I think you’ve hit the nail squarely on the head. Were the facts so tough, was the effort to support a failing President and undisciplined leftist policy and regulation in California so implausible that Newsom has ended his national political career?
The video from the debate is now a part of the political record. Newsom’s statements about so many topics including Biden’s cognitive health can’t be walked away from. Can he ever be considered a “mainstream” national candidate? Has he marginalized himself like Bernie Sanders?
Who’s left as a viable Biden replacement for 2024 if Joe rides into the sunset with his team of “Dog Faced Pony Soldiers”?
Here's a toast with one last pour, may it last forever and a minute more;
Good fortune seems to you have sung, to live and love way past long