Body and Soul

In my course on Comparative Politics, I used to mock the supposedly competitive democratic elections in totalitarian regimes like the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China by asking my students how it is possible that their ruling Communist Party could receive a near-unanimity of votes. Of course, that scenario take place in those countries because their elections are not really competitive, despite their window-dressing of other political parties. Instead, the system is rigged so that the Communist Party has a monopoly on power, and the other parties stand no chance of being elected.

Little could I have anticipated that this would happen in the United States, without coercion or a rigged electoral system, but with the voluntary consent of voters.

Did you know that in the midterm elections last Fall, a near unanimity of voters (95%) in the People’s Republic of Berkeley, California, voted to return Gavin Newsom as Governor?

From Berkeleyside, Dec. 23, 2022:

In Berkeley, Newsom got 95% of vote over his Republican challenger

Gov. Gavin Newsom, having survived a recall election last year, defeated his Republican opponent Brian Dahle 59% to 41%. In Berkeley, Newsom won with a landslide 95% of the vote, compared with the 79% he received in Alameda County.

95% voted in lockstep, in a city replete with intellectuals and a world-class university. So much for critical thinking and higher education.

Even more Berkeley voters (96%) voted for Proposition 1: The Right to Abortion, i.e., the “right” to kill unborn and entirely innocent human beings. Note how the Left no longer bother with using the euphemism of “pro choice,” but now outright call their advocacy pro abort.

And that’s why I call Berkeley the Belly of the Beast.

~E