The California governor's policy priorities undermine his Trump trolling — and his progressive credentials

Newsom and his team have successfully tapped into the need that many rank-and-file Democrats have for adopting a confrontational approach to Trump and his policies. But few people outside of California know much about the governor’s actual record — and many Democratic voters will be turned off to learn that his fervent opposition to a billionaire tax is part of an overall political approach that has trended more and more corporate-friendly.

A year ago, Newsom sent about 100 leaders of California-based companies a prepaid cell phone “programmed with Newsom’s digits and accompanied by notes from the governor himself,” POLITICO reported. One note to the CEO of a big tech corporation said, “If you ever need anything, I’m a phone call away.” While pandering to business elites, Newsom has slashed budgets to assist the poor and near-poor with healthcare, housing and food – in a state where seven million live under the official poverty line and child poverty rates are the highest in the nation.

…

“Governor Newsom’s reluctance to propose meaningful revenue solutions to help blunt the harm of federal cuts undermines his posture to counter the Trump administration.” The statement said that the proposed budget “will leave many Californians without food assistance and healthcare coverage.”

So far, key facts about Newsom’s policy priorities have scarcely gone beyond California’s borders. “National media have focused on Newsom as a personality and potential White House candidate and have almost completely ignored what he has and has not done as a governor,” said columnist Dan Walters, whose five decades covering California politics included 33 years at the Sacramento Bee. “It’s a perpetual failing of national political media to be more interested in image and gamesmanship rather than actual actions, the sizzle rather than the steak, and Newsom is very adept at exploiting that tendency.”

Also see https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/10/gavin-newsom-presidential-candidate-democrats

Like Trump, Newsom breaks promises, serves billionaire interests and mistakes social media theatrics for leadership. Is that really what American voters will want in 2028? After Richard Nixon, Americans chose Jimmy Carter. After George W Bush, they chose Barack Obama. After Trump, they’ll likely want change – authentic, strong, moral leadership, a leader with competence and vision.

  • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyzOP
    3·
    54 minutes ago

    I think so, or rather I think that the average US voter aligns more with Gavin Newsom’s policies than with the policies of a hypothetical alternative candidate that Salon might prefer.

    I know you think that, paradoxically many people do but you are wrong that is my point.

    This leads to a second strike against Newsom: California has struggled during his time as governor, which began in 2019. It is one of just seven states that has experienced a net population loss since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, shedding 91,000 residents—more than any state except New York. One of the biggest culprits has been the state’s unaffordability. California has long been one of the most expensive states to live in, a reality that has only grown worse in the last five years.

    It’s important to note that Newsom has recently worked to reduce red tape and accelerate the construction of new housing to lower home prices. But rather than taking a cue from another Democrat on the rise, Zohran Mamdani—who, despite his own vulnerabilities, has adopted an almost monomaniacal focus on cost-of-living issues in his New York City mayoral campaign—Newsom hasn’t touted these efforts nearly as much and has instead pivoted to picking fights with national Republicans.

    This is a troubling development, especially as Americans have identified inflation as the most important issue facing the country for the last three years, and many voters, including pivotal swing voters, voted for Trump with cost of living at top of mind last year. Come 2028, with Trump out of the picture, how does Newsom plan to respond to critics of his management of the state?

    https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/democrats-can-do-better-than-gavin