Media top headlines August 30
In media news today, Obama's former education secretary gets slammed for likening anti-maskers to Kabul suicide bombers, Disney faces internal pressure to conduct an outside probe of ABC News' handling of sexual harassment claims, and ABC's Jon Karl says Biden admin calling Afghanistan a success is not based in 'reality'
The upcoming recall election of California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to have the liberal media members on tilt, as pundits, experts and news organizations alike have done everything from dismiss the process as "unconstitutional" to claiming people will die if a Republican is put in power.
The New York Times published a guest essay by University of California-Berkeley professors on Aug. 11 who claimed the recall is "unconstitutional, "nonsensical" and "undemocratic."
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and candidate Larry Elder, who is the current Republican frontrunner in the upcoming recall election. (AP/Getty Images)
CNN host John Avlon last week declared the recall election was a "GOP stunt" that "empower extremes."
PRESS UNLOADS ON LARRY ELDER AS REPUBLICAN MAY BE POISED TO OUST GAVIN NEWSOM
"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.
The CNN talking point 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.
CNN’s Avlon further criticized the process of recall elections, claiming they are "designed to empower extremes."
Washington Post contributing columnist Matt Bai insisted that Newsom shouldn’t be facing a possible recall in the first place.
"My problem with the recall is that it represents yet another attack on the notion that, in a democracy like ours, you have to live with results you don’t always like," Bai wrote.
"It’s designed to be a kind of ‘break glass in case of emergency’ — a fail-safe measure for the rare moment when an ethical crisis or a clear change in circumstances makes it untenable for a statewide official to remain in office," Bai continued. "It’s not there so you can get a do-over halfway through a governor’s term, because you still don’t like the guy and you don’t feel like waiting around for the next campaign."
MSNBC host Joy Reid has been among the most vocal opponents of the upcoming recall election and recently mocked Republican led states while condemning the process.
"California, just picture it, you too can be just like Florida, Texas and Mississippi. No mask mandates anywhere, intensive care units filled with school children and unvaccinated people sick with COVID begging for Regeneron," Reid sarcastically said to open her show on Aug. 20. "This, too, could be yours in roughly one month if Gov. Gavin Newsom loses the recall election… sparked by right-wing activists who are desperate to bring Trump-style governance to your state."
Far-left filmmaker Rob Reiner joined Reid to declare the recall election is "all about a GOP power grab."
CNN HOSTS BLAST CALIFORNIA RECALL ELECTION AS 'GOP STUNT' THAT THREATENS DEMOCRATS
The MSNBC host echoed her comments in a recent Twitter thread.
"The idea of California and its 39.5 million people being placed under DeSantis-style governance and morphed into the equivalent of Florida, Texas, Mississippi or South Dakota with COVID unleashed to run through the population like wildfire is utterly terrifying," she wrote.
"Know that if you put a DeSantis-style governor in place -- and every single Republican candidate for office at this point is a DeSantis, due to the requirement they all join the Trump cult -- every CA industry is at risk of collapse, from Hollywood to agriculture to pro sports," Reid continued. "To say nothing of the oversized influence that governmental policy in California has on the climate crisis. A Trumpist governor would likely shut down all mitigation efforts to save the environment and let extractors run wild. Think things are burning now? Just wait!"
Reid went on to claim "a lot of people will get sick" and "scores could die" if a Republican were in charge of the Golden State.
When liberal media members aren’t taking aim at the process itself, many of them have gone after candidate Larry Elder, who is the current Republican frontrunner against Newsom. Reid has said Elder is influenced by "White supremacist narratives," while Reiner called him a "maniac" and "crazy man" when urging viewers to support Newsom.
Elder recently dismissed a Los Angeles Times column that called him "the Black face of white supremacy" as par for the course because liberals are "scared to death" that he could actually take control of the state.
LARRY ELDER BRUSHES OFF LA TIMES COLUMN THAT CALLED HIM 'THE BLACK FACE OF WHITE SUPREMACY'
New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo called a potential Elder victory a "liberal nightmare," while CNN opinion writer Kara Alaimo declared "California's women face a big problem" with Elder.
The Aug. 20 column titled "Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy. You’ve been warned," accused the Republican of using "overly simplistic arguments that whitewash the complex problems that come along with being Black in America."
L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith said Elder uses "taunting and toddler-like name-calling of his ideological enemies" before belittling the gubernatorial candidate with her own insults. "His candidacy feels personal. Like an insult to Blackness," the Times columnist wrote.
However, Elder wasn’t surprised.
"I anticipated that would happen. This is why a lot of people don’t go into politics because of the politics of personal destruction," Elder said on "Hannity."
"This is not the first time the L.A. Times has attacked me, there is another writer who all but called me a Black David Duke," Elder continued. "They are scared to death."
NEWSOM RECALL: DEMOCRATS RAMP UP ATTACKS ON LARRY ELDER
Indeed, other recent L.A. Times headlines have included "Larry Elder talks a lot. Too bad you can’t believe anything he says," "If Larry Elder is elected, life will get harder for Black and Latino Californians" and "Larry Edler bashes the media, offers no solutions. Remind you of an ex-president?"
Elder also denied a claim his former fiancée made to Politico that he brandished a gun during an argument the two had in 2015.
"I have never brandished a gun at anyone. I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It’s not me, and everyone who knows me knows it’s not me. These are salacious allegations," Elder tweeted in response to the Politico story.
It isn’t only liberal pundits and mainstream news organizations that have attacked Elder, as political allies have also gone after him with similar talking points. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said it would be "a disaster" if Elder wins.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"The recall in California is a GOP power grab. If it were to succeed, Larry Elder might become governor," Schiff wrote on Twitter. "That would be a disaster: He’s anti-truth. Anti-science. Even anti-minimum wage."
"And after Trump, what Californian would want another TV/radio personality running anything?" Schiff added.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, another Democrat, also attacked Elder, comparing him serving as governor to the delta variant of COVID-19 in a tweet.
California voters will have a chance to recall Newsom on Sept. 14. Voters are asked on their mail-in ballots if they wish to recall him, and if so, who would they pick to replace him.
Newsom told The Atlantic that if he survives, he would consider a change in the law to make recall efforts against future California governors more difficult.
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick, Houston Keene and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Fox News' David Rutz contributed to this report.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.