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A lot of people outside of California are confused why Gavin Newsom is taking the heat right now.
Let me explain who our Governor is, what he’s done wrong in office, and why California needs new progressive leadership.
(Thread: 1/?)
Let me explain who our Governor is, what he’s done wrong in office, and why California needs new progressive leadership.
(Thread: 1/?)
To understand Newsom, you first need to understand San Francisco politics and how he came up in it. In San Francisco, there are virtually no Republican elected officials, which means that business interests are intimately invested in the outcome of Democratic primaries.
Newsom was always on the right-wing of San Francisco politics. As the Chronicle noted in 2007, “[w]hen he was first elected in 2003, Newsom was the young, rich entrepreneur who made his political name with a plan to slash welfare checks to the homeless”.
![Newsom was always on the right-wing of San Francisco politics. As the Chronicle noted in 2007, “[w]hen he was first elected in 2003, Newsom was the young, rich entrepreneur who made his political name with a plan to slash welfare checks to the homeless”.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EujA0YwUcAE8Kh3.png "Newsom was always on the right-wing of San Francisco politics. As the Chronicle noted in 2007, “[w]hen he was first elected in 2003, Newsom was the young, rich entrepreneur who made his political name with a plan to slash welfare checks to the homeless”.")
In 2003, Newsom decided to run for Mayor. A handsome, telegenic young Supervisor who started a prosperous wine venture with the help of Gordon Getty, Newsom was a natural heir apparent to the moderate, business-allied wing of San Francisco politics.
Newsom leaned hard into his moderate image to appeal to wealthy homeowners. An amusing passage from ‘03 stated that Newsom “seems like a neo-con poster child for the old-moneyed elite and the nouveau riche.” Wouldn't necessarily go that far myself, but I did find it funny.
During the campaign, Newsom was hit hard for the support he received from local Republicans, esp. Newsom’s decision to spend $500 to be on a Republican slate mailer in 2000. In the end, Newsom was able to win by a narrow margin over progressive opponent Matt Gonzalez.
This is not to suggest that Newsom is a de facto Republican by any means, but it is important to remember that in deep blue cities like San Francisco, well-monied interests who would normally support Republicans elsewhere tend to back moderate Democrats.
As Mayor, Newsom was known for having… a bit of an ego, to put it lightly. This can be expected to some extent from any politician, sure, but still, this passage is a must-read and I do believe it is a reflection of his governing style.
As something of an aside: I would remiss not to mention Mr. Newsom’s photoshoot with Kimberly Guilfoyle. Iconic stuff!
During his tenure, Newsom would receive national attention for his (excellent and praise-worthy) decision to allow SF to issue same-sex marriage licenses. In 2010, he would initially attempt a run for Governor before dropping down to the Lt. Governor’s race, which he won.
As Lt. Governor, Newsom made no qualms about his ambitions for higher office. This is not a critique of his character, by the way: There are very few responsibilities the job actually has, so it makes sense that he positioned himself as a future Governor for almost 8 years.
In 2018, for the first time in his career, Newsom decided to tack left in preparation for his gubernatorial bid. He embraced single-payer (and got the support of the California Nurses Association) and stated his opposition to fracking, among other progressive positions.
Since getting into office, progressives have furiously debated whether Newsom has effectively abandoned single-payer or if he is taking necessary incremental measures. You can be the judge of it - State legislative leadership is probably a bigger obstacle to single-payer.
The case of Newsom and fracking, however, is rather clear-cut: Newsom quietly signed off on 12 fracking permits to Aera Energy (Shell and ExxonMobil joint venture) on one day alone in 2020. @capitalandmain's piece from last year is a must-read: https://capitalandmain.com/gavin-newsom-hands-out-fracking-permits-to-connected-driller-0619
When rideshare giants were pushing Prop 22, every Democrat from Bernie Sanders to Elizabeth Warren to Joe Biden to Kamala Harris stood against this historic anti-labor campaign. Newsom, on the other hand, stayed on the sidelines. https://www.newsweek.com/gavin-newsom-silent-california-proposition-22-1558978
There's also the case of Newsom's staffing choices, which have been very concerning to California progressives - This is an informative op-ed from December 2020 on the subject. https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/12/17/opinion-gavin-newsoms-cronyism-threatens-families-like-mine/
It is Newsom's handling of COVID, however, that is perhaps the most deserving of scrutiny. I made this thread last month on the subject: https://twitter.com/aidan_smx/status/1353572394695180293
Unfortunately, proponents of recalling Newsom are not doing so because they want a Governor more committed to e.g. banning fracking or single-payer - They're right-wing cranks who want California to do away with necessary measures to protect public health.
We need a progressive challenger against Newsom in 2022 - Between @RoKhanna, @katieporteroc, @RepBarbaraLee, @JosephNSanberg, @Ash_Kalra, @LorenaSGonzalez etc., the state has no shortage of progressive leaders.
But yeah, if you've seen more tweets on your timeline criticizing Gavin Newsom's tenure *from the left* and you didn't know why, I hope this thread serves as a useful primer.
Nationalize PG&E pls https://twitter.com/wofens_/status/1362557740569169920
