Writes Frank Bruni, in "Will a Peacock Like Gavin Newsom Fly?" (NYT).
A classic clip from "the before times":
March 2, 2026
"In the before times, I was very wary of candidates whose quest for the presidency seemed too insistent and all-consuming..."
"... who had been nursing the dream for too long and clinging to it too tightly. I worried that such single-mindedness erased any space for subtlety, for introspection, for ambivalence, for the crucially instructive mess of an unscripted life.
And would voters relate to it? Part of what drew many Democrats I know to Barack Obama was that he seemed to be working through decidedly mixed feelings about his quest for the presidency — as most well-adjusted people would be. Part of what drew many Republicans I know to George W. Bush was that he seemed less comfortable on the campaign trail than on his ranch.... Newsom seems entirely unrestrained and wholly immodest, his confession of a 960 on his SAT notwithstanding.... But Newsom’s strut is working for him.... [I]f the Newsom way is looking like the surest path to a post-Trump future, I’m happy to head in that direction."
There's no sure "path to a post-Trump future." To pose the problem in those terms frames the real problem: Democrats have made hatred of Trump their central issue. Get some substance of your own! You still have to be something that the people want. That was true in "the before times," and it's true now.
Posts
85 comments:
who had been nursing the dream for too long and clinging to it too tightly
…dollars to donuts this particular food critic voted for Hillary! with no sense of conflict…
Why do they ask such stupid questions
Newsom fiddled, diddled, and now he plays the pied piper, while JournoLists publish handmade tales in a rite of passage.
Obama was a clean slate- no career, no academic record of any kind except hearsay evidence of attendance. A Johnny Bravo what fit the suit for the evil doers behind the curtain- pay no attention…
Strut, pout, put it out.
If you want shit filled streets with a huge homelessness problem and illegal aliens getting more rights than you...vote for Greasy Gavin. He is the man to give you what you actually deserve.
Besides, Why would anybody listen to a restaurant critic from the NY Times?? As anybody with a brain knows, the New York Times op ed columnists aren't exactly worth taking advice from....
…after the (lack of) Olympics in my house there’s a collective low opinion of peacocks…
ABT
Pitiful.
Shorter Bruni - "no matter how much I distrust a Dem, I will vote for him/her over a Republican. Party before country!"
Bruni's writing has never reached the important issues in an intelligent way since he left the FOOD section of the paper. As usual his premise is flawed from the start. Newsome IMHO is more pea brain than peacock, unless Frank is making a polyamory joke there, as is well known about peacocks and pols.
Confession: I've never thought Kennedy's answer to that question was terrible. He hadn't launched his campaign yet, so didn't have the sound bites down, but his remarks were not the train wreck within a Dumpster fire that they're portrayed to be.
For democrat socialists you do not and they will still get voted in by their tribes. The save act has what, 85-90% but democrat take no heat for opposing it, none.
Democrats are the party of hate. They hate anyone who is a Make American Great Again type. To the point where the left's radical base is consumed with assassination.
…did I say say Hillary! ? Did you see CNNs poll of Democrat candidate support? Gavin in the lead at- what? 15 percent? Hillary! spies an opening- lightning…horse whinny…cackle…shudder…
Leftists do no demand competency or literacy - or even reality - leftist fall in line for the mob-selected vanity project.
Proving that Democrat socialists would LITERALLY elect Stalin to gain power.
Ann is correct. The whole Dem platform is anti-Trump.
I saw a CBS profile on JFK's grandson running for the House from NYC. Embarrassing. Just more anti-Trump nonsense. And he wants rent to be deductible on your 1040.
sometime I wonder if Newsum is the shiny object distraction - to take focus off of someone who might be better. because they can't do much worse.
“Get some substance of your own! “
Ditto! We already know you/they hate Trump. Be original and propose some actual policies to debate.
This is a 100% sure winning strategy. No matter how bad the Dems are, Trump will not be President in just 3 years, but let's just keep this to ourselves for now.
I expect Newsom to crash and burn early on. The next election will be a more serious policy centered matter.
They want the policies they want even if their supporters don’t want them. That’s why they’ve been trying to game the system- so they won’t be encumbered by the inconvenience of garnering votes..
Ironic that the 24/7 hate Trump obsession and the tactics employed by it, just kept him around longer. I thank them for that opportunity for Trump to reflect and retool.
Democrats select their leaders based on how they make them feel and not by looking at the actual record of their results.
Serious Questions
do YOU support Genital Mutilation?
do YOU support Sharia law?
do YOU support Islamic Fundamentalism?
do YOU support Giving our country (and the entire world) to Islam?
if so... vote Democrat!
puh-leeze Frank Bruni. Obama was groomed to be President, and saw it as his halo-covered destiny.
“But Newsom’s strut is working for him.”
More like dodge and weave and lie but whatever.
Newsom fiddled while Bass strummed a DEIst cacophony. There's the Democratic ticket. Let us bray.
more serious Questions
do YOU support freedom?
do YOU support liberty?
do YOU support cheap oil?
do YOU support beautiful women, that Want children?
if so.. vote Republican!
There are some Dems that could be very formidable, but they get no attention, because style over substance, and the style is crazy. The way it looks at this very early stage is that the Republicans are going to have a very substantive ticket. The Dems have to hope for some disaster before then. Chances are good with so much activity, but there will be a lot of accomplishment too. So you can see the Dems path to success. Hope for and possibly facilitate disaster and failure. Until it happens, pretend it already has.
As bad as Kennedy's response was, he still sounded 10X more lucid than the current crew of Dem office holders/seekers. I.e., Harris, AOC, Newsom et al.
And did you notice the one/two second pause and eye-shifting terror Teddy showed when he first heard the question? I think's that's what made the clip memorable.
There's no sure "path to a post-Trump future.
We saw what a post-Trump future looks like: Biden. It looks like Biden.
Kamala said she couldn't think of anything she'd do differently than Joe, and she lost in that moment.
The post-Trump future includes second and third helpings of Trump's policies. And until the Dems learn to embrace it, they're going nowhere.
W seemed normal compared to Gore. The Fortunate Son election.
The Dem policy bag of tricks is empty. All they can think of is to seek an amplified version of their proto-socialism.
Newsom is a combination of Gore, W., Biden, & Walz.
Confession: I've never thought Kennedy's answer to that question was terrible.
I'm with conventional wisdom here. He was meeting with donors (and the soviets) positioning himself to run. Every Senator thinks they can be president. He actually started making the organizing moves (and committing treason) to make a run. So, yes, not being able to clearly and coherently give a full answer to the inevitable question, "Why do you want to be president?" is a deal breaker. His verbal cul-de-sac was not as obvious nor delivered with a cackle like Kamala's but it is there nonetheless.
Disqualifying. Trump started defining his agenda 20 years before he ever seriously entered a race. There was no question what his priorities or top issues were. Kennedy was the pre-Biden Biden: He just wanted it cuz he wanted it.
Vote for Gavin if you are America last.....
Governor Newsom Press Office
@GovPressOffice
Average gas prices in California have stayed below $5 for nearly two years.
Trump’s new war is already rattling markets.
We’re watching this space. Closely.
2:42 PM · Feb 28, 2026
US Oil & Gas Association
@US_OGA
Time to school the Pajama Boy who runs this account for the Gov - because this isn't the flex on Trump he thinks it is....
California imports 63% of is crude from foreign countries - despite sitting on at least 1.7 billion barrels of proven reserves.
According to the California Energy Commission here is the typical break down of where that foreign-sourced crude supplied to California refineries comes from:
Iraq: ~21%
Brazil: ~20%
Guyana: ~16%.
Ecuador: ~14%.
Colombia: ~6%
Canada: ~4%
Mexico: ~4%
United Arab Emirates (UAE): ~2%.
Others like Saudi Arabia will total the rest of the 100% foreign share.
The only state worried about rattling foreign markets is California because you have let yourselves become dependent on foreign supplies.
You've done this to yourselves.
https://x.com/US_OGA/status/2027931369285030385?s=20
It's not like Frank Bruni is completely without knowledge. If I wanted to know what kind of ketchup Frank Bruni puts on a ribeye, I would ask Frank Bruni. The problem is that Frank Bruni is completely without useful> knowledge.
Ted Kennedy was one of the most worthless human beings ever to sit in the Senate.
Newsome is working to make himself seem inevitable as the nominee. There has been a vacuum since Kamala went down. Newsome intends to fill it.
If you asked Dems who should be the next President, the answer is increasingly Gavin Newsome. He's early, but I think that will draw other ambitious Dems to start vying for national attention and donations too.
I fully expect Newsom to be the candidate because Dems have become boring, predicable, and wrong.
Why do you want to be President?
It's Camelot man. I'm royalty for Christ's sake!
They love to watch Gavin strut! They do respect his butt…
https://youtu.be/2b1aE13ssi0?si=YMfshDKyA0JxL0bM
CC, JSM
I look at Bruni's conclusion--and have to believe that his own SAT score was well below 960.
Teddy weakened Carter so Reagan could come in for the big win and save the world. Perhaps this gives Ted a break every few thousand years. CC, JSM
"If you asked Dems who should be the next President, the answer is increasingly Gavin Newsome."
If there is one thing Dems cannot tolerate, it's lack of name recognition. The most famous candidate gets nominated. It works like a snowball rolling downhill.
Honestly, who would win with Democrats between Trump and the actual Hitler? It's that bad.
Dems have to run on Trump. Defeat Trumpism, defeat his heir is the only issue that enough people agree on. If they run on issues and policies, they have to go really far left to get the nomination.
They have to pretty much come right out and say I'm a socialist, they have to support the trans rights agenda, they have to be for open borders, etc. But all that will kill them in the general with the so-called independents and Trump-hating Republicans that they'll need to win.
The Democrats are already attempting to clear the field of candidates again.
It isn't hatred of Trump in general terms. His awful qualities make him unsuitable to be a good president. They make him one of the worst stewards of the office, in fact. We hate what he's done to the country. Seems pretty reasonable when put into that context.
jrytrpt at 11:12 makes the TDS case for Democrats who are comfortable following a senile grifter like Biden with an incompetent dunce like Newsom. But what is TDS, right?
Seems pretty reasonable when put into that context.
The context being it's reasonable to be unreasonable when it comes to Trump.
bagoh20: “The next election will be a more serious policy centered matter.” This is an admirable sentiment. However, Democrats appear to have foreclosed the possibility with their evil and/or socialist policies on most issues.
Their policies are entirely wrong (thats why they yell squirrel!
mccullough said...
W seemed normal compared to Gore. The Fortunate Son election.
Not really. Gore enlisted and served in 'Nam though not in combat. W flew fighter jets in an era when 30-50 percent loss rates were acceptable, and fighter pilot slots even in the NG were not handed out on silver platters.
If you want a 'fortunate son' I'd suggest Bill Clinton vs Bob Dole is closer.
"[I]f the Newsom way is looking like the surest path to a post-Trump future, I’m happy to head in that direction."
Is that the direction of California High-Speed Rail from nowhere to nowhere, water and forest mismanagement, epidemic homelessness, fiscal profligacy, etc.?
I have finally figured out where AOC got her interview style; Ted Kennedy
I await Trump saying he likes Mom, Baseball, and Apple Pie, so the Democrats can go on record as being against these things. He and RFKjr can come out against eating shit, so Democrats can eat shit en masse.
I’m not sure why anyone but the cabal will have a say in who the nominee will be. I suppose there could be some squabble amongst the insiders. Bruni nor anyone else in the leftie proletariat won’t get a say…
jrytrpt said...
It isn't hatred of Trump in general terms. His awful qualities make him unsuitable to be a good president. They make him one of the worst stewards of the office, in fact. We hate what he's done to the country. Seems pretty reasonable when put into that context.
LOL.
That is one of the dumbest most useless posts I have seen in a long time and we have gadfly here.
"Barack Obama ... seemed to be working through decidedly mixed feelings about his quest for the presidency."
In what alternate universe might that be true?
Hassayamper: "Ted Kennedy was one of the most worthless human beings ever to sit in the Senate."
That is a narrow view. You could end your comment at the eleventh word.
Before 1980, ted kennedy was a fool by 1984 he had graduated to knave
If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen he'd be President today.
National Lampoon 1972
So...Frank Bruni, who lives in the city that elected a teenage-mind communist as their Mayor, is all-in on the guy who wrecked San Francisco, then moved on to wreck the State of California, because he has nice hair, a jawline, and an attitude.
Good Lord.
I believe that Teddy had two reason he wanted to be president. 1. To show daddy he wasn't a loser. 2. Same as Bill Clinton, to meet chicks.
If Kamullah wants to run, and it's looking more and more like she does, it's hard to envision the party of identity politics pushing her out of way for a white dude.
"You still have to be something that the people want. That was true in "the before times," and it's true now."
Trump offered ICE with everything and I said yes, give me some of that. Now that it turns out the Dems hate ICE with a passion, I like ICE and Trump even more. Except for this bit with Iran, which hopefully settles sooner rather than later.
Newsom good looks is not going to cut it. Specially now, with so much online face filtering. Looks are underwhelming and perhaps unfairly associated with the expected baseline, commonplace.
Is it at all surprising that Frank Bruni is a little bit in love with Gavin Newsom? Frank may already be anticipating Gavin's coveted invitation to dinner at the French Laundry.
Bob Dole was obviously no "fortunate son," and if he were here, he'd tell you that, loudly, and repeatedly, and in no uncertain terms. Bill Clinton avoided military service, but his origins were too lowly and sordid to say that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It seems more like Bush and Gore do fit that description (president's son - and senator's grandson - versus senator's son).
In Newsom's case, 'the before times' epitome was Bill Clinton. In those days however, a lack of genuine sincerity was rare enough that (maybe?) it could be faked. And Bill Clinton poseed all the necessary personal charm to pull it off. So much so, that even his wife, Hillary has notice it and talked about it.
AI: Hillary Clinton has frequently reflected on Bill Clinton's "remarkable" ability to connect with people, often contrasting it with her own more reserved nature. In her 2003 memoir Living History, she described being "besotted" with him from their first meeting at Yale, noting how his warmth and genuine interest in others made people feel like they were the only ones in the room.
Key observations Hillary has shared about Bill's personal connection skills include:
Undivided Attention: She has noted that he has a unique gift for looking people in the eye and listening so intently that they feel "visible and special," even during brief encounters.
The "Natural" Contrast: Hillary has admitted that Bill possesses "natural people skills" and a love for audiences that she feels she lacks, often describing herself as more "stiff" or "cautious" in comparison.
A "Fundamentally Good Person": Despite public scandals, she has consistently praised his empathy and compassion, once telling Barbara Walters that his ability to connect stems from being a "fundamentally good person" who sees the best in others.
“ …did I say say Hillary! ? Did you see CNNs poll of Democrat candidate support? Gavin in the lead at- what? 15 percent? Hillary! spies an opening- lightning…horse whinny…cackle…shudder…”
Crooked Hillary is a loser, as well as too old, too feeble, and too drunk. And just committed perjury by lying before Congress. Oh, and doesn’t have the millions anymore that it would take to buy the nomination, like she did last time.
@Lazarus, yes, if you focus on a strict familial relationship to the exclusion of the question of service during the Vietnam era which both Gore and W performed though they presumably had the connections to avoid it (see Quayle, Dan). Bill Clinton was being mentored by Arkansas Senator William Fulbright in the same time period as well as maneuvering specifically to avoid any service.
Lock Newsom in a room with only Bill Clinton footage and water. Have him come only after convincing a computer that he, Newsom, can cut enough waste fraud and abuse to return a Federal Budget surplus. Like Bill Clinton did.
Granted, maybe that's not scintillating enough for today times. Then again, what does Newsom want the presidency?
Newsom needs to answer a re-worded the Captain Kirk question from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier --"'What does God need with a starship?', to, 'What does Newsom need with the US presidency?'
Gavin Newsom is a classical fop.
@Lem
I didn’t understand Bill Clinton’s charisma, until I started watching my partner over the last 25 years carefully. And she does exactly the same thing. As did her father.
I remember being pick by a tow truck driver along I-40, right by the AZ/NM border. Crusty old guy, who started out just grunting to our attempts to open a conversation. She tried a number of gambits, and finally succeeded when she told him that gun control in MT was how steady you held the gun. By the time we got into town, they were best friends.
We now have a stable of doctors for her. All male, except her Gyn. And they are all putty in her hands. Several of their staff have asked what she did. It was the first time that they had ever heard them laugh with patients.
The trick is to laser focus on the other person. Find out what they are interested in, and talk about that exclusively. My mother knew what to do, as did Crooked Hillary. She just couldn’t do the laser focus well enough. I think that’s where I am - probably better at is than Hillary is, maybe as good as my mother was, but not in the same class as Bill Clinton, my partner, or her father.
Dems have big problems going into 2028. They have no bench. Contrast that to the Republicans. Maybe half Trump’s cabinet would be a stronger candidate than pretty much any Dem you could name. VP Vance. Sec Hegseth. Sec Rubio, AG Bondi, etc. plus a bunch of governors.
Gavin doesn't rise to the level of the peacock comparison. He's vain and self-engrossed, in love with himself, sure, but I'll tell you, peacocks are mean - and Gavin just can't be taken seriously that way, he's as soft as taffy.
I used to have one, and a couple of pea hens. Country doorbells. They eat chile pequin peppers for fun, and if you put a mirror out, that peacock will gaze at himself. Ours would do that, and then attack the dogs. They all had scars around their eye sockets from him. And worse, they couldn't engage. They had been taught from pups to leave the yard birds alone, chickens, ducks, etc - or else.
But the dogs were smart. They would wait for the peacock to grow his full plumage, and then they'd spook him, intentionally, and when he went to take off, they'd grab a tail feather. We'd hear the squawking racket, look out the window and see the peacock up in the air, flapping frantically, with a dog behind him, holding him tethered with a tail feather in his mouth. Eventually the feather would pull out, the peacock would make for a tree branch, and the dog would spit out another 3 ft long tail feather. They pulled out all of them, and it was a punishment worse than mauling. Farmyard justice.
Ted Kennedy was one of the most worthless human beings ever to sit in the Senate.
/Patty Murray waves frantically from the back row
We hate what he's done to the country.
I love what he's done to the country. In fact, we should have an election. Both candidates say what they will and will not do for America and the winner gets to do just that.
Wait. What? You lost?
Try again with a better candidate and better ideas.
But Newsom’s strut is working for him.... [I]f the Newsom way is looking like the surest path to a post-Trump future, I’m happy to head in that direction."
Yes, Frank, but that's because you're a Democrat Party hack
There's no sure "path to a post-Trump future." To pose the problem in those terms frames the real problem: Democrats have made hatred of Trump their central issue. Get some substance of your own! You still have to be something that the people want.
They can't do that. What they have to offer is surgically mutilating and chemically sterilizing kids, men in women's bathrooms, locker rooms, and jail cells, millions of illegals, and $billions in fraud to immigrants.
That's their agenda, there's nothing for normal Americans in there, because they're robbing the normal Americans to pay the rest to come vote for them, often illegally
jrytrpt said...
It isn't hatred of Trump in general terms. His awful qualities make him unsuitable to be a good president. They make him one of the worst stewards of the office, in fact. We hate what he's done to the country. Seems pretty reasonable when put into that context.
This is a perfectly reasonable thing to write. If you're a complete moron and utterly divorced from reality.
Higher employment for Americans
Better wages for all Americans, esp those without college regresses, who were cut out of the American dream for decades
Much lower inflation
Destroying Americans enemies, and threats to America and Americans
You are free to hate Trump's accomplishments. But only enemies of America do so
Wait a minute… isn’t Frank Bruni a food critic?
Democrats boxed themselves into a corner - when you label your main political rival, without evidence or proof, as being a Fascist or Hitler, you end up looking like fools if you then show any support of "Hitler".
Democrats are nothing more than shit throwing monkeys. And their puppets in the media need an attitude adjustment.
Democrats seek only power, absolute power, while they fill their coffers with illegal money, fraudulent vote schemes, and the most gullible yokels who continue to believe them and vote for them.
Need proof? The new Governor of Virginia. I rest my case.
Since the Democrats have slid into and adopted neo-Marxist positions and policies that are rejected by a majority of actual Americans, all they have to go with is Alinsky tactics of Trump/GOP hatred.
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