Unsurprisingly, there has been little indication the American progressive left perceives Newsom as deserving anything but disdain. Recent weeks have only bolstered the sense that committing to the abolition of ICE is a prerequisite for any remotely moral candidate in 2028. If Newsom fails to become that candidate, it will not be because he appeared too left-wing, but because he lacked the guts or the inclination to be anything except what he manifestly is: a preening political operator, beholden to a status quo that no longer exists.
Gavin Newsom’s Biggest Problem Is Gavin Newsom
https://theintercept.com/2026/02/04/gavin-newsom-2028-presidential-campaign/
38 Comments
karashta@sopuli.xyz · 61 pts · 222d
He's a hollow bell that tolls for money
NatakuNox@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 222d
Yup. When the rubber meets the profits Newsom will always side with capital. It's he better than trump? Yes. But is he the man to fix our nation. Absolutely not.
karashta@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 222d
Exactly!
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 222d
Newsom would keep ice and the patriot act in place and wouldn't even fix the cost of living
halfsalesman@piefed.social · 16 pts · 222d
Yeah, Newsom would be an extremely depressing dystopian candidate. I want Ro Khanna or AOC. Or either one as president and vice president.
cheese_greater@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 222d
Ro Khanna is just lighting things up this year. Very pleased with everything he's been doing
arewethereyet@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 222d
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 222d
The above account is a bot created 2 hours ago posing as a human. Every comment, 17 so far, has been a paragraph or two long. Uses sentence structure commonly used by AI.
criss_cross@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 222d
They also could just be new…
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 221d
According to the mod logs looks like they got banned from lemmy.wold and sh.itjust.works. I’m not the only person that thought it was a LLM bot
criss_cross@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 221d
Whelp that’s fair lmao. I should check those more often.
EmpireInDecay@lemmy.ml · -12 pts · 222d
Yet you offered nothing to counter their claims. Newsome serves Newsome
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 222d
Why would I bother debating with a bot regardless of whether I agree or disagree with their opinion? It’s a bot. It repeats what it’s programmed to and my opinion on the validity of it is unimportant.
AI can fuck off regardless of whether it’s programmed to parrot things I like or dislike.
Sarmyth@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 222d
Most (not all) of Gavin's problems come from completely optional crap he does. He didn't need a podcast. He really doesn't need to go on conservative podcasts either. Every time he attempts to reach across the aisle, it earns him nothing with conservatives and pisses off his base.
criss_cross@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 222d
Coming out against the billionaire tax in California also doesn’t help.
Sarmyth@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 221d
Yup. All he has to say is "If that what the people want, its what's gonna happen." Its super milk toast, it's non-commital, but it doesn't make you look owned by billionaires.
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 221d
Nobody wants him to run but the tech oligarchs.
It'd be better if he were to retire to a vineyard or whatever people like him do after they fuck off.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 222d
He doesn't have a chance, because it's going to be a fair primary all the way thru.
They might be able to buy the first couple states especially if they start early, but they can't keep up the whole cycle which is why prior DNCs always tried to call it like 2 weeks after the first states vote.
2028 will run until ever state votes, and the DNC isn't going to favor anyone.
So the only chance Newsom has, is depressing turnout for the primary.
Which is why so many people keep acting like the DNC hasn't changed, they've already fell for the propaganda and are spreading it.
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 14 pts · 222d
why do you think the primarys will be fair this time and that the DNC won't favour a corporate Democrat? There's been no evidence or prior indications that this will be the case this time that I have seen.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 222d
Because the chair is all powerful and accountable to no one...
And the new one led Minnesota for like a decade and ran fair primaries turning a purple state progressive without any bias.
It's been a year, and they've been sending record breaking levels of funding back to state parties, that's why we keep "over performing" in special elections.
What's important here, is that this funding was a cudgel wielded by prior neoliberals: do what we saw or we'll bankrupt your whole state.
That threat is literally gone.
Had you not "seen" any of that on billionaire owned media?
phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 221d
Trump's and MAGA's behavior might also have at least a little to do with that.
goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org · 2 pts · 222d
To them the dnc doing what they do to tip the scales in the open rather than completely behind the scenes is proof they won't...
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 222d
It's crazy to me honestly.
goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org · 1 pts · 222d
Especially with all the shenanigans that have happened since the new chair took over to fuck over progressives. But sure totally will be different this time
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 222d
yeah, it's a fucking broken record at this point. Every single fucking time, since I've been alive, it's always "well this time it's different for the Liberal/Democrat vote, because of some small stupid innocuous change"
And then it never is different. Always some weird cheating ratchet to the right bullshit happens. Rinse and repeat. I'm so sick of it.
goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org · 1 pts · 222d
https://lemmy.world/post/42732629 at least people are acknowledging it there.
Yeah it's sad/amazing how many will ignore how the dems will both let the system be broken and not do anything to actually fix it once back in power
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 221d
What's more annoying is the liberals who, for some unfathomable reason, think it's awesome.
EmpireInDecay@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 222d
The DNC will back whoever THEY want as their candidate and they will do everything on their power to make sure everyone else falls in line. And they will use the same tropes they've always used about 'most important election of our lifetime™' and every liberal voter will fall on line
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 222d
French75@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 222d
I'm not sure the Dems remember how to do one of those.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 222d
Edit:
Nevermind
Monument@lemmy.sdf.org · 1 pts · 222d
The problem with Gavin Newsom is they could swap him with Billy Crudup doing a bit and I wouldn’t notice.
beelzebum@lemmy.world · -19 pts · 222d
Same crowd as last time is already trying to discourage and divide the left. Like it’s their job or something.
LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net · 21 pts · 222d
We're allowed to criticize political charlatans when we see them. I live in CA and most people here can see this. It's only people outside the state who can't because they aren't watching as closely. All they've seen is his social media posts which he didn't write and has stated he doesn't even agree with. There is no substance to this man. He's all hair gel.
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 222d
As someone from San Bernardino I must agree, he's a pretty bog standard Bay Area shitstain. Nothing but an empty suit who only really made it past the recall cause the recall doesn't trigger a standard election something we really need to fix IMO, but yeah if the recall triggered an actual election and had the lieutenant governor take over in the interim he'd have been ousted back then.
Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 222d
Stop acting like he's already the choice. He's not. And he won't be, because he's a terrible fucking choice. Criticizing a terrible choice isn't dividing anything. He's a billionaire puppet hellbent on pretending to act tough then doing fuck all to actually change anything or stand up for anyone.
CorrectAlias@piefed.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 222d
You know that primaries haven't happened yet, and that this is reason to not vote for him in them? He's not the winning candidate everyone needs to get behind yet. There's no one to divide.
athatet@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 222d
lol wut. Gavin Newsom is not on the left.
TronBronson@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 222d
Even moderate capitalists don’t want another pro oligarchy candidate
halfsalesman@piefed.social · 5 pts · 222d
EmpireInDecay@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 222d
Democrats are not left. Newsome is not left. If you want another neoliberal POS to defend go right ahead, but those of us that have been right about every candidate your party has run are also right about Newsome