Commentary: Iran, Israel, pet otters and hair gel. Gavin Newsom’s book tour stops in L.A.

Israel, Iran, ICE, dyslexia, single mothers and a pet otter named Potter were among the topics discussed at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tour stop in Los Angeles Tuesday evening to promote his new book, “Hurry Young Man: A Memoir of Discovery.”

Addressing a sold-out crowd of nearly 1,300 at Los Angeles’ historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre, the hour-long Q&A hosted by Writers Bloc and moderated by “Pod Save America” ​​hosts John Favreau and Tommy Vietor was a conversation about getting to know the man behind the mask and a timely discussion about the challenges facing the country.

The engaging discussion was clearly aimed at dispelling Newsom’s image as “that slick guy” (in his words) by chronicling his journey from an insecure, cocky young man trying to impress those around him to an adult who has become comfortable in his own skin thanks to his accomplishments and follies.

He described his younger pre-political self posing in a suit: “I thought I was Pierce Brosnan in ‘Remington Steele.’ I just discovered hair gel,” Newsom joked. In those early years, he said, he often overcompensated for his own feelings of inadequacy as the son of a single mother struggling to pay the rent. As a child with learning differences and falling behind in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. His “broke and broken” father neglected his family while entertaining wealthy San Francisco families, including heirs to the Getty oil fortune did.

Chatty, easy-going and sometimes freewheeling, Newsom rarely needed advice from moderators when talking about his childhood, his family’s odd choice of pet (the aforementioned otter) or much more serious topics. He said Democrats need to “fight fire with fire” and be more “ruthless” in their fight to win back the country.

Newsom’s politician-speak was evident in some of his more rehearsed efforts to convince the crowd that he was a regular guy (he may not have changed many diapers with his first daughter, but he handled his fatherly duties better with his next three). But these examples, paired with plain-speaking comments that posed as facts, risked alienating some of his base.

One such example occurred early in the conversation when Newsom was asked about where President Trump stands on the new Iran war and his varying justifications for why the administration is launching military action without consulting Congress.

“[The Trump administration’s] The initial rationale was that we needed to make sure they were not armed with nuclear weapons. [weapons]. But I thought the problem was solved, that we had completely ‘destroyed it,'” Newsom said, using Trump’s claims against him to say: “Maybe that wasn’t the case then, so now it’s about their missiles and maybe they can hit the United States and then you have to wait, that’s over a decade later.” That’s BS. So it’s about their militia, it’s about their proxies. Then no, it’s about their navy. And then no, this is a response to the possibility of Israel leaving. [go in] so we had to enter it ourselves. God help us… these are the Keystone Cops.”

Newsom was later asked whether the United States should reconsider its military support for Israel, and he said it would be reasonable.

“The Bibi issue [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] “It’s interesting because he has his own internal problems,” Newsom said. “He’s trying to stay out of prison. There is an election coming up. I mean, to say this is in America’s interest at a time when affordability is at crisis levels is literally an elected administration saying this is the exact opposite of what they would consider doing. The fact that we are in this regional war right now…”

He also said Netanyahu was “potentially on the ropes. He has hardliners who want to annex the West Bank.” Newsom suggested that some critics have “conveniently” described Israel as a kind of “apartheid state.” His comments thrilled pro-Israel advocates Wednesday who thought Newsom was leaning into their own interests.

But most of the talk was about the book and domestic issues. Newsom has harshly criticized Trump and his policies; he has positioned himself as part of the resistance, is one of the few high-profile leaders to respond with policy (Proposition 50), and has a strong media presence with his podcast “That’s Gavin Newsom” and social media accounts trolling Trump.

“To whose heart nothing goes [Donald Trump] From the press conference where he cried yesterday [that] Four Americans died, Newsom said. “He did mention them, though. He then gave very detailed information about the curtains and the Imperial Palace in the East Wing. [of the White House] that you built. talked about [it] with true passion and conviction. He says everything about Donald Trump, the uncertainty in the world, the fact that our allies are under threat, the UAE, that we are once again fighting a proxy war with Hezbollah and Lebanon. “We have concerns about 20 percent of the world’s oil flow, problems with oil prices and stocks.”

Newsom began his tour in the South last week, although he spoke to an auditorium of blue-state supporters; With stops in Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. His efforts to relate to his audience were noticed when, during a conversation with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, he addressed the audience and brought up his low SAT scores, saying, “I’m just like you.” He was called out for his comment, which was labeled racist by critics, especially right-leaning media outlets.

He was asked Tuesday in Los Angeles how he felt about the California Democratic Party chairman’s latest suggestion that some party candidates drop out of the governor’s race to prevent Republicans from potentially winning. “I confess. I agree. Despite all the promises and dangers that mark this moment in California, America’s furthest state from Trump, we cannot risk the Republicans winning,” he said.

The California Highway Patrol and a private security firm stationed officers and agents around the venue to maintain a tight security presence (no bags or purses allowed). On at least three occasions, one or more protesters interrupted the debate by shouting from balconies and floor seats, demanding that Newsom do something about privatized prisons and ICE sweeps of immigrants.

After being led away by security, Newsom said he understood that “stress has increased” over the past decade and defended his record, noting that he signed the first bill to ban private prisons and that he was a “fierce opponent” of what was happening on America’s streets.

Event attendees applauded Newsom’s record and nearly everything he said. These were, after all, people who paid up to $80 per seat to hear the speech and get a copy of his book. He then walked into the crowd and spent almost half an hour chatting with the audience, posing for selfies and signing copies of his memoirs. Newsom was in no rush.