Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom in his inauguration for his final term contrasted the state’s “myth and magic” against “forces in America that want to take the nation backward.”
(Bloomberg) — Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom in his inauguration for his final term contrasted the state’s “myth and magic” against “forces in America that want to take the nation backward.”
In a speech tying condemnation for the mob that ransacked the US Capitol two years ago, to Republican leaders he blames for promoting “grievance and victimhood,” and fomenting extremism and violence, Newsom made clear that he intends to drive the Democratic national message, whether or not he runs for president.
Although Newsom was quietly sworn in to begin a new term on Monday, he chose Jan. 6, the second anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol, to stage his own “March for Democracy” to the State Capitol in Sacramento. The planned outdoor ceremony coincided with a brief break in a series of deadly and destructive winter storms that prompted Newsom to declare a state of emergency this week.
“The ugliness that overflowed on January 6th, 2021, was in fact decades in the making. Fomented by people who have a very different vision of America’s future,” Newsom said in his speech. “More than any people, in any place, California has bridged the historical expanse between freedom for some, and freedom for all.”
The symbolism of one of the nation’s most high-profile Democratic governors flanked by his photogenic young family and flag-waving supporters gained salience amid fresh turmoil in Washington. The bright tableau in Sacramento offered a jarring contrast to the spectacle in Congress, where GOP hard-liners are blocking California Representative Kevin McCarthy from being elected Speaker of the Republican-led House of Representatives.
Although Newsom, 55, denies interest in a White House bid should President Joe Biden, 80, opt not run for re-election, the imagery and thematic sweep of Newsom’s inauguration signaled that he intends to continue cultivating his national profile in the lead up to the 2024 presidential campaign should Biden’s plans change, according to some of Newsom’s political advisers.
While Newsom didn’t mention McCarthy or any other Republicans by name, he did call out the corrosive political climate that he has blamed previously on “demagogues of division,” including former President Donald Trump, McCarthy and GOP governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas.
In his speech, Newsom blasted “red state politicians, and the media empire behind them, selling regression as progress, oppression as freedom.”
“They make it harder to vote and easier to buy illegal guns. They silence speech, fire teachers, kidnap migrants, subjugate women, attack the Special Olympics, and even demonize Mickey Mouse,” Newsom said in a clear swipe at DeSantis, who has battled Walt Disney Co. for opposing a Florida bill to restrict the sex education curriculum in public schools, and tried to force Special Olympics to lift its Covid-era mask mandate to hold competitions in Florida.
Newsom also took aim at Republicans “who sell fear and panic when it comes to immigration,” in a clear reference to Abbott who ordered migrants to be bused to the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris on Christmas Eve, as well as DeSantis, who arranged for migrants to be flown to Martha’s Vineyard last summer.
DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential contender, invoked national themes in his own inaugural address in Tallahassee this week, celebrating the “free state of Florida” and declaring “Florida is where the woke go to die.”
Read: Secret to DeSantis Success Is Ignore Trump and Attack Business
While Newsom shadowboxes on the national stage with DeSantis and other Republican contenders, he faces serious challenges in leading the nation’s most-populous state, including the economic downturn, a deepening housing crisis and persistent homelessness and natural disasters. In his speech, Newsom pledged to “reconcile our shortcomings.”
After years of surplus, Newsom must contend with an expected $24 billion budget shortfall as he prepares to introduce his budget on Tuesday for the upcoming fiscal year. Last year, Newsom had a projected $45.7 billion surplus, allowing him to invest heavily in environment and climate projects, early childhood education and healthcare programs.
While the state’s rainy day fund stands at nearly $22 billion, buffering against painful budget cuts, the projected deficit will likely mean cutting back on spending for some of Newsom’s priorities, such as his commitment to deliver universal health coverage for all Californians, regardless of immigration status.
Several years of abudance also gave Newsom the luxury of one-time expenses, such as mailing $9.5 billion in direct cash payments to about 17 million Californians, and new or expanded grants and tax credits for businesses recovering from the pandemic.
While he is unlikely to be able to fund such acts of largess in the upcoming budget, Newsom has continued his economic populism by attacking oil companies for “price gouging” California consumers, who pay the country’s highest prices for gasoline. Newsom has called a special session of the state legislature to impose penalties on excess profits, a move oil industry representatives called a “political stunt.”
Newsom has pledged in his second term to drive California’s transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to becoming carbon-neutral by 2045. It’s a target the California Legislative Analyst’s Office said this week is lacking specifics, yet Newsom asserts California will lead the world in low-carbon economic growth and “give shape to the future.”
–With assistance from Laura Mahoney and Tiffany Stecker.
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