Dual-naming plan right choice for county’s portion of boulevard
Steady yourself for some unanticipated good news. The United States, California and Marin may be rediscovering skills essential to reaping the benefits of compromises in public affairs. It’s naive to think the political classes on the left and right extremes and the activists who enable them will see the light. It’s the broad center of common-sense Americans, Californians and Marinites who are moving us forward to better times.
In a stunning development, Marin’s Board of Supervisors accepted the compromise long touted in this space of dual naming Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The controversy emerged from academia in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Desperate to find a villain to purge with some relationship — however secondary — to slavery, progressive were left with Drake, a worldfamed English explorer who touched Marin’s shore 442 years ago.
After his namesake high school dumped the name, pressure was on from progressive activists to then eliminate it from the street.
The widespread anger against erasing Drake was fueled by a similar but more inflammatory move by San Francisco’s Board of Education. They tried jettisoning names of 44 schools even figuratively sending the Great Emancipator, Abe Lincoln, to its dustbin. It made the nearby city a national laughingstock; an example of ideologists run amuck.
Marin’s supervisors will focus on two ways to dual name the bay-toocean road. One proposed by Larkspur’s City Council’s 4-1 majority, retains Drake as the street’s official name and adds a ceremonial name. The second variation formally adds a second name to the road, likely Miwok Trail, instead of erasing Drake’s moniker.
Kudos to supervisors Dennis Rodoni, Katie Rice, Stephanie Moulton-Peters and Judy Arnold for adopting this fair compromise. The vote against was cast by Supervisor Damon Connolly. While none of the road is within his North San Rafael district, it’s still surprising he rejected the popular compromise.
Bills forgiven?
In Sacramento, Democrats and Republicans rarely agree on anything even including aid for those most financially impacted by COVID-19 and accompanying lockdowns.
Now, two Republican state senators are making a counterintuitive proposal. The CalMatters news website reports Sacramento Valley’s Jim Nielsen and lower San Joaquin Valley’s Shannon Grove are proposing the state cancel utility debts for the poorest Californians. That means forgiving unpaid water, electricity and internet bills. Further, they’re calling for aid to locally owned pharmacies. In rural communities, drug stores provide essential services for poor and working class folks.
It’s an invitation directed at Democrats to form a workable compromise to assist those on the margins.
To move forward, Democrats need to learn that helping the bottom 40% isn’t limited just doing the bidding of Big Labor. Likewise, the legislative Republicans minority should pursue Nielsen and Grove’s leadership aiding hardpressed working class voters, including those who at least temporarily, shifted to the GOP.
America Rescue Plan
In Washington, the $1.9 trillion America Rescue Plan pitched by the administration led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris has nationwide bipartisan backing. It’s coming not from Trumpican politicians who’ll oppose anything Biden suggests, but from voters.
The Politico/Morning Consult poll indicates 75% of Americans support Biden’s plan. That includes 59% of Republicans and even 55% of Trump backers. That’s our age’s definition of bipartisan support.
Progressives should now appreciate the merits of compromise within the democratic caucus. The almost $2 million “liberal wish list” would never have passed without a certain 78-year-old, White male Washington veteran at the helm. “Sleepy Joe” is the only Democrat who could have defeated the incumbent president and passed the largest social benefit expansion in 45 years.
Republican stalwarts should be comforted by the words of former Vice President Dick Cheney. He said, “deficits don’t matter” and by the economic boom that, once most Americans are vaccinated, will put the nation back on its feet.