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skyfire85 · 3 years

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-A Dornier Do 335 Pfeil on a snowy runway, some time in 1944 or '45. | Photo: Luftwaffe

FLIGHTLINE: 181 - DORNIER DO 335 PFEIL ("ARROW")

Initially designed in response to a request for a Schnellbomber, the Do 335 was reconfigured into a multi-role aircraft, though only a few were completed before Germany surrendered.

Claude Dornier founded the Dornier Flugzeugwerke ("Aircraft factory") in 1914, and was renowned for building large, all-metal flying boats as well as land-based passenger aircraft between the Great War and WWII. These included the record-breaking Do 16 Wal ("Whale") of 1924, the Do X of 1929, and the Komet ("Comet") and Merkur ("Mercury"), a favorite of Lufthansa and SCADTA in Colombia, as well as several South American militaries. A feature of many Dornier aircraft were tandem engines, a tractor and a pusher motor placed back to back. This arrangement allowed an aircraft to enjoy the extra power of having multiple engines without the associated drag of having multiple tractor installations. It also alleviated the issue of asymmetric thrust in case of an engine failure.

-A Do X in flight, circa January 1932. This was one of a number of Dornier flying boats to have a tandem engine configuration. | Photo: German Federal Archives

DEUTSCHLAND PFEILE

What became the Do 335 originated in 1939, while Dornier was working on the P.59 Schellbomber ("high-speed bomber"), which would have carried and equivalent load to a Ju 88 or Me 410, but featured a tandem engine arrangement. Work on the P.59 was cancelled in 1940, but Dornier had already commissioned a test aircraft, the Göppingen Gö 9, to test the feasibility of connecting a pusher prop via an extended drive shaft. The Go 9 was based on the Do 17 bomber, but scaled down 40% and with a cruciform tail. The test plane validated Dornier's designs, though the eventual fate of the Go 9 is not known (likely though, it was destroyed by Allied bombing or recycled).

-The Göppingen Gö-9 motor glider, designed by Wolf Hirth. flying c.1941. | Photo: Flightglobal

The P.59's general design was resurrected in 1942 when the RLM requested a high-speed bomber with a 1,000kg payload. Dornier submission, designated the P.231, was awarded a development contract and the model number Do 335. Late in 1942, the requirements were changed from a Schnellbomber to a multirole fighter, which resulted in extensive delays while the designs were updated.

FLUGZEUGSPEZIFIKATIONEN

The Do 335 was 13.85m long, with a wingspan of 13.8m and a height of 5m. Empty, the plane weighed 7,260kg, while at max TO the weight was 9,600kg (10,000kg for the two-seat trainers and night fighter variants). Power was provided by two Daimler-Benz DB 603E-1 liquid-cooled V-12s developing 1,324kW each. Due to the situation in late-war Germany, the engines were fitted to run on 87 octane "B4" lignite-derived synthetic fuel, and MW50 boost was also available for additional speed. The basic fighter/bomber variant was armed with a singe 30mm MK 103 cannon firing through the spinner and two 20mm MG 151/20 autocannon mounted in the front engine cowl and synchronized to fire through the prop disc. A single 500kg bomb could be carried internally, and two pylons on the wings could be fitted with bombs, gun pods or drop tanks, with a total load of 100kg. During flight tests, the Do 335 hit 763kmh with boost (686kmh without), making it the fastest production fighter the Luftwaffe fielded during WWII. Under single-engine operations, the plane could still fly at 563kmh. Service ceiling was 11,400m, and under ideal conditions the plane could climb to 8,000m in 14 minutes 30 seconds. Due to concerns over a pilot striking the dorsal fin or the rear prop (a common concern in pusher designs before ejector seats became common), explosive charges would sever the fin and propeller before the pilot would bail out.

-Orthograph of the Do 335 A-1. | Illustration: Richard Ferriere

-Cutaway drawing of the Pfeil showing the engines, linkages, and landing gear actuators. | Illustration: Dornier

-Mounting locations of the 335's guns and associated equipment. | Illustration: Dornier

Maiden flight of the Do 335 V1 prototype was on 26 October 1943. A total of 27 flights were made with the V1, which uncovered a weakness in the landing gear, and issues with the main landing gear wheel-well doors saw them removed for the majority of the flights. The second aircraft, V2, first flew on 31 December 1943, and featured uprated DB 603A-2 engines as well as aerodynamic changes informed by the V1's test flights as well as wind tunnel tests. Maiden flight of the V3 pre-production aircraft was on 20 January 1944, which was fitted with DB 603G-0 engines, which produced 1,400kW at take off. The V3 was also fitted with two rear-view mirrors, alleviating blind spots caused by the location of the aft engine. A total of ten preproduction aircraft were then ordered, and in January the RLM ordered five more prototypes of the night fighter variant, later designated the A-6. By war's end, at least 16 prototypes of the Do 335 and related programs had flown, accumulating some 60 flight hours.

-The Do 335 V1 during testing in 1943 or '44. | Photo: Luftwaffe

Production of the Do 335 was given maximum priority under Hitler's Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program), issued on 23 May 1944, and the competing He 219 Uhu ("eagle-owl") Nachtjäger theoretically freed up needed DB 603 engines for the Pfeil, but in practice Heinkel continued production of the 219A. Dornier's factories in Friedrichshafen and Munchen were anticipated to produce 120 and 2,000 Do 335s, of various configurations, by March 1946, but an Allied attack on Friedrichshafen destroyed tooling for the Pfeil, which resulted in a new line being set up in Oberpfaffenhofen. The first preproduction Do 335 A-0 model was delivered in July 1944, and construction of the first production A-1 model began in late 1944. As the war progressed, various models of the Do 335 proliferated (as happened often with late-war aircraft programs) as the Nazis sought to turn back the Allied forces:

Do 335 A-2: single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft with new weapon sights, later proposed longer wing and updated 1,471 kW (1,973 hp) DB603L engines.

Do 335 A-3: single-seat reconnaissance aircraft built from A-1 aircraft, later proposed with longer wing.

Do 335 A-4: single-seat reconnaissance aircraft with smaller cameras than the A-3

Do 335 A-5: single-seat night fighter aircraft, later night and bad weather fighter with enlarged wing and DB603L engines.

Do 335 A-6: two-seat night fighter aircraft, with completely separate second cockpit located above and behind the original.

Do 335 A-7: A-6 with longer wing.

Do 335 A-8: A-4 fitted with longer wing.

Do 335 A-9: A-4 fitted with longer wing, DB603L engines and pressurized cockpit.

Do 335 A-11/12: A-0 refitted with a second cockpit to serve as trainers.

-A Do 335 A-12 trainer, known as the Ameisenbär ("anteater"), late in the war. | Photo: Luftwaffe

Do 335 B-1: abandoned in development.

Do 335 B-2: single-seat destroyer aircraft. Fitted with 2 additional MK 103 in the wings and provision to carry two standard Luftwaffe 300 litre (80 US gal) drop tanks.

Do 335 B-3: updated B-1 but with longer wing.

Do 335 B-4: update of the B-1 with longer wing, DB603L engine.

Do 335 B-6: night fighter.

Do 335 B-12: dual-seat trainer version for the B-series aircraft.

Do 435: a Do 335 with the redesigned, longer wing. Allied intelligence reports from early May 1945 mention spotting a Do 435 at the Dornier factory airfield at Lowenthal.

Do 535: actually the He 535, once the Dornier P254 design was handed over to Heinkel in October 1944; fitted with jet engine in place of rear piston engine.

Do 635: twin-fuselaged long-range reconnaissance version. Also called Junkers Ju 635 or Do 335Z. Mock up only.

P 256: turbojet nightfighter version, with two podded HeS 011 turbojet engines; based on Do 335 airframe.

In April 1945 the Allies captured the Oberpfaffenhofen factory in late April 1945, capturing 11 A-1 fighter/bombers and 2 A-12 trainers. That same month, a flight of four RAF Hawker Tempests, led by French ace Pierre Clostermann, encountered an unknown model of Do 335 over northern Germany at low altitude. The Pfeil pilot began evasive maneuvers, but Clostermann opted to not give chase as the enemy plane displayed superior speed. At the time of the German capitulation in 1945, 22 Do 335A-0, A-1 and A-11/12 aircraft were known to have been completed.

-Dornier Do 335 aircraft on the runway at Oberpfaffenhofen just after the end of the Second World War. | Photo: USAAF

-A Do 335 after being captured by the US, with American markings painted over the Luftwaffe ones. | Photo: Charles Daniels Collection/SDASM Archives

At least two Do 335s were brought to the US under Operation LUSTY, with one, Do 335 A-0, designated A-02, with construction number (Werknummer) 240 102, and Stammkennzeichen ("factory radio code registration") VG+PH being claimed by the Navy for testing. The aircraft was transported on HMS Reaper along with other captured German aircraft, then shipped to the Navy's Test and Evaluation center at NAS Pax River. Another Pfeil was tested by the USAAF at Freeman Field in Indiana, but nothing is known about its fate. In 1961 VG+PH was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, though it remained outside at NAS Oceana until 1974, when it was shipped back to the Dornier factory in Oberpfaffenhofen for restoration. Over the next year, volunteers from Dornier (some of whom worked on the aircraft originally) found that the explosive charges meant to sever the tail and aft prop were still installed and live, thirty years later. After work was completed the aircraft was placed on display at the Hannover Airshow from 1 to 9 May 1976, and afterwards it was on loan to the Deutsches Museum until 1988. The aircraft was shipped back the States after that, and is now on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center along with other German aircraft brought over during Lusty like the only known Ar 234 Blitz jet bomber and the partially restored He 219A Uhu.

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empibschool-blog · 5 years

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1st Feb: A Pivotal Day! Know Why..!!

February 1. An important day. Possibly a day to remember that change substantially the way Indian economy functions. We don’t know yet and only have to wait and watch. It is the much awaited BIG BUDGET DAY.

What is in it for you, and why this budget matters?

It is different in so many days. To start with the date - Feb 1 is something new and was fought for finally getting the “Go ahead’ from the Supreme Court and the Election Commission in the year 2017 for the first time. . For all that I can remember the Central Budget has been traditionally presented to the Parliament only on 28th February, full four weeks later. With the normal date the time when the money bill is finally passed after the usual hungama , dramabaazi and heated arguments in Parliament it would be too late in the day for the allocations for much of the social sector spending to be allocated and funds drawn to be available for spending when the normal financial year starts on April 1. That was the argument put up by the present government good four months back and had the tacit acceptance by the opposition parties.

More important: Demonetization had taken place which had put severe strain on the economy pulling down growth by almost one per cent of GDP.

Last two years India benefited enormously by the steep drop in oil prices and commodity prices also coming down considerably. There is a possibility that both are likely to move up now onwards. Election of Trump and the new love for protectionism in the US, Europe and other major importers are going to affect Indian Economy. Worse, Trump expectation of reciprocal import measures, patent negotiations, would matter much. On top of that India’s commitments for Climate and Global Heating can be a drain , particularly with no funds promised by the wealthy nations forthcoming and Trump renaging on US position on Climate.

Inequality is very much on the rise and visible everywhere. Even in India and the Government has to do something quick for this.

However Indian Governments performance on the taxation front is all along been miserable. From the 125 crore population only about 4 crore pay income tax, the rest are not covered. Much of the revenue comes from the Indirect Taxes which is considered to be regressive

It is not yet very clear whether it is going to be a Full Budget or an Interim Budget or just a Vote on Account. A Full Budget is one in which all budgetary proposals are made to cover the whole financial year. Some experts are of the opinion that the Government is in its right to present one while many others say that in view of the impending General Elections in April-May the government can only present an Interim Budget and make a Full budget when the new Government takes charge, A Vote on account is something which carries on the receipt and expences are put up on prorate basis for only the next couple of months

So quite likely the Finance Minister would be presenting the Vote on Account in the Parliament. This is not exactly the Union Budget proper, but an interim Funds Proposal to tide over the couple of months till the new Parliament assembles and the new government prepares and presents the Budget for the balance period of the year.

Be that as it may it does still have much of the Budget characteristics which you have to understand. I suggest that you go through all the newspapers carefully for the next three or four days.

Newspapers notwithstanding, Budget is a complex technical matter and I intend to start giving you a series of inputs and explanations on the Budget process and contents starting with this. So here goes:

Work on Budget making starts almost as early as Nov-Dec. Various arms of the Government start collecting relevant final figures on a variety of subjects and sectors .The Finance Ministry starts tapping the opinions of Economic think tanks, Industry Chambers etc. When I was in AUE(I) Ltd, our spokesperson was the PHD Chambers. When in PSU we approached the SCOPE, DPE, Department of Heavy Industry of Ministry of Industry etc in addition to informally getting through CII. These are for including in the Budget some provisions, concessions, exemptions etc related to various taxes, programs, investments etc

And immediately after the Budget announcement it was my duty from Corporate Finance/BHEL to ask for and collect from the 5 major manufacturing divisions and the three Business Divisions, as also the GMs dealing with Income Tax and Indirect Taxes the impact of the Budget on their operations in money terms. In addition the remarks of media/ Chambers other experts etc would be examined carefully to compile a comprehensive report to be sent to the department of HI/Ministry of Industries since it would affect the Government also as the major shareholder in the PSU. Obviously similar operations would be happening across the country in all the Corporates, particularly the large groups.

During the 70's and 80's when there were no computers and advanced telecom. a bunch of officers would be locked up for almost a month in the North Block working on the Budget with adding machines. They would have no contacts even with their own families for the duration. This year with all the number crunching machines available the trauma lasted only for about ten days. You may have read about this about a week back in the news papers. This is to ensure secrecy of Budget proposals. With the advent of computing and communications this has become less time consuming and more comprehensive. The confidentiality of Budget making inherited from the British system still remains.

A little aside about the North/South Blocks. South Block on top on the Raisina Hills to the right of the Rashtrapati Bhawan houses the Prime Minister’s Office, Min of External Affairs etc. We had no business with this Block. We in the company were more concerned with the North Block, the identical set of buildings across and nearer to the Central Secretariat Bus stand which contained the Finance Ministry, Policy making offices of Income Tax , Central Board of Excise & Customs etc. But beyond the South Block were what was called the Barracks which held the Member Audit Board 3 of the C&AG with which also we were concerned]

The Budget week starts with the tabling of the Economic Survey prepared by the Department of Economic Affairs wing of the Ministry. This gives a broad sweep of the nation's economy in various spheres and also go on to give the Govt's view on the work to be done.

Before 2017 the Railway Budget was presented by the Rail Minister. This again is a handover from the British era when the Railways constituted a huge part of Govt. operations. Still it does with a huge network, massive employee strength and substantial impact on the economy. Any changes in the tariffs and fares would impact every section of the society every industry and every consumer. Setting up of even a medium size railway workshop in any place can generate thousands of jobs directly and indirectly in that area have considerable economic boon for that area. However from 2018 the Railway Budget also was merged with the main Budget and presented by the Finance Minister only.

Then comes the presentation of the Union Budget. Can you imagine the Budget was presented in the Parliament before 1991 at 5 PM IST!. Guess the reason why and check with my explanation given at the end of this dispatch. For the first time the Budget was presented in the morning in 1991 Mr Jaswant Singh . In fact this budget had a lot of drama attached to it and scheduled to be presented at 10 am it could be finally read out only at 11 am after the Parliamentary hungama abated.

When the Budget is presented you might also see some amusing spectacles. When the FM comes with his proverbial brief case both the junior Ministers would also try to jostle for space on the first row at the photo session before the news cameramen . When the Budget is read out by the FM sudden comradeship sparks among the Treasury benches with every one trying to fin d a seat just behind the FM to be within the camera angle. Parliamentarians who are so casual in attending official Sessions turn up with alacrity and in their best dresses well before time to capture vantage seats. Please do make an effort to see the Budget presentation in TV or on the networks. Try to follow the analysis given by the experts in various channels. Follow up with reading as many newspapers as possible in the next few days. You may not probably comprehend much but being confused at a higher level is better than being totally ignorant.

Different Finance Ministers (FMs) also bring in their own individual styles. Dr. Manmohan Singh would usually start with an Urdu couplet and his soft monotone speech would contain frequent Urdu poets . With Mr Chidambaram you can be certain of a few quotations from SageThiruvalluvar in Tamil. Pranab da would have alluded to some classic quotations in his heavily accented Binglish. They are so serious reading that even occasional jokes sound heavy. The only person in the Finance Ministry with a sense of humour was Mrs Tatakeshwari Sinha of yore, but she was only a Deputy Minister and hence could not present the Budget.

UNION BUDGET :

The Budget Documents come in several parts, about a dozen if my memory serves correct. The main ones are Part A which is the Budget Speech and Part B which consists of Taxation Proposals, both Direct (Income Tax) and Indirect , called GST.

Part A describes the macroeconomic aspects of the Indian economy detailing the broad outlay of funds for different sectors , introduction of new schemes, priorities of the Government and focus areas etc. Parliamentarians and TV viewers slowly start getting bored of this ling winded preliminary part and suddenly jerk into attention when they hear the words " And now Mr Speaker, I present the 'Ways and means of securing the necessary funds" For this p Part B details the taxes for the forthcoming year.

The Budget would give a summary of the intended expenditure along with how these expenditures are going to be met. These could be from taxes, grants , borrowings etc.

In a household budget also you estimate the total receipts on one hand and list out the potential expenses on the other. and pray that the receipt side is heavier. Usually it is . If not you try to borrow to make up. A country's budget is invariably in the red, meaning the receipts smaller than the planned expenses. Then how does the country run? It borrows. From the market, from other countries or from international institutions. .

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM:

Mainly from Taxes. There are also some non-tax revenues Let us get to know them more in detail:

TAX RECEIPTS:

Taxes can be of two types : Direct Taxes and indirect Taxes.

Direct Taxes

Direct Taxes are levied on Individuals like you and me, Companies etc.

The present Tax rate on Companies is 30% on their net income. (This is a general statement . A lot of other things are to be worked out on the taxes that companies pay. How do you think all these Chartered Accountants, Tax consultants and lawyers earn their daily bread ;-).). For individuals taxes are on slab basis depending upon the net taxable income. Individuals have to start payinf Income Tax only beyond a certain level of income . Here the number of individual IT Payer in In India is abysmally small compared to the population figure.

Minimum Alternate Tax. Companies are very intelligent. They rarely pay the stipulated 30% tax and the above gents find all kinds of legitimate loopholes to keep the tax paid low. If ultimately a companies tax rate turns out to be less than 10% it has to pay MAT @15% on book profits.

INDIRECT TAXES:

Indirect Taxes apply upon everybody.So almost the entire population is covered to some extent or other. These are taxes on things that we buy - goods and services. Since it is very widely spread the government prefers to take this route. more often than not. Earlier w used to have these under different heads like Excise Duty, Customs Duty and Services tax Since GST has been implemented all these have merged into GST.

However let us understand what were the areas which were taxed under these heads earlier

Excise Duty: This is the tax on any item manufactured in the country. Every time you buy a pack of matches a small part of the price has already been recovered at the factory itself as ED.

Customs Duty: You can not impose excise on imported goods. Plus certain other economic objectives like protecting local industries by tariff barriers are also involved. This is done through customs duty which is levied on imported goods. In addition there is also something called counter vailing duty on certain goods for which exact replacement is available within the country .

Service Tax: Services are also a type of good availed by us, only it is not manufactured but provided by human intervention. This also causes expense for the user and income for the provider. This expense is brought under the service tax. More than a hundred services which we avail like telephoning, eating out, etc are taxes this way.

You should get to know some more minor technical terms to follow the Budget Speech:

SOME MORE INCOME THROUGH NON-TAX ROUTES:

Though Railways is a separate Ministry the Railway revenues also get added to the Consolidated Fund which is the total revenues collected by the Govt.

There are a large number of Public Sector Undertakings. Central Govt is the owner of these to the extent of various degrees of disinvestment. Most of them get Govt loans. Interest on these loans are Non-Tax revenues. Several of them are profit making and the dividends are also another source. Interest on loans to the states is another major source. (Students from Calcutta may remember the huge ruckus created by Mamta Di on the interest on loans taken by the Left Front Government couple of years back) Government gets income from other services it provides to the public.

PUBLIC DEBT :The general public lodges a huge amount of money with the government . This is a source of fund but has to be eventually paid back (with interest). The amount in store with the Govt through PPF, Post Office Savings, National Savings Certificate Kisan Vikas Patra, Provident Fund etc all come under this.

In addition the Govt. periodically sells Treasury Bills (T-Bills) with maturity dates less than one year to fund short term mismatches of receipts and payments. Long Term Loans are raised from the market by issue of Dated Securities .It can also borrow from the Reserve Bank of India for short duration needs. called Ways & Means Advances.

WHERE ARE THESE RECEIPTS ACCUMULATED:

CONSOLIDATED FUND :

All the revenues mentioned above get into the Consolidated Fund . Expenses are made from this pool

CONTINGENCY FUND : You read about something called Petty Cash Reserves in your Accounts lessons. Just like that a small reserve ofRs 500 Crore is maintained separately for any urgent or unforeseen expenditure etc. Whatever amount is drawn from this has to be made good from the Consolidated Fund.

Prof. A.V.K. Murthy EMPI Business School

#budget2019 #budgetfornewindia #budgetsession2019 #piyushgoyal #financeminister #interimbudget2019

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stephenmccull · 4 years

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Newsom Likes To ‘Go Big’ But Doesn’t Always Deliver

Gavin Newsom knew it was a political gamble when, as the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, he promised to eradicate chronic homelessness.

“I recognize that I’m setting myself up. I’m not naive to that,” he told his hometown newspaper in 2003 as he embarked on a campaign to sell his controversial plan. It hinged on slashing welfare payments for homeless people and redirecting those funds to acquire single-room occupancy hotels, converting them into long-term housing with health and social services.

“I don’t want to over-promise, but I also don’t want to under-deliver,” he said.

Over-promise he did, and the venture ultimately failed. But that pledge by Newsom — who at the time was a young, politically connected wine shop owner relatively new to public office — previewed a brand of political leadership on full display today as the first-term governor confronts an unprecedented public health emergency that has decimated the state’s economy and killed more than 4,280 Californians.

The COVID-19 pandemic has catapulted the 52-year-old Democrat into greater national prominence, winning him praise and voter support for taking decisive action to control the spread of infection in the absence of strong federal leadership.

But it has also exposed his penchant for making ambitious, showy announcements — often broadcast to a national audience — that aren’t necessarily ready for prime time. His plans regularly lack detail and, in some cases, follow-through.

“This governor wants to get a lot done even if all the details aren’t quite there yet. It’s uniquely his approach,” said Democratic strategist Dana Williamson, longtime adviser to former Gov. Jerry Brown. “He isn’t afraid to go big. The upside is establishing yourself as a real leader and, in the case of COVID, saving lives. But the downside is it doesn’t always work out quite perfectly.”

Newsom has a long history of pushing big ideas before they become popular, including legalizing gay marriage and recreational marijuana use, halting death penalty executions and expanding free health care for undocumented immigrants. Since his entry into public life, he has cultivated the image of a political risk-taker willing to buck the Democratic Party establishment. And although he has demurred, there is widespread speculation that Newsom has presidential ambitions.

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Since the start of the pandemic, Newsom has been praised by public health experts and Democratic strategists for making politically courageous decisions such as enacting the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order, preventing widespread sickness and death. He has dramatically expanded hospital capacity while seeking to attack major problems as they erupt, from dire shortages of protective gear for hospital workers to inadequate testing in rural towns and poor, inner-city neighborhoods.

But as the crisis wears on, the list of Newsom’s unfulfilled promises is growing:

On April 7, he told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow that he had inked a deal securing “upwards” of 200 million protective masks per month, enough to “supply the needs of the state of California — potentially the needs of other Western states.” But nearly two months later, just 61 million surgical masks have arrived in California, while no higher-caliber N95 masks have been delivered, according to Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for the state Office of Emergency Services — despite Newsom’s promise that the deal included at least 150 million N95s. The $1 billion effort has been riddled with flaws, and the state so far has taken back nearly $250 million from the Chinese contractor, BYD Ltd. Co.

Later that month, Newsom announced a deal with Motel 6 that would provide thousands of rooms for homeless people in need of shelter. At least 5,025 Motel 6 rooms at 47 sites would open their doors to homeless people, “effective immediately,” should counties opt in, he said. But to date, just 628 Motel 6 rooms are open to homeless people at six sites.

Newsom also said in April that California must dramatically expand COVID-19 testing before it reopens to at least 60,000 — ideally 80,000 — tests per day. But the state still has not consistently reached 60,000 tests per day, even as it has allowed most counties to ease their stay-at-home restrictions.

In other cases, the governor has artfully avoided making specific promises. For instance, he has called the safety of nursing home patients and staff members a “top priority” without detailing plans, allowing him to dodge criticism even as more than half the deaths in California have occurred in long-term care facilities, according to state data.

Yet so far Newsom is showing strong support from Californians. Nearly 70% of likely voters say he’s doing a good job of handling the pandemic, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. His overall approval rating has climbed by double digits since February, rising from 52% to 64%.

But his support could erode if the public begins to notice that his promises — and lofty rhetoric — do not match reality, said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the institute.

“People can be forgiving and give the governor the benefit of the doubt, but that can turn from positive to negative very quickly,” Baldassare said. “The risk is public opinion can shift very quickly if people get a sense that it’s not going well or according to expectations.”

Although Newsom himself has acknowledged criticism that the state is falling short on some fronts, his chief spokesperson Nathan Click defended the governor’s approach.

“When it’s your life or livelihood on the line, wouldn’t you want leaders who are moving aggressively to help people on every possible front?” Click said in a statement. “He’s not afraid to swing for the fences — especially in a time of massive need.”

Daniel Zingale, Newsom’s former chief adviser, who retired earlier this year, argued that the governor’s handling of the pandemic has saved countless lives while bolstering the social safety net for those at greatest risk of contracting the coronavirus.

“When you have a crisis like this that is unprecedented, there is no real playbook,” Zingale said. “I think Gavin Newsom was made for this moment. This is a situation where you want a governor who is high-energy, deeply earnest and prone to action rather than inaction.”

***

Newsom’s political career dates back to the late 1990s, when he was appointed to San Francisco’s parking and traffic commission by its then-mayor, Willie Brown. Soon thereafter, Brown tapped Newsom to fill an open seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Running as the incumbent in 1998, Newsom was elected that year to his first full term on the board.

During his early years in public life, he honed his approach to politics — aggressively seeking national media attention for first-in-the-country social and economic policies. In 2004, the year he took office as mayor, Newsom granted same-sex couples marriage licenses before it was legal, and in 2006 he signed into law the nation’s first universal health care program, which covered all city residents regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay.

Newsom, in his 2013 book “Citizenville,” described his leadership approach as “Ready, fire, aim.”

“I’m as proud of some of my failures in business and politics as I am of my successes,” he wrote. “Failure isn’t something to be embarrassed about; it’s just proof that you’re pushing your limits, trying new things, daring to innovate.”

Newsom believes strongly in setting “audacious goals,” even if he risks over-promising or alienating supporters, said Peter Ragone, who was press secretary for part of Newsom’s mayoral tenure.

“Gavin has always believed that if you show people you’re thinking big and trying hard, they will take that over timidity, even if you might fail,” said Ragone, who remains a close, informal adviser to Newsom and also advises New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. “He wasn’t able to completely eradicate homelessness, but the voters were OK with that because they saw he was trying. Success doesn’t have to be an absolute policy triumph.”

***

Now Newsom is facing the biggest challenge of his political career, with several high-profile crises slamming California at once: A global public health emergency. Widespread civil unrest sparked by the killing of an African American man in Minnesota, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer, Derek Chauvin. Rising unemployment that could reach 30%. And another potentially devastating wildfire season.

The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, could have long-lasting consequences for Newsom’s future, said Dr. Leonard Marcus, co-director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, a joint program of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

“The politics of crisis leadership are high-consequence,” Marcus said. “For every political leader, a crisis like this is going to make or break their career.”

George Chin, 80, lived in a nursing home in Woodland, California, until April 22, when he died of COVID-19, according to his family. Chin died six days after he first complained of shortness of breath and spiked a high fever. (Courtesy of Simon Chin)

Davis resident Simon Chin has grown disillusioned with Newsom since the start of the crisis.

Chin’s father, 80-year-old George Chin, lived in Stollwood Convalescent Hospital in nearby Woodland. Chin regularly tuned into Newsom’s public briefings on the crisis to hear the governor say he was committed to preventing infections in nursing homes and protecting staff members and residents.

But infections in senior care homes continued to rise. And although Newsom has called for universal testing of residents and staffers, the state hasn’t provided the resources to make that happen, said Jason Belden, emergency preparedness director for the California Association of Health Facilities, which represents California’s roughly 1,200 state-regulated nursing homes.

State Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said it’s the responsibility of nursing homes, not the state, to test.

“It’s not what we’re doing, and it’s, in our view, not feasible,” Ghaly said in an interview, noting that across the state, there are about 119,000 nursing home beds and about 90,000 staff members.

Newsom’s rhetoric at times has given the public a false sense of hope, said Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.

“When it comes to vulnerable older adults in California, all this governor has been doing is saying he’s going to act, he’s going to help them, but he hasn’t actually taken action,” Wasserman said. “People are dying because of it.”

Newsom’s reassuring statements during his public briefings made Chin feel like the state was doing more to prevent widespread infections, he said.

But Chin’s father died of COVID-19 on April 22. State records show 15 residents — roughly half of the nursing home’s capacity — died of the disease.

“We had no idea that there were such big problems in skilled nursing facilities based on what the governor was saying,” Chin said. “By the time we found out, it was too late.”

This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Newsom Likes To ‘Go Big’ But Doesn’t Always Deliver published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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