Newsom says Democrats need to be more "culturally normal"

[angrychair]

Last edited Wed Feb 25, 2026, 09:33 AM - Edit history (1)

To be unambiguously clear, while I do not support Newsom as a presidential candidate if he officially becomes our candidate for 2028 I will absolutely vote for him.

My point of OPs like this is to highlight there are better candidates out there that better align with Democratic Party values that most in the country, regardless of Party, also agree.

He says the party should be "less prone to spending disproportionate amount of time on pronouns, identity politics. More focused on tabletop issues, things that really matter

Also saying that Democrats need to be more "culturally normal".
I would argue that at a time when LGBTQ people are feeling more and more hate and more and more states are doing all they can to strip them of their rights, we need to stand up for everyone's right to exist.

Yes, economic issues are important but we shouldn't be throwing our LGBTQ family under the bus to make that point. Our LGBTQ family matters and their concerns are real. Their lived experience is real. They have a right to be treated with equity and equality.

The Democratic Party are "culturally normal" and it's the Republican party that are on the fringe, protecting and promoting pedophiles and murderers.

Reference:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/23/politics/video/inside-politics-gavin-newsom-two

[msongs]

1. repub response: Newsom says dems are culturally abnormal (they will leave out cuturally)

[leftstreet]

2. So he's saying minorities are abnormal?

Anyone not black, female, gay, trans...is normal? wt actual f

[RobinA]

11. He's Saying

Let's talk about stuff the majority of Democratic voters can get behind instead of hot button issues that drive people away. Pronouns et.al can be debated while we're in office, but first we need to get there.

[leftstreet]

14. Then he needs better consultants

and comms people

Bless his heart, but he's a decade too late for these admonishments. People AREN'T talking (or joking) about pronouns. They ARE talking about their $300 utility bills. They're talking about medical costs, unaffordable rents, etc.

No one's waiting for someone to get in office to talk "cultural issues."

Identity politics - dead
Class politics - alive

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. The only people who "bring up" cultural pronouns are magats.

[Oneironaut]

48. We do not control the narrative. Therefore, Republicans will always ask, "Why do you refuse to talk about pronouns!?"

They’ll accuse Democrats of deflecting. The evil amongst us would suggest that, to prevent this, Democrats should completely cave on trans rights and adopt the Republican position that trans people shouldn’t exist at all, and,
society should eradicate trans people entirely. It’s the only solution to stopping the trans rights debate.

We don’t have a choice to debate trans rights or not. Republicans are the ones who won’t leave it alone. Therefore, Democrats need to get consistent and form a plan to approach this topic.

[AStern]

49. The only time I hear about "Hot Button Issues" is from right wing media

Hearing Newsome repeating those talking points is disappointing.

[Johonny]

3. Shrug. Shit like this works on Bill Maher

But really who the fuck is normal on the other side of the aisle?

[gab13by13]

4. Malcolm Nance for president

Take politics out of it.

When Jack Smith can't get confirmed as AG, then Malcolm can make him acting AG, and when his term expires appoint another acting AG.

[unblock]

5. We *are* culturally normal. They're the ones with dysfunctional, antisocial bigotry

Huge problems facing hundreds of millions yet they are obsessed with children's genitials in high schools sports and public bathrooms and they want to take rights away to make their ethnic cleansing easier.

As walz said, they are *weird*.

[yorkster]

6. Democracy is also on the table by the way. Gov.

Yeah, of course I'll support the eventual nominee if I'm still around.

[LuvLoogie]

7. He means devoid of culture.

Christo-capitalist consumerism.

Happy Dollar Days!

[RobinA]

8. I Agree With Him

Look, I'll call anybody by any pronoun they want. But some people get freaked out by it and it drives them and their vote away. The idea is to win the next election and the big one after that. We can't get what we want done if we aren't in office, we'll just righteous losers living in MAGAWorld.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. people who get "freaked out" by pronouns are not "culturally normal"

[calguy]

29. I agree with him and you 100%

Democrats need to figure out how to appeal to the people who didn’t vote for us in past elections. That means not driving away potential voters who agree with us on most issues, but will not vote for us if we keep pushing one minority issue they are adamantly against.
I won’t name any of the minority issues I have in mind d, because doing so would ignite a flood of posts accusing me of hating one group or another. I’ve had several of my posts removed in the past because some folks are over sensitive about their pet issues, so I just don’t express my opinions one those matters anymore on DU.

[OC375]

46. I agree

There are often better ways to address a concern when we find the bits that are common and hammer those to build a new approach. Hammering hot buttons has gone on long enough, IMHO. I'm starting to lose focus myself, as I'm do mad about things all the time now. If feels like all I do is react and plot, rather than plan and aspire. Who really wants to hang with a reactionary? Feels miserable. What can we find to get excited about beyond what appeals exclusively to us?

[Wednesdays]

9. It's the REPUGS who keep talking about "cultural issues!"

[Ferrets are Cool]

34. Or cultural pronouns.

[Fiendish Thingy]

10. Like I've been telling you all, Newsom won't be the 2028 nominee.

Comments like this might help him get endorsements from centrists, Third Wayers and Problem Solvers, but it will not help him win primaries.

[uponit7771]

21. Yep, he's against taxi taxing mega rich something even MAGA wants

[Iris]

12. We are. The right wingers, esp the 30%, are the outliers

[misanthrope]

15. Whose culture?

There are lots of them and they vary state to state, region to region in a nation this large.

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. Governor Max Headroom can STFU

Seriously, HE needs to stick to the issues that are important to the Democratic party and that includes LGBTQ. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, shit like this is what ALIENATES some our most dedicated Democratic base!

[LearnedHand]

31. You rang?

lol perfect description.

[BannonsLiver]

43. Most of the base agrees with him on the culture war stuff

I know people around here don’t want to hear that, but alas, it’s true.

[JI7]

17. What matters most is winning. We need to do whatever we need to win. Sometimes it means we don't have to be so open

about our position on certain issues. Focus on getting our people in the courts so when cases come up we can win there .

Trump did it with abortion where he refused to be clear about his position.

[Scrivener7]

18. Exactly. For all that we hate them, and I, who previously didn't hate anyone, do hate them,

we can learn something from them. We don't have to talk about all of it during election season.

Not talking about it in election season will allow us to safeguard it once we are elected.

Just as they said, "No, I don't know nothin' about fascism and Project 2025," we can say, "I don't know nothin' about expanding and safeguarding civil rights for all."

[Vinca]

19. We're told we spend so much time on this stuff, but it's the Republicans who are constantly talking about it.

Newsom shouldn't fall into their trap. Don't blame Democrats, blame Republicans. We just want everyone to be able to use the damn bathroom.

[Ferrets are Cool]

35. Thank you.

[MustLoveBeagles]

39. THANK YOU!

I, for one, am tired of it.

[Whiskeytide]

20. I think there is a difference between ...

… “throwing our LGBTQ community under the bus” and “falling into the rebublican’s trap of divisive identity politics”. I know more than a few voters, in the South especially, that decide how to vote based on cultural issues. They don’t like the current Republican party much at all, but they just can’t bring themselves to vote contrary to these deep prejudices that have been drilled into them since birth. For many of them, it’s not that cultural issues are more important than other issues, it’s simply that they don’t see enough separation between the two parties on non-cultural issues.

In a perfect world, we shouldn’t need their votes to get elected to office - but the reality is that we do. At the very least, we need them to stop voting against us.

I think Democratic candidates can express support for the LGBTQ community without letting MSM interviewers and opposition candidates make it all about culture. Create clear separation on economic issues, and most voters will be much less concerned over pronouns and drag queens.

[fujiyamasan]

22. I don't usually see this issue so much from the candidates themselves

The last several presidential nominees were pretty normal, especially in comparison with the brain rotted pedophile that’s president now.

The problem with our side is we have a grifter class. It’s basically a group of consultants and it’s a revolving door with so called not for profits that drift in and out as advisors. Sometimes they claim to represent various groups, and then candidates feel compelled to cater to them. In the past there was also an inclination to use language better suited for academic settings, that seeped its way into democratic politics. Latinx, critical race theory, “cis” gender…just a few examples. Very few use these terms in real life. But the right has a field day with all of them.

Take Harris’ comments from the ad in the last election over transgender surgeries for inmates. It was from the 2020, primaries where candidates were tripping to “out woke” each other. This was a good example of a complete self own. Harris could have simply kept an ambiguous position about it, or simply chose to avoid talking much about it. Instead she bragged about it. We also saw absurd accusations during those primaries that Obama was the “deporter in chief”, while in reality he was simply enforcing immigration law.

In short, our candidates are a hell of a lot more culturally normal than the pedophile party. Unless we’re seeing our culture itself so fucked to the point where pedophilia is normalized, which is what the other side is trying to do (see Megyn Kelly’s comments).

[Wanderlust988]

23. I think people started reacting when employers starting forcing people to give their pronouns

And yes, I was at a job that did ask everyone to give their preferred pronouns. Like anything, when people are being asked or forced to do something like that, that has nothing to do with the job, some can get upset....especially in areas of the country where people don't deal with a lot of trans people. This led to the backlash, I think.

[Scrivener7]

25. As someone pointed out before, 9 and 88 are interesting

numbers to choose for your name. Can you tell us what they stand for?

The question was originally asked in your thread saying Newsom said something he never said. I didn't see any answer.

[JoseBalow]

47. Hit and run artist, doesn't stck around to reply.

Posting history tells a story, I would hope MIRT could do something.

[Wanderlust988]

50. It means absolutely nothing. I just found those numbers easier to hit on the keyboard.

[Scrivener7]

51. Ah. Of course. So it's all just a coincidence.

Glad to hear it. It would be vile if it were intentional.

[Wanderlust988]

55. Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about? I don't know what it's supposed to mean.

[BannonsLiver]

52. ...

[Scrivener7]

54. Such bad luck to innocently choose 2 white supremacy codes!

And then get tricked into posting maga propaganda. Really a shame.

[Wanderlust988]

56. Uhh...I'm black! Pro-black too.

[Torchlight]

61. Sounds serious

Good luck

[WhiskeyGrinder]

27. People deal with trans people pretty much uniformly across the country. Some people just don't know it.

[Bettie]

60. Well, they have always demanded women's marital status

Miss, Mrs. and later Ms.

The same people who are angry about pronouns, were angry about Ms.

And, it is right wingers who whine about that, most normal people acknowledge and move on....it's literally basic politeness: calling people what they prefer to be called.

If someone's name is Robert and he prefers Bob, just call him Bob! If someone prefers to be referred to as "they" rather than he or she, do that. You never hear people whining about that sort of thing, so they CAN adjust, they simply choose not to.

[Bettie]

24. Um, that statement is not true

Last edited Wed Feb 25, 2026, 02:14 PM - Edit history (1)

He says the party should be "less prone to spending disproportionate amount of time on pronouns, identity politics. More focused on tabletop issues, things that really matter".

Except we don't scream endlessly about those things, we simply call people by the pronouns they prefer and treat them with respect.

It is Republicans who spend disproportionate time on these issues.

It annoys me that people use this as a way to denigrate Democrats who aren't the ones screaming about it 24/7.

[MustLoveBeagles]

58. Thank you

[RainCaster]

26. This issue is settled for Gen Z

To them, this is a settled issue, and all are accepted and loved just the way they are. So let's just add that to our platform and move on. The few who dislike this stance will never vote for a Democrat anyhow.

[Mz Pip]

28. My take

Republicans have done a good job of painting Democrats as being only focused on what many people in the country consider fringe issues. Democrats need to be able change that narrative.

That’s what I think he’s trying to say.

[Soul_of_Wit]

53. That is exactly what he is saying

Democrats are the victim of the Republican framing of any issue being accepted without question by everyone from liberals to the media to MAGA.

[bucolic_frolic]

30. I don't say much.

Trump would never have been elected in 2016 if we hadn't led with same sex bathrooms. It alarmed people, particularly blue collar. The issue was tolerance, not remaking identities. Gender change emerged as an issue in 2024. Again, tolerance, Christian inclusion. We got pasted again.

[Oneironaut]

45. This is objectively incorrect. Holy crap.

The Democrats lead with “same sex bathrooms” in 2016? Do you mean trans people in bathrooms, which we have been using for over 30 years without any controversy? Not only did Clinton barely talk about trans people, but, I don’t remember Republicans talking about us much either. At least no where near as much.

Also, blaming trans people for Trump winning is absolutely wrong. You’re falling for propaganda. If trans people stopped existing suddenly, they would have found some other wedge issue. You would have more of an argument for Trump winning in 2024 because of trans people, but, that’s also incorrect. The real issue is that Democrats did not control the narrative enough. There were other issues wrong as well that lead to Trump winning.

[JustAnotherGen]

32. It gives

Go after the white magapub votes vibe.

They can't be moved. That 30/31% of Magapubs who approve of this idiot can never be moved. I'd go so far as to say that in the midterm - the Magapubs will tap on the Green / Stein (she popped up from her evil lair yesterday) to push Green/Marxist/Anarchist voters and find something to make the Magapub voters of 2024 TERRIFIED for the midterms.

That's NOT where it's at. We are starting to see first time PRIMARY voters this year. Non Voters and lackadaisical voters are where it's at. Magapubs are garbage.

[Initech]

36. WTF does that mean?

MAGAs are the ones who need to be more "culturally normal". Their idea of fun is attending expensive black tie galas at Trump's disgusting shithole.

I go to punk rock and metal concerts. The tickets cost $50 and you don't need to wear a tuxedo or a ball gown.

[Bobstandard]

38. It means a Newsom hater found something to criticize

It’s a lot easier to tear down someone than build up someone else, a candidate you support, for instance. Democrats are great at the circular firing squad.

[Johonny]

59. Its a talking point aimed at low information

Voters. I.E. people that think all democrats do all day is create new pronouns and teach their dog to be a vegan.

It's not a message toward or for the Democratic base, but the 2 to 6 percent swing vote he needs to win in 2028. It's shit that sounds great on Bill Maher's show, but actual democratic voters shrug and know they are fucking normal and don't have porn watch buddies or are featured in the Epstein files.

[Ritabert]

37. Which is why Newsom isn't a good candidate.

His Trump trolling is amusing but we don't need anybody who advocates marginalizing other groups.

[CTyankee]

40. What is the matter with this guy? Our "candidate in waiting" for the next election can't get people who can help script

him? And why doesn't he get this himself?

I'm losing hope for him....geez...

[BannonsLiver]

41. ...

[Oneironaut]

44. "Be Normal" is a smear constantly used against LGBTQIA+ people.

There is no such thing as normal. There is only cis, white, heteronormativity, which our society values over all others.

I don’t trust anyone who thinks LGBTQIA+ people are an inconvenience.

[Cherrycheeks]

57. He is correct..

Everyone I know who says both parties are the same or who don't vote any more say,those issues don't help them. I know many who say every time there is an election becomes about personal matters not about jobs,money or housing.