Is Newsom’s mental distraction as bad as Biden’s debilitation? Time for hard questions | Opinion

Should Gavin Newsom step down as governor so he can dedicate his full attention to co-hosting his new podcast and living in Marin while he is not running around the country in search of a television camera?

The governor’s mental situation and that of President Joe Biden are, of course, completely different. But there may not be much real-world difference between an office holder who is increasingly distracted from one who is increasingly debilitated.

Newsom’s withdrawal from Sacramento has accelerated in recent weeks.

First, he announced that he was moving his family away from the Sacramento area and back to the Bay Area. The official reason was schooling, the institutions of Marin County were allegedly more suitable to the family than those of Sacramento County. It’s also a convenient excuse to spend as little time in Sacramento as humanly possible.

Then, the governor decided to attend a meeting with Biden in the White House on Wednesday rather than stick around Sacramento for perhaps the single most important day of the legislative session: At stake was the future of $20 billion in proposed bond spending on schools, water quality and a variety of resource needs. If passed, his signature or veto would have decided the fate of the biggest single-day new spending spree of 2024 at the capitol.

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Newsom decided that his constitutional duties were less important than his surrogate duties for a president under siege. With Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis out of the state as well, acting governor duties fell to State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. The rookie Pro Tem was left to decide the fate of any bond passage, so in essence, Newsom was fine to let the Legislature make a huge spending decision all on its own, without any checks or balances from the executive branch.

The third and final straw that seemingly makes Newsom too distracted for the office is his venture into podcasting.

Newsom announced Wednesday (the same day he should have been in Sacramento, but wasn’t) that he was joining forces with retired NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and NFL agent Doug Hendrickson in a new weekly podcast. It will be called “Politickin,’” and is set to make its debut on July 15.

The podcast distributor, iHeart Media, declared the trio “an unexpected collaboration.” That’s quite an understatement.

“Gavin Newsom, a leader making waves in politics, will address the current state of affairs in a way audiences have never heard from him before,” said IHeart. “Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch, who spent the majority of his football career in Seattle, will share insider stories from the gridiron, lessons from the game, and what it takes to achieve greatness on and off the field; and veteran Wasserman agent Doug Hendrickson will offer insights into leadership, success and the drive to make a positive impact.”

Wouldn’t the leader of the fifth largest economy in the world make a more positive impact by, um... governing?

There is no doubt that our Gavin has the gift of gab; he just can’t get enough of hearing himself speak. Perhaps he should pursue his true passion and give up the official day job, which has clearly lost its luster. Then he can hit the road for one stump speech after another, otherwise known as “Politickin.”

Distraction is an extremely worrisome mental condition; when an important leader’s head is not in the job for whatever reason, it’s time for serious introspection.

Credit Joe Biden for doing his own soul-searching on the topic. As for Newsom, perhaps he can explain how he will handle all this new multitasking while he’s chopping it up with Lynch.

All jokes aside, it’s really not too much for the California public to ask its governor to focus and prioritize one of the world’s most important jobs. But Newsom can’t seem to do it.

With each passing day, and for such wildly different reasons, it’s getting harder and harder to take Joe Biden and Gavin Newsom seriously.