Saturday, December 27, 2025

TheHill: Why Gavin Newsom Would Crush JD Vance in 2028

Trump didn't merely reshape the Republican Party. He saturated it. Every future nominee must explain not only who they are, but why voters should endure four more years of Trump-adjacent absurdity.

That is a brutal starting position.

Comments

Very optimistic, the idea that there will be a Pres Election in '28, but hey, I'll play along.

(Not posting snippets of the article because it's short and concise and deserves being read... and it's TheHill, so it's not radical in any direction.)

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2025-12-27 09:59 PM

imo, too soon, way too soon, for this stuff.

Stated differently, November 2026 is only just beginning to show any signs of voter preference. And a major emphasis upon "beginning."

Talking about 2028?

I remain to be convinced of any manner of gravitas attributed to such comments.


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-27 10:16 PM

#2

Glad you read it!

#3 | Posted by Corky at 2025-12-27 10:32 PM

@#3 ... Glad you read it! ...

I usually read posted links. I want to know what others find important to them.

And, at times, that does not seem to be a good thing. I read things I cannot unread.

:)

That aside, I had already read this article on TheHill this afternoon.


So, yeah, I read it.

Thx for noticing.


#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-27 10:48 PM

fwiw ...

Here's another article from TheHill I have read ...

Newsom has strong year in California, but is he peaking too soon?
thehill.com

... California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved himself into front-runner status for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, emerging from a pack of contenders to clear leading status.

It was a strong year for Newsom, whose combative approach to taking on President Trump resonated with Democrats and won favorable headlines for his team.

"The headline on Newsom is that this year, he became the default answer of who Democrats are thinking about for 2028," Democratic strategist Joel Payne said. "He became the stand-in at a time when the party was looking for leadership and a good spokesperson."

"Newsom has been the officeholder who has been in the best position to counter Trump," he said.

The question for Newsom and his operation going forward is whether he can keep the excitement level up and maintain front-runner status past the midterm elections, after which the presidential battle will really heat up. ...


#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-27 10:51 PM

yeah... That's why they call them Opinion Pieces.

Trumpers are more 'easily excitable' than most Dem voters... they are going to have to be pretty worn out not to turn out.

#6 | Posted by Corky at 2025-12-27 11:07 PM

 

@#6 ... That's why they call them Opinion Pieces. ...

Agreed.

I will say, though, at this point I am not ~looking into~ 2028.

There's that whole, "peaking too early" aspect.

My main concern is 2026.

And I even consider 2026 to be too far out to determine any manner of outcome at this point.

Yeah, there have been, what seem to be, quite strong indicators.

But, imo, too soon to forecast.

YMMV and all that.

#7 | Posted by lamplighter at 2025-12-27 11:17 PM

2NU - This Is Ponderous (1991)
www.youtube.com

Lyrics excerpt ...

genius.com

...
"This Is Ponderous" is an avant-garde spoken word novelty song about a bizarre dream Jock Blaney, then the production director at KPLZ FM, once had.

After the basic dream concept was used in a local hot tub commercial, Blaney and producer Michael Nealy made it into a full-length song and aired it on KPLZ where it quickly became the #1 requested song on the station for weeks.

This is ponderous, man, really ponderous

I had this dream the other night
I went to work one day
And nobody remembered who I was
So, I decided to take the day off

On my way out
I run into my boss and he says
Hey, you look familiar
I said, thanks, people say that
A lot in these dreams

Then the horns kicked in
And my shoes started to squeak

Then all of a sudden
I'm standing on a beach
In some tropical part of the world
And there's this sign that says
'Aren't you supposed to be at work'
Sort of screamed out at me

Then I remembered
I'd been here in other dreams
But usually there was a water polo game
And a girl who could talk with her eyes

And she'd say
'Can you see what I'm saying'
Then the horns kicked in
And my shoes started to squeak

Before I knew it
I was walking near a lake
When a phone rings
And the operator speaks to me
In a language I don't understand
...


A fun tune ...

:)


#8 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-12-27 11:24 PM

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