Newsom says Democrats need to more "culturally normal"

[angrychair]

To be unambiguously clear, while I do not support Newsom as a presidential candidate if he officially becomes our candidate for 2028 I will absolutely vote for him.

My point of OPs like this is to highlight there are better candidates out there that better align with Democratic Party values that most in the country, regardless of Party, also agree.

He says the party should be "less prone to spending disproportionate amount of time on pronouns, identity politics. More focused on tabletop issues, things that really matter

Also saying that Democrats need to be more "culturally normal".
I would argue that at a time when LGBTQ people are feeling more and more hate and more and more states are doing all they can to strip them of their rights, we need to stand up for everyone's right to exist.

Yes, economic issues are important but we shouldn't be throwing our LGBTQ family under the bus to make that point. Our LGBTQ family matters and their concerns are real. Their lived experience is real. They have a right to be treated with equity and equality.

The Democratic Party are "culturally normal" and it's the Republican party that are on the fringe, protecting and promoting pedophiles and murderers.

Reference:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/23/politics/video/inside-politics-gavin-newsom-two

[msongs]

1. repub response: Newsom says dems are culturally abnormal (they will leave out cuturally)

[leftstreet]

2. So he's saying minorities are abnormal?

Anyone not black, female, gay, trans...is normal? wt actual f

[RobinA]

11. He's Saying

Let's talk about stuff the majority of Democratic voters can get behind instead of hot button issues that drive people away. Pronouns et.al can be debated while we're in office, but first we need to get there.

[leftstreet]

14. Then he needs better consultants

and comms people

Bless his heart, but he's a decade too late for these admonishments. People AREN'T talking (or joking) about pronouns. They ARE talking about their $300 utility bills. They're talking about medical costs, unaffordable rents, etc.

No one's waiting for someone to get in office to talk "cultural issues."

Identity politics - dead
Class politics - alive

[Johonny]

3. Shrug. Shit like this works on Bill Maher

But really who the fuck is normal on the other side of the aisle?

[gab13by13]

4. Malcolm Nance for president

Take politics out of it.

When Jack Smith can't get confirmed as AG, then Malcolm can make him acting AG, and when his term expires appoint another acting AG.

[unblock]

5. We *are* culturally normal. They're the ones with dysfunctional, antisocial bigotry

Huge problems facing hundreds of millions yet they are obsessed with children's genitials in high schools sports and public bathrooms and they want to take rights away to make their ethnic cleansing easier.

As walz said, they are *weird*.

[yorkster]

6. Democracy is also on the table by the way. Gov.

Yeah, of course I'll support the eventual nominee if I'm still around.

[LuvLoogie]

7. He means devoid of culture.

Christo-capitalist consumerism.

Happy Dollar Days!

[RobinA]

8. I Agree With Him

Look, I'll call anybody by any pronoun they want. But some people get freaked out by it and it drives them and their vote away. The idea is to win the next election and the big one after that. We can't get what we want done if we aren't in office, we'll just righteous losers living in MAGAWorld.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. people who get "freaked out" by pronouns are not "culturally normal"

[Wednesdays]

9. It's the REPUGS who keep talking about "cultural issues!"

[Fiendish Thingy]

10. Like I've been telling you all, Newsom won't be the 2028 nominee.

Comments like this might help him get endorsements from centrists, Third Wayers and Problem Solvers, but it will not help him win primaries.

[Iris]

12. We are. The right wingers, esp the 30%, are the outliers

[misanthrope]

15. Whose culture?

There are lots of them and they vary state to state, region to region in a nation this large.

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. Governor Max Headroom can STFU

Seriously, HE needs to stick to the issues that are important to the Democratic party and that includes LGBTQ. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, shit like this is what ALIENATES some our most dedicated Democratic base!

[JI7]

17. What matters most is winning. We need to do whatever we need to win. Sometimes it means we don't have to be so open

about our position on certain issues. Focus on getting our people in the courts so when cases come up we can win there .

Trump did it with abortion where he refused to be clear about his position.

[Scrivener7]

18. Exactly. For all that we hate them, and I, who previously didn't hate anyone, do hate them,

we can learn something from them. We don't have to talk about all of it during election season.

Not talking about it in election season will allow us to safeguard it once we are elected.

Just as they said, "No, I don't know nothin' about fascism and Project 2025," we can say, "I don't know nothin' about expanding and safeguarding civil rights for all."

[Vinca]

19. We're told we spend so much time on this stuff, but it's the Republicans who are constantly talking about it.

Newsom shouldn't fall into their trap. Don't blame Democrats, blame Republicans. We just want everyone to be able to use the damn bathroom.

[Whiskeytide]

20. I think there is a difference between ...

… “throwing our LGBTQ community under the bus” and “falling into the rebublican’s trap of divisive identity politics”. I know more than a few voters, in the South especially, that decide how to vote based on cultural issues. They don’t like the current Republican party much at all, but they just can’t bring themselves to vote contrary to these deep prejudices that have been drilled into them since birth. For many of them, it’s not that cultural issues are more important than other issues, it’s simply that they don’t see enough separation between the two parties on non-cultural issues.

In a perfect world, we shouldn’t need their votes to get elected to office - but the reality is that we do. At the very least, we need them to stop voting against us.

I think Democratic candidates can express support for the LGBTQ community without letting MSM interviewers and opposition candidates make it all about culture. Create clear separation on economic issues, and most voters will be much less concerned over pronouns and drag queens.