Gavin Newsom was in his element, delivering tasteless commentary to an eager political press.

As a great surrogate for the Biden campaign, the governor of California gleefully took down Republicans last week during the high-profile presidential debate in Simi Valley. He mainly targeted an old enemy, the governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis.

The two agreed to go mano-a-mano on Fox News next month and Newsom took all the credit. “If you can give someone that easily, can you imagine what Kim Jong-un or Putin could do to this man?” Newsom taunted.

Good question.

Newsom should ask himself: If he can so easily succumb to pressure and make good on a promise to appoint a caretaker to the Senate to replace the late Dianne Feinstein, how could he ever stand up to a foreign potentate?

Newsom’s choice of Laphonza Butler, a Democrat with years of experience in campaign strategizing and the labor movement, came as a surprise, especially since her name was not among the much-discussed names.

When she is sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, friend and former client Butler will make history as the first gay man.

person of color to serve in the Senate and the first LGBTQ+ senator from California.

In addition, Butler brings a fresh and welcome perspective to a Senate heavily populated with geriatrics and the affluent.

She grew up in the small town of Magnolia, Miss., where her widowed mother worked multiple jobs to support three children. She attended Jackson State University, a historically black university, where veterans of the civil rights movement instilled in Butler a passion for social justice.

As a labor organizer, Butler worked to improve the lives of nurses in Baltimore and Milwaukee, janitors in Philadelphia and hospital workers in New Haven, Conn. No hedge funds or silver spoon in her background.

At 44, Butler is young enough to potentially have a long and impactful career in the Senate.

But Newsom should never have let her or anyone else fill Feinstein’s seat without a promise to serve out the remainder of the late senator’s term, and then step aside

once voters have made their choice

.

Just last month, the governor said he would take care of that.

Interim appointment,” he said on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” noting that a fiercely competitive Senate primary was already well underway and one he clearly wanted to avoid.

It would be completely unfair to the Democrats who have done the best they can,” Newsom said, and he was absolutely right. ‘These primaries are only a matter of months away. I don’t want to tip the balance.

All around. Forget it.

Newsom went further and showed him what

It’s okay to upset that balance, assuming Butler decides to seek a full term. She has not yet publicly announced her plans.

But if Butler decides to run, she will face no opposition from the governor.

“If that person decides she wants a full term in 2024, then she is free to do so,” spokesman Anthony York said hours before Newsom announced his choice Sunday evening. “There is absolutely no litmus test, no promise.”

And no consistency from the governor.

Give credit where due: the flipping and flopping, the withering under political heat, is all the product of his own hammered creation.

In March 2021, Newsom faced a threatened recall. There was antagonism from some black voters over the governor’s failure to appoint a black woman to replace Harris when she became vice president. Instead, he chose Alex Padilla, who made history as California’s first Latino senator.

In an effort to make changes and strengthen his political base, Newsom hastily promised to appoint a Black woman if Feinstein’s seat becomes vacant. He changed that promise to say his appointee would be a placeholder, drawing umbrage from Rep. Barbara Lee and her supporters.

Lee is among those vying for the Senate seat, along with top representatives. Adam B. Schiff and Katie Porter, and the only prominent black woman in the competition. She and others suggested that Newsom’s promise as a caregiver was an insult to black women.

They waged an aggressive campaign urging Newsom to change his mind and appoint the Oakland lawmaker, giving Lee a significant advantage in the March 5 primary. Among those who cooperated was Nevada Representative Steven Horsford, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who lobbied Newsom in person and by telephone.

Then came Newsom’s pirouette on Sunday night, a reflection of one of his worst traits: a reactive, shortsighted impulse to act in the moment, with little regard for longer-term consequences. It’s something voters should consider when and if he ever wants to reach the White House.

After Harris was elected vice president, Newsom spent weeks considering his choice of successor. He publicly wrung his hands and complained about the dilemma he faced. He knew he would inevitably antagonize someone no matter who was elected.

This is not something I would wish on even my worst enemy, Newsom said of the dilemma he faced.

The dirge was cringey, in a little violin way. After all, governors are constantly called upon to make difficult decisions. Filling a vacancy in the Senate is one of them.

With any luck, Newsom never has to do that again.

Because he definitely made a hash of this.