It’s been the talk of the airwaves and the interwebs—who would replace damaged Joe Biden and become the Democrat in the presidential election should he choose to step down (or is somehow forced out)? The names are familiar to those who follow politics: Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, to name a few. But the man who seems to be getting the most attention is none other than California-wrecking Gov. Gavin Newsom, the slick architect behind the profound decline of the Golden State and an extremist who poses as Mr. Reasonable.
He is anything but.
I’m often asked, why do you write about California; nobody cares, the state is full of leftist whackos who deserve everything they get. The reason is simple, and we’re seeing it play out in real-time: Newsom wants a national role, and although he’s been coy about it, that doesn’t mean he’s been shy. RedState and other outlets regularly report on his antics to warn the country of the dark forces he would bring with him. If somehow he were to become commander-in-chief, either in ’24 or at a later date, it’s possible he’d be an even worse leader than Joe Biden—because the one thing Newsom is not is mentally compromised. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and if given the chance, he’d turn the nation into the same socialist, crime-ridden “utopia” that he’s made California.
So why, then, is he even in the conversation? The reasons are all on the surface, showing that Democrat voters are all about style over substance. He’s tall, he has big teeth, and he’s highly fluent in progressive speak—meaning he’s perfected the skill of spouting long meaningless sentences that are filled with enough woke buzz phrases to make suburban Cabernet moms swoon. He looks the part, he acts the part, and he speaks like a central casting leader on a TV show—and this is enough for leftist voters, who don’t seem to care that almost every one of his promises and policies has led to division and abject failure.
Although there’s a slight uptick in population in 2024, California has lost residents—hundreds of thousands of them—under Newsom’s regime. Is there any more obvious evidence of his failures?
After joining the United States in 1850 on the heels of a gold rush, California was a demographic marvel for its first 169 years — adding population every year as people flocked to the Golden State for its stunning terrain, weather and super-sized economy, which is larger than those of all but four countries.
That streak ended in 2020, when California lost population for the first time during a pivotal census year that led to the state losing a congressional seat. Newsom’s partisan critics said the state’s high cost of living, uncertain power supply, a housing and homelessness crisis and concerns about crime were partly to blame. [Ya think?] For a two-year period, Californians moving to Texas made up the largest state-to-state movement in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data — a fact often shared by Republicans eager to slam Newsom. [And why wouldn’t we? It’s the truth.]
There are myriad statistics, stories, and events that prove Newsom’s dereliction of duty (remember the French Laundry?), and I will list some of them below. But the sad fact is that progressives have been falling for his misleading rhetoric for decades, and if he’s allowed to continue at a higher level, the entire country will be worse off for it. Having witnessed what he and his ilk can inflict, I’m pretty sure you won’t like it.
Here’s but a (small) sample:
Gavin Newsom Delivers Dark State of the State Speech, Obsesses Over Gender Politics, Abortion
What Do Governors Really Think of Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo? NH Gov Chris Sununu Spills the Tea
I wish I could go on—there are so many other examples; we’ve written countless stories on the homelessness epidemic, the crime problem, his draconian COVID leadership (where he kept breaking his own rules), the criminal-loving Prop. 47, the fast food minimum wage law that is causing prices to skyrocket and restaurants to close in huge numbers… But then this article would be 100 pages long.
Instead, I believe this 2008 video is the most damning of all and, if Newsom ends up in a national election, should be played over and over and over by his rival:
It’s scary to realize that this guy is being taken seriously by shallow progressive voters and so many in the media when his track record certainly does not warrant it. They are bamboozled by the fact that he’d be perhaps well cast as a believable if slippery leader in a second-rate action Netflix movie. (That being said, it’s also true that many in his fan club aren’t bamboozled at all—they know exactly what he brings to the table, and they want more of it. A disturbing number of citizens quite enjoy watching the decline of California and the nation as a whole.)
Woe to the rest of us if he achieves higher office.
Why California Matters—to YOU (VIP)
Debate Takeaway: CA Gov. Newsom Is a Slick Used Car Salesman, but You’ll Drive Away in a Lemon (VIP)