Democrats have entered 2026 much as they did 2025: still hunting for an anti-Trump fighter while a handful of ambitious figures quietly maneuver for a 2028 presidential bid.
According to RedState, one of the more conspicuous aspirants has been Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who abruptly abandoned his 2026 reelection campaign in January after a widely panned tenure marked by extensive fraud allegations and ongoing investigations. His record on immigration enforcement has been especially controversial, with critics pointing to his hostility toward federal officers and his willingness to undermine the rule of law in the name of progressive politics.
Walz notoriously smeared Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel as Trumps modern-day Gestapo, rhetoric that not only trivializes real historical atrocities but also demonizes officers tasked with removing criminal illegal immigrants from American communities. He went further by encouraging activists to trail and film ICE agents as they carried out their lawful duties, a move that many saw as an attempt to intimidate law enforcement rather than protect public safety.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, has been the most visible Democrat testing the waters for 2028, using his governorship as a springboard for national exposure. He admitted in October that he was looking at a presidential run, something that had been obvious for years as he embarked on cross-country tours and overseas trips designed to burnish his national and international profile.
Yet for all the superhero branding and media fawning, Newsom appears far less confident when confronted with pointed criticism, particularly when it comes to his grasp of history. That fragility was on full display Monday when he took to social media to complain that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had supposedly mocked his dyslexia after calling him historically illiterate.
Ted Cruz calling a dyslexic person illiterate is a new low, even for him, Newsom posted, attempting to recast a substantive critique as a personal attack. The governors response immediately raised eyebrows, not least because it conflated a comment about historical ignorance with a slur on basic reading ability.
Commentators quickly noted the obvious distinction that Newsom appeared determined to ignore. As one critic put it, Gavin Newsom (or his vaunted twitter staff) not knowing that historically illiterate has nothing to do with reading ability - and attempting to leverage it for victim RTs - is incredibly on-brand.
Others highlighted the governors eagerness to assume the role of aggrieved victim rather than engage with the underlying argument. I dunno what's funnier, that the Governor of California doesn't know the difference between illiterate and historically illiterate, or his desperation to claim victimhood, another observer remarked, capturing the broader frustration with what many see as the lefts reflexive grievance politics.
This episode, critics argue, is emblematic of a Democratic Party that increasingly substitutes emotional outrage and identity-based complaints for serious debate on policy and history. It's all Democrats ever do anymore - claim victimhood and file Hurt Feelings Reports, which to them are supposed to be substitutes for substantive debates on the issues, one conservative commentator observed, underscoring a growing divide between progressive theatrics and conservative calls for accountability.
Cruz himself responded directly to Newsom, dismissing the governors accusation and reiterating the historical point at issue. I didnt say you couldnt read, you ?? I said you were historically illiterate .because you apparently have no idea that Eisenhower federalized the national guard to stop Dem governors from defying federal law, the Texas senator wrote.
He then laid out the historical record in detail, reminding readers of a pivotal moment in the civil rights era. Specifically, on September 23, 1957, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730, federalizing the Arkansas National Guard & ordering U.S. Army troops (101st Airborne Div) to Little Rock, Arkansas. This action broke the blockade by Dem Gov Orval Faubus, allowing the Little Rock Nine to desegregate Central High School.
By doubling down on his original charge and supplying chapter-and-verse historical evidence, Cruz underscored the gap between progressive rhetoric and historical reality, particularly on the Democratic Partys own segregationist past. Newsoms attempt to transform a factual correction into a personal grievance not only failed to land but also reinforced the perception of a political class more interested in performative victimhood than in honest engagement with history.
In the end, the California governors misstep served as a cautionary tale about the perils of weaponizing identity and disability for political gain, especially when the underlying facts are not on ones side. As one conservative writer dryly noted, Newsom had sort of just proven the old saying about how it is better for people to think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt, bless his heart, a reminder that for all the lefts posturing, factsand historystill matter.
Login