RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR.: Newsom goes after what Republicans hold most dear: their guns

Politics, public policy and poetic justice can be a powerful combination.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is currently dabbling in all three. Apparently driven by politics, he is suggesting a public policy that amounts to poetic justice.

This Christmas, Newsom is giving Republicans a poke in the eye. He is going after the one thing they love most: their guns.

You remember when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took states’ rights too far and took aim at abortion. Abbott pushed through an outrageous state law that allows private citizens to essentially act as bounty hunters. In the Lone Star State, anyone can now file a civil suit up to $10,000 against abortion providers who perform the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. That timeline blatantly violates the constitutional protections in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.

You would think the Supreme Court, as currently configured, would take offense at such an obvious affront to precedent. But, just recently, the conservative majority justices once again allowed the Texas law, known as SB8, to remain in effect even as legal challenges proceed.

What’s good for the elephants is good for the donkeys. So now Newsom is threatening to follow Abbott’s lead and use his executive power to essentially ban the sale of assault weapons in California. Newsom has instructed his staff to work with the state’s attorney general to craft a law modeled on the one in Texas. Instead of targeting abortion providers, the California law would go after gun dealers and manufacturers.

“SCOTUS is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?!” Newsom tweeted. “If that’s the precedent, then we’ll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets.”

The governor wants a bill that would allow private citizens to file lawsuits of up to $10,000 against “anyone who manufactures, distributes or sells an assault weapon or ghost gun kit or parts in the state of California.” What the idea lacks in originality, it makes up for in chutzpah. It’s a bold move. Like some columnists, Newsom is good at stirring the pot.

The Democrat has not been a particularly good governor. He made bad choices and poor decisions in fighting COVID-19 — most of them seemingly dictated by politics. He does a lousy job of telling California’s majestic story and selling his state to the rest of America. He’s not the least bit relatable to everyday Californians. Even in a state full of people who are struggling — with homelessness, drought, inflation, crime, etc. — Newsom wouldn’t know suffering if it came up and mussed his perfectly coifed hair.

But Newsom does have a knack for getting attention — sometimes by being provocative and other times by being combative. He is also pretty good at politicking and promoting himself, which could soon come in handy. The state’s chief executive with the matinee idol good looks appears ready to audition for a marquee role in the 2024 presidential race.

Newsom is likely to make a run at the White House if President Joe Biden doesn’t run again. He certainly won’t step aside for Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian with whom he gets along like oil and water. If Democrats find themselves looking for a better alternative to Harris, Newsom will do everything he can to make sure they look in his direction.

Even if Newsom opts not to run, he could still play kingmaker if there is a Democratic primary. He’ll have a lot to say about which candidate gets the state’s 55 electoral votes, which represent more than 20 percent of the 270 that someone needs to be elected president.

I suspect Abbott — who wants to get in good with Republicans — is playing the same game in Texas, which has 38 electoral votes.

The path to the big leagues starts with raising one’s national profile. Newsom appears to have already gotten started. What better way to get on the good side of Democrats than to get on the bad side of Republicans.

I personally don’t like this trend of state governors using their soapboxes and executive power to pave the way for their political ambitions.

But what Newsom proposes is both clever and creative. He is going to take the Republicans’ beloved doctrine of states’ rights, and shove it down their throats. The GOP will find that irony hard to swallow. But I find the thought of it appetizing.

Shove away, governor.

Ruben Navarrette’s email address is crimscribe@icloud.com. His podcast, “Ruben in the Center,” is available through every podcast app.