Ron DeSantis vs. Gavin Newsom, leadership edition

It isn't surprising that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting tons of attention for all the wrong reasons. It isn't surprising because Gov. Newsom, a leading presidential candidate for the Democrats in 2028, at least in his mind, has just disqualified himself from serious consideration for the nomination. Lying to Rachel Darvish, the mother whose child had just lost her school in the L.A. wildfires, finished Gov. Newsom's opportunity for the Democrats' presidential nomination.

Saying that Darvish's video has gone viral is as controversial as saying Elon Musk is rich. That's right. Neither statement is controversial. Ms. Darvish just exposed Gov. Newsom as a bald-faced liar who didn't flinch in lying to her.

Gov. Newsom lied because he didn't take his job seriously. Everyone knows that California is prone to wildfires, sometimes including Santa Ana winds. A good manager would train his people so that his people would be prepared to handle whatever situation they're faced with. That manager would have his/her equipment in top working order, too.

In other words, it takes preparation to win these fights. Gov. Newsom wasn't prepared because he didn't do the work.

Compare that with Gov. Ron DeSantis

Each year, Florida gets hit with multiple major hurricanes. As with L.A.'s wildfires, they're simply a fact of life. They're unstoppable. What's different about Gov. DeSantis's approach and Gov. Newsom's approach is that Gov. DeSantis takes his job seriously. Gov. Newsom doesn't take his job seriously. This viral video is proof of that:

That's the video that sunk Gov. Newsom's presidential ambitions. You don't regain people's trust once you've been caught lying to them. Gov. Newsom wasn't just caught lying. He was caught red-handed.

Ron DeSantis's preparation

Each year, Gov. DeSantis has people prepare during the offseason for hurricane season. That includes making certain that the equipment is working properly. That means testing communications equipment is working properly. It means checking everything on the checklist. This means lots of work. It doesn't mean stocking up on hair jel.DeSantis vs. Newsom Debate

Check this out:

Perhaps one of the most spirited conversations of the night came amid the discussion of Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act -- frequently referred to by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" law, though its supporters say it's about shielding children from inappropriate topics. DeSantis has campaigned on and avidly supported the legislation, which widely restricts discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-12 classrooms when not deemed appropriate.

At one point in the debate, during his defense of the law, DeSantis -- in apparent violation of the debate's rule against props -- pulled out a photo from the graphic novel "Gender Queer: A Memoir," which depicted a scene of oral sex. "Some of it is blacked out. You would not probably be able to put this on air," DeSantis said, adding that it was not consistent with Florida's standards. "This is pornography. It's cartoons. ... This should not be in schools."

Yes, DeSantis broke the rules. He did it to make the point that what Gov. Newsom insisted was book-banning was just pornography. That came as a result of preparation. While Gov. Newsom made a flimsy counter-argument, Gov. DeSantis had made the point. Game. Set. Match. Championship.