Gavin Newsom contributes to the new American civil war he sees underway | Opinion
Gavin Newsom’s message was direct and unambiguous.
“Authoritarian leaders who are so hell bent on gaining power and keeping it by whatever means necessary that they are directly attacking our freedoms in state after state.”
Usually when American politicians reference “authoritarian leaders,” they mean Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China or Kim Jong-un of North Korea.
But in this case, California’s governor referred to his peers — Republican governors of states like Florida and Texas — who also happen to be fellow Americans.
Newsom singled them out for sharp attack recently when he announced his “Campaign for Democracy.” Among the states he visited were Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi in a quest to support liberal-minded groups and people who feel attacked by conservative politicians in those states, and to encourage them that they are not alone.
His overarching message was spot on: Conservative states are pulling back on aspects of life Americans long assumed as givens, be it abortion access, educational opportunities or voting rights. To start the Campaign for Democracy, Newsom gave it $10 million from his gubernatorial campaign account.
But in describing the wrongs he sees in these other states, Newsom engaged in militaristic language that was striking, as seen on a video he filmed to launch the campaign:
“They (red-state governors) fan the flames of culture wars ... we know we have a big battle coming ... Our country is facing an existential battle for who we are and who we are willing to become.”
Newsom goes on: “What is happening in those red states? That’s not who we are. It is un-American. It’s undemocratic. And all it takes to fight back is a willingness to stand toe to toe and say, enough. That is what the campaign for democracy is all about.”
“Big battle ... fight back ... stand toe to toe.” To Newsom, the new civil war has indeed begun, and just like Union soldiers fighting the Confederate side, this pitched battle will require close combat.
Those Union and Confederate sides could not, or would not, solve their disputes through the machinery of the political system. War became the only option.
Some historians believe America is potentially headed that way again; others think current circumstances are different and violence won’t break out. One thing is clear: Strident language, by either side, is not going to lead to the nation forward.
Challenge and compromise
Credit Newsom for having the courage to challenge Republican leaders who have fomented much of the “culture war” America is waging right now. But in getting aggressive, is Newsom furthering the divide? Is it a good strategy to accuse Republican governors of being un-American? Is Newsom the only one who can determine what it means to be an American?
When one reduces an opponent to something less than equal, that opponent has few options. They can ignore the slight, or they can fight. Predictably, the California GOP hit back at Newsom’s rhetoric, with chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson authoring a piece for Fox News that linked Newsom’s labeling of Republican governors as authoritarians to his own COVID state of emergency that closed schools and, for a time, most public spaces. “If Newsom really wants to warn against authoritarian leadership, there’s no better place to start than with himself,” she said.
This is not a defense of Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas. DeSantis’ crusade to attack “wokeism” in Florida’s educational system is reducing it to a mockery. Abbott’s harsh treatment of migrants fleeing economic hardship and criminal horrors in their home countries lacks compassion and is anything but welcoming.
But it must be remembered that those governors represent voters who put them into office. Those voters are also Americans.
In his inaugural address in 1861, new President Abraham Lincoln called upon the nation’s citizens to listen to their better angels. Today, Newsom is on the side of the angels, but his red-hot, red-state rhetoric is excessive and divisive.
Another part of Lincoln’s address is instructive when the goal is unifying the nation: “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.”
