Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom does ‘The Colbert Report’

SACRAMENTO -- California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom continued his book tour on “The Colbert Report” on Thursday night, taking his fair share of abuse to plug his new tome on the future of governance.

As Newsom began his spiel about how technology can “level the playing field” in government, media and other fields, Colbert interrupted asking, “What the [heck] does any of that mean? … Every single one of these things could be carved on a stone and put in someone’s garden as like a mantra, but I don’t know what they mean.”

Newsom broke through the skepticism to make his point. “You can’t educate our children like we were educated. This whole idea we can continue to govern as we’re governing is not longer relevant to the world we’re living in,” he said. “I want government to solve the big problems but be less prescriptive on the how,” he said.

Colbert explained he doesn’t trust California because “you have a bear on your flag,” leading Newsom to give a spirited defense of the state’s economy, its people and its future.

After the heartfelt monologue, Colbert interrupted.

“Can I say something?” he asked, pausing. “You’re a very handsome man.”

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