[ShiningSkull]

Newsom pulls out of governor's race

Phil Matier, Andrew Ross, Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Staff Writers

Friday, October 30, 2009

(10-30) 15:49 PDT SAN FRANCISCO --
Lacking both money and political momentum, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom withdrew from the California governor's race today.


"With a young family and responsibilities at City Hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to - and should be - done," Newsom said in a statement.

"This is not an easy decision," he said. "But it is one made with the best intentions for my wife, my daughter, the residents of the city and county of San Francisco, and California Democrats."

Newsom's withdrawal leaves state Attorney General Jerry Brown, who has yet to declare his candidacy, as the lone major Democrat in the 2010 race.

Brown issued a statement saying, "Mayor Newsom is a talented public official and I believe he has a bright future.I am sure this was not an easy decision."

The latest Field Poll showed Brown with a 20-point advantage over Newsom, double the lead he held in March.

Brown also has been raising far more money than Newsom. Through June, he reported bringing in $7.4 million more than the mayor.

Before announcing his withdrawal, Newsom abruptly canceled a campaign event that had been scheduled for tonight in Southern California, setting off speculation among his fundraisers that he was pulling out.

At a City Hall news conference dealing with the bay oil spill, Newsom was asked whether he would be in town this weekend. He said he would be, and that reporters "would have a political story Sunday." He did not elaborate.

For Newsom - who reported having just $1.2 million on hand as of June - the task of raising enough money to challenge Brown was daunting. Recent spending reports show that even a big Los Angeles fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton pulled in just 13 individual contributions over $5,000 - hardly the kind of cash haul to signal Newsom would be able to mount a serious challenge.

That effort was made more difficult by the fact that Democratic Party officials had pressured the mayor to refrain from attacking Brown and perhaps damaging him in the general election.

Newsom was portraying himself as a candidate of change, largely by targeting his appeal to young voters with a heavy Internet presence and online fundraising. But one chief advocate of that effort to push Newsom in social networking, Eric Jaye, left as his campaign manager earlier this year in a nasty split with the mayor. Some observers believe the campaign never recovered.

There had been speculation Newsom might settle for a spot in the lieutenant governor's race, with Brown at the top of the ticket. The mayor did not address that or anything else about his future in today's statement. His term as mayor runs through January 2012.

"I will continue to fight for change and the causes and issues for which I care deeply - universal health care, a cleaner environment, and a green economy for our families, better education for our children, and, of course, equal rights under the law for all citizens," Newsom said.


Read more: Newsom pulls out of governor's race



(Sorry to disappoint you, VooDoo.)

[ZENITH]

Wonder who's got dirt on that guy?

[joe32blow]

Yipee! Go Jerry Brown

[VooDoo Chile]

[BrattonBasher]

If he would have pulled out, he wouldn't have to pull out.

[stanley]

Originally Posted by ZENITH

Wonder who's got dirt on that guy?

Newsom is the prototype empty suit.

San Francisco politics are a snake pit... but come on, Newsom slept with his best friend's wife, he has been dragged thru the mud repeatedly for his stance on sheltering underage illegal drug dealers from deportation--hell the city stands to lose MILLIONS over that one issue in wrongful death suits.....

Newsom's DA, Harris is a joke--people come to SF to commit crimes because they know she wont prosecute... street crime is thru the roof, gang violence is thru the roof.

Newsom's Police Dept is well known as one of the most corrupt on the west coast. Nepotism is rampant.

Public transportation, under his care has declined steadily in ridership, mainly because of the rampant crime on Muni, the totally unreliable schedule, and a string of troubling safety incidents.

After the fiscal mess he has made of San Francisco, it should be obvious Newsom couldnt run a taco stand, much less an economy the size of the State of California...

But, hey, at least San Francisco took the important step of banning plastic grocery bags during his administration.

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

If he would have pulled out, he wouldn't have to pull out.

Hmmmm......now there's a pleasent thought.......

[gopers]

Empty suit, how about there was not anything to fill it with!

Jerry Brown, hmmm. Reagabnleft him with a surplus and Jerry left with a deficeit. Trust me, that will come up.

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by gopers

Empty suit, how about there was not anything to fill it with!

Jerry Brown, hmmm. Reagabnleft him with a surplus and Jerry left with a deficeit. Trust me, that will come up.

Well I'll take Brown over friggin Feinstein. WTF. Though I gotta say, I ain't too thrilled with Brown. He's aight, 'n all, 'n I know Imma take a lot o' flack for sayin' this, but he's just so, so, old.

I guess I outta get used to the idea o' voting for him. What other choices do I have? Oh wait, there's always Meg Whitman!

[stanley]

Originally Posted by VooDoo Chile

He's aight, 'n all, 'n I know Imma take a lot o' flack for sayin' this, but he's just so, so, old.

teehee....

incoming flack....DUCK!

ermm, uhhh, but but but if you were to bring AGE into the discussion... would that mean...

teeheehee....

moving on, you are getting a glimmer of what it is like to be a conservative centrist--in California--in the Bay Area.

candidates that dont make you want to run screaming into freeway traffic are few and far between.

Feinstein-- omg.

Brown-- I grew up while his father Pat was gov, and watched what Jerry (Moonbeam) did during his first shot at gov-- trust me, almost ANYBODY else looks better to me. (almost)

as for Witless uhm Whitman... 'nuff said.

[Mother Chucker]

Just clear the way for Nazi GOP eBayer Meg Whitman as the next Gov.

[joe32blow]

Originally Posted by VooDoo Chile

Well I'll take Brown over friggin Feinstein. WTF. Though I gotta say, I ain't too thrilled with Brown. He's aight, 'n all, 'n I know Imma take a lot o' flack for sayin' this, but he's just so, so, old.

I'm gonna give you flack. Complaining that he's too old is just like
complaining about a candidate due to their sex or race.

YOU == BIGOT

[stanley]

this is an editorial in the San Francisco Examiner (the largest daily in the City)---it says a lot about how the City feels about Newsom, and might help you understand why he would have been such a huge mistake. Even the Democratic party has pulled away from him since the convention, he is simply not the right guy.....

Link to article==> Colleagues say Newsom could use a wake-up call


Colleagues say Newsom could use a wake-up call

C.W. Nevius

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Last week, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the boy-wonder politician sought out by network cameras at the Democratic National Convention, profiled in Newsweek and the New York Times, was forced to pull out of the race for California governor before opponent Jerry Brown even officially declared his candidacy.

Newsom's campaign wasn't sputtering. It never got off the ground. A candidate who raised nearly $6 million for his 2003 bid for mayor (with maximum contributions limited to $500) only raised a little over $3 million this time, according to the California secretary of state's office.

It was a harsh political lesson. But former supporters and staffers, speaking anonymously, are hoping it will force Newsom to take a hard look at himself, both as a candidate and as a person. They ask why Newsom, who looks like the ideal telegenic candidate, inspires such little personal loyalty and connection.

As one former insider said, in a group of 30 to 3,000 people, Newsom is one of the best politicians he's ever seen. But one on one, he's one of the worst.

There is an element of pettiness to this. Some of those who are speaking up have axes to grind. But even valued, trusted members of Newsom's staff have begun to back away from him in the past 12 months. It is a distressing trend for any politician to find that the closer people get, the less they seem to like you.

Newsom's personal style can be off-putting. He occasionally flashes a self-deprecating sense of humor, but people often mention his self-absorption and lack of interest in others.

And sure, a healthy ego is almost a prerequisite for a politician with national aspirations.

But in Newsom's case it ties into other issues. He isn't eager to schmooze other politicians. Former Mayor Willie Brown has often hinted that Newsom should have taken former Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin to dinner to discuss their differences.

And, of course, the ultimate schmoozing opportunity is asking for political contributions. Newsom hated making those calls, feeling that selling himself was demeaning, but that's how politics works.

The larger issue, which plays into some of the disillusionment of his staff, is that Newsom doesn't have conversations - he lectures. The same guy who can speak smoothly at a town hall meeting never seems to shut down the informational fire hose and relate on a human level.

We recently had an example of that at The Chronicle. Newsom said he wanted to meet with the editorial board to discuss his "accountability matrix."

When Newsom arrived - 30 minutes late - he dropped a 342-page report on the table. He'd created a written test of his accomplishments, based on promises he'd made and whether or not he'd made them happen.

He plowed through the report, saying he was willing to stay for at least an hour and a half, listing success after success. Finally, Editorial Page Editor John Diaz stopped him and suggested that we could all look at the report and Newsom could come back when we were prepared to discuss it.

Newsom paused, considered the idea and then turned to the next page of the report and started in again as if it had never happened.

That's the windy, unaware Newsom who thought it was a good idea to put together a 7 1/2-hour State of the City speech on YouTube. The bright young politician who had so much promise in 2003 seems to have gotten lost in his press clippings.

One former Newsom friend suggests he needs to get back to the real world - riding the bus and waiting in line for airport security. But he doubts anyone in his inner circle will tell him that.

They've learned that those who make critical comments are seen as enemies.

They say it will take a powerful jolt to bring reality home. Perhaps this disappointment was it.

[CarlSagan]

Ok...I'm (relatively) new to California and California politics...

So someone please explain to me,

Why do people call Jerry Brown moonbeam?

Where did this nickname come from and why?

As for newsom...I couldn't imagine him carrying the whole state...but again...I'm no expert here...just trying to get to know the lay of the land.

---But I did hear the Meg Whitman was too busy to register to vote until 2006---HA!!!!

[stanley]

Originally Posted by CarlSagan

Why do people call Jerry Brown moonbeam?

Where did this nickname come from and why?

from Wikipedia:

As Governor, Brown proposed the establishment of a state space academy and the purchasing of a satellite that would be launched into orbit to provide emergency communications for the state—a proposal similar to one that would indeed eventually be adopted by the state. In 1978, Mike Royko, at the time a Chicago Sun-Timescolumnist, nicknamed Brown "Governor Moonbeam" because of the latter idea. The nickname quickly became associated with his quirky politics, which were considered eccentric by some in California and the rest of the nation. In 1992, almost 15 years later, Royko would disavow the nickname, proclaiming Brown to be "just as serious" as any other politician.

[BrattonBasher]

LOL Those were the days... We easily had the most eccentric person in politics leading California. Now we have the biggest buffoon!

[VooDoo Chile]

Hmmmm........well I'll buy that Newsom's uber selfabsorbed cause any dude who's that hot would have to be. But if I'm not mistaken, isn't the SF Gate like way Republican?

[stanley]

Originally Posted by VooDoo Chile

Hmmmm........well I'll buy that Newsom's uber selfabsorbed cause any dude who's that hot would have to be. But if I'm not mistaken, isn't the SF Gate like way Republican?

yes, you are mistaken.

There is no republican newspaper in San Francisco. As a matter of fact, there is only the SF Examiner, and although not aligned with Newsom, they are very nearly a Democratic party newsletter.

VooDoo Chile, there really is no republican presence in SF... Some of the dot.com millionaires down in Sillycone Valley have formed a pocket of republicans, the Meg Whitman bunch, but by and large the SF Bay Area is a demo stronghold, the party faithful rule here.

No, the San Francisco Examiner (the newspaper) and SF Gate (the online version of the newspaper) are DEFINITELY a bastion of the democratic party.... how many Republican Newspapers would give the Democratic ex speaker of the House/ ex-mayor (Willie Brown) a regular column in the paper, just to comment on San Francisco politics?

No, the anti Newsom bias that shows up in the Examiner is simply one faction of the local Democrats fighting with another faction.... Willie Brown's fans dont think much of the Newsom bunch, and it goes both ways.....

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by stanley

yes, you are mistaken.

There is no republican newspaper in San Francisco. As a matter of fact, there is only the SF Examiner, and although not aligned with Newsom, they are very nearly a Democratic party newsletter.

VooDoo Chile, there really is no republican presence in SF... Some of the dot.com millionaires down in Sillycone Valley have formed a pocket of republicans, the Meg Whitman bunch, but by and large the SF Bay Area is a demo stronghold, the party faithful rule here.

No, the San Francisco Examiner (the newspaper) and SF Gate (the online version of the newspaper) are DEFINITELY a bastion of the democratic party.... how many Republican Newspapers would give the Democratic ex speaker of the House/ ex-mayor (Willie Brown) a regular column in the paper, just to comment on San Francisco politics?

No, the anti Newsom bias that shows up in the Examiner is simply one faction of the local Democrats fighting with another faction.... Willie Brown's fans dont think much of the Newsom bunch, and it goes both ways.....

I stands corrected 'n shit.

Damn. Why don't ya move Stanely?

[stanley]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

LOL Those were the days... We easily had the most eccentric person in politics leading California. Now we have the biggest buffoon!

and can you believe it, there are folks that think electing the eccentric Moonbeam is going to be a good thing.

they say insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, expecting a different result.

Brown already had eight years as governor. Is there really no one else in the Democratic party, someone without the baggage of Jerry Brown- son of ex-Gov.Pat Brown, Jerry Brown ex-Chair of the Democratic Party, Jerry Brown, ex-mayor, who finished turning Oakland into a full blown war zone. And who can help but notice how well he is controlling the legal system here in the Sunny State as our AG.

Could you possibly, in any way known to man find a candidate who was MORE old school party politics than Jerry Brown?

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by stanley

and can you believe it, there are folks that think electing the eccentric Moonbeam is going to be a good thing.

they say insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, expecting a different result.

Brown already had eight years as governor. Is there really no one else in the Democratic party, someone without the baggage of Jerry Brown- son of ex-Gov.Pat Brown, Jerry Brown ex-Chair of the Democratic Party, Jerry Brown, ex-mayor, who finished turning Oakland into a full blown war zone. And who can help but notice how well he is controlling the legal system here in the Sunny State as our AG.

Could you possibly, in any way known to man find a candidate who was MORE old school party politics than Jerry Brown?

It's become a dead-end job. Both major parties will have trouble fielding a real candidate. Out of all the contenders Brown is the most qualified by a large margin. Following Arnie is going to suck!

[VooDoo Chile]

Maybe we should take Lewis Black's advice and elect Ronald Reagan's dead body!