Column: Instead of bashing other Democrats, Newsom needs to look inward

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is inviting prominent followers of President Trump onto his podcasts to learn why Democrats “are getting our ass kicked.” He should look in the mirror.

Newsom epitomizes much of what he thinks is wrong with the Democratic Party.

Moreover, Democrats really haven’t been getting their asses kicked. Most of the contests the party is having a nervous breakdown over — especially last year’s presidential election — were fairly close.

There’s no great mystery about the 2024 results, regardless of what Newsom says. Several losses could have been turned into victories with better candidates and messaging, most crucially at the top of the ticket.

The California governor began his “This is Gavin Newsom” podcasts early last month, saying he wanted to engage people he “deeply disagreed with” to shed public light on why Republicans were whipping Democrats in elections.

That stirred controversy among many Democratic politicians and activists, as well as some media commentators. They’ve criticized the governor for giving unnecessary voice to Trump boosters and their right-wing causes while blandly not pushing back.

The concept of generating podcasts is fine if the governor can fit them in while addressing homelessness, housing affordability, wildfires, climate change and a red-ink budget. A big “if.”

Podcasts might help the governor sell his agenda to the public and enhance his national profile for a potential 2028 presidential bid.

But it’s laughable to rationalize them as a way to discover what’s ailing the Democratic Party. Newspapers, television and the Internet are crammed with opinions about that from all sides.

Democratic Party brand is ‘toxic’

Particularly eye-catching was the governor’s recent interview with Times reporter Taryn Luna, a close Newsom watcher.

Newsom told Luna he’s inviting conservatives on the podcasts “to have civil conversations to try to understand each other at this time of such polarization.”

“Because our party’s getting our ass kicked,” he continued. “Because the Democratic Party brand is toxic. Because people don’t think we make any damn sense. They think we make noise. They don’t think we support them. You fill in the generic ‘them.’ They don’t think we have their values.

“They think we’re elite. We talk down to people. We talk past people. They think we just think we’re smarter than other people, that we’re so judgmental and full of ourselves. … We’ve lost our way.”

So, the California governor does seem to understand what millions of Americans —particularly MAGA voters — think of Democrats.

But it’s hyperbole to contend that the party got its “ass kicked” last year. That’s language reserved for the butt kickings of Democrats Walter Mondale by Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George McGovern by President Nixon in 1972 — and of Republican Barry Goldwater by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris did lose the determinative electoral college vote by a decisive margin, but she barely lost the popular vote by 1.5%. Not exactly a rout.

Same thing in the Senate. Democrats lost their narrow control, but Republicans won only a three-seat majority.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats actually netted a two-seat gain, but Republicans retained razor-thin control by five seats.

In California, Democrats gained three House seats and now outnumber Republicans 43 to 9.

Democrats suffered a trifecta loss of Washington power, but not a shellacking — nothing that a more appealing presidential candidate couldn’t have remedied.

Newsom participated in the debacle at the top, which was caused by a physically declining President Biden insisting on running for reelection. That robbed the party of meaningful primaries that could have allowed another candidate to build national support.

“I’ll go to the ends of the Earth for this guy,” vowed Newsom, one of Biden’s most ardent rooters. In fact, the governor did go all over America stumping for the 81-year-old president.

Should have asked Biden to bow out

Instead, he should have joined two realistic California Democrats — former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and successful Senate candidate Adam Schiff — in pressing Biden to step down.

When Biden did finally bow out, it was mid-July and too late to help the party much. No presidential wannabe had the fortitude to contest Harris at the national convention. And delegates — especially Newsom — were like deer in headlights.

Harris was too tied to Biden to run a winning race. She refused to challenge his policies and avoided the campaign’s two definitive issues: illegal immigration and inflation. Another nominee seasoned by primary battles could have fared better against the very flawed Trump and provided coattails for other Democratic candidates.

Newsom is one Democrat who did get his butt kicked last year. He and Democratic legislative leaders vehemently opposed Proposition 36, a ballot initiative to increase punishment for repeated retail theft and hard drug offenses, including deadly fentanyl. The governor even tried to strong-arm the measure off the ballot.

Voters passed the proposition by more than 2 to 1.

So that was an example of a Democratic politician not having the voters’ “values,” as Newsom would say.

“Make noise?” One rap on the governor is he makes lots of noise announcing big plans, but doesn’t always follow through with promised results. New housing construction is one example. Reducing homelessness is another.

Elitism? A scar on Newsom’s legacy will always be the French Laundry episode.

He attended a lobbyist friend’s birthday dinner with several people at a ritzy, super expensive restaurant in Napa Valley wine country. That not only exhibited elitism, it was highly hypocritical. It occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown when the governor was urging Californians to hunker at home, avoid mingling and wear masks. There was no mask-wearing at the birthday bash.

“Lost our way?” Democrats need a new leader to follow.

Next time, they’ll at least rejoin the proven path of choosing a presidential candidate during primary elections. Nobody needs a podcast to learn that makes “damn sense.”

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Former federal health chief Xavier Becerra announces run for California governor

The L.A. Times Special: White House ordered firing of L.A. federal prosecutor on ex-Fatburger CEO case, sources say

Until next week,
George Skelton

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