ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- Crafting a column can be an unpredictable endeavor. That is especially true when you're writing about politics.

Like most human beings, elected officials can be awfully complicated.

Take California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is as complicated as they come. His personal story is filled with paradoxes.

On the one hand, as the son of a judge and corporate attorney, Newsom started out in life on Easy Street, within arm's reach of wealth and privilege; on the other, his parents divorced when he was a toddler and his mother had to work three jobs to support him and his sister. Later, in high school, Newsom also worked at a variety of jobs to help support the family.

On the one hand, Newsom has always struggled with what he has described as "pretty severe" dyslexia, which affected his ability to read and write, made his childhood challenging, and caused him to transfer from one school to another; on the other, as he recalled in a 2023 interview, coping with the learning disability forced him to "find workarounds and think differently."

On the one hand, Newsom is one of the favorite targets of President Donald Trump, who thinks "Newscum" is grossly incompetent; on the other hand, Trump is a blessing for Newsom, who -- according to a recent poll from UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology -- saw his approval rating among Californians jump nearly 20 points (38% to 56%) after tangling with the Republican.

Perhaps the biggest paradox has to do with the fact that what Newsom lacks in leadership ability, he makes up for in razor-sharp political skills. By any measure, he has been a failed governor. The 57-year-old bungled his response to COVID-19, drought, agriculture, crime, homelessness, education and the sky-high cost of living in the Golden State. A multimillionaire who owns restaurants and a winery, he seemed at times more comfortable racking up a $12,000-$15,000 bar tab at The French Laundry, a pricey Napa Valley restaurant, than connecting with and relating to everyday folks in the state.

Yet, Newsom is also fierce street fighter, a great campaigner and an excellent communicator who comes alive on the stump. Republicans would be wise not to take him lightly. While he was slow to tell California's story in his first term, he eventually got around to it. And now he does it very well. With passion and precision, he explains through speeches and videos and podcasts how the most populous state in the country became the fourth-largest economy in the world -- all while contributing more to Washington in taxes than it takes back in services.

Lately, with an eye toward running for president in 2028, Newsom has been telling another story, about how the country is in peril and how democracy is under threat because of Trump's brand of tyranny.

And that's where Newsom deserves criticism. He should worry less about saving democracy and dedicate more effort to saving California.

In a column several years ago, I wrote that Newsom "wanders through public life -- successfully -- like someone who doesn't want to anger a single voter." And while that can be a good roadmap for winning elections, I wrote that "it's not a good recipe for leading people."

It may be that Newsom -- who will need to raise at least $100 million for a White House bid -- is afraid to ruffle the feathers of those he is counting on for his nest egg.

That's too bad. Now, more than ever, my home state needs leadership. And the people of this state need protecting and defending.

An evil spirit has blown in from across the Potomac. It has been eight weeks since the Trump administration began occupying Los Angeles in search of undocumented immigrants. Of course, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents aren't picky. They'll settle for nabbing anyone who fits the profile -- brown skin, accent, etc. Thousands of Californians had been arrested, assaulted, detained and deported by masked individuals who may or may not be legitimate law enforcement officers. The whole thing seems to be fueled by a mixture of racism and opportunism.

"I attacked California," Trump recently bragged.

True that. And up to now, the president has gotten away with terrorizing a state that rejected him in three elections.

At this point, as governor of that state, Newsom only has one job that matters: to make it stop. He talks a good game when criticizing Trump. But he comes up short when it comes to taking action.

Not exactly a quality we look for in a president.

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To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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