admin
A recent segment on Rob Schmitt Tonight, amplified by conservative voices, put a spotlight on a troubling pattern: while California burns through one crisis after another, Governor Gavin Newsom appears more interested in national photo ops than in fixing the day-to-day problems that wreck lives and livelihoods. Comedian Jamie Kennedy’s blunt critique on the program tapped into a broader conservative frustration that the governor is polishing a national résumé while communities pay the price.
Take the wildfires that scorched Southern California this winter — the aftermath exposed real failures, from water systems that left fire hydrants dry to reservoirs offline when they were needed most, and questions about preparedness that still haven’t been fully answered. Reporters and local officials documented how emergency responses were hampered by infrastructure breakdowns, and voters saw leadership talk without clear fixes.
The electricity grid has been another glaring example of policy divorced from reality: rolling blackouts and near-misses during heat waves revealed that California’s energy transition and planning have been mismanaged, forcing officials into damage control and investigations instead of steady leadership. Even state agencies pointed to planning failures as a root cause, yet the political class reflexively blames everyone else while promising to “study” the problem.
Meanwhile, homelessness and housing failures continue to fester despite talk of grand reform. Newsom signed an overhaul of CEQA to speed housing projects, a move he framed as essential to address the crisis, but critics argue that red tape is only part of the problem when cities refuse to confront crime, addiction, and the perverse incentives that keep people on the streets. Californians watched Sacramento tinker with rules while shelters overflowed and neighborhoods fell into despair.
This disconnect matters because Newsom is no longer just a state governor in the public imagination; he’s being floated as a national candidate for 2028, a fact he has not denied and that pundits and polls have repeatedly noted. Ambition is not a crime, but there is something profoundly unseemly about holding down the country’s most consequential governorship while stage-managing a potential White House audition.
Conservatives watching this mess aren’t surprised that a comedian and late-night pundits are the ones calling it out — when mainstream institutions look the other way, outsider voices often do the heavy lifting. The real grievance is simple: Californians deserve a governor who stops the spin and starts delivering reliable power, water, public safety, and housing solutions instead of prioritizing headlines and fundraisers.
If Newsom plans to run nationally, he should be judged not by slick speeches or lefty conference panels, but by whether he fixed the wreckage back home. Political vanity cannot be allowed to substitute for competent governance; voters will remember empty gestures long after the next campaign ad fades. The conservative case is clear: accountability before ambition.
