Gavin Newsom really needs DeSantis to be the squirrel that distracts us from California's decline

Sarah D | 3:04 PM on February 14, 2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to announce his intention to run for president in 2024, though many are speculating that he’s just biding his time and waiting for just the right moment.

People are also speculating that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gearing up for a run at the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, only for him, there’s really no right moment because he’s a walking, talking disaster.

Anyway, it’s interesting to watch the two governors and contrast the ways in which they govern. On the one hand, you’ve got DeSantis, who remains focused on his state and what matters to his constituents. And on the other hand, you’ve got Newsom, who remains focused on … Ron DeSantis. Recall that last July 4, Newsom teamed up with CNN for a political ad targeting DeSantis.

And his obsession with DeSantis has not abated in the slightest. Case in point, his remarks on David Axelrod’s podcast, “The Axe Files”:

Put a quarter in the @GavinNewsom jukebox and you'll get three diatribes from the CA gov about @GovRonDeSantis. Why? "I don't like bullies," he says on #AxeFiles. "Anti-wokeism is just racism in disguise…And it sickens me."
Pod👉https://t.co/b0wQEb0AdN pic.twitter.com/CGRY602RyK

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) February 14, 2023

It’s not clear if Axelrod’s comment about putting a quarter in the Gavin Newsom jukebox was meant as an insult, but that’s how it should be taken. Because Gavin Newsom is a broken record whose own record sucks so hard that he’d rather make crap up about Ron DeSantis than what’s going on in California under his own leadership.

There's a reason why Woke Patrick Bateman would rather not talk about California. https://t.co/Rh60v0YKWx

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 14, 2023

Well, technically there are many, many reasons. But yeah, suffice it to say that Gavin Newsom is trying to use Ron DeSantis and Florida as squirrels in a desperate effort to pull the wool over as many people’s eyes as possible.

That and Gavin Newsome is desperate to not talk about California, a state people are fleeing for red states like Florida.

— Zach (@zcr86) February 14, 2023

Bully and bigot doesn’t like bullies. Ok. Meanwhile, DeSantis’ state is flourishing while people are fleeing Newsom’s. Good luck with the clown act.

— Taro Tsujimoto (@RCannon74) February 14, 2023

Population stats don’t lie.

Put a quarter in @GovRonDeSantis and he'll defend his record. @GavinNewsom knows his record is indefensible

— Ken "The Falconer" Mortimer (@KenDaFalconer) February 14, 2023

Put a fork in Gavin Newsom.