the idiots are in charge

Today's Chronicle reveals that our mayor, Gavin Newsom, had an affair with the wife of his campaign manager, who has resigned after confronting the mayor over this. At the time of the affair, the wife was working in the mayor's office as his appointment secretary; the campaign manager was also working directly for the mayor as his deputy chief of staff. Newsom was still technically married, going through his divorce with celebrity ex Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom Whatevershescallednow.

This is idiotic in so many ways. First, by sleeping with a subordinate, Newsom exposed the city to sexual harassment liability. Next, and worst, he was stabbing a personal friend and important ally in the back. How dumb do you have to be to sleep with the wife of your successful campaign manager, the person who helped you get elected in the first place?

Newsom has always been an idiot when it comes to women. His ex-wife was an embarrassment to the city, bragging about her fellatio skills in a speech when representing the city at a formal luncheon and posing sprawled on a rug in the Getty mansion for an egotistic photo shoot. (I've drunkenly bragged about my own analogous skills, but only in non-professional settings; to date, I have not posed on Getty rugs for national magazines). Then he dated at least one teenager publicly, as well as a starlet/Scientologist. And now this scandal, on top of a lesser scandal in which he turned up intoxicated at the hospital vigil for a wounded cop (I personally cut him some slack over that one, as it occurred on a weekend evening and the man should be allowed to enjoy the delights of San Francisco bars and restaurants. It's not as if he turned up at City Hall on a Wednesday morning drunk. Others are being more judgmental).

I didn't vote for him, and I won't, either. I'm generally in favor of separating a politician's personal life from his or her career, but here I have to draw a line. The amorality Gavin Newsom showed in sleeping with the improbably named Ruby Rippey-Tourk is unforgivable. It shows too much impulsivity and lack of judgment.

Recently Gavin Newsom whined that Barack Obama won't be seen with him in person, despite the fact that Newsom allegedly raised money for Obama. Good judgment call, Senator O.!

At the same time, mayoral chief spokesman Peter Ragone finally confessed to posting on local news blogs under false names. He had been caught in the act by SFist, who did some IP address sleuthing, but he fibbed for days. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

It's a disheartening day, indeed, in San Francisco. Why are all the smart people cutting hair, driving cabs and housewifing, while the morons are running things?