Split Laphonsa Butler chosen to replace Feinstein

[Jimmy Higgins]

I'm curious about why Derec dislikes Kamala Harris. My lefty kids can't stand her because of her time as prosecutor and some of her positions.

She had sex with someone.

 

[Gospel]

Concerning the claim that 'she doesn't live in California,' it's plausible that she holds dual residency, a concept acknowledged in America. Any journalist or news outlet not considering this possibility might be sensationalizing the matter.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Concerning the claim that 'she doesn't live in California,' it's plausible that she holds dual residency, a concept acknowledged in America. Any journalist or news outlet not considering this possibility might be sensationalizing the matter.

It’s not so much about the technical aspects of residency as just not being part of the community she’s been chosen to represent. At least for me.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I'm just researching Laphonza Butler in old newspaper articles. I see she made honors every year starting from 1st grade in the 1980's in McComb, Mississippi. She later graduated with a 4.0 from high school as salutatorian. She won a scholarship to W.E.B. DuBois Honors College at Jackson State University in 1997.

From her LinkedIn: At JSU, she earned a bachelor's degree in political science and government.

There are a number of articles today describing her extensive career in labor leadership and politics, such as this one:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/02/laphonza-butler-california-dianne-feinstein/

 

[Gospel]

Concerning the claim that 'she doesn't live in California,' it's plausible that she holds dual residency, a concept acknowledged in America. Any journalist or news outlet not considering this possibility might be sensationalizing the matter.

It’s not so much about the technical aspects of residency as just not being part of the community she’s been chosen to represent. At least for me.

Hold on, what do you mean by 'being a part of the community'? Butler dedicated two decades to the labor movement and led California's largest union, SEIU Local 2015, representing home-care workers. Sure she's not part of the Harley Davidson or Starbucks community. I understand the sentiment, but I wasn't aware that one needed extensive involvement in every community within a state before being appointed as a senator. It's an intriguing criterion that I haven't observed being applied to anyone else.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Concerning the claim that 'she doesn't live in California,' it's plausible that she holds dual residency, a concept acknowledged in America. Any journalist or news outlet not considering this possibility might be sensationalizing the matter.

This is correct. She was in Mississippi up to her graduation from college in early 2000's. After that, she appears in residence databases in both California and Maryland. ... all the way from early 2000's to present.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I'm curious about why Derec dislikes Kamala Harris. My lefty kids can't stand her because of her time as prosecutor and some of her positions.

She had sex with someone.

Also, something something something ... Hindenburg ... something something something ... wrestler's first name ... something something something. It's a very coherent argument.

 

[lpetrich]

Home - EMILYs List -  EMILY's List - "EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office." - it was founded in 1985.

 Laphonza Butler was recently president of it.

EMILY - "Early Money Is Like Yeast" - founder Ellen Malcolm stated that "it makes the dough rise" - a reference to early donations encouraging later donors.

Her career, from Wikipedia:

Butler began her career as a union organizer for nurses in Baltimore and Milwaukee, janitors in Philadelphia, and hospital workers in New Haven, Connecticut. In 2009, she moved to California, where she organized in-home caregivers and nurses, and she served as president of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers, SEIU Local 2015.[5][6][7]

Butler was elected president of the California SEIU State Council in 2013. She undertook efforts to boost California's minimum wage and raise income taxes on the wealthiest Californians.[5] As president of SEIU Local 2015, Butler endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.[8] Butler was one of California's electors who voted for Clinton in the 2016 election.[9]

In 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Butler to a 12-year term as a regent of the University of California.[7] She resigned from her role as regent in 2021.[10]

Butler joined SCRB Strategies as a partner in 2018. At SCRB, she played a central role in Kamala Harris's 2020 presidential campaign. She was known as a political ally of Harris's since the latter's first run for California Attorney General in 2010, when she helped Harris negotiate a shared SEIU endorsement in the race.[5][11] Additionally, Butler advised Uber in its dealings with organized labor while at SCRB.[12]

Butler left SCRB in 2020 to join Airbnb as director of public policy and campaigns in North America.[13][6]

Butler was named the third president of EMILY's List in 2021. She was the first black woman and the first mother to lead the organization.[14][5]

Going from SEIU to Uber and Airbnb -- that seems much like Kyrsten Sinema's transformation.

 

[Derec]

I'm curious about why Derec dislikes Kamala Harris. My lefty kids can't stand her because of her time as prosecutor and some of her positions.

It's not that I dislike her per se. But she showed a gross lack of judgment during her 2020 campaign. Starting from positioning herself in the left lane with Bernie and Liz when her natural fit would have been more moderate given her record until that time (what your "lefty kids" also pick up on). That led her to some stupid positions like wanting to ban fracking, which would have harmed US economy and energy security.

Not to mention that it would have helped Putin. Esp. when he invaded Ukraine in 2022, no fracked gas would have meant that the West would have been far less able to support Ukraine.

Furthermore, she also showed bad judgment in claiming Michael Brown was murdered. She was a prosecutor, she knows full well that he wasn't murdered. It is one thing to be ignorant; quite another to know better and lie.

Add to that things like attacking Joe Biden on the failed forced bussing policy from the 1970s among other things.

 

[Derec]

Also, something something something ... Hindenburg ... something something something ...

Are you really unable to comprehend the metaphor about her 2020 campaign crashing and burning [removed]

wrestler's first name ...

Nobody brought him up except you. Btw, RIP.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I'm curious about why Derec dislikes Kamala Harris. My lefty kids can't stand her because of her time as prosecutor and some of her positions.

It's not that I dislike her per se. But she showed a gross lack of judgment during her 2020 campaign. Starting from positioning herself in the left lane with Bernie and Liz when her natural fit would have been more moderate given her record until that time (what your "lefty kids" also pick up on). That led her to some stupid positions like wanting to ban fracking, which would have harmed US economy and energy security.

Not to mention that it would have helped Putin. Esp. when he invaded Ukraine in 2022, no fracked gas would have meant that the West would have been far less able to support Ukraine.

Furthermore, she also showed bad judgment in claiming Michael Brown was murdered. She was a prosecutor, she knows full well that he wasn't murdered. It is one thing to be ignorant; quite another to know better and lie.

Add to that things like attacking Joe Biden on the failed forced bussing policy from the 1970s among other things.

There was never a chance she was going to win. Her campaign opened her up to national stage and opened up the possibility of her current position. You can't negatively armchair that.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Also, something something something ... Hindenburg ... something something something ...

Are you really unable to comprehend the metaphor about her 2020 campaign crashing and burning or are you just trolling?

wrestler's first name ...

Nobody brought him up except you. Btw, RIP.

Kamala has been extremely successful. Your metrics are cherry-picked. Detach yourself from likes and dislikes and look at the big picture.

 

[Derec]

Hold on, what do you mean by 'being a part of the community'? Butler dedicated two decades to the labor movement and led California's largest union, SEIU Local 2015, representing home-care workers.

Two decades? According to her wiki, she moved to California in 2009 and moved out of California in 2021. That's 12 years.
And that's what is meant by being part of the community. Living, working and playing in the state you represent.

I understand the sentiment, but I wasn't aware that one needed extensive involvement in every community within a state before being appointed as a senator. It's an intriguing criterion that I haven't observed being applied to anyone else.

Dr. Öz was criticized for being from New Jersey and for not having extensive knowledge of local Pennsylvania grocery stores.

 

[Derec]

Kamala has been extremely successful. Your metrics are cherry-picked. Detach yourself from likes and dislikes and look at the big picture.

Kamala's presidential campaign was not. That was the point I was making.
Sure, she was successful as a DA and AG. I wasn't talking about that.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Kamala has been extremely successful. Your metrics are cherry-picked. Detach yourself from likes and dislikes and look at the big picture.

Kamala's presidential campaign was not. That was the point I was making.
Sure, she was successful as a DA and AG. I wasn't talking about that.

I responded to your point. She was never going to be President. She got national attention and opened up path to VP. Like Buttiegieg opened up national stage, like Bernie created influence with his policy positions. Becoming VP is probably the best outcome of her campaign. Of coutse, ultimately Biden made decisions based on many factors, but some of that was her campaign, her staff, her, and het positions, most of which you selectively nitpick. Again, big picture--she is VP now.

 

[Derec]

There was never a chance she was going to win. Her campaign opened her up to national stage and opened up the possibility of her current position. You can't negatively armchair that.

I think she, had she and her campaign made better decisions, would have almost certainly lasted until Super Tuesday at least, and very possibly she would have won the nomination.

1. She should have positioned herself in the Center Lane.
She was not a good fit for the Left Lane based on her record (as Toni remarked on). And that lane was crowded anyway with heavyweights Bernie and Liz. The Center Lane was a much better fit, as I said, but she (or more likely, her people where Buler comes in) thought it was impenetrable because of Biden. She should not have worried, as Biden was floundering until SC.

2. She had good fundraising
She had a lot of early support from Hillary's donors. But her campaign mishandled money and they ran out of it by December.

3. She has a demographics-crossing background
Kamala Harris is a "woman of color" as the parlance of the days puts it. But her background is more complex than that. She is daughter of black Jamaican and Indian (dot) immigrants. She is also married to a white Jewish man. She could have used that to build bridges, something that would not only have benefited her in the race, but was also something the Nation desperately needed in 2020. Instead, she chose a combative, "blacker than thou" attitude. Her attacks on Joe Biden over forced busing and claiming Michael Brown was "murdered" could have come from Al Sharpton. They also backfired.

So yes, with a better team and more intelligent strategy/positioning Kamala Harris could have won. She had a lot of advantages early on that she squandered in a spectacular fashion.

 

[Derec]

I responded to your point.

You did not. I never claimed she did not have a successful career overall. My point was specifically about her presidential campaign, campaign Laphonza Butler was part of, which I why I brought it up in the first place. My point was not about her career as a prosecutor, US Senator or Veep, since Laphonza Butler had nothing to do with those parts of her career.

She was never going to be President.

Debatable, and I disagree. She had a lot of early advantages.

Of coutse, ultimately Biden made decisions based on many factors, but some of that was her campaign, her staff, her, and het positions, most of which you selectively nitpick. Again, big picture--she is VP now.

She is VP. But not because of her staff's poor campaign strategy in 2020 or because she took up some far left positions like banning fracking.

Again, remember why I brought up Kamala 2020 campaign in the first place. Laphonza Butler was part of it. We have been talking about her, and I mentioned the campaign as an example of poor judgment. I stand by that. It was a spectacularly poorly run campaign.

A perspective by NY Times that gives a lot of blame to her staff:
How Kamala Harris’s Campaign Unraveled

 

[laughing dog]

I find it interesting that there are those complaining that the appointment by a political to a political position was "political".

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I responded to your point.

You did not. I never claimed she did not have a successful career.

I wasn't talking about her career. This is the 3rd time I am telling you.

She was never going to be President.

Debatable, and I disagree. She had a lot of early advantages.

Of coutse, ultimately Biden made decisions based on many factors, but some of that was her campaign, her staff, her, and het positions, most of which you selectively nitpick. Again, big picture--she is VP now.

She is VP. But not because of her staff's poor campaign strategy in 2020 or because she took up some far left positions like banning fracking.

Nope. She would not be VP had she not run.

 

[Toni]

Kamala has been extremely successful. Your metrics are cherry-picked. Detach yourself from likes and dislikes and look at the big picture.

Kamala's presidential campaign was not. That was the point I was making.
Sure, she was successful as a DA and AG. I wasn't talking about that.

Really? Winning the #2 spot from a point of relative obscurity on the national stage? Looks like a stellar success to me—much better than anyone aside from Joe.