Dem
51
GOP
49
And now the other side of the coin. Gavin Newsom has many things going for him when it comes to success in politics. We note his willingness to admit fault in the item above. He's also got Donald Trump's talent for attracting media attention. At the time of this writing (Wednesday, 2:00 a.m. PT), there are no less than seven Newsom stories on Politico's front page. In addition to the one linked above, they are:
Clearly, someone at that publication is a fan of the Governor.
In any event, it's the last story on the list we'd like to take note of. Newsom's single greatest liability, at least in terms of personality/biography, is that he comes off as a bit snobbish and elitist. He naturally gives off an imperious air, and he's lived a very upper crust life for the last 20 years. Recall, for example, that he got caught dining at the ultra-posh restaurant The French Laundry during the pandemic.
Anyhow, a $21,000 bottle of wine? There is just no way to make that palatable to voters. Newsom tried, once it came up in a conversation, explaining that he bought the bottle many years ago for one-tenth that price, as if a $2,100 bottle of wine is somehow plebeian. He also said he generally partakes of affordable vintages, like Robert Mondavi Coastal Chardonnay ($10 a bottle). Hmmmm... we can't seem to find that particular bottle on The French Laundry's wine menu.
The bottom line is that, sometime in the next year or two, the $21,000 bottle of wine has gotta go. Drink it, sell it, whatever, but don't give an opening for opponents to hand out "$20K wine" pins or to bestow the nickname "The $21,000 man." And in general, Newsom will need to work on being a more accessible "man of the people." We suspect he'll be better at that than Ron DeSantis is, though Newsom should start practicing his fried Twinkie eating right now. (Z)