SACRAMENTO—Political debates have always been asinine, at least as long as I’ve been watching “show business for ugly people.” The greatest political zingers stick in our minds because 99% of the discourse on campaign trails involves politicians spouting pre-packaged platitudes.
I still remember the 1988 vice-presidential debate when Lloyd Bentsen retorted, “Senator, You’re no Jack Kennedy,” after Dan Quayle compared himself to JFK. My favorite line was from Edwin Edwards in his Louisiana governor’s race against former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke: “The only thing we have in common is that we both have been wizards beneath the sheets.” Edwards was corrupt (bumper sticker: “Vote for the Crook, It’s Important”), but he was authentic and clever.
In the not-so-distant past, politicians—especially at the presidential level—have showed some decorum. Part of Donald Trump’s appeal is his rejection of those long-standing ground rules, but his humor is reminiscent of that of a schoolyard bully. He tirelessly trots out dopey insults and types out long, conspiracy-laden all-caps tirades. They seem unintelligent and mean, but are indeed authentic.
Trump has been posting nonsense for years. One recent snippet: “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was.” He refers to California Gov. Gavin Newsom as “Newscum.” MAGA denizens love it. They roast people who suggest it’s unbecoming. GOP officials are mum—or mimic Trump’s style.
Democrats keep taking Trump’s bait, expressing outrage and playing politics along Marquis of Queensberry rules. Democrats often play dirty and do so here in California regularly given their supermajorities, but they currently are outmatched by Trump’s backyard-brawl tactics and keep getting shivved during these street fights. So Newsom hired a brass-knuckled social-media team to fight fire with fire—and he has gotten Trump’s and MAGA’s attention.
The fracas is hilarious. I’m not proud to say so, given that I don’t approve of this childish nonsense and believe civility—even if it’s just a pretense—is crucial for a healthy democracy. Nevertheless, Newsom’s posts are hitting a nerve because they replicate Trump’s style, language, insults and doltish phrasing (“WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.”)
Here’s an example: “WOW! FOX NEWS CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT ME (GAVIN C. NEWSOM), AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR!!! TONIGHT THEIR ENTIRE PRIMETIME LINEUP WAS ABOUT ME! JESSE WATTERS KEPT CALLING ME ‘DADDY’ (VERY WEIRD, NOT INTERESTED, BUT THANK YOU!). … FOX & MAGA HAVE NEWSOM DERANGEMENT SYNDROME!!! THEY SHOULD CRY HARDER! SAD!!! — GCN.”
Trump’s White House account (and independent MAGA accounts) have this creepy habit of posting AI-generated images of Trump as Superman, or as some buff hero reminiscent of those New Soviet Man posters from the past. I suppose it’s just trolling, albeit of an unhealthy sort, but Newsom has responded in kind. He posted an image of Hulk Hogan (with angel wings), Tucker Carlson and Kid Rock laying hands on Newsom. Many pro-Trump voices seem to have taken the bait with a seeming lack of self-awareness.
“You have to stop at with the Twitter thing. If I were his wife, I would say you are making a fool of yourself, stop it. … He’s got a big job as governor of California but if he wants an even bigger job, he has to be a little more serious,” said one Fox News host about Newsom’s antics. Well, yeah. But there’s someone else who has a big job and ought to be a little more serious, and I don’t see any evidence of Fox or Republicans saying the same thing about him.
And, yeah, since the nation has devolved to grade-school standards, I’ll say the obvious: Trump started it. There is in fact a difference between someone who seriously posts taunting nonsense and someone who does the exact same thing in the exact same way to highlight how stupid it is. Again, I don’t like any of this devolving discourse. Newsom is a lackluster governor who has doubled down on progressive policies and has failed to competently address California’s myriad crises.
But the governor’s trolling approach is paying off politically. Suddenly, Newsom has risen to the top of the potential 2028 presidential pack as he garners social-media hits and gets Democrats excited. None of this helps Californians who are hoping to see policies that deal with homelessness, overregulation, poor schools, crime and congestion. (In fairness, he’s been pretty good on housing.) But Democrats want someone who fights back rather than gives self-righteous marathon speeches or just fades away.
Here we are as bad behavior begets bad behavior. It’s going to get nastier as the nation stumbles toward the mid-term congressional elections (redistricting shenanigans, anyone?) and then the next presidential one. There won’t be a bottom until Americans resurrect some ground rules and enforce them against any violators (even on their own side). Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Steven Greenhut is Western region director for the R Street Institute and a member of the Southern California News Group editorial board. Write to him at sgreenhut@rstreet.org.
