One of the Republican candidates running against Newsom is John Cox, a circus performer politician whose been dragging around a drugged 1,000 pound grizzly bear on the campaign trail.
Pause.
Californians of a certain age may remember a famous used car huckster named Cal Worthington who used to feature exotic animals in his TV commercials. It worked for Cal and he ran a very profitable business while becoming a California icon.
It's not clear who inspired Cox to feature a grizzly bear in his campaign, as he's never mentioned Cal.
I suspect Cox is trying to combine symbolism and a meme that will carry him to victory. Consider the following:
Cox has said he's "roaring through California gaining BEASTLY momentum" as "Newsom's top challenger."
The grizzly bear is a sideshow with the motto; "Big Beastly Changes to Save California." From what, is not clear.
Cox's three-ring circus includes a bear-themed bus with ringmaster Cox casting himself as a "Beast" to Newsom's "Beauty."
Apparently Cox's circus tour hit a snag and went to far while campaigning in Shelter Island and San Diego.
Animal rights group Animal Protection and Rescue League, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Cox and others, claiming they illegally "held events "with a captive, 1,000-pound bear who has been drugged and abused for the purpose."
Specifically, the lawsuit cites a San Diego Municipal Code provision which prohibits individuals from bringing "any lion, tiger, or bear" into the jurisdiction, "irrespective of their actual or asserted state of docility, tameness, or domesticity."
Cox ran against Newsom once before, losing by three million votes. Perhaps he figured a more robust and entertaining campaign will carry him to a win this time.
It looks like he's is going to have to get rid of his star performer. That's all right. There's still plenty of clowns left in his campaign to run a two-ring circus.
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