Democrats Don't Believe in Excellence: California's Governor Race Proves Democratic Party Prioritizes Identity Over Competence
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "If It’s Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer in California, Just How Depressing Is That? | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." May 14, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that California's governor race shows how the Democratic Party has abandoned merit-based politics in favor of identity politics. He claims Xavier Becerra is leading despite being incompetent, while Tom Steyer is competitive only because he's rich, proving Democrats don't care about actual qualifications.
Conclusion
The Democratic Party doesn't believe in excellence or competence, as evidenced by Xavier Becerra leading California's gubernatorial race despite his incompetence and failures
Premises
- Xavier Becerra was demonstrably incompetent as HHS Secretary, failing to account for 85,000 migrant children and performing poorly in interviews
- Becerra is leading the polls primarily because he is Hispanic and it's perceived as 'their turn' in California Democratic politics
- Tom Steyer, the second-place candidate, is an 'empty suit' who is only competitive because he's spending $132 million of his own money
- Democrats haven't held a real presidential primary since 2008, instead making nominations based on identity casting calls
- Other leading California Democrats like Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and Adam Schiff couldn't win in competitive red or purple districts
- The competent Democratic candidate (Matt Mahan) isn't gaining traction because Democrats don't vote for competence
Assumptions
- Competence and excellence should be the primary criteria for political leadership
- Identity-based political support is inherently inferior to merit-based support
- Past performance in federal positions accurately predicts gubernatorial capability
- Self-funding campaigns indicates lack of genuine grassroots support
- California's problems stem from incompetent Democratic leadership rather than other factors