Analysis: Xavier Becerra’s rise to the front of the race for Governor is as curious as it is rapid. Becerra was unloved by Dem voters polled until the disgraced Swalwell was out of the race, and has gotten spotty reviews for his debate performances. He has perplexed many former Biden staffers as his HHS tenure was at best undistinguished and at worst marked by perceived laziness and being unprepared. Becerra’s campaign appearances seem unexciting, and some reports say sparsely attended. He has union backing and Dem establishment backing and he is Latino. He constantly puffs his chest for ‘suing Donald Trump 120 times’–with a losing and costly record, which you can read here–but in many ways has served a rather meh career, not in business, but in the public sector, where just breathing in and out, without any real accomplishment, often gets promoted and rewarded.
If you are looking for insight into Becerra’s performance, there is a relatively complex but illustrative piece in the American Prospect that explores whether as HHS secretary overseeing health care prices and accessibility, or even today, he knows what PBMs are. For the record, you aren’t required to know that PBMs are Pharmacy Benefits Managers–middlemen who have a hand in cranking up the cost of your meds, but the guy who is in charge of health for the USA must know. The American Prospect drills down on Becerra’s public discussion of the role and actvities of PBMs and the impact on your health care costs–underscoring the questions about Becerra’s preparedness and competence. You can read the article and judge for yourself here.
Becerra feels to some like the California version of patron Joe Biden–without the obvious dementia–a long career of go-along-to-get-along approach, no actual accomplishments on his ledger and (even Biden, when naming his HHS Secretary called him “Bacaria” instead of Becerra), loved by unions, and when given the chance to set the record straight, has no firm opinions other than Orange Man bad. He didn’t even get the endorsement of his own party. How he got where he is will be further revealed as the election results unfold.
