California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ignored his state’s nearly $50 billion budget deficit in his annual “State of the State” address — but focused instead on attacking Republicans and conservative media, his favorite targets.
Newsom rarely addresses his record as governor in California, preferring instead to comment on social issues, where he takes consistently radical positions — such as opposing parents’ right to know about children’s gender transitions.
Tuesday’s address followed that pattern. Though the state turned a $100 billion surplus into a $46.8 billion deficit in the last two years, Newsom never even mentioned the word “deficit” in his address. Instead, he claimed credit for what he called the “first-ever two-year balanced budget — a disciplined approach that keeps the state on a strong fiscal footing.”
The New York Times observed:
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, whose liberal state has been hammered by Republicans for months as a hellscape of homelessness, crime and high taxes, used his annual State of the State address on Tuesday to slam “conservatives and delusional California bashers” and defend “the California way of life.”
Rather than appear before a joint session of the State Legislature, Mr. Newsom prerecorded his speech and posted it on social media, directing his message at least as much to a national audience as to Californians. It came two days before former President Donald Trump and President Biden were scheduled to debate in Atlanta, where Mr. Newsom was expected to appear in the so-called spin room as a feisty surrogate.
In his remarks, which hinted at arguments Mr. Biden is likely to touch upon on Thursday, Mr. Newsom presented the Democratic policies that are California’s hallmark as an “antidote to the poisonous populism of the right.”
A sample of his speech:
This year, we face another extraordinary moment in history — for California, for the country, and for the world. We are presented with a choice between a society that embraces our values and a world darkened by division and discrimination. The economic prosperity, health, safety and freedom that we enjoy are under assault. Forces are threatening the very foundation of California’s success — our pluralism, our innovative spirit, and our diversity.
There’s only one state in America with a dream – the California Dream. It’s a dream built on opportunity, a dream built on pushing boundaries and celebrating, not merely “tolerating,” diversity. That dream propelled us to the front of the pack in the world. Our values and our way of life are the antidote to the poisonous populism of the right, and to the fear and anxiety that so many people are feeling today. People across the globe look to California and see what’s possible, and how to live and advance together and prosper together across every conceivable difference.
But the California way of life is under attack. For conservatives and delusional California bashers, their success depends on our failure. They want to impeach the very things that have made us successful, as a tactic to turn America toward a darker future. They do so in the name of “liberty” and “freedom.” They want to roll back social progress, social justice, racial justice, economic justice, clean air, clean water, and basic fundamental fairness. They would cleave America from the principles of freedom and the rule of law. And in the process, throw our economy and, in many respects, society as we’ve known it, into chaos.
But California won’t bend. We are a success story exactly because of our universality and our extraordinary diversity, and because we practice pluralism. For generations, we’ve stood for progress: championing women’s rights and LGBTQ rights, protecting the environment, and expanding civil rights. We see this hard-earned progress not as something apart from liberty and freedom, but as their fulfillment.
Newsom talked about a supposed conservative threat to “democracy” — failing to note that his administration went to court to block a referendum that would have allowed California residents greater democratic power to stop tax hikes.
The governor did not mention wildfires — one of the issues on which he not only has failed, but has also misled the public. He also failed to mention electricity, an area in which California has struggled with shortages in recent years.
Curiously, Newsom also avoided mentioning transgender issues, which have been his focus in recent months. A recent poll showed that 84% of Californians oppose his position on preventing schools from notifying parents of children’s desire to change genders, which may be why, in an election year, he went suddenly silent on the topic.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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