Gavin Newsom will never be elected president

As I have said in past musings, American voters like to elect presidents with experience as governors. One might even postulate that the past presidents who were former governors were some of the best presidents because they were usually forced to be bipartisan to get things done in their state.

Usually, this would bode well for a relatively young and attractive governor such as Gavin Newsom. But Newsom has one major flaw that will keep him from ever being elected by a nationwide voter base. He’s from California.

Wait, you say, doesn’t that give him a good advantage in any Democratic primary race? Yes, California has more electors and a more substantial Democratic voter base than any other state that counts toward an eventual victory at the party convention. Yes, and it is possible Gavin Newsom could someday be the Democratic nominee for president.

At least, as a conservative, I hope so.

Newsom has been so patently transparent in his efforts to gain nationwide name recognition that it seems, at times, a little desperate. He has spent campaign funds donated for his race in California in both Texas and Florida, chastising those governors and voters for their stance on illegal immigration.

Newsom’s much-ballyhooed “debate” with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is finally scheduled for this coming Nov. 30 on the Fox News Channel. Fox personality Shawn Hannity will be the moderator and has promised an “informative debate on the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American.”

What is likely to occur is a showcase of snappy one-liners that try to put down both the ultra-liberal policies of California and the often ultra-right decision DeSantis has made for Floridians. This has all the earmarks of a session of divisive political speech rather than meaningful policy discussions about how their governing decisions impact everyday residents.

We won’t learn a lot about either governor. You will like one or the other going in and come out with the same feeling. This is not an era where a one-on-one debate can change minds. So, what’s in it for these two?

The debate is in the key state of Georgia. DeSantis can help himself with a stellar performance before the Georgia GOP primary. Newsom has a friend in Georgia’s Stacey Abrams and a large contingent of motivated Democrats who need a reason to support a wobbly Democratic president. Perhaps seeing Newsom as the future of their party can help.

The real challenge for a Newsom presidential run lies ahead. Any cursory look at what he has supported and done in and to the Golden State is plenty of fodder for even the weakest future national GOP opponent.

This week, Newsom has continued the support pattern for one ultra-left proposal after another. New limits on concealed-carry gun permits, new taxes on guns and ammo, and a host of other gun-related laws all signed into law mostly for looks. Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta knows that once the gun advocate lawsuits have been filed, and they will be before this column is printed, most of the new gun restrictions will be put on hold. If and when the legality of these laws gets past a District Federal Judge and goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has already ruled against similar restrictive laws in New York, they will be struck down.

This is liberal showmanship.

Newsom is now signing a number of significant new restrictive climate control-related laws that will also be challenged in court and, if enacted, would drive even more businesses out of California. One silly law will require commercial building owners to compute, report, and plan how to restrict harmful emissions from their building, including the people, vehicles, and electrical devices that may visit or work on the property.

Many news regulations are so damaging to the business community that lawsuits about state overreach will flow. Only California, with the willing agreement of the Democrat-controlled federal bureaucracy, routinely assumes they can make rules for the entire United States with a regulation passed here.

Forget the wacky and expensive policies, the out-of-control cost-of-living, the crime, the homeless explosion. No, none of that will stop Gavin Newsom from becoming president of the United States. It is his genetic political myopia that will cost him a general election.

Why didn’t famous former Gov. Jerry Brown break out and succeed when he ran for president? Why is Vice-President Kamala Harris a laughingstock even inside her party?

In a week ago's opinion column by Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan, she nailed the reason,” politicians from one-party states never learn broadness. They speak only Party Language to Party Folk”.

A top Democrat in California does not have to master politics or prove depth of thought. They can get a leg up through relatives (Newsom) and personal relationships (Harris) relying on charm, superficial knowledge of the “hot button” issues, and party dynamics inside the state. There is never a discussion of opposition issues in a one-party form. Why bother?

When you leave your protected liberal bubble, it isn’t always C02 emissions or slave reparations that are top of mind in Iowa, New Hampshire, Arizona, or Texas. People care about the price of gasoline and Big Macs. If you are a Democrat from California, you are on record of supporting outrageous regulations to raise the cost of both.

That makes a one-trick pony politician a hard sell when they enter the national arena. That’s why I do not believe Gavin Newsom will ever be elected president of the United States. He wants the rest of America to be like California.

As a born-and-bred Californian, I am telling you that is not a future you want to embrace.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Gavin Newsom will never be elected president