California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to be the 48th President of the United States. In pursuit of that lifelong ambition, Newsom has positioned himself as principled but practical.
Even if Newsom’s positioning is genuine, his career conflicts with the promise of his new image. California’s considerable remaining economic vitality is in spite of Newsom, not because of him. On every issue that might differentiate him from the Democratic machine that runs California, Newsom’s pronouncements have been suspect. Either they have been completely fraudulent—his claims to have alleviated homelessness are a perfect example—or they have been flip-flops necessitated to avoid disaster.
And in those cases where Newsom actually flipped into doing something right, however incremental and inadequate it may have been, “disaster” to his presidential ambitions has been his primary concern. Avoiding the disastrous impacts his policies are having on California’s law-abiding citizens, working families, and beleaguered businesses is a secondary concern, only motivated by Newsom’s desire to avoid the first.
Newsom is also counting on his charm and charisma to propel his candidacy ahead of his competitors. Being 6’3″, telegenic, photogenic, effortlessly glib, and sporting a world-class pompadour should be worth at least five to ten points in the polls. In a democracy awash with low-information voters, races are won or lost with soundbites and clicks. Appearances have an outsized influence on results, no matter how shallow and deceptive they may be.
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