If one were looking for the personification of a calculating, Machiavellian, chameleon-like, self-absorbed, “let them eat cake” politician, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom would fit the bill. He is the poster child. But at what real cost to his own state, the livelihoods of small-business store owners, and most especially, the lives of law enforcement officials being viciously attacked in the streets of Los Angeles?
As the country – and the world knows – Los Angeles has been overwhelmed by violent riots after federal immigration officials went into the city to arrest some of the most vile and dangerous illegal immigrants freely roaming the city. Premeditated and well-funded explosive “protests” almost immediately followed.
Not surprisingly, far-left Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass instantly coddled the “protestors.” And by doing so, put the lives of Los Angeles police officers and the citizens of her city in grave danger. Why would she commit such an obviously irresponsible act? The same reason so many far-left politicians do. To virtue signal to the far-left wing of the Democratic Party -- which at the moment, has a strangle-hold on not only the narrative of the Party, but seemingly the backbones of weak and clearly intimidated politicians like Bass – that she is “with them.”
As that was happening, the calculating, shark-like Newsom smelled blood in the water. Or to be more precise, on the sidewalks of Los Angeles. Much of it no doubt from courageous Los Angeles police officers.
Back in the day, former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton and former Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel became famous for offering up this bit of advice to then President Barack Obama: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” No doubt the blindingly ambitious Newsom has that line burned into his memory banks.
The latest – and most telling – example of how Machiavellian, chameleon-like, and self-absorbed Newsom really is comes to us via the one person trying to protect the city of Los Angeles and its people: President Donald J. Trump. As part of his ongoing quest to stop the riots, President Trump mentioned that he had reached out to Newsom by phone. “A day ago. I called him up to tell him (he's) got to do a better job. He's done a bad job.”
Not wanting to be exposed as a “do nothing” politician while at the same time trying to virtue signal to the Trump-hating far-left, Newsom posted on X that Trump did not call him or leave a voice mail: "There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.”
Whoops. Unfortunately for Newsom, President Trump was only too happy to provide the receipt. He supplied Fox News with a screen shot of the call…which lasted 16 minutes.
While pointing out that reality, White House director of communications Steven Cheung offered up this comment to Fox Digital Tuesday afternoon: "The President called Gavin Newsom to tell him to get his ass in gear. The Governor has clearly decided to disgustingly side with the violent rioters instead of protecting Californians. The only liar here is Newsom who continues to fail his state as he prioritizes doing interviews with leftist media to gaslight the public instead of helping his state."
Quite right. But then the question of the day becomes, why would Newsom deliberately “fail his state as he prioritizes doing interviews with leftist media?” The answer to that question is quite easy. More than anything, the “all about me” Newsom is seemingly desperate to become President of the United States. But to achieve that goal, he first has to become the nominee for the Democratic Party.
At the moment, many within the Democratic Party believe that equally self-absorbed far-left politicians Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) have the inside track on that nomination. Politicians who, while doing next to nothing for the desperately hurting constituents in their districts, continually spout two transparently attention-seeking rants: hatred of Trump and the idea that everything must be viewed and addressed through the prism of identity politics.
Oftentimes the most obvious answer is the correct answer. Newsom no doubt has been paying strict attention to publicity-seeking antics of AOC and Crockett. More than that, he has seen that it is gaining traction in a Party still controlled by the far-left. As such, it’s not a stretch at all to come to the conclusion that for Newsom to get the Democratic nomination for president, he has to “out crazy” the nation-destroying “policies” of AOC and Crockett. What better way for the chameleon-like Newsom to virtue signal to that very dangerous far-left wing of his own Party than to “side with violent protestors instead of protecting Californians.”
In the Disney-classic non-woke version of “Snow White,” the Evil Queen seeks confirmation that she is the most beautiful in the land by gazing into her magic mirror and asking: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” If Newsom had such a mirror many believe he would be asking: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most selfishly ambitious of all?”
It did not end well for the Evil Queen and it won’t end well for Newsom. Voters have had enough and will side with the rule of law; small business store owners; and especially the men and women in uniform who do their best to protect us and our nation. Newsom’s time has come and gone.
*** Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the book: The 56 – Liberty Lessons from those who risked all to sign The Declaration of Independence. Follow him @DougOfSkye.