Gavin Newsom, you’re better than that

A spiteful and dangerous obsession has taken hold within the Democratic Party. Basically, it’s this: Donald Trump’s presidency poses such a unique threat to America’s democratic institutions that responding by acting honestly or decently is for chumps.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth put it this way: “I feel very strongly that we Democrats have been taking our time to go through the rule book saying, ‘Hey, you can’t do that. Hey, you can’t do that.’ Meanwhile, Republicans are shooting referees. We need to start playing some hardball as well and we need to start fighting back.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in Atlanta this week promoting his memoir, spoke in the same vein and mentioned fighting “fire with fire.”

They are hardly alone. That’s the reigning sentiment within America’s largest and oldest political party. There is so much wrong with this it’s difficult to know where to begin. But let’s start with this: The notion that Democrats have been patsies in the Trump era is delusional.

They impeached him twice in his first term. The Democratic attorney general in New York – honoring a campaign pledge – tried to fine him hundreds of billions of dollars and put his entire family out of business. Elected Democratic prosecutors in Manhattan and Atlanta tried to put him in prison. Ditto for Joe Biden’s Justice Department. The go-to greeting for Trump from Democrats ranging from California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter to Oscar-winning actor Robert DeNiro is “F*** Trump!”

In addition, there’s the collateral damage wreaked on our system by the Democrats’ hatred of Trump and his MAGA movement. Sen. Duckworth’s “shooting referees” reference came in the context of a recent government shutdown. She was actually angry that eight Democratic senators finally voted to reopen the government. Viewing this fight with a wider lens, here’s what happened: Trump ran again in 2024, promising to get tough on illegal immigration. He won the election and began instituting his policies. Elected officials from the party that claims it is fighting to “defending democracy” concluded that shutting the federal government was a legitimate response.

For his part, Newsom’s fighting “fire with fire” comment was made in the context of defending California Democrats’ grotesque gerrymander. It came, of course, in response to Texas Republicans’ grotesque gerrymander. So Republicans essentially disenfranchise millions of people; Democrats respond by saying we can disenfranchise even more than you – in the name of saving democracy. And they wonder why ordinary Americans loathe politics.

As a lifelong political independent and nonpartisan journalist, I’d ask my Democratic friends two questions. How does this ever end? Former Obama administration official Susan Rice and Eric Swalwell, another candidate seeking to succeed Newsom, have openly vowed revenge against Trump administration officials. So is the moral of Trump’s “revenge tour” that vengeance is just dandy, provided it’s carried out against my adversaries?

Here’s the other question, and it’s related to the first. Democrats, if Trump offends you so deeply, why do you consistently imitate his worst behavior? At times, it’s as though you’re trying to out-Trump the man. He’s vulgar? Great, we’ll be even more vulgar. He doesn’t abide by the outcome of elections, so why should we? He insults journalists, particularly women reporters, with crude name-calling? Well, that’s just our game.

I’m referring now to Izzy Gardon, Newsom’s official spokesman. On Monday, RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree sent a query to his press office concerning the governor’s dyslexia. It’s a subject Newsom covers in his book and which he has been discussing openly on his book tour. Susan politely asked for documentation of this diagnosis. Is that an intrusive question? Yes it is. It’s also exactly the kind of question presidential candidates are asked and should be prepared to answer. In this case there was a further context: Skeptics on social media were questioning Newsom’s veracity.

His press office had two options: (1) Release the records. (2) Decline to do so. Instead, in a perfect reflection of the Democrats’ burn-the-village-down-to-save-it mentality, they chose Door Number Three. “Hey Susan—thanks for reaching out,” Gardon replied. “Respectfully, f*** off.”

I suppose Gardon thought that was clever. I didn’t, but perhaps I’m overly sensitive because Susan Crabree works for me. But I wasn’t alone. Chris Cilliza, who happens to be a former colleague of Susan’s and mine (at different news organizations), tweeted that he didn’t think it was too cool either. Chris put it well: “I hate the normalizing of treating reporters like s—. If Newsom wants to move the country on from Trump, he and his team should stop copying these sorts of awful tactics.”

That should have given Gardon pause. Instead, he doubled down and began slandering Susan. He responded that she “is not a reporter.” He added that she’s a “MAGA blogger” and “peak crazy energy lady.”

For the record, Susan Crabtree is a reporter, a very good and hard-working one. She reports to me, so she has to be. Based in California, she has written about Newsom previously, sometimes unflatteringly, but her reporting is fact-based. She’s been practicing journalism since Izzy was in short pants.

As for me, I’ve been covering politics since before he was born and have seen my share of rude and petty flacks, but this is a new low. It’s positively Trumpian. Izzy Gardon turns out to be a 31-year-old progressive Trump imitator in a bow tie. If I were to put it in language he’d understand, the headline on this column would be something like: “Gavin, Leash Your Yappy Mutt,” or “Newsom’s Sexist Little Twerp.”

But I don’t write like that. I don’t think it’s the best way to conduct public discourse. I mentioned having Democratic “friends.” I didn’t mean that rhetorically. Most of my friends and family members are Democrats. Moreover, my affection for Gavin Newsom is something of a running gag on RCP’s daily podcast. Gavin’s father Bill was a good friend of mine. I loved Bill, and I have enjoyed seeing his son prosper. And, as a Californian I know that sometimes you do have to fight fire with fire.

But not usually. Normally you fight fire with water and flame retardant. Never with incendiaries. Governor, this punk works for you and he’s an arsonist.