Re: Rod Liddles death is a terrible blow to public life

On 8/9/2026 10:44 AM, Wilson wrote:
> On 8/9/2026 9:35 AM, Noah Sombrero wrote:
>> On Sun, 9 Aug 2026 09:27:56 -0400, Wilson <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>> On 8/8/2026 4:11 PM, Noah Sombrero wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 8 Aug 2026 13:01:33 -0400, Wilson <[email protected]>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> On 8/7/2026 5:11 PM, Noah Sombrero wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The issue for me is showing symptoms of having an ethical sense, 
>>>>>>>> which
>>>>>>>> most r's do not, it seems to me.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Meanwhile today Gavin is widely derided by nearly everyone, 
>>>>>>>>> including
>>>>>>>>> your buddy Bill Maher.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In which case, the r's don't need to worry about his candidacy like
>>>>>>>> they do.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Never depreciate the ability of a slick low-ethics used car 
>>>>>>> salesman to
>>>>>>> make the sale.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Of which, himbo is the ultimate example.  A used car salesman from 
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> bronx.  "Boy have I got a deal for youse."
>>>>>
>>>>> Yeah, Newsom is a less successful griftier version of Trump.
>>>>
>>>> See what I mean.  You see him as a contender so right now you start
>>>> with the character assassination.  Do you see yourself?
>>>
>>> The French Laundry has entered the chat.
>>>
>>> https://search.brave.com/search?q=gavin+newsom+french+laundry
>>
>> Dinner at a french laundry.  Oh dear.
> 
> I know you prefer to talk about style over substance but I think actual 
> actions matter more.
> 
> During COVID his children attended a private school in-person, while 
> public schools remained closed. A son attended a summer camp that 
> operated mask-optional in violation of state mandates.
> 
> Also during COVID, businesses that were deemed "non-essential" faced 
> severe restrictions leading to 1/3 of California restaurants permanently 
> closed. Churches, funerals, and many small businesses were prevented 
> from operating while the entertainment industry was designated as 
> "critical infrastructure", allowing film and TV production to continue.
> 
> The Employment Development Department (EDD) was overwhelmed. Legitimate 
> claimants faced massive backlogs and delays, while the system paid out 
> enormous sums in fraud—state audits and reports later estimated $10–20+ 
> billion in potentially fraudulent claims (including payments to inmates 
> and death-row prisoners in some cases).His former chief of staff Dana 
> Williamson plead guilty to conspiracy involving bank/wire fraud.
> 
> Newsom has directed millions of dollars to nonprofits linked to his 
> wife. Critics argue that while legal this creates an appearance of pay- 
> to-play.
> 
> While he was San Francisco mayor, Newsom had a highly publicized affair 
> with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his close friend and campaign 
> manager. He admitted it publicly.
> 
> State ethics authorities have fined him for late campaign finance 
> disclosures.

On the other hand he's done some good things as well:

As governor, he dumped his campaign promise to create a single-payer 
public healthcare system in the state.

After Elon Musk reopened his California Tesla factory in violation of 
public health rules and facing growing protests against lockdowns, 
Newsom finally decided to reopen the state and allow county officials to 
make local decisions.

Embracing the idea of reparations for descendants of slavery after 
George Floyd, he created a Reparations Task Force to propose 
legislation. In 2025 he vetoed many of the taskforce’s most significant 
bills to provide tangible reparations.

Newsom is opposing the union-backed billionaire wealth tax.