As the LA Times’ George Skelton marvels, “You’ve got to wonder what goes through a candidate’s head when his first TV ad contains an indisputable, major falsehood.” You might respond that it’s par for the course and an indicator that the candidate is perfectly suited for major state or national office, but that would be terribly cynical.
In this case, it’s California’s leading gubernatorial candidate that has Skelton shaking his head.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, front-runner in the race to succeed termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, ran a TV ad claiming he was “the first to take on the National Rifle Association and win.”
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, front-runner in the race to succeed termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, ran a TV ad claiming he was “the first to take on the National Rifle Association and win.”
Hardly.This is the relevant ad text, read by a pleasant-sounding female narrator: “The L.A. Times called Gavin Newsom ‘Ahead of the pack, from gay marriage to gun control.’ The first mayor to recognize marriage equality. The first to provide healthcare to every resident. The first to take on the National Rifle Association and win. The one candidate with the record of bold leadership and bold results. …” Etc.
The Times did publish a column by Cathleen Decker about Newsom under an “ahead of the pack” headline in December 2015. But the article didn’t say he was the first to take on the NRA and win.
Hair-splitting and nit-picking. It’s true, Newsom is merely one of the latest in a long line of left coast office-holders that have made their political bones by appealing to their ultra-liberal constituents’ gun-grabbing instincts. But in a state that prides itself on the race they’ve been running toward a civilian gun ownership-free future, as another ardent anti-gun candidate once wondered, what difference, at this point, does it make?
Skelton rightly points out that the California rogues’ gallery of civilian disarmament advocates starts and ends with Newsom’s fellow San Franciscan, Diane Feinstein. After which the torch has been taken up by such esteemed public servants as George Deukmejian, Gray Davis, Antonio Villaraigosa and Kevin De Leon. There’s really no shortage of names from which to choose.
Somehow, though, Second Amendment restriction all-star Leland Yee failed to get a mention. That’s surprising because he pushed for the state’s ban on .50 cal rifles, a handgun ban, magazine capacity limits, a ban on bullet buttons and even wanted to register 3D printers.
But Skelton’s probably forgotten all about Yee because he’s currently spending his days here in Texas at FMC Fort Worth. You know, out of sight, out of mind.
This column would not have been written if the Newsom camp had just admitted “we screwed up” and dropped the ad. But the ad kept running and the candidate’s spokesman, Nathan Click, tried to justify the spot.
What the ad intended to say, Click told me, was that Newsom is “the first to take the NRA to the ballot box and win.” But that’s not what the ad says.
“When you’re trying to convey something in 30 seconds,” he replied, “you’re limited by the format.”
Not an excuse.
Fair enough. It’s good to see one of the state’s premier publications holding its candidates for office accountable. While The Times agrees with every single gun-grabbing instinct and position Newsom’s ever espoused, we can’t have him running around, falsely claiming credit for California’s abysmal Second Amendment record, no matter how hard he’s worked to earn it.