A scathing op-ed in the American Thinker pins California’s overwhelming rejection of a voter ID ballot proposition on Democratic fearmongering that tied the policy to former President Donald Trump — despite national polls showing even most Democrats support the concept.
Proposition 39, which would have required government-issued identification to vote in California, failed 40-60 last week. The outcome defied pre-election surveys indicating 80% of Americans (including 75% of Democrats) back voter ID laws. Author Leonard Bakker argues Governor Gavin Newsom’s campaign successfully reframed the issue by saturating airwaves with ads warning the measure would ‘Stop President Trump and his MAGA allies from suppressing Californians’ voting rights.’
The ‘Bogeyman’ Strategy
‘They weren’t voting to allow illegal aliens to vote,’ Bakker writes. ‘They were sticking it to the hated bogeyman Trump.’ The piece cites H.L. Mencken’s cynical definition of democracy — ‘the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard’ — as it lambastes voters for prioritizing partisan spite over policy substance.
Fourth Turning Rhetoric
The editorial escalates into apocalyptic generational theory, invoking the ‘fourth turning’ concept of cyclical societal crises and the adage that ‘weak men create hard times.’ Bakker concludes by urging readers to ‘sit back and enjoy the banquet of consequences’ while supporting ideological media like American Thinker.
The piece offers no counterpoint from Proposition 39 opponents, who argued voter ID laws disproportionately disenfranchise minority and low-income voters. Real-world studies on voter ID’s impact remain hotly contested, with research varying by state implementation rules.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/11/take-heart-ye-sons-and-daughters-of-destiny/