Gavin Newsome: California Dreamin . . .
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are arguably the least capable “team” ever to hold America’s top offices.
Sufficiently alarmed by President(ish) Biden’s sinking popularity, certain influential Democrats and their media transcriptionists are publicly floating “concerns” that they apparently hope will lead to replacing the doddering, senescent geriatric with a more appealing – to them, at least – 2024 candidate.
They also know that Harris’s poor polling, chronic bewilderment, lousy public speaking skills, conspicuous insincerity, and irritating, inappropriate cackling are political liabilities, and fear that, if Biden withdraws, or, worse, Vice President Harris becomes the incumbent, they could be stuck with her.
But there’s a problem: Democrats have a very thin bench.
Reanimating Hillary Clinton would be futile. For openers, she’s a lousy campaigner, and, although twice “inevitable,” Hillary blew easy layups in 2008 and 2016.
Hillary’s real problem was – and her party’s still is – that she was/they are socially, culturally, morally and politically out of phase with too many Americans.
One Democrat prominently mentioned as a “viable” alternative to Biden/Harris is hyper-groomed California Governor Gavin “A-little-dab’ll-do-ya” Newsom. Clearly ambitious, Newsom is currently “undeclared,” but lurking…
Let’s assume panicky Democrats can ease past Biden and Harris, and assess what Newsom offers them – other than his assiduously-cultivated ingénue-ish good looks, of course.
Newsom has always hobnobbed with California’s political and financial “elite.” In fact, the Newsoms are one of four aloof, out-of-touch San Francisco “royal” families – along with the Browns, the Pelosis (yes, those Pelosis) and the Gettys – connected by money, marriage, culture and politics.
Influential people greased the skids to make Newsom San Francisco’s mayor in 2004, and the state’s lieutenant governor in 2011, before his 2019 gubernatorial coronation.
As mayor, Newsom was so “effective” that his “10-Year Plan to end San Francisco homelessness” is about to enter its third decade. The city sets new records annually for hosting largely mentally-ill and/or drug addicted homeless people who litter streets with needles and poop, even though, as governor, Newsom has state assets available to help clean it up.
During Newsom’s four years as governor – aided by an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature – life in the Golden State has declined precipitously.
A complete listing of Governor Newsom’s administrative overreach and epic failures is far too long to record here, nonetheless, some highlights:
High taxes and soaring living costs have cut into tax revenues and undermined California’s economy.
Beginning on Newsom’s first day in office until July 1, 2023, California lost 1.19 million citizens, mostly to red states. In 2022 alone, 817,000 Californians out-migrated. Hundreds of companies have fled to other, more tax- and business-friendly states.
California is backfilling that exodus of businesses and high/maximum-rate taxpayers with public-services dependents. In fact, thousands more high-earning, well-educated workers have left California than have moved in. Due to a 25 percent drop in 2023 personal income tax revenues, California projects a record $68-billion deficit in the next fiscal year.
The deficit will worsen, since, despite a health care shortage, California is opening its “free” Medi-Cal system to illegal immigrants. Because states cannot legally receive/use federal funds to pay Medicaid coverage for non-citizens lacking “satisfactory” immigration status, the additional cost will be borne by diminishing numbers of California taxpayers.
Newsom has recklessly pursued energy policies that produced the highest energy prices in America, and left California incapable of consistently providing reliable energy. His campaign to lead California to the renewable energy promised land has left the state facing rolling blackouts.
Newsome has signed bills to 1) close state prisons despite major increases in violent and retail crime, 2) mandate secrecy of gender transitioning children from parents, 3) fine retailers lacking gender-neutral toy departments, 4) lower penalties for adults who have sex with same-sex minors, and 5) punish physicians for “unprofessional conduct” for advocating for the use of treating COVID treatments with alternate, safe drugs, or daring to question COVID vaccine safety.
In fact, Newsom was the first governor to declare a COVID State of Emergency. He used it to assume dictatorial powers, and hung onto them for three years, while personally violating his own dictates.
Despite its manifest advantages, the Golden State is coming apart. Under Newsom’s “stewardship,” the Beach Boys’ “California Dreamin…” is becoming a nightmare for many.
On a positive note, however, Gavin Newsom’s story contains a moral for American voters: Be smart. Don’t be California.
https://www.pottsmerc.com/2024/01/15/jerry-shenk-gavin-newsom-california-dreamin/
