Dee Dee Myers can’t run California’s economy, but can she boost Gavin Newsom’s image?
“Do you ever look around and think, if we’re the ones in charge, this country’s in a hell of a lot of trouble?” asked C.J. Cregg, the fictional White House press secretary in HBO’s “The West Wing.”
With crises piling up and the 2022 election looming, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his staff can likely relate to the sentiment. Some are heading for the exits.
Last week, Politico confirmed the persistent rumor that Newsom Chief of Staff Ann O’Leary would depart. She’ll be replaced — maybe — by Sacramento lobbyist Jim DeBoo. While some initially characterized him as O’Leary’s successor, his official title remains unclear.
Speaking of titles: “Senior Advisor to the Governor and Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).” That’s the label Dee Dee Myers, former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, has assumed.
In a Hollywood twist, Myers — the first woman to serve as White House press secretary — apparently inspired the Cregg character I quoted earlier. She has also worked for Warner Brothers and the Glover Park Group, a Washington consulting firm. In 1990, she worked on Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s failed gubernatorial campaign.
It’s not clear how a PR expert can bend California’s massive economy to her will. Newsom’s previous effort to take charge of the economy flopped. The all-star Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery — which included Apple CEO Tim Cook, billionaire Tom Steyer, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and every living former California governor — failed shortly after launch in April.
It officially folded in late November, just as the state headed for another shutdown due to spiking COVID-19 infections. Newsom’s klatch of luminaries couldn’t reopen California with the death toll zooming past 20,000. It did, however, produce a glowing 27-page press release disguised as a final report. Its overwrought praise for the feckless task force could make a North Korean intelligence officer blush.
Newsom launched the economic supergroup one week after his previous GO-Biz director resigned. At the time, I praised Newsom’s effort but questioned whether it was “just another publicity stunt that’s bound to fizzle.” Now we know. Enter Dee Dee.
If the billionaires, CEOs and former governors can’t engineer an economic rebound, neither can Myers. What she can do, however, is deploy her considerable expertise to help Newsom grasp the basics of effective public relations and executive communications.
As lieutenant governor, Newsom wrote a book about how 21st century leaders should use technology to make government more open, transparent and responsive. As governor, Newsom uses technology to dodge openness, transparency and responsiveness while livestreaming one-way monologues via social media.
Newsom’s repetitive filibustering goes on much longer than necessary. It’s a strategy designed to leave little time for questions. Important issues, like whether California has a plan to reopen schools, go unaddressed.
He cynically dumps important news (such as the Employment Development Department “strike team” report) on late nights or weekends. Major announcements get made — Task Force! Super Plan! — and then vanish. Why does he view major press announcements as endings rather than beginnings?
Some reporters have become increasingly vocal about this amateur game, publicly calling out Newsom’s fear of questions. Even when he does take questions, he often struggles to give straight answers.
His press strategy reflects his administration: disorganized, superficial, distractible, uncertain. Perhaps Myers can help. She’s got the wind at her back. Despite 2020’s death, gloom and downturn, a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll found that 59% of likely voters approve of Newsom’s handling of jobs and the economy.
What a lucky break. Only a fool would squander it. Can Myers help Newsom keep this perception on track through 2022 without becoming a casualty of his chaos?
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Dee Dee Myers can’t run California’s economy, but can she boost Gavin Newsom’s image?."