Newsom Or Not?
Californians will head to the polls to decide if Gov. Newsom will stay in his job. (NY Times)
“California voters will decide whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, concluding an idiosyncratic election that has been held in the middle of a pandemic and closely watched as one of the first big indicators of the country’s political direction since President Biden took office.
Democrats feel increasingly confident, predicting that Mr. Newsom will prevail and avert what would be a disaster for the party in California, the nation’s most-populous state. If Mr. Newsom is recalled, his likely replacement would be Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host who has made a career bashing liberal causes.”
The image of the Governor dining in violation of the recommended Covid precautions last year continues to ring vividly in the minds of voters. Gov. Newsom should stay in office but when a national crisis is at hand any deviation from protocol will be immediately condemned because images matter. Leaders need to lead and even slight deviations are magnified under the social media lens to microscopic levels and thoroughly dissected. Governing under those norms is not an easy feat but must taken into consideration.
