I’m pretty that if we went around and asked, just about every US state would say they were the best. After all, each is understandably proud of who they are, what they have achieved, and what they hope to be in their future.
California and many who live in the state would be no different. To be sure, they have a lot to be proud of, or at least used to.
However, in more recent days, it seems the Golden State is more of an example of what NOT to do than anything else. In fact, it was even used this past week as the punchline for a number of those in the Republican Party hoping to flip the US Congress in the upcoming November 8 midterm elections.
The comments were heard at a Trump rally held on Saturday near Lake Tahoe in Minden, Nevada, just miles away from the California border. Former President Donald Trump held the rally in support of GOP Senate candidate Adam Laxalt and gubernatorial contender Joe Lombardo.
For Laxalt, the race is quite close at the moment, one of the closest in the nation, in fact. Currently, the Republican sits just two percentage points ahead of incumbent Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto – at 48 percent and 46 percent, respectively.
But the race isn’t just about Laxalt. Should he win, the entire senate could be flipped to a GOP majority. And while the House is pretty much expected to do the same, the possibility of the Senate following suit is much less likely.
Naturally, Laxalt, along with Trump and others, would like to change that. And so they are out in full force trying to prove the party’s worth.
One way to do that, especially so close to the borders of infamous California, is to point out its flaws and contrast those with what they want for the bordering state of Nevada.
As Laxalt said during the rally, “We have one shot to save this great state. If we do not finish this red wave off in 2022, we’re just going to be California.”
Trump made similar remarks during his 90-minute speech, pointing out the liberal state’s poor judgment on both environmental and criminal justice policies as of late.
Take Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to increase electric vehicle driving in the state, for example. According to recent announcements, all new car dealerships will be required to sell only electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles come 2035. And so preparations are beginning now, starting by limiting the amount of gas-powered cars sold and produced in the state.
Of course, as Trump pointed out, this is all happening at the same time that the state has realized its inefficient and rather “broken” energy and electrical grid/infrastructure.
The former president said, “Look at their energy policies. Everybody has to have an electric car, and we don’t have electricity to turn on an air conditioner now in California. They write a letter, ‘please don’t use your air conditioning.’ And then they want to send millions and millions of cars onto a grid that’s broken.”
Also in question is the state’s disastrous policy on being a ‘sanctuary state.’ According to California law, law enforcement doesn’t have to and is even encouraged to not comply with federal agencies in their efforts to detain and sometimes deport illegal migrants.
But what has happened as a result is that illegals are 1) everywhere, and 2) they are not held accountable. As you also know, crime in the state has skyrocketed, with law enforcement authorities in cities like Los Angeles saying that the state has become like a 365-day ‘Purge’ movie.
And yet, California’s liberal leaders are only set on making anti-crime laws more lax.
As Trump and Laxalt say, that’s not what we should want for our nation or states. The only way to ensure that states like Nevada don’t move in that direction is to install Republican leaders willing to fight against those trends and keep our communities safe.
That also means doing everything we can to flip both the House and Senate.
