HALF TRUTHS Designed to Deceive

One shock jock with too much on-air time stretching out before him and too little substance on his mind spent a sizeable chunk of his morning shtick with sidekick (as much my mind was willing tolerate) engaging in trash talk—Proving once again the clear and ever-present danger of too little knowledge and too little research work ethic.

 
No doubt his spiel will be parroted across media platforms over several days feeding the lowest denominator of North America's various political tribalists.

Here’s some of the Rest of the Story…

Mississippi born (late 1970s) and educated California resident (since 2009) Laphonza Romanique Butler’s career has focused on labor, education and politics. 

Her career path has moved from early years in Los Angeles, California, doing community organizing on issues such as affordable housing and education; to a current directorship on the board of “Vision to Learn” aimed at helping the young.

Vision to Learn is a 501c (3) based in Los Angeles, California, that, according to its website, begins its work giving “vision screenings for students,” “utilizing medically appropriate tools;” then enabling “students to access eye care;” typically “district responsibilities include coordinating consent forms for exams and escorting kids from the classroom to the mobile clinic.”

 Laphonza Butler is listed as member of its Board of Directors.

Also included on her résumé from 2009 onward is work with these:

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local, president 2009-2015: 
• 2013: elected President California SEIU State Council
• 2015: president of SEIU Local 
• 2016 Elections: service as one of California’s Electors
• 2018-2021: service (Gov Brown appointed) on University of California Board of Regents
• 2018: partner in San Francisco, California-based SCRB Strategies “specializing in complex communications challenges for political campaigns, companies, and organizations” 
• 2020: Director of public policy and campaigns in North America for the San Francisco, California-based brokerage “operating an online marketplace for short- and long-term home stays and experiences” (known as Airbnb)
• 2021: named president of Washington, D.C., headquartered political action committee “EMILY’s List” established 1985 for women in the Democratic Party sphere to “Run. Win. Change the World.”
• 2023: appointed (by California Gov. Newsom) to fill vacancy in U.S. Senate

Political Action Committees Supporting Women for Public Office are Commonplace. 

Equivalents to Emily’s List are likely some of these PACs supporting women in Republican Party sphere: 

• “Elevate PAC” (EPAC) to “Engage, Empower, Elevate and Elect Republican Women in Congress”

• “Maverick Women: (Maverick PAC) “for Republican candidates running for Federal office”

• “VIEWPAC” “for Republican women running for Federal office”

•  “RightNOW Women’s PAC” (RNWP) “for Republican women running for Federal office.”

Notwithstanding all that, perhaps there are fundamental truths.

If the only thing a man or woman has to offer (and if the lone expectation is) his or her genetic configuration or inherited outer shell (as the shock jock seems to think)—he or she has nothing to offer, nothing to brag about.

If an employer or appointer offers a position purely on the basis of the potential appointee’s outer shell, such a proposal is not only unreasoned. It is a manifestation of contempt; a deliberate insult, reinforcing “place” or “caste” of malleability: Thank you very much. Nothing substantive required of you. Just the opposite.

•  Excellence is not a criterion for you. 
• Any original contributions you may contemplate do not interest us. 

Perhaps a better course all round is to wait and see. Is what we see or think we see before us a meeting between contempt and tribal shell? Or something else entirely?




Sources

Press Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom: “Civic leaders from across the nation are praising Governor Gavin Newsom’s appointment of Laphonza Butler to the (vacancy in) United States Senate…. Butler (is) a longtime labor leader and advocate for women and working people.” https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/10/02/leaders-praise-governor-newsoms-decision-to-appoint-laphonza-butler-to-u-s-senate/

General references and others
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laphonza_Butler
https://wikikida.com/laphonza-butler/

https://visiontolearn.org/our-work/how-vision-to-learn-works/
https://visiontolearn.org/
https://visiontolearn.org/about/leadership/
scrbstrategies.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbnb

https://medium.com/@sarahbelknap/organizations-helping-conservative-women-run-for-office-f175c2fe68fe

https://emilyslist.org/our-leadership/
https://emilyslist.org/about/

Composition and Commentary excluding quoted material and individual images

Copyright © Carolyn LaDelle Bennett

Author’s links: www.BennettsAmericanEpitaph.com

https://www.facebook.com/carolynladelle.bennett

https://insightbeyondtodaysnews.blogspot.com/

https://www.xlibris.com/en/search?query=Carolyn+LaDelle+Bennett

https://www.xlibris.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/828689-epitaph