Newsom Stole His Routine From Bill Clinton and his outfits from Remington Steele

Does Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shtick seem familiar? There’s a good reason. You’ve seen it before. So did everyone else. As a young man, Newsom made VHS tapes of three subjects and studied them obsessively: the smooth lefty swing of the Giants’ first baseman Will Clark; episodes of “Remington Steele”; and every speech by Bill Clinton. When Newsom was mayor, his staff always knew when he’d been studying Clinton, because he’d speak with an Arkansas twang. He still employs Clinton mannerisms on the stump: the bit lip of empathy, the genial head toggle as he adjudicates, the drill-sergeant jaw pop before...