We're NOT Doomed: April 29, 2026
There's always things worth fighting for
Last night was the third California Gubernatorial debate and honestly, I just want to put my head in the sand and pretend the election doesn’t exist.
If you didn’t have the pleasure, the debate was split up into three parts with anchors from three different CA CBS affiliates.
I do wanna note affiliate stations are separate from the main station. For instance, FOX affiliates are, almost across the board, have some of the most fact based and honest reporting in every local market. It’s not always the case, but I see it enough of the time that if I see a FOX affiliate station I’m gonna go into it with high expectations.
So this has nothing to do with these being CBS stations. These specific reporters are just….bad. At least, they were last night.
It started with LA Anchor Pat Harvey and Sacramento Anchor Tony Lopez and they treated it like a game show.
They joked about there being eight candidates on the stage and patted themselves on the back for having the most candidates of any debate so far, as if, with the jungle primary system that could possibly be a good thing.
And they egged candidates on when they started getting childish, which is really the only word I have for it.
Mics weren’t cut, they just talked over each other and it was mostly insults.
And on top of that, it wasn’t even useful. Every candidate got a different question so we couldn’t compare them one for one, which is literally the whole point.
And they did these lighting round questions that were just a yes or no answer with no clarification at any point. So that was the extent of the conversation about the gas tax and about ICE.
And it didn’t get better in the second third.
That was moderated by Julie Watts, the investigative reporter who Katie Porter yelled at.
Well, I apologize to Katie Porter for ever having an issue with how she talked to Julie Watts.
Watts spoke more than any of the candidates, and maybe any of the candidates combined. She interrupted to fact check, but it wasn’t really fact checking, and half the time she was just arguing with the candidates opinion.
She kept pushing her interviews with them from months ago and, at one point, even said she would ban the candidates from saying “Donald Trump” because they’d used his name over 1k times in their interviews with her.
She also congratulated a candidate on his new ad. Which just feels unprofessional.
I learned nothing about the candidates cause she was talking over them the entire time.
The final half hour was Bay Area Anchor, Ryan Yamamoto, and Pomona College politics assistant profession, Sara Sadhwani, and it was the first time it felt like there were any adults in the room.
They were measured and respectful, and because they were respectful, the candidates were too.
I left the debate with my head swimming and unable to function the rest of the night. It shouldn’t be like that.
That said, here’s my take aways:
Katie Porter showed how she would handle Trump and I was, frankly, impressed. She did not let the Republicans talk over her or accuse her of anything, she treated them like her teenagers when they’re acting out, and frankly, it was warranted.
Xavier Becerra has a really strong performance. He had a lot of one liners and hit back at every accusation against him. One of his best moments was with the aforementioned Julie Watts, when she tried to anchorsplain his ideas and he shut her down using his experience as CA AG.
Tony Thurmond is always great. He’s measured, he has good ideas and he’s a good debaters in every situation. But he has less than 1% of the vote in every single poll and as much as I would LOVE him to be our next governor, it’s not gonna happen. So I really implore him to drop out.
The rest of the Dems: Tom Steyer, Antonio Villaraigosa and Matt Mahan just weren’t impressive and really fell for the catty energy of the night.
And the Republicans, well, they’re awful. They’re so awful. They need to be as far away from California state politics as humanly possible. If you are at all considering voting for anyone other than the top 3 (Becerra, Porter and Steyer), please please considering changing your mind.
I’m just…frustrated. This isn’t a game show. We needed something real and serious and helpful, and instead people watched for the same reason they watch the Housewives franchise.
This cannot continue be how we conduct Democracy. It just can’t.
Wisconsin
Thu, April 9 - Governor Tony Evers signed a bill giving more autonomy to DACA residents. This law will make it so that a DACA resident can get the credentials for occupations overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. This includes jobs like nursing and plumbing, which they haven’t been able to work in up to this point.
The bill was also bipartisan and almost unanimous in the Republican controlled State Senate.
While signing the bill into law, Evers said:
Today, we’re not only doing the right thing for Dreamers to help make sure they can pursue their higher education and career goals to give back to the communities that raised them, but we’re doing the right thing for our state and our economy, too, by making sure smart, talented, and capable people can join our workforce in high-need areas.
It makes me feel less Doomed to see Dreamers getting more opportunities. But also to see that this bill was truly bipartisan. It’s, unfortunately, not the kind of bill you really expect to be right now.
Nevada
Fri, April 10 - Brianna Turner is a basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces, and she wrote an op-ed for USA Today in support of trans athletes.
Her article is titled: “I’m a WNBA player. Don’t use athletes like me to exclude trans women.”
And it is about the new IOC’s new rule baring any trans participation in the Olympics.
She said:
Focusing on who should be allowed to call themselves a woman distracts from the structural inequities that actually limit women’s opportunities.
This policy also invites unequal scrutiny for women who already face heightened suspicion; Black and Brown athletes and competitors from the Global South will be unfairly targeted.
Right now, it is so important for cis athletes to speak out in support of their fellow athletes. These rules changed because of noise from the transphobic community.
Loudly supporting the trans community brings positive visibility which is one of the best ways to combat hate.
Seeing an op-ed like this from an athlete like her matters and makes me feel less Doomed.
Canada
Mon, April 13 - There were three byelections (special elections) held in Canada and between that and five members switching parties (called a floor crossing) the Liberal Party secured a majority in parliament.
Though Prime Minister Mark Carney has been in power for just over a year, less than half a of the bills that have been introduced have passed because they had to work with other parties to get them passed. Now passing them becomes a lot easier cause they don’t have to form a coalition with other parties.
Carney celebrated with a post on Twitter saying:
Tonight, voters have placed their trust in our new government’s plan. We accept that support with humility, determination and a clear understanding of what this moment demands.
This is a time to come together so we can build a Canada strong for all.
He continued by saying they will work with other parties and build coalition anyway, which isn’t my favorite thing to hear right now, but maybe that’s less of a big deal in Canada.
Regardless, as we know here in the states, a majority matters, and hopefully this year they can pass well over 50% of proposed legislation and make Canada better for everyone. And the fact that they have that opportunity makes me feel less Doomed.
So those are some of the reasons why We’re NOT Doomed today. And I know, with the SCOTUS decision on the VRA, today is worse than usual. But that decision makes our fight all that more important.
So let this post invigorate you and keep you in the game. Cause our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!