“There are no second acts in American lives,” is perhaps the stupidest (and best-known) line from one of America’s two most overrated works of so-called literature. Then again, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom is annoyingly glib, self-centered, and un-self-aware enough to be a character straight out of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
America has always been the land of second acts… third acts. Ninth acts? How many times, going back to his first bankruptcy in 1991, has President Donald Trump been declared financially or politically dead? The thing is, when it comes to failed attempts at brand new starts, at reinvention, perhaps Newsom is the exception who proves Fitzgerald right just this once.
Please.
Newsom has a lot of reinventing to do before what literally everyone assumes will be his run for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2028. Seriously, there are Amazon tribes from jungle regions so secluded that they’ve never heard of primaries, of California, or even the United States of America, who nevertheless say among themselves, “That Newsom is one ambitious SOB.”
“Slimy, too,” the somewhat more advanced tribes add.
(The other overrated novel is “The Catcher in the Rye.” I can’t see that stupid red cover without having PTSD flashbacks to 9th grade.)
The current governor and former mayor of San Francisco’s reputation is hardly enviable. “Poop maps” became a thing during his time as mayor. As governor, he probably pines for the days when poop maps were the worst hit to his reputation.
That’s why, earlier this month, Newsom launched the modestly named “This is Gavin Newsom Podcast.” There’s also a guest but make no mistake what the show is all about. If it were a musical, it would called “GAVIN!“
Sher is an X user I’d never heard of before today but will have to add to my follows. “Gavin Newsom is the male version of Meghan Markle,” she posted on Friday. “He wants so badly to be loved, but he’s so disingenuous and gives me weird, creepy vibes.”
To see what Sher means, watch this brief video. I’ll have two simple questions for you at the end of it.
Gavin Newsom is the male version of Meghan Markle.
He wants so badly to be loved, but he’s so disingenuous and gives me weird, creepy vibes.
pic.twitter.com/VYthU2TFHv— Sher❤ (@TheFabBookLover) March 14, 2025
Here are the questions, asked as non-judgementally as I know how:
- WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL IS GOING ON WITH HIS HANDS?
- WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL IS GOING ON WITH HIS FACE?
To call Newsom’s performance overly mannered and pretentious would be an insult to Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. I watched the clip twice, doing my due diligence to listen to what Newsom had to say.
Maybe it’s some sort of political prestidigitation. Magicians distract the audience with flourishes of one hand so they don’t notice the other hand palming the coin or whatever. Newsom perhaps is trying to distract the audience with both hands so they won’t notice what the mouth is saying. That part is working.
The rest, not so much.
Newsom is trying so hard to reinvent himself by denouncing “trans” men in women’s sports, and going on Joe Rogan-style deep dives with righties like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. Here’s how it’s going among people who bothered to watch:
- “Favorability amongst Liberals has declined from 46% to 30%.”
- “While some Republicans agreed with his stances, they overwhelmingly viewed him as insincere, calling him ‘fake’ and ‘pandering'”
- “His net favorability dropped from +4 to -6, a 10-point swing in the wrong direction.”
- “Only 13% of voters had an improved perception of him, and only 1 in 5 said the podcast made them want to tune in for more.”
Even lefties hate “This is Gavin Newsom Podcast.”
Paul Mitchell has the full details at Sacramento’s Capitol Weekly, including this alt-take from GOP strategist Mike Madrid: “The media terrain has shifted. Newsom is adapting. And if my source is right, he’s not running for President – he’s positioning himself for something even bigger. And he may just be giving Democrats a fighting chance.”
Maybe Madrid is correct and Newsom isn’t angling for a presidential bid. But “giving Democrats a fighting chance” with this new direction? Did Madrid not watch whatever in the actual hell was going on with Newsom’s hands and face?
Recommended: First Michelle Obama, Now Lawrence O’Donnell… How Much WINNING Can You Take?
P.S. Thanks so much for reading. If you’d like to join some of the smartest voices on the internet in our Virtually Troll-Free™ comments section — plus access to exclusive essays, podcasts, and video live chats with your favorite writers — consider becoming a VIP member with this 60% off promotion offer.
