Recall Gov. Gavin Newsom? Here’s why it’s a fool’s errand during COVID-19 pandemic

An effort is afoot to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. The website for the effort lists grievances ranging from prisoner releases to the inability to freely assemble.

Heading the transgressions, however, is criticism of Newsom’s recent presence at a high-end restaurant where he, along with eleven others, dined in a private room. For this and other unacceptable behaviors and policies, the recall leaders say Newsom must be recalled.

The recall leaders are serious about their enterprise. They claim 800,000 signatures, slightly more than half of the 1,500,000 valid signatures that must be collected by March 17. Their concerns notwithstanding, recall proponents are conducting a foolish, if not dangerous, effort.

Make no mistake — Newsom committed two offenses. First, his almost cavalier comportment contradicted many of the COVID-19 rules he established for Californians to better control the deadly virus. Worse yet, the governor barely owned his wrongdoing, saying he had “made a bad mistake.”

No, the governor didn’t make a bad mistake, for the term “mistake” refers to the action of someone who accidentally erred. There was nothing accidental about Newsom’s behavior. He knew exactly what he was doing and did it anyway.

Newsom’s behavior was nothing short of arrogant. Sadly, in recent weeks, several elected leaders in California and elsewhere throughout the nation have undertaken similar actions, suggesting that they have a right to act differently than the rest of us. Such conduct leads people to ask, why should we sacrifice if you (our elected officials) aren’t?

Plainly put, such antics are bad behavior and insulting to the rest of us. But do they rise to the level of recall from office? Absolutely not.

In pressing for Newsom’s recall, supporters are looking for a simple solution to a complicated problem that has turned our lives inside out. Nearly 300,000 Americans have lost their lives from COVID-19. Millions of others have suffered from and survived the virus, and millions more have had their work schedules disrupted. Many have lost their jobs altogether.

Worse yet, our nation’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic is in a league of its own compared to similar industrialized nations. With 4% of the population, the United States has 20% of COVID-19 cases. How did we get here?

Three answers come to mind. First, we have had no national leadership. Although he declared himself a “wartime” president fighting the disease, Trump has been missing in action for months. Rather than lead, he has retreated to the golf course, leaving the states with precious few resources to cope with the virus. Incoherent and often conflicting responses have resulted.

Second, Congress has failed its mission of protecting Americans. After acting swiftly in the spring, our national leaders have retreated to their partisan corners while millions of Americans have suffered. House Democrats get some credit for proposing several versions of financial rescue bills for individuals, small businesses and state and local governments, while Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has decided it’s better for governments to declare bankruptcy.

Third, sizable swaths of the public have failed to heed the pleas of the nation’s scientific and medical communities. They have left to others the inconveniences of wearing masks and staying away from crowds. These are hardly burdensome demands, yet millions of Americans have left it to others to do what we all should do. Yes, the president and Congress have failed to do their jobs, but we have failed, too. Crowds protesting state and local rules to wear masks, close beaches or limit customers in stores do nothing to end COVID-19 and, sadly, only spread it.

The simple point is that our failure to manage COVID-19 reflects a lot more than a neglectful president or stubborn Congress. It reflects badly on all of us.

Which takes us back to the effort to recall Gov. Newsom. It’s worth remembering that last February, just before the onset of the virus, Californians thought positively about Newsom’s leadership by a margin of 53% to 33%, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Obviously, he was doing something right. And whatever his misdeed, Newsom has tried to lead the state through a medical minefield with no playbook other than a “fly by the seat of your pants” management style that accompanies an unprecedented historic pandemic.

Recalling Gov. Newsom would not undo President Trump’s unforgivable behavior nor compensate for Congress’s inability to come together on an aid package. Further, recalling Newsom would not make up for the millions of Californians who have abandoned their obligation to behave responsibly. A recall effort would, however, add an extraordinary level of confusion and uncertainty to a state already in deep trouble.

Yes, Newsom behaved foolishly. Now Californians have to behave better.