The Thursday evening debate between governors and presidential aspirants Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom on November 30 might or might not have given DeSantis something of a boost for 2028, but his strong performance will almost certainly not be enough to overtake Donald Trump in 2024. Newsom, on the other hand, was able to achieve his exact objective. By simply appearing on stage before a national audience – while giving Biden a grade of A on his presidency so no one could complain he was undermining his enfeebled colleague – he was able to draw a night-and-day contrast between his own striking golden boy persona and Biden’s sad, panic-inducing presence on the public stage.
Newsom has attempted to benefit from what in football has been called the back-up quarterback syndrome. When the starting signal-caller begins to falter, the second-string QB often…
