On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom took his book tour to Atlanta, and sat on stage in front of an overflow crowd at an auditorium, taking questions from the city's Mayor, Andre Dickens. At one point Newsom seemed to talk down to the black mayor and to members of he crowd, assuring them, "I'm no better than you," and using his poor S.A.T. score to make his point, something that hasn't sit well with some prominent conservative blacks like Sen. Tim Scott.
It might not surprise you to learn that the nightly news shows of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS made believe this never happened, while on Monday Fox News's Special Report With Bret Baier did cover it and brought on their Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume for his take. The segment began with a clip of what Newsom said.
NEWSOM: I don't want to dream of regretting anymore. No coulda-woulda-shoulda. I tell you, it's all out there. I just want to put it all out there. I'm like you. I'm no better than you, you know. I'm a 960 S.A.T. guy... And I'm not trying to offend anyone, you know trying to act all there, if you got 940... Literally, a 960 S.A.T. guy. You've never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech. May be the wrong business to be in. I haven't overcome dyslexia, I'm living with it.
BAIER: Well, that's California Democratic Governor, possible presidential candidate Gavin Newsom over the weekend. Raised some eyebrows to some folks, taking some criticism for those comments.
Baier then welcomed in Hume and noted that the crowd was mixed-race, but social-media accounts suggested he was insulting the blacks in the room. Hume said it was a "gaffe," and we know the elitist media doesn't highlight gaffes by Democrats -- like presidential contender Joe Biden saying “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”
BAIER: That speech was in Atlanta. It wasn't as portrayed a predominantly black crowd, it was kind of a mixed race crowd. But he ...made those comments...the criticism was that it was pointed to his interviewer and the people down in Atlanta.
HUME: ..It sounded that way, Bret. It was kind of a gaffe in the sense that it sounded like he was saying, you know I'm kind of dumb just like you dumb guys are. I don't think that's what he meant, obviously... In part he was talking about dyslexia, which is something that I guess.. he's dealt with his whole life and has managed to a great extent it appears..to have overcome. That's why we was talking about when he can't read a speech, it's difficult for him, which is understandable. But it was a kind of a blunder, and then of course his office is not out saying people are misconstruing him and attacking him and so forth. I think if he had to do it over again he would have said that differently for sure.
Even though they both went relatively easy on Newsom, neither one could deny the elephant in the room -- a partisan double standard.
BAIER: I mean obviously we look through the prism of possible presidential candidates, and if this was a Republican how would that have been treated in response to that, it probably would be a little bit different.
HUME: Oh, oh my, oh Bret, you know it, too. I mean if that were a Republican who said that it would be denounced as racist, and about anything else awful you can say about it because in the media Republicans don't get a pass on something like that, ever!
So true.
