General Discussion

...I didn't vote for him.

And, btw, I support EVERY Democratic nominee like my own kin, but people have a lot of nerve expecting fealty to one potential candidate right now in what should be an expansive field of hopefuls in that future election.

Trump's belittling the European leaders like he doesn't live in a glass house, and here comes the Democratic governor of California acting as if he doesn't live here too.

Do you really think the Europeans really care that a Democratic governor is scolding them about their inability to control Trump, any more than Newsom's 'tall and strong' stuff has controlled him so far?

The Europeans can't remove him from office, and they should be loath to do anything that hurts their own interests now that the U.S. has all but abandoned any pretense of cooperation or care for European concerns and is insisting that the world revolve around America.

This paternalism that pretends that the U.S. doesn't need Europe more than they need us is dangerous revisionism. It's the U.S. who is isolating itself away from being able to advance our own interests; the Trump regime now reduced to bullying them, as they're too arrogant to treat them as allies instead of obstacles and do the actual work of diplomacy.

What I can't understand is why the governor thought it was a good idea to come out of what he said were private discussions and betray those confidences, instead of just contiuning to press them behind the scenes to do whatever he wanted.

Is this an example of his foreign policy approach - talking down to and treating foreign allies like he's their boss? I mean, he was at a diplomatic conference complaining about diplomacy being practiced by people who have more experience with autocratic regimes than a Ca. governor.

He's sitting on a workable Democratic majority in his state, making all of his excellent actions in that state behind a Democratic legislature, and his behaving as if everyone else has that political advantage.

It's the same with the attacks on Democrats here at home who have none of the advantages of a majority to do what Democrats naturally, reliably, and successfully do when they hold the most seats in the legislature.

It's just sophistry, really, with such a simple portrayal of the challenges to Europe, coupled with zero regard expressed for their OWN prerogatives. Hell, he didn't even bother to mention the pushback that we saw from several of the European leaders, and really demagogued their efforts to resist Trump, knowing little to nothing about the state of their respective nations' political affairs from his confortable seat in Cali.

European leaders aren't Trump, and they certainly aren't Trump supporters. They don't deserve to be talked down to by Americans who have foisted this cretin on the world with our own refusal to stand up to the bully. He walked all over California, even as the governor stood 'tall and strong.'

If he wants support for being the 'Democratic advantage' he needs to win the nomination for president. But in the interim, with so much at stake for me personally, I will not fail to speak my mind about what kind of leader I want to represent me, and no one should automatically assume that the Ca, governor speaks for me on everything that comes out of his mouth.

I do understand how challenging it is watching republicans bull their way through with their narrow majority; ignoring rules and laws as they consolidate their temporary power.

But the answer to all of that isn't to adopt the same autocratic attitude that assumes people can be cowed into doing what we want. The principles of coalition-building and cooperation still apply.

Newsom or any other politician is going to find it's like spitting in the wind trying to put things back in order by dictating down to the people they intend to lead. That machismo is a myth that assumes leaders do the heavy lifting, instead of the people they govern.

It's one thing to stand up to enemies, and yet another to generate the cooperation from allies that is essential to accomplishing more than just domination and control. It's not something new, it's a basic formula for dealing with our neighbors like friends and not just opportunities for us to advantage our own country.

One thing that has been distressing to me is the way that our politics has devolved into these false, zero-sum calculations that treat humans in the way of politics as abstract obstacles.

It's a recipe for chaos and anarchy, and makes is all ripe for domination by someone completely oblivious to what the people want, who thinks we should be fighting their personal battles instead of tending to our own needs.

I said above that the governor seems to be on a learning curve. I'd hope one of the first things he gets right is that he'll need to do more than merely communicate what he wants to the people he intends to lead, and that he learns to form coalitions of support behind his ideals and initiatives among people who aren't in his immediate orbit and influence.