Has Gavin Newsom’s Brain Always Been Mush?

California’s health is vital to this country. It’s too important to be run by political cranks. Unfortunately, it has become a True Blue state, setting much of the agenda for progressive politics everywhere. At the top is Gov. Gavin Newsom, who at one time seemed almost a happy warrior. Now it’s clear he’s an impulsive leftist hack who’ll say and do anything in the service of seeking ever greater power.

His most recent descent into Democratic madness was obvious a couple of weeks ago, when he blamed California’s $45 billion deficit on climate change.

“We anticipated that shortfall,” Newsom said at a news conference in which he outlined his plan to close the budget gap. “What we didn’t anticipate is these rain bombs … these atmospheric rivers that led to a federal declaration that led to FEMA and the IRS moving in a direction where we couldn’t collect our taxes until, I believe Nov. 16, as opposed to April 15.” 

He went on to say he considered “our financial delays as just another example of why we need to tackle” climate change, which “has impacts well beyond those that are often promoted.”

It’s a fact that California has had some heavy weather. To blame it on man’s combustion of fossil fuels is irresponsible. Actually it’s worse, it’s a sign of instability and desperation. As our friends at the Committee to Unleash Prosperity said, “This man has a serious case of climate change derangement syndrome.”

But the governor said what Democrats want to hear and he is happy to give it to them.

Newsom’s ongoing breakdown became obvious in his now infamous August 2021 “damn” interview with editorial and opinion writers from the McClatchy chain’s California newspapers.

Just weeks from a recall election that he won, Newsom was described as “unhinged,” “odd,” “testy,” and “angry.” He said “damn” nine times, at one point screeched that he loves “this damn state.” Those who had the patience to watch the video in its entirety said he smacked his desk with his hand and fist 59 times.

At least he wasn’t rolling around a couple steel balls in his hands.

Newsom had another media interview in 2023 – and was angry again. This time he was upset about “being taken for granted.” It’s a complaint he wouldn’t be able make if he put real effort into fixing the problems Californians care most about.

But the governor is instead “on a quest to impose California’s ‘moral authority’ on the rest of the country, or at least on red states whose policies he disagrees with,” says UCLA economics professor and Hoover Institution senior fellow Lee Ohanian.

Though he easily survived the 2021 recall and was reelected in November 2022 with almost 60 percent of the vote, Newsom is facing yet another recall effort. Millions of voters, though not nearly enough, are still furious about the dictatorial way he handled the COVID outbreak, and are weary of steep taxes, lead-the-six-o’clock-news crime and crisis-level homelessness.

With a nominal GDP of $3.6 trillion, California’s is the largest state economy in the nation. It’s so big that if the state were a country it would have the world’s fifth largest economy. But that rank is threatened as productive residents and businesses flee the blue-state trap.

Despite the flight, Newsom and his party continue to follow the progressive playbook as if somewhere in there is the solution to the state’s woes. But all they will find is a map to a chest not filled with treasure but with vipers. No, Newsom’s head isn’t filled with mush. He’s just a typical Democrat.

— Written by the I&I Editorial Board