Michael - I think you're making several assumptions here that may be begging the question.
I don't have them handy but I see tons of polls that suggest that even the primary voters on the left (nevermind the general public) is much less enamoured of identity politics and the rest of the "woke" agenda these days. I recall reading that something like 75% of the population (across the political divide) doesn't like political correctness and is tired of being preached to by the holier than thou purity police.
You mention Latinx - it's massively unpopular, first and foremost amongst the Latin community. Obviously, that's a minuscule example but I think you may be overindexing on how these people feel. For what it's worth I'm a California Democratic primary voter and I am massively relieved and grateful that someone as high profile as Newsom has finally heard the message and is leaning away from the excess of "my side"'s extremes. I get that I'm an N of 1 but for what it's worth... there you have it.
Also - I think mostly what you're lamenting (at least between the lines) is that we have this imbecilic voting system that rewards the extremes and assigns the job of picking who will represent us to the "primary" voter (read: biased, dyed in the wool, cultists). If we got rid of primaries and just had open Instant Runoff (RCV) elections, reasonable people with views that reflect true majorities (and are not necessarily in either party) would actually get elected and we could stop lamenting what the best way to appeal to the extremes is.
I don't mean to put words in your mouth but that's the solution to what you're concerned about here.
Thank you for reading and your thoughtful reply. This piece isn't really about the merits of Latinx, etc. It's really about GAVIN. The idea that he, of all people, is now the avatar of Clintonian New Democrat thinking is just, well, BS. It's so clearly a political move and insincere that it is what prompted me to write this particular piece.
When I learned that Gavin had been married to Kimberley Guilfoyle, At that moment I knew that his judgement was not to be trusted., as well as his sincerity. He is an obvious narcissist.
I am glad for the confirmation, but I also agree with Yvegeny, That the left has gone to far overboard with their insane demands and ideological purity, and in fact have pushed a lot of fence sitters to the right with their political correctness and cancel culture, especially since they have proven to be hypocrites, Demanding free speech for me, not not for thee.
And FYI I am a DEIA progressive, just not an immature radical one.
I might write the piece about what Democrats should do, but this isn't it. It's really about how full of [expletive deleted] Gavin is and why no one is going to buy it.
That may very well be true - I know many people whom I trust and agree with on many things who either know (or knew) him personally and/or are somehow connected and they all say that at best he's a total phony.
The problem is that we're not in a position to be too picky about which horse we ride around the track. Oddly, this is how a lot of Trump supporters feel about their guy; certainly, the ones I know mostly feel this way. They generally can't stand him but they believe he represents their interests more accurately than anyone else. I can't quite understand how they get there (and I'm pretty sure it's much more emotional than rational) - but in any event, I think there's a lot to be said for at least not tearing him down while he sets the tone. If as a result of that tone-setting "better" people follow his lead... who knows, maybe we'll have some better options to choose from.
Btw - Joe Trippi and I just launched a new social media platform called Sez.Us which uses personal reputation as an incentive to get people to engage in more good-faith conversation and discourage hostility and bombast.
I'll be posting your pieces there as conversation starters - hope you come and engage. Here's the link: https://sez.us/l/xv7mujhl
This is all an unnecessary distraction. Let's keep it simple. Trump stands in front of Congress and country claiming that thousands of people are cheating Social Security. Ok...where's the arrests? It's a federal offense to fraudulently claim SSA money. Has anyone been arrested yet? Of course not. Has the FBI mobilized to crack down on these (imaginary?) cheats? Of course not. Because it's all a lie. We have to say that loud and clear. Why aren't we asking for that kind of proof? Frankly, anyone cheating Social Security with an "age" of 150 would be pretty stupid. It's just not happening. DEMAND ARRESTS! Make them put up or shut up. There's so much at stake, so why are we attacking other Democrats? Save it for Gavin's primary. Right now we need to focus on the danger to our Republic.
Excellent! Trump is on a fast track to destroying democracy and crowning himself king … but knives are out for Gavin Newsome and Chuck Schumer. Their “guilt” absolves our inaction.
And it’s so easy to attack a politician for being political.
Point taken. Newsom - with or without the “e” - was my mayor first, I admit to bias. I just am reluctant for Dems, or anyone, to invest time & treasure in the blame game. THAT should be directed at Trump/Musk et al.
I think we're in more agreement than you think, David. I am suggesting we don't invest time or treasure in Gavin Newsom — as a candidate for President of the United States.
I think if you're looking for someone who can beat back MAGA, it's important to point out weak candidates.
This is about Gavin Newsom (no "e"), a proud liberal who decided he wanted to be POTUS and so he changed core beliefs. It's about authenticity, not Trump.
Something about our current age has unmasked politicians' self-interest. Maybe it's the iPhone. But we now can see a lot more of these people in action and it's so transparent when someone makes political moves they don't believe in so they (think they) can win.
The problem with that is we're all in on it now. The smartest play in politics is to be yourself, and Gavin is running away from that guy. He doesn't seem real. He seems like a guy who loves his own voice so much that he got himself a podcast.
Democrats have far better choices, people who believe in things, not just themselves. I stand by the piece. Gavin is for he/him, and it's so transparent I'm shocked that no one used that frame before I did.
Or.. did Newsome always hold these beliefs, as a lot of liberals do, but was unable to speak openly without the far left's threat to destroy anyone who even slightly questions what they say is the one and only way to be the perfect liberal? The left has been against free speech for a while now, refusing to engage honestly in any conversation they deemed their way or the highway. This behavior, along with cancel culture mob violence etc, pushed people away, emboldened the right, and left us fractured and looking like fools. And still, the left sees newsom and refuses to engage, to listen. Will y'all learn? When you demand people think and do liek you, or else! They are going to pretend to think liek you to save themselves. This is why now a bunch of liberals are coming out and being honest.. they've almost lost our country to a fascist because they were too busy trying not to upset the far left… where did that get us?
This is the same kind of nonsense we’re heard over and over. Yeah, let’s get another wanna be savior reporter to tear down everyone and everyone. Let me guess, you’re a Pelosi and Schumer dude. I don’t even like Gavin for Prez and this piece shines of 1990s style reporting. It is YOUR holier than thou tone here we don’t like. Gavin tells us who he is and we can take it or leave it. Like Bernie and like AOC. AT LEAST HE ISN’T A WUSS AND IS TAKING A CHANCE.
Thanks for reading and your reply but there's no reason to attack me personally, here. While I respect them, I'm not a Pelosi or Schumer "dude." Over the years, I've voted for Democrats and Republicans for POTUS and other races.
I'm one of those who would like to see authentic candidates, which is what prompted this piece. The merits of moving away from woke phrases is not what I'm saying here. It's GAVIN. He's a poor messenger for this shift because of his long, consistent, record. It strikes me as political BS and I called it out.
Michael - I think you're making several assumptions here that may be begging the question.
I don't have them handy but I see tons of polls that suggest that even the primary voters on the left (nevermind the general public) is much less enamoured of identity politics and the rest of the "woke" agenda these days. I recall reading that something like 75% of the population (across the political divide) doesn't like political correctness and is tired of being preached to by the holier than thou purity police.
You mention Latinx - it's massively unpopular, first and foremost amongst the Latin community. Obviously, that's a minuscule example but I think you may be overindexing on how these people feel. For what it's worth I'm a California Democratic primary voter and I am massively relieved and grateful that someone as high profile as Newsom has finally heard the message and is leaning away from the excess of "my side"'s extremes. I get that I'm an N of 1 but for what it's worth... there you have it.
Also - I think mostly what you're lamenting (at least between the lines) is that we have this imbecilic voting system that rewards the extremes and assigns the job of picking who will represent us to the "primary" voter (read: biased, dyed in the wool, cultists). If we got rid of primaries and just had open Instant Runoff (RCV) elections, reasonable people with views that reflect true majorities (and are not necessarily in either party) would actually get elected and we could stop lamenting what the best way to appeal to the extremes is.
I don't mean to put words in your mouth but that's the solution to what you're concerned about here.
Here’s a piece I saw late today that’s worth reading on the reaction in a much more systematic and quantitative way. TLDR: Democratic reaction? Bad. https://capitolweekly.net/ca-120-gavins-podcast-presidential-run-or-empire-building/
Thank you for reading and your thoughtful reply. This piece isn't really about the merits of Latinx, etc. It's really about GAVIN. The idea that he, of all people, is now the avatar of Clintonian New Democrat thinking is just, well, BS. It's so clearly a political move and insincere that it is what prompted me to write this particular piece.
When I learned that Gavin had been married to Kimberley Guilfoyle, At that moment I knew that his judgement was not to be trusted., as well as his sincerity. He is an obvious narcissist.
I am glad for the confirmation, but I also agree with Yvegeny, That the left has gone to far overboard with their insane demands and ideological purity, and in fact have pushed a lot of fence sitters to the right with their political correctness and cancel culture, especially since they have proven to be hypocrites, Demanding free speech for me, not not for thee.
And FYI I am a DEIA progressive, just not an immature radical one.
I might write the piece about what Democrats should do, but this isn't it. It's really about how full of [expletive deleted] Gavin is and why no one is going to buy it.
That may very well be true - I know many people whom I trust and agree with on many things who either know (or knew) him personally and/or are somehow connected and they all say that at best he's a total phony.
The problem is that we're not in a position to be too picky about which horse we ride around the track. Oddly, this is how a lot of Trump supporters feel about their guy; certainly, the ones I know mostly feel this way. They generally can't stand him but they believe he represents their interests more accurately than anyone else. I can't quite understand how they get there (and I'm pretty sure it's much more emotional than rational) - but in any event, I think there's a lot to be said for at least not tearing him down while he sets the tone. If as a result of that tone-setting "better" people follow his lead... who knows, maybe we'll have some better options to choose from.
Btw - Joe Trippi and I just launched a new social media platform called Sez.Us which uses personal reputation as an incentive to get people to engage in more good-faith conversation and discourage hostility and bombast.
I'll be posting your pieces there as conversation starters - hope you come and engage. Here's the link: https://sez.us/l/xv7mujhl
Thanks for flagging! I just joined the platform.
This is all an unnecessary distraction. Let's keep it simple. Trump stands in front of Congress and country claiming that thousands of people are cheating Social Security. Ok...where's the arrests? It's a federal offense to fraudulently claim SSA money. Has anyone been arrested yet? Of course not. Has the FBI mobilized to crack down on these (imaginary?) cheats? Of course not. Because it's all a lie. We have to say that loud and clear. Why aren't we asking for that kind of proof? Frankly, anyone cheating Social Security with an "age" of 150 would be pretty stupid. It's just not happening. DEMAND ARRESTS! Make them put up or shut up. There's so much at stake, so why are we attacking other Democrats? Save it for Gavin's primary. Right now we need to focus on the danger to our Republic.
Excellent! Trump is on a fast track to destroying democracy and crowning himself king … but knives are out for Gavin Newsome and Chuck Schumer. Their “guilt” absolves our inaction.
And it’s so easy to attack a politician for being political.
Point taken. Newsom - with or without the “e” - was my mayor first, I admit to bias. I just am reluctant for Dems, or anyone, to invest time & treasure in the blame game. THAT should be directed at Trump/Musk et al.
I think we're in more agreement than you think, David. I am suggesting we don't invest time or treasure in Gavin Newsom — as a candidate for President of the United States.
Thanks for reading, David.
I think if you're looking for someone who can beat back MAGA, it's important to point out weak candidates.
This is about Gavin Newsom (no "e"), a proud liberal who decided he wanted to be POTUS and so he changed core beliefs. It's about authenticity, not Trump.
Something about our current age has unmasked politicians' self-interest. Maybe it's the iPhone. But we now can see a lot more of these people in action and it's so transparent when someone makes political moves they don't believe in so they (think they) can win.
The problem with that is we're all in on it now. The smartest play in politics is to be yourself, and Gavin is running away from that guy. He doesn't seem real. He seems like a guy who loves his own voice so much that he got himself a podcast.
Democrats have far better choices, people who believe in things, not just themselves. I stand by the piece. Gavin is for he/him, and it's so transparent I'm shocked that no one used that frame before I did.
Or.. did Newsome always hold these beliefs, as a lot of liberals do, but was unable to speak openly without the far left's threat to destroy anyone who even slightly questions what they say is the one and only way to be the perfect liberal? The left has been against free speech for a while now, refusing to engage honestly in any conversation they deemed their way or the highway. This behavior, along with cancel culture mob violence etc, pushed people away, emboldened the right, and left us fractured and looking like fools. And still, the left sees newsom and refuses to engage, to listen. Will y'all learn? When you demand people think and do liek you, or else! They are going to pretend to think liek you to save themselves. This is why now a bunch of liberals are coming out and being honest.. they've almost lost our country to a fascist because they were too busy trying not to upset the far left… where did that get us?
Unclear. What is clear is that he’s full of it, and by it I mean this: https://open.substack.com/pub/andykaczynski/p/video-gavin-newsom-spent-years-fighting
This is the same kind of nonsense we’re heard over and over. Yeah, let’s get another wanna be savior reporter to tear down everyone and everyone. Let me guess, you’re a Pelosi and Schumer dude. I don’t even like Gavin for Prez and this piece shines of 1990s style reporting. It is YOUR holier than thou tone here we don’t like. Gavin tells us who he is and we can take it or leave it. Like Bernie and like AOC. AT LEAST HE ISN’T A WUSS AND IS TAKING A CHANCE.
Thanks for reading and your reply but there's no reason to attack me personally, here. While I respect them, I'm not a Pelosi or Schumer "dude." Over the years, I've voted for Democrats and Republicans for POTUS and other races.
I'm one of those who would like to see authentic candidates, which is what prompted this piece. The merits of moving away from woke phrases is not what I'm saying here. It's GAVIN. He's a poor messenger for this shift because of his long, consistent, record. It strikes me as political BS and I called it out.
Don’t worry, I unsubscribed. I’d rather the Dems fight. ✌🏼