Focusing on Russian interference in the 2016 will not get Democrats back in office moving forward, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom warned members of his party Wednesday morning.
It also does nothing for the party's agenda, he said, and the nation will not be better off if President Donald Trump were to be removed from office since Vice President Mike Pence would replace him.
"I don't know what more evidence you need," Newsom, a Democratic candidate for governor in California, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "At the end of the day, even if you game this thing out and you get rid of Trump, you're left with a guy who's out there talking about conversion therapy. It doesn't do anything for the Democratic Party and our agenda."
Democrats must deal with the issues of "economic anxiety, cultural issues in a substantive way," Newsom said, adding that Democrats can "demonstrate with some acuity and strength a clear conviction in terms of the fate and future of this country," or they will never take back their leadership role.
California, he continued, is an "inland empire" whose economy is outpacing the rest of the nation, adding 2.5 million jobs in the last seven years, enjoying a 2.9 percent GDP growth, marking twice the national average.
"If you want to know how to take back control of state houses across the country, go west," Newsom said. "Go to California, study Jerry Brown."
Newsom also has proposed statewide universal healthcare for California, and said Wednesday proponents don't look at the issue from the cost prospective.
"We look from the efficiency perspective," Newsom said. "San Francisco is the only city with universal healthcare, regardless of pre-existing conditions, but also regardless of your immigration status. We did it without any general tax increases. It's an all payer plan modeled along the lines of Massachusetts. We've been debating a single-payer plan in California. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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