I do not think this claim is the defence you think (and from my vantage point of a different class and a decade later, any obsession was about Hitler being *bad*, which doesn’t really gel with his claimed actions)

Newsom would sell out any group he needs to if he thought it would help him win and I think voters understand that at some level, even if they don’t articulate it

Fair. This could be me just wish casting around the election, but even if that specific case wouldn’t have made a difference, your point that Newsom’s ‘moderation’ is right in that I think people sense when politicians don’t stance on principles.

Aye, possibly. This wasn’t necessarily captured in polling but the initial surge of support for Harris I think indicated a desire for a break with Biden and Gaza could / should have been the place to do that. To draw a moral line in the sand. IMO she failed and it coloured how voters saw her

The question isn't whether he is racist, it's whether it's genuine or opportunistic. This story shows it's genuine. End of debate.