Democratic Governor Facing COVID Criticism from Within His Own Party

With several new COVID-19 vaccines coming to market in the next few weeks and months, Americans from coast to coast are beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.  For months on end we’ve been largely cooped up, or otherwise engaged in some form of pseudo-solitude, hoping and praying that the carnage would end.  Experts continued to make clear that only a vaccine could truly get the world back to some form of normalcy.  In the meantime, the nation would have to tough it out, and hope that their elected officials didn’t do anything truly stupefying in the process.

In California, the coronavirus decision-making was so poor, in fact, that Governor Gavin Newsom is facing a possible recall.  That effort has been steadily gaining support…even among members of Newsom’s own party.

Democratic Assemblywoman Laura Friedman told the Los Angeles Times that many lawmakers have been left in the dark regarding the governor’s rationale behind his orders.

“I would have loved to have a better understanding of the rationale behind a lot of these decisions and the data behind them, and I think the public should know that data as well,” Friedman said. “It would make people feel much more comfortable with the different executive actions that are handed down and the different orders. I would have loved it if months back, we really understood what was coming and that the public understood a little bit more.”

Still, Friedman, like many of her Democratic colleagues, remains firmly committed to supporting Newsom.

“I think that what’s going to hurt Newsom in the end more than anything is not people speaking out, but him failing,” Friedman told The Times. “So, the best way that I can keep him from being recalled is to help him succeed.”

The backlash against Newsom has been growing in recent weeks, and there seems to be a very real chance that he’ll be removed from office.