Written by Urvi Sakurikar
As his approval ratings not surprisingly plummet to all-time lows and the Recall Gavin Newsom petition nears its target number of signatures, Governor Newsom is in “complete freak-out mode (and)…fighting for his political life,” according to political consultant Randy Economy. Newsom’s recent decision to pull back on his rigid COVID-19 regulations is clearly a last-ditch effort to save his own career as his State completely turns on him.
Newsom, elected in 2018 after a disastrous stint as the mayor of San Francisco and an inglorious tenure as Lieutenant Governor, has let Californians down again and again with his inept and chaotic handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. While his strict lockdowns caused widespread suffering throughout the State, Newsom enjoyed himself at a mask-less dinner party for elites and lobbyists in November, adding to an already growing sentiment against him. In the words of Economy, “[Newsom’s] botched everything”.
For a list of Newsom’s biggest failures as Governor click here.
In order to be put on the ballot, the Gavin Newsom Recall petition needs about 1.5M signatures by March 10, 2021. The effort has already hit the required number of signatures, however the goal is around 2.0M to account for rejected and duplicate signatures. With just under a month to go, it looks like the effort is on track to reach the target number of signatures as more and more frustrated Californians contribute to the now bipartisan effort.
Although Governor Newsom was once a beloved Democrat, about 300,000 registered Democrats have shown they feel betrayed by his destructive policies and have signed the petition, showing that the support of Newsom’s own party is slipping from his grasp. This became apparent when Democrat billionaire mega-donor Chamath Palihapitiya came out in support of the recall effort tweeting “It’s on. #RecallGavinNewsom.”
It’s on. #RecallGavinNewsom https://t.co/r8Cwd4szrn
— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) January 26, 2021
Everything that Newsom does from now until the March 10 deadline is a “political move,” according to Economy, designed to salvage what is left of his political future. The people of California should not believe that Newsom’s lifting of the regional stay at home order, or easing of the draconian pandemic guidelines is a sign of a change. He is simply trying to pull voters back to his corner. If the Gavin Newsom Recall fails to pass, Newsom will feel revalidated and likely move his priorities even further to the left.
If California is ever to recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19, it has to start with effective leadership, which Governor Newsom has failed at spectacularly. Now, it is the responsibility of Californians to save their State by signing the petition.
Visit Rescue California to download and sign the petition now.
Photo via Gov. Newsom on Twitter
