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CNN hosts blast California recall election as 'GOP stunt' that threatens Democrats
By Lindsay Kornick
Published August 24, 2021
CNN host John Avlon on Tuesday lambasted the upcoming recall election of California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and labeled it a "GOP stunt" that "empower extremes."
"New Day" John Berman introduced Avlon's "Reality Check" segment by stating California's recall law is "quirky" with Avlon quickly adding that the recall was another way for Republicans to subvert "majoritarian democracy."
"It's a quirky law in process. Quirky is a nice way of putting it, with a huge amount at stake," Berman said.
"First, because it's another Republican end run around majoritarian democracy. Second, because control of the U.S. Senate could hang in the balance. You might have thought this was just some doomed GOP stunt because California is reliably Democrat, right? Well, yes, if you judge by most statewide elections," Avlon said.
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This echoed Newsom’s past comments where he blamed an "overwhelming majority of misinformation by right-wing pundits" fueling the recall efforts, while ignoring his push for unpopular lockdowns and his hypocrisy of violating his own restrictive coronavirus orders.
Avlon further criticized the process of recall elections, claiming that they are "designed to empower extremes."
"Look, I'm no fan of one-party states, but recall races like this aren't the right way to correct it. Because the rules are designed to empower extremes," Avlon said.
He went and referenced a New York Times opinion piece which argued the recall process itself could be unconstitutional.
Avlon explained "Now if this all sounds a little kooky screwy, even by California standards, you're not wrong. In fact, a few scholars argue this process isn't constitutional at all if it leads to a new Republican governor receiving fewer votes than the Democrat."
The dean of the School of Law at the University of California, Berkley wrote in the New York Times that "by conducting the recall election in this way, Mr. Newsom can receive far more votes than any other candidate but still be removed from office. Many focus on how unfair this structure is to the governor, but consider instead how unfair it is to the voters who support him."
The CNN host then highlighted candidate Larry Elder, the current Republican frontrunner against Newsom, bringing up several controversial accusations against him.
"Now, a leading Republican candidate is right wing radio host Larry Elder. He’s a black Trump backer which helps him stand out from the crowd. But with front runner status comes increased scrutiny. From accusations that he waved a gun at an ex-fiancée which he denies. Filed improper campaign disclosures which his campaign calls a simple mistake. Then there are the shock jock lines that have come back to haunt him…" Avlon said.
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Avlon closed his segment warning his viewers that the recall election could have lasting consequences throughout the country, even outside of California.
"So, yes, California recall on September 14th matters a lot. Not just in the golden state, but nationwide. And that's your reality check," Avlon said.
"It sure does matter. And uh, I’m with you on the kooky screwy part also," Berman added.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-blasts-california-recall-gop-stunt-threatens-democrats