Fake Democrat Gavin Newsom Is Only Lt. Governor Now, But He Can Do A Lot Of Damage In The Future

[TexasTowelie]

[font color=green]Note: I am not very familiar with Newsom so I am presenting this article without expressing an opinion. However, I can see his attraction as far as being a possible running mate on a presidential ticket or a future presidential candidate. I am hoping that other people will express some opinions so that everyone on DU has additional information in the future.[/font]

Gavin Newsom presents well. When he still thought he was running for governor, he called a meeting of L.A. political bloggers in some sleek West Hollywood hotel and did a free-flowing Q and A. He was as sleek as the hotel and everyone swooned. Except me. Having recently exited the corporate world, Newsom's glitz and studied expertise in everything didn't impress me. Good hair, yes... but I could sense that guy at the head of the table was a quintessential Republican no matter what party label he worse and no matter San Francisco gay couples he had married. Jon Ward wasn't at that meeting, but he's got Newsom's number as well-- and he shared it this week at HuffPo-- The Right's Strange New Hero: Gavin Newsom.

After he was elected Lt Governor, Jerry Brown told him to keep out of his hair and go find some ribbons to cut. Instead he wrote a book, Citizenville, although I'm not certain if the proceeds are owned by the state government which was paying his salary while he wrote it. As Ward explains, "the ideas he espouses in the book have Washington conservatives sitting up and taking note." Like Newt Gingrich: "It is a tremendous book which I recommend all the time."

Ward's article goes well with the Tim Donovan piece at Salon we've been looking at, Clueless rich kids on the rise: How millennial aristocrats will destroy our future. Newsome was born in 1967, so he's not a millennial, just ahead of his time. And he isn't from a rich family, but a very politically connected one. He was appointed, rather than elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and when he ran he ran in the most Republican district in town-- Pacific Heights, the Marina and Sea Cliff-- and ran on both the Democratic and Republican slates. when people weren't thinking of him as just an opportunistic Republican calling himself a Democrat, he's just been considered a conservative and a part of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

His personal wealth-- he's a multimillionaire-- comes from his connections, particularly to oil heir Gordon Getty who was the primary investor in 10 businesses Newsom started, almost all of them bars, cafes and wine shops. And his policies are the policies that serve the interests of business rather than families. Citizenville is an anti-government screed that any Ayn Rand fan would happily recognize and, according to Ward, the "central premise is that government can be better, more relevant, more engaged with the public by embracing technology-- and getting out of the way." Newsom, channeling his inner Republican: "Government can do best by simply getting out of the way."

Newsom's critique of government’s failures and weaknesses dovetails with the narrative that some on the right are crafting to critique the Democratic Party and spark a revival of the moribund GOP. A loose coalition of thinkers-- including Yuval Levin, the editor of National Affairs magazine, and Alex Castellanos, a veteran political consultant working on rebranding the GOP-- have been busy promoting the idea of "reform conservatism."

Levin and Castellanos, in particular, are each working independently to craft a way of talking about conservatism that can change perceptions of the right, even among those Americans who don’t pay close attention to politics. It’s a significant ingredient in the GOP’s hopes for resurgence. Their argument is that liberalism is a top-down, antiquated approach to modern governance.

Devolving decision-making power and authority to local institutions is a better way, they say, to approach a technology-driven world that is increasingly complex, diverse and bottom-up.

Put more simply, they say Democrats are the party of old ideas, and conservatives-- who have struggled with being identified as the party of old, white men-- are actually the best fit for the future... Newsom’s steady cultivation of Silicon Valley moguls should help him raise funds for any statewide run.

- See more at: http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2014/07/fake-democrat-gavin-newsom-is-only-lt.html

[DEMTough]

2. I didn't like how this article ends with an insult towards Newsom for having a learning disability

As a child for goodness sakes. That is not endearing me towards this writer's cause.

I must admit, after reading this article, he seems a more appropriate successor to the more moderate Governor Jerry Brown, who slashed a lot of funding for programs to the poor. And balanced the budget on our backs a good bit, albeit raising taxes on the rich (with a sales tax increase) with Prop 30.

My family supported Newsom in 2010 for Governor as a more liberal alternative to Brown. We were pretty happy when he decided to run for Lt. Governor. Would I support him in 2018 for Governor, absolutely. He wouldn't be as far left as this writer would prefer, but he'd be a step in the right direction, while keeping CA on the right track for fiscal security.

Kamala Harris, would most likely be the other option, would likely run for Senate (If Feinstein retires).

[Merlot]

3. I'm not seeing Newsom as a more liberal alternative to anyone

Except for gay marriage in SF while mayor (which many Dems did not want him to do at that time), nothing I've seen from him since has given any indication he would be liberal. He did an interview with Colbert regarding his book Citizenville and it was a pretty painful interview to watch. First time I'd heard Newsom and his ideas were a weird mishmash of vague policies which raised alarm bells for me.

Unless he can prove his Liberalism, he's a "no" for me.

[DEMTough]

6. See Post #5. nt

[DhhD]

4. Seems like California has already been through a huge swing and it did not work out.

Schwarzenegger's move to the Right was way wrong for Californians. How is moving back to the Right again, with Newsom, going to help out? Moving to the Right with GW Bush in Texas was a terrible mistake for most Texans and for most Americans.

[DEMTough]

5. I'm Sorry, but I fail to see this as a move to the right

When we've got Governor Brown already. I love Governor Brown, he's done a great amount of things for California when he was in both of his stints, but the guy can be very harsh on our poorest. Even Prop. 30 was either raise taxes/slash funds for UC/CSU. As a community college student who hopes to transfer to UC Berkeley, I was disappointed having to face that. As well, I saw it pissed off (Quite visibly) a lot of people when visiting the UC Irvine campus.

I can practically guarantee that as long as Brown is Governor, we will not see any movement towards a public option via the Affordable Care Act here, like Vermont is doing. Vermont is taking the lead here, and I wish them the best, but the rest of the country really isn't going to notice until California does it.

As Mayor of San Francisco, he oversaw the implementation of a Citywide public option. That's what I want to see statewide. He did it before, I'm sure he can do it again here. This issue matters more to my entire family than anything else. I'd really like to see this happen, and I see he's most likely to do that than anyone else I can think of at the moment.

He's also more liberal than Jerry Brown on pot, which might be legalized in 2016, if the ballot measure campaign successfully reaches ballot status. Legalizing that would bring a lot of people out of our prison system, which even Brown has been hesitant at standing up to.

Also, he did a lot in SF, by getting the conversation started for Gay Marriage. It was already around in Massachusetts, but by causing a stirring in it's favor, leading to temporary legalization before Prop. 8, in the largest state in the Union, once again, made waves currently being felt across the U.S. for gay marriage.

Sorry, I just don't see it as being different. The Republican candidate if he's up in 2018 will probably call him "more of the same of Brown". And heck, he may be right. Agree to disagree?

[DhhD]

7. Republicans can get a hold after a progressive State government has everything in good shape.

Campaigning on lowering taxes and removing a few regulations so the economy can grow even more. People forget that Reaganism/Trickle Down, just does not work. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/texas/realignment.html

Keep in mind the good economy of Texas was due to Ann Richards and Bill Clinton.

Keep in mind the destruction of GW Bush after Clinton built up the economy.

[DEMTough]

8. And Newsom isn't a Republican. You're telling me these things like I've never heard them before.

Your rebuttal has nothing to do with what I wrote. You're acting like Newsom is a hardcore Republican. The only way a Republican could be elected in 2018 is if Democrats in CA sit out for one reason or another, and if the Mayor of Fresno wins the Controller's race this year (she is currently seen as the Republican Party's only rising star in CA, as well as a possible gubernatorial candidate in '18, if she wins). Or if the water issue becomes so large, it begins to reflect poorly on Brown. As I have said, he is no model Progressive, for his treatment of the poor. And as I've said, this blog post, could back up the idea that Newsom is a appropriate successor.

We still aren't in a very good economy. Things are still improving, for the record. Brown balanced the budget, which very well could have had a negative impact on things in the middle of a recession. But I will give him credit, he was elected to do so, and he followed through, which is why I'm enthusiastically voting for him this year.

I've given two key issues, for which Newsom is more liberal than our incumbent Governor, social and fiscal. Newsom and I understand the bully pulpit of California on key issues, such as Gay marriage, where the rest of the country took notice. If he implements the public option here, he could make the rest of the country once again, take notice. When the most populous state in the U.S. does something, people notice. He could very well be the key to national healthcare. Or at the very least, here in CA and the more progressive states. If another candidate for Governor comes out in support of using the ACA for a public option here, I will support them. Until then, Newsom will likely be my vote, if he runs.

I very much understand the harm of trickle down, I get the honor of having to clean up the mess. UC Berkeley professor (and former Labor Secretary under Clinton) Robert Reich has come down hard upon trickle down. (In fact, he's been called a fake Democrat here on DU, too.) I've seen Inequality for All. And I'm as much a Keynesian as you are, don't underestimate me because I'm young, I've been registered here for two years.

I also understand the political realignment of Texas, which had been trending Republican even before Ann Richards, Reagan was very popular in Texas. She had a few bumps on the campaign trail thanks to her businessman opponent, Clayton Williams (who also initially had polled 20 points ahead of her), who disrespected her via not shaking her hand, he also downplayed the suffering of rape victims, and when it was exposed that he had not paid his income taxes, it was all but over for him. And we mustn't forget that Richards' defeat was in 1994, the year of the Republican landslide, along with the continued trending of Texas to the Republican Party. I don't think in many cases, that Richards could have made it through that one.

I just put up a critical analysis of the bloggers writings in my earlier posts, with my analysis of the politics of Brown and Newsom. That's all. I do not feel like the sky will fall if Newsom becomes Governor, contrary to what the blog writer wrote.

[DhhD]

12. It is apparent that we see different aspects of the Center. Hope yours is correct. n/t

[mackerel]

9. Newsom is far better than any Republican running for office.

[CreekDog]

10. Newsom is best known for allowing same sex marriages in San Francisco

before most others did it.

and for Healthy SF, which made healthcare far more accessible for poor and moderate income San Franciscans than before and elsewhere in California.

[Auggie]

11. I see him as another member of California's oligarchy ...

rich and well-connected. Cautious, too -- not especially eager to stick his neck out on an issue unless there's strong public support. I expect him to replace DiFi in the senate.

Not a fan, but I'll vote for him over any Republican.