DAVID MARCUS: California's leaders give the mute finger to the media, and all of us
Over the past several years, Democratic politicians have convinced themselves that they never have to answer any unfriendly questions, and amid the tragic infernos in California, this refusal is rightfully sparking outrage.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, is just the latest know-nothing Democrat to play dumb when asked perfectly legitimate questions. After cutting short a trip to Ghana, Bass just stood silent when asked if she should have been in the city she leads instead of globetrotting.
Bass did hold a press conference later, presumably an occasion to answer reporters' queries. But she used it to once again insist that this was not the time to question her leadership.
Likewise, California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a leading advocate of using California’s resources to thwart the Trump agenda and contender for most tone-deaf politician in America, held a press conference as the fires raged.
He was asked, "Is now the right time to have a special legislative session on allocating money to fight Trump?"
Amid hemming, hawing and stuttering that would prompt Bob Newhart to say, "just spit it out, man," he replied, "This, uh, uh ,uh, these historic wildfires are, uh, uh ,uh," and it got worse from there. At no point did he even vaguely try to answer the question.
Later on Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom had his opportunity to stare blankly into space while being asked about the fires, not by the media this time, but by a California resident whose daughter's school had just burned down.
"I’m literally talking to the president right now to specifically answer the question of what we can do for you and your daughter," Newsom, who cut the state's budget for fire prevention by $100 million just a few months ago, told the distraught mother.
But when she asked the governor to put the call on speaker, Newsom said he had no service and had been walking around trying to get a cell phone signal.
The governor of California, his state ablaze, waving his phone in the air like an aggravated teenager who can’t upload a photo to Instagram.
If that doesn’t sum up the incompetence of the response from California’s Democratic politicians, then I don’t know what does.
And speaking of soon-to-be ex-president Joe Biden, where do you think Bass, Rivas and Newsom learned that they have no obligation to answer questions? That’s right, from Scranton Joe.
Biden doesn’t only refuse to answer questions, he regularly verbally lashes out at any reporter, and let’s be honest, it's usually only Fox News Channel's Peter Doocy or Real Clear Politics’ Phillip Wegman, who dares to ask him tough questions.
Then there is Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran for president doing fewer interviews than the winner of the Minnesota State Fair ice sculpting competition.
Like Sergeant Schultz in "Hogan’s Heroes," these Democrats just screw up their serious face and state, "I know nothing!," while most of the media lap it up as if they were receiving pearls of wisdom from the Oracle of Delphi.
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These Democrats are like a baseball hitter who sees a curveball, calls timeout and says, "I’m only accepting fastballs right down the middle today."
Maybe members of the party of Jefferson and Jackson should realize that they are fast losing trust, and elections, precisely because while Donald Trump holds two-hour pressers in which he handles every question thrown at him, they dig their heels in and say, "now is not the right time."
Well, when is the right time to ask about California’s incompetent leadership? When the next fires roar out of control? In fact, it will never be the right time for these selfish navel gazers to answer questions. They are above that. And above us.
There have been some signs this week, embers if you will, of the news media getting fed up with these Democrats refusing to explain themselves and their actions. Let us hope that anger spreads, and that these politicians have their feet held to the fire.
The people of California and the people of America deserve better. We deserve leaders who will candidly and exhaustively explain to their constituents what our government is doing. But Democrats don’t want that, they want unquestioned power and authority. What they have yet to realize, is that this is why they are on a losing streak.