General Discussion

Except perhaps to the ignorant fools who vote for him.

Newsom or any other strong Democrat should be able to successfully attack Trump without acting like him.

I know what Gavin is doing here, and it may be a politically smart strategy for winning the Democratic presidential primary in 2028. The first requirement is having widespread name recognition. In this age of internet memes and social media, his trolling of Trump is garnering a ton of views and likes -- no doubt more than JB Pritzger, whose sober statements are powerful but not nearly as entertaining.

Newsom probably won't emulate Trump if elected, but neither will he abandon satirical use of social media. And perhaps it would be politically unwise to abandon that tool, even as president.

And perhaps I'm an old fuddy duddy who laments the years when the presidency carried with it expectations of decorum and dignity. I am certainly disgusted by the lack of it, and truly hope our next president will go a long way towards restoring it.

In any event, in the 2028 primary my first criteria in a candidate will be likelihood of victory in the general election, followed by character and policy.