California Gov. Gavin Newsom eviscerated his own party during a discussion with Bill Maher on Friday, calling the Democratic Party brand “toxic” as it struggles with abysmal approval ratings.
“The Democratic brand is toxic right now. We had a high watermark two weeks ago, and that was a CNN poll at 29% favorability. It‘s dropped in the NBC poll down to 27%,” Newsom said on “Real Time.”
Public approval for the Democratic Party sunk to 29% in the latest CNN poll – the lowest approval the poll has recorded since 1992. The polling found that the Democrats’ approval plummeted by 20 points since January 2021. Republicans have a 36% approval rating, according to the CNN poll.
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The Democrats’ 27% approval rating in the NBC poll was the lowest result the outlet has recorded since 1990. Large numbers of Democrats and Democrat-aligned voters in both polls wanted the party to take a more forceful stance against President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Democratic Party is facing an identity crisis as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has faced repeated calls to step down. The New York Democrat has faced severe backlash from his party after voting with Republicans on spending legislation to keep the government open. New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Schumer’s decision to avert a government shutdown a “tremendous mistake.”
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Newsom has made headlines recently for launching a podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” in which the California governor has sought out conservative voices to interview. The governor began his podcast by interviewing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Former Trump confidant Steve Bannon and conservative talk radio host Michael Savage have also been guests on the program.
“It‘s one thing to make noise, but you also have to make sense. And I think what this podcast and having the opportunity to dialog with people I disagree with, it‘s an opportunity to try to find common ground and not take cheap shots,” Newsom said.
Maher challenged the governor for being on the wrong side of “eighty-twenty issues” – issues where he feels Democrats are out of step with an overwhelming majority of American voters – particularly in regard to transgender policies.
The “Real Time” host claimed that Newsom had passed a law preventing schools from being required to notify parents if their child claims to have changed their gender identity. The governor shot back that he had only passed a law stating that a teacher who declined to inform parents of such could not be imprisoned. Newsom also used the word “snitch” to describe teachers who do notify parents that their child reported a change in gender identity.
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However, Newsom did call on the Democrats to own up to their mistakes in how they engage with ordinary Americans. The governor said the party needed to “mature” when it comes to divisive issues like cancel culture, and called on the left not to talk down to everyday people.
“Democrats tend to be a little more judgmental than we should be. This notion of cancel culture, you‘ve been living it. You‘ve been on the receiving end of it for years and years and years,” he said. “That‘s real. And Democrats need to own up to that. They‘ve got to mature about this.”
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