Newsom's Withdrawl unexpected
Jose Alvarez
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Opinion
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Newson served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1997 to 2004. Although Newsom is seen by most people as a far-left politician, a minor controversy most people do not know about is that he donated $500 to the Republican Party in 2000 in support of Presidential candidate George W. Bush instead of Democrat Al Gore.
Newsom has attracted national attention by being a very supportive ally of the LGBT community in the face of adversity. In 2004, he took a bold step forward in his first term as mayor by allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry in City Hall. Eventually, all the marriage licenses were revoked. The issue went to the California Supreme Court, and the court ruled in favor of the LGBT community in May 2008, thus allowing gay marriage. He also gave a famous quote voicing his opinion against California's Proposition 8, which would have defined marriage between a man and a woman: "[Gay marriage] is going to happen, whether you like it or not."
I believe Newsom would have done many great things for civil rights if he was elected as governor. Current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, despite his stance as a progressive conservative, has dropped the ball on California's economy. Newsom fits the mold of what my ideal politician would be: a social liberal and a fiscal conservative.
Newsom also took his personality beyond San Francisco. He personally signed the Kyoto Protocol on behalf of the city. The protocol, an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases, was not signed by the United States as a whole. He also traveled to several other cities across the United States to speak on various issues. This was his preparation to become the governor of California-and perhaps even more.
Losing Newsom as a candidate leaves former governor general Jerry Brown as the only candidate left for the Democrat Party. Newsom comes to the table with fresh and original ideas that the older politicians don't think about.