Should San Francisco Mayor Newsom resign over sex scandal?

[Cascadian]

Poll question: Should San Francisco Mayor Newsom resign over sex scandal?

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has admitted he had an affair. It looks like his political career may only go as far as City Hall in San Francisco. Unless he reinvents himself, his career in politics is over. Should Newsom resign as mayor?

I am putting this to SF Duers but anybody can cast their vote.


John

[Tom Joad]

1. Only if the adultry occured while they were attending an official city meeting.

[crispini]

30. Okay THAT would be more entertaining than the usual city meeting! nt

[MissWaverly]

2. I am from Maryland but I don't think this is a public matter

look at the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal, that was not the business of America, it was
a matter for Hillary and Bill to resolve like any other couple, keep the government out
of America's bedroom, please.

:-)

[npincus]

3. I'll reserve judgement until I see the pics

:evilgrin:

[Union Thug]

4. If BushCo can get away with mass-murder and not be impeached...

Then this is a totally meaningless, non-event.

Thanks again to those pitbulls in the press speaking truth to power. <sarcasm>

[MzNov]

12. Bush 41 had mistress for years in D.C. a rumor of course.

[demrabble]

5. Two Consenting Adults

Two consenting adults.

Why is it that "Unless he reinvents himself, his career in politics is over."??

[scorpiogirl]

6. No he shouldn't resign over an affair

What does that have to do with his job? He's very well-liked.

[sweetheart]

7. He should introduce his mistress to the public

Mayor Newsom should step forward with *all* his lovers and show us a role model for a free man.

[democracyindanger]

8. Oh brother.

Big deal. Did he run based on a promise not to have sex with somebody else's wife? Nope.

As far as his political career being over, any candidate running against him for the mayor's office will be laughed at and marginalized by SF voters. If he runs for governor or the Senate, there may be some momentary traction, but overall California voters would hardly make a big deal. The current occupant of the Governor's mansion, after all, had a history of all sorts of sexual shenanigans--including harassment--and that didn't hurt him at the polls.

Any SF DUer who voted 'yes' is most likely a Matt Gonzales fan, which in and of itself is pretty comedic.

[Tom Joad]

9. I don't hardly any voter in sf would take this seriously.

[Warren DeMontague]

28. The irony is, if he HAD run on a promise not to have sex w/ someone else's wife

it would be that someone else's wife's husband who would have put together the campaign.

"See! I trust him with MY wife!"

"Oh, wait."

But, you're right. I don't think SF will give a shit. Bottom line? Newsom has done a decent job so far.

Although I kind of like Gonzales, too :hi:

[XemaSab]

10. Giuliani did it. Clinton did it. JFK did it.

Men are men, and we can be scornful of their personal lives while still respectful of them as politicians.

[DURHAM D]

16. Plus Newtie, Bob Livingston, Asa Hutchinson, Henry Hyde -

did it.

They are all repug congressmen that insisted Clinton needed to be impeached because it was a constitutional crisis.

[koopie57]

20. ewe!

who would have an affair with Henry Hyde?

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. Banged their campaign manager's wives while both were on his payroll? Really? n/t

[DURHAM D]

25. I was not responding to the op - look again. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

29. You contributed to a long list of men who "did it".

I suggest that it's reasonable to ask for a clearer definition of what "it" is.

Not all dou... err scumbaggery is equal.

[MzNov]

11. Remember Willie Brown? LOL. He didn't have to resign.

Newsom's career isn't over. He doesn't do little boy pages.

[geniph]

13. If every elected official who'd ever had an affair resigned,

then we'd be looking at a damn short list of survivors.

[goodhue]

14. no

I'm no Newsom fan (Go, Gonzalez!) but this hardly merits a resignation.

[Ignacio Upton]

19. Is Gonzalez running against this time?

It would be interesting to see them in a rematch.

[Cascadian]

26. If I were a San Francisco resident, I would vote for Gonzales.

From all I read and heard about him, Matt Gonzales seems like a good guy and far more progressive than Gav Newsom. Gonzales would be my kind of candidate. Gav Newsom would be too DLC in my opinion.


John

[Tom Joad]

37. Not running, it looks like Newsome is going to have an easy reelection.

unless some people change their mind.

[liberal renegade]

15. only

if she gave him a mayoral bj...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. If everybody who ever cheated resigned the unemployment rate would skyrocket.

[joemurphy]

18. Who cares? n/t

[AlCzervik]

22. Why? Newsom is not married, maybe he showed some poor judgment

seeing that his affair was with his best friends wife but i don't know the whole story nor do i want to. Again-Newsom not married, he didn't cheat on anyone and even if he did why should he have to quit?

[marions ghost]

35. didn't

he cheat on the friend? If it was OK with the friend then it's OK. If not, it's sleezy. The sneaking around part is the problem. He shouldn't be kicked out of office, but he should address the issue in a direct and honest way, and the voters of SF can decide. Clinton did finally admit he had a problem.

Sure, the woman is not blameless. For one thing a lot of women throw themselves at powerful men. The smarter men resist, or handle it more maturely. The woman who would secretly get it on with the candidate AND the campaign manager is on a little power trip of her own. Exciting, until the sh*t hits the fan. This isn't the worst thing in the world, but it does tell you something about the guy. He crosses social boundaries. To some people that might make him admirable, but not to others. Unless you want to have a society where marriage vows mean nothing and/or business relationships don't have any honor codes, then there is culpability here. And he will be judged in the court of public opinion. Reality of it.

I don't care what he does in his private life. But this just wasn't smart if he cares about his life in the public eye IMO. It's about perceptions.

[RB TexLa]

23. I think most people understand this is not our business

[Stephanie]

24. I don't understand - isn't he single?

What is the issue?

[Warren DeMontague]

27. No, but I gotta say. Screwing around with the wife of your campaign manager...

not terribly strategic.

[BlooInBloo]

31. No, but I think DUers should continue to carry republican water...

... and talk about the most inane stories possible, whose only purpose is to clown Democrats, and which have absolutely NO bearing on ANYTHING policy-related.

[Warren DeMontague]

34. Know what, dude?

The Democratic Party in San Francisco will survive this story, as well as our talking about it. :eyes:

[BlooInBloo]

36. Your word doesn't re-assure me....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/by-what-definition-is-gav_b_40201.html

Fools.

[Warren DeMontague]

43. You're absolutely right. Due to this incredibly overblown story, the GOP is poised to take over the

Bay Area. Eeeeeek!

Seems to me, the majority of folks here are saying "It's not a big deal". But, apparently, to even mention the thing is "aiding" the incredibly powerful Republican Party of San Francisco, which, at last count, had about seven members.

I agree- it's not a big deal; certainly not big enough to try to silence people over. Hell, I wouldn't even still be involved in this thread, except I'm responding to you. Oh well.

[LeftCoast]

32. In no way is his career in SF over

You'll find that voters in SF care more about the job he has done as mayor than his zipper problem. As a SF voter, I'm not particularly happy that he had an affair, but that doesn't change the fact that he's been a pretty good mayor.

As a matter of fact, I voted against him in the last election, but he's earned my vote if he chooses to run again. As it stands now, he has no real competition in the race in any case.

[JanMichael]

33. How is admitting to sleeping with a chick a scandal?

Especially when you're a single guy?

Sure she was married but fuck is that against the law? was she 13 years old? A nun? His sister?

No.

[WernhamHogg]

38. No. Instead of resigning

No. Instead of resigning, he should "accidentially" shoot one of
his friends in the face. Then we can put him on the 08 ticket as the VP!

:evilgrin:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

39. SF voter here...

I've never voted for Newsom in an election, he is just not my kind of progressive.

And since my name isn't Mrs. Gavin Newsom, I don't care who he screws, so long as it's a consenting adult.

As I mentioned on another thread, he has never presented himself as some sort of moral role model, nor has he made noise about other's lapses, so he isn't a hypocrite who says one thing and does another.

For once, there really is nothing to see here, so move along, AFAIC...

As far as his political career goes, if presiding over gay marriages at City Hall didn't kill it, I sincerely think this isn't going to dent it.

[ecstatic]

40. If he can't be loyal to his own wife

Who is very beautiful, then how can the voters of San Francisco trust him to look out for them?

Just saying... :shrug:

I vote for him to resign.

[ecstatic]

41. Correction

I thought he was married. But if he cheated with his best friend's wife then that shows a true lack of character, IMO.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

42. He was divorced at the time...

the woman he had the affair with was married.

He is stupid with his dick, but I trust him just fine to do my City's business.

[terrya]

44. Hell, no.

Let the voters of San Francisco decide if this incident is worthy of removal from office. He should be up for re-election soon.