Newsom: 'We're Up Against' Right Racially Priming and Promoting Culture Wars, 'They're Banning Books'

During a portion of an interview with MSNBC released on Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) argued that we should be “cautious” about overreacting to election results in the California recall, Virginia, and San Francisco, and “recognize what we’re up against, which is mishegoss, which is full-time propaganda coming from a disciplined far, extreme right, that will continue to racially prime, continue to promote these cultural wars, in any way shape or form. I mean, they’re banning books.”

Newsom stated, “I mean, talk about just the extreme with the absurdities that are going on in the CPAC early primary poll, which is all things Texas and Florida right now and what’s happening on the can’t say gay bill and what’s happening on this anti- — I mean, it’s just absurd what’s going on on the far-right on this. And it’s all part of the culture war. And if it’s not this, it will be something else tomorrow. That said, at the end of the day, if you are focused more on renaming things than focusing on fundamentally getting to the nuts and bolts of the job that you were hired to do, that’s a problem in any time or in anyone’s experience. And so, that, at the moment, obviously, gins up a lot of anxiety. But look, we had a playbook, everyone said, well, California, the recall defeat, that’s the approach. Then, all of a sudden, two weeks later, no, it’s the Youngkin approach. And then, no, wait, San [Francisco]. I think we all need to be a little cautious at this moment, recognize what we’re up against, which is mishegoss, which is full-time propaganda coming from a disciplined far, extreme right, that will continue to racially prime, continue to promote these cultural wars, in any way shape or form. I mean, they’re banning books. I mean, you can’t make this up. I mean, you can’t make up the moment we’re living in.”

He continued, “But that requires us to change course, to adjust our sails, and address these things a little bit more head-on, a little bit more formally, and forcefully, and not on their — no longer on the receiving end of their terms, but now, moreover, on their terms. And that’s what we’re doing on guns. That’s what we’re doing a series of other issues. We’re leaning in. And, again, I’m not naive to our success, but it’s an old playbook here. And so, let’s not all act surprised as Democrats and victims around this. We know how to work around it. Let’s own our responsibility to do more and be better. Because the American people need us. We can’t allow these guys to win.”

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