Letters to the Editor: Gavin Newsom embarrassed California in his pointless debate with Ron DeSantis

To the editor: This sham of a debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis got off to a bad start and proceeded to free-fall into disaster.

I voted for our governor but consider his performance Thursday night to have been shameless. He managed to out-stink DeSantis by a landslide. The debate was a master’s course in incivility and chaos. I blame the moderator, far-right Fox News host Sean Hannity, in particular.

The two governors should have been placed in sound-proof booths with a moderator kill switch to turn off their microphones and lights the instant they launched into off-topic rants or talked over each other. I’d like to see such a setup for all political debates in the future.

Newsom was correct to say that neither he nor DeSantis would be their respective party’s presidential nominee in 2024. But now I’m not too happy that California won’t be rid of Newsom for another three years. We deserve better than him.

Ralph Jones, Riverside

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To the editor: Newsom agreeing to debate DeSantis is not the problem. The problem is that by agreeing to do so on Fox News, our governor granted legitimacy to an organization that has lied to undermine democracy.

Normalizing seditious behavior is the real and lasting damage here.

Kelly Gallagher, Santa Ana

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To the editor: When I read what looked to me like an anti-Newsom editorial on your front page, I had to wonder if The Times was owned by Fox News.

Newsom exposed DeSantis as the authoritarian he is, but your print edition subheadline said Newsom was on the defensive. Why are you printing these misleading ideas?

Newsom destroyed DeSantis and his authoritarian policies.

George Dobosh, Cathedral City

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To the editor: The Newsom-DeSantis debate was an embarrassment for California and Florida.

We seem to have elected two governors incapable of conducting an adult conversation. Their behavior would have gotten them sent to the principal’s office at any elementary school, or fired from any job where sensible people are in charge.

How do you get to be governor of the first- or third-most populous state and not be able to play well with others? Surely we can do better than this.

Craig Curtis, Altadena

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To the editor: Your Thursday front-page article previewing the debate featured a photo of DeSantis behind a lectern that read, “Freedom from indoctrination,” with a supporter behind him holding a placard with, “Stop woke.”

If DeSantis really stood for freedom from indoctrination, he wouldn’t be working to indoctrinate from the other side of the political spectrum. Instead, he would be pushing for pluralism, where the celebration of differences stands above all else.

I agree that indoctrination is wrong — so don’t indoctrinate.

Joel Pelcyger, Los Angeles