Gavin Newsom attacked the GOP on State of the State. Why you shouldn’t take it seriously

Californians are smart people, and yet some – even our own – believe they can rip us off.

Governor Gavin Newsom would like you to believe he is the last line of defense against the fearsome conservative Republican Party that is ravaging the rest of America.

In his State of the State address on Tuesday, the two-term governor continued that history in a series of his greatest hits.

“Our values ​​and our way of life are the antidote to the toxic populism of the right and to the fear and anxiety that so many people feel today,” Newsom said. “For conservatives and delusional California critics, their success depends on our failure.”

Opinion

I’ve only been living in the ultra-conservative, Bible Belt, Ten Commandments-heavy South for two months, and it’s true that things are pretty bad there. If you’re liberal or just think differently, you’re labeled as sick or like you’ve “taken the Kool-Aid.”

Newsom’s words, however, fall short because they sound just like those of the Southern fanatics. The claim that the California way of life is under attack is simply false. They don’t have the fifth largest economy and they’re still tilting at windmills.

If we learned anything from Tuesday’s video, it’s that Newsom has no problem using tactics from the conservative playbook.

Newsom flatters the right wing

While Newsom would like us to believe that he is a great champion of liberal values, it is obvious that he also likes to associate with the right.

We all know that Fox News host and conservative panderer extraordinaire Sean Hannity is close friends with Newsom.

Newsom wants to draw a contrast with Hannity, but the two appeal to the same people. Just last week, the governor announced he wants to take away smartphones from children in school because of the impact of social media. Do you know who has already done that in his state? Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis.

It’s funny that DeSantis appeared in Newsom’s 28-minute video address signing a six-week abortion ban to highlight the differences between the two.

Does Governor Newsom really think we’re stupid? Both he and DeSantis are fundamentalists. In a way, they’re two sides of the same coin.

Newsom also set a new low in modern political communication by pre-recording a constitutionally mandated State of the Union address. Since when is an important speech an infomercial? Yes, pre-recording the speech made it easy for the governor to fly to Atlanta surrounded by the very conservative vitriol he spoke of to help campaign for Joe Biden before and after tonight’s debate with Donald Trump. Newsom is not defending us against conservative power, he is playing to its tune.

Newsom shows his true face

Whether or not Newsom prepares for a presidential campaign in 2028, he is showing California and the country that he is as capable as he is foolish at gaining ground with an “us versus them” mentality – and in a recorded video, of all things.

The best advice for Newsom is to stay away from right-wing rhetoric. He made unsubstantiated arguments in his speech to appear strong.

Californians are not under attack. We are a state that cares about diversity, inclusion, and improving the lives of everyone who calls this place home.

However, the problems we face have internal causes, such as affordable housing, high utility costs and inflation.

If Newsom wants to pander to the national culture war, then let him do so. But doing so will only distance him further from the state he currently governs.

Californians earn more.