking in schools to defunding the police to decriminalizing shoplifting to encouraging homelessness to emptying and then closing prisons to raising energy prices, either Newsom or Harris will govern much as he or she did when they were in office in California. “California values,” indeed.

America is one election away from becoming California in all but name. It is not just conjecture to suggest that Kamala Harris, in true Californian form, will replicate and experiment with every radical idea California has, and federalize it, most likely by executive order. She has already threatened, if elected, fill the Supreme Courterasing the current cyclical Conservative majority.

The end goal? Codify and impose Roe v. Wade on the remaining 49 states, even though they had the opportunity to do so many times over the past five decades when they held the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress. But they didn’t because they knew how unpopular such a move would be with a broad core of the electorate.

Want to see the future of America after Harris-Walz wins in November? Just look at California and its government failures on steroidscoming soon to your city. We’re both longtime California residents. We’ve both seen the mess California has become since Reagan and even Arnold Schwarzenegger — a nominal Republican — was governor.

Trust us, you don’t want California values ​​imposed where you live. That’s at stake in November. We’ve talked about the fallout from a Harris-Walz administration — and the main reason why Trump must be re-elected in November — to transform the Supreme Court. We must do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.

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Richard Truesdell is a former consumer electronics retail executive and automotive photojournalist. Over the past 25 years, he has traveled to more than 35 countries on six continents. A former high school history teacher with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Waynesburg University, he is a born moderate conservative who has turned his thoughts and keyboard to political commentary and popular culture. A cross-section of his writings can be found at Found here.

Keith Lehmann is a retired consumer electronics executive who has written extensively on technology, transportation, and international travel. Having lived in Southern California for more than fifty years, he has a first-hand grasp of left-wing social and cultural events and offers a decidedly realist, conservative perspective, many of them can be found on his Substack.
Photo “Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsome” by Gavin Newsome.