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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Dos Equis on February 01, 2007, 05:51:03 PM
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So the gay marriage champion is divorced? As they say in Hawaii, I nevah know.
AIDE QUITS AS NEWSOM'S AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE IS REVEALED
Campaign manager confronts mayor, who is 'in shock'
Phil Matier, Andrew Ross, Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writers
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Newsom's Affair
Newsom apologizes at press conference (2/01)
Aide quits as Newsom's affair with his wife is revealed (2/01)
Nevius: Most seem to be willing to forgive Newsom (2/01)
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife while she worked in the mayor's office, City Hall sources said.
Alex Tourk, 39, who served as Newsom's deputy chief of staff before becoming his campaign manager in September, confronted the mayor after his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, told him of the affair as part of a rehabilitation program she had been undergoing for substance abuse, said the sources, who had direct knowledge of Wednesday's meeting.
Rippey-Tourk, 34, was the mayor's appointments secretary from the start of his administration in 2004 until last spring. She told her husband that the affair with Newsom was short-lived and happened about a year and a half ago, while the mayor was undergoing a divorce from his then-wife, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, said the sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified.
Alex Tourk "confronted the mayor on the issue this afternoon, expressed his feeling about the situation in an honest and pointed way, and resigned," said one source close to Tourk and his wife.
Tourk's resignation was announced in a statement that Newsom's campaign released Wednesday. The statement quoted Tourk as saying only that he was resigning for personal reasons.
The statement quoted Newsom, 39, as saying he had accepted the resignation with great sadness.
Asked at City Hall Wednesday evening about Tourk's resignation and the affair, Newsom said, "I'm not making any public comment. I'm just not."
Tourk and Newsom have been friends for years and frequently socialized outside work. Tourk did not return phone calls Wednesday seeking comment. Rippey-Tourk, who now hosts a weekly radio show for Benefit Magazine in San Francisco, also did not return calls. A family friend who asked not to be identified said she would have no comment.
Reports of the affair come at a particularly sensitive time for Newsom, who is embarking on his campaign for re-election in November. The mayor's personal life has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. In December, several witnesses at a late Friday night vigil for a mortally wounded police officer at San Francisco General Hospital reported that Newsom appeared to have been drinking when he arrived. A spokesman for the mayor declined to comment on those reports.
The controversy involving Tourk left Newsom's inner circle reeling. "I feel really bad for Alex," one adviser said. "He is blameless in this."
After meeting with Tourk, Newsom maintained his public schedule, which included attending a reception for city commissioners and officiating over a marriage in his office.
Privately, however, aides said the mayor was in shock over the meeting.
Polls have consistently shown Newsom's approval ratings among city voters topping 70 percent, unusually high for a politician in his fourth year in office. Although his relations with the Board of Supervisors have deteriorated over the past year, no competing candidate has emerged for this year's mayoral race.
One person who says he intends to challenge Newsom, former Supervisor Tony Hall, said Wednesday night that he hoped news of the affair was not true. But if it is, he said, "the city deserves much better than what it's getting."
Eric Jaye, Newsom's chief political adviser, said he was confident that any political damage to the mayor would soon dissipate.
"There will be a minor amount of turbulence, but as long as the mayor continues to do his job, it will have no lasting effect," Jaye said. "Ultimately, politicians are judged by how they do their jobs as elected officials."
Newsom's predecessor as mayor, Willie Brown, said that "any time you have a scandal associated with sex and relationship, there is no way to predict how the public will react. In my own experience, you just have to be prepared to ride with the storm. You can't shut it down and stop it."
Newsom's chief City Hall rival, Supervisor Chris Daly, refused to speculate about how publicity over the affair would affect the mayor's career.
"I think there's a lot of time to figure that out," he said. "Right now is not the time. I really think the day this hits the papers, the focus should be on the actual human lives involved."
Other critics of Newsom said the news spoke volumes about the mayor.
Jack Davis, a political consultant who helped elect Brown and former Mayor Frank Jordan and was looking for someone to challenge Newsom, said, "There is nothing new in that story that I haven't been aware of for the last six months. Now that it's public and out there, Gavin ought to resign and seek psychiatric help."
Tourk worked as an aide to Brown before joining Newsom's first mayoral campaign in 2003. The next year, he became Newsom's deputy chief of staff and served as one of the mayor's key strategists.
He was instrumental in turning Newsom's idea of inviting homeless people to one location and providing them with myriad services into a reality. Almost 15,000 people have since received services during more than a dozen Project Homeless Connect days in San Francisco.
In his resignation statement, Tourk said, "I am honored that, as deputy chief of staff, I helped create and implement key policy initiatives such as the Homeless Connect program that is now a national model for its compassionate and comprehensive approach to helping the homeless."
Newsom's statement said Tourk "was instrumental in my first election, organizing a strong early re-election effort, and shaping successful policy during his service with the city and county of San Francisco. We all wish Alex well and know he will be successful in all of his future endeavors."
While running Newsom's re-election campaign, Tourk helped the mayor raise about $620,000 from supporters around the country. He has been paid about $50,000, Jaye said.
"The campaign will move forward and will not be distracted by this," Jaye said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/01/MNGM8NSSD91.DTL
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are you compliment him for beeing da dog?
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I predict Friday morning, Rush will blame nancy Pelosi for this one.
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are you compliment him for beeing da dog?
Not at all. Now let's see if he'll do the honorable thing and resign.
I'll be holding my breath.
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I think it's great!!!
Get all you can man... He shouldn't have banged an Aide, but 'eh... so what?
At least it wasn't an underage male page.... :x
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I predict Friday morning, Rush will blame Nancy Pelosi for this one.
I blame Nancy Pelosi for giving me nightmares. That face isn't human.
As to the honorableless mayor, he's a typical scumbag. But to get elected in S.F., doesn't one have to pretty much be a scumbag?
Polls have consistently shown Newsom's approval ratings among city voters topping 70 percent, unusually high for a politician in his fourth year in office.
No need to search for alien life amongst the stars.
It is already here. ::)
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I blame Nancy Pelosi for giving me nightmares. That face isn't human.
As to the honorableless mayor, he's a typical scumbag. But to get elected in S.F., doesn't one have to pretty much b a scumbag?
Can you name 5 women in DC you'd rather get with?
As far as an older woman, she's kinda hot.
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I think it's great!!!
Get all you can man... He shouldn't have banged an Aide, but 'eh... so what?
At least it wasn't an underage male page.... :x
Dude. It was his campaign manager's wife. That's almost like sleeping with his brother's wife.
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Dude. It was his campaign manager's wife. That's almost like sleeping with his brother's wife.
You said "almost". :D
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As to the honorableless mayor, he's a typical scumbag. But to get elected in S.F., doesn't one have to pretty much be a scumbag?
I always thought so... I mean, it's San Francisco... home of bad Accounting practices and the .bomb devistation... Plus, all those earthquakes... all the time...
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Can you name 5 women in DC you'd rather get with?
As far as an older woman, she's kinda hot.
I don't spend my time thinking about such things as what female politicians do I find attractive.
It's not a thought that ever enters into my mind.
It's not exactly where one should be trolling for chicks, older or otherwise.
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You said "almost". :D
lol. :)
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I blame Nancy Pelosi for giving me nightmares. That face isn't human.
As to the honorableless mayor, he's a typical scumbag. But to get elected in S.F., doesn't one have to pretty much be a scumbag?
lol. Hey Willie Brown wasn't a scumbag. Or was he??
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lol. Hey Willie Brown wasn't a scumbag. Or was he??
Willie brown is psychic.
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lol. Hey Willie Brown wasn't a scumbag. Or was he??
I'm sure he was... it's San Francisco, just goes with the territory.
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No one in SF is going to hold this affair against him. He will win reelection and go on to run for govenor.
• The guy is single.
• He is doing a good job as mayor.
• People in SF do not have sexual hang ups; the religious right has no power in the Bay Area and certainly not in SF.
• The sex was consensual; men like to have sex; occasionally men have affairs. Everyone in the city (gay or straight) knows and accepts that.
• Many people in SF have open and even poly relationships.
• This affair gives him hetero street cred (ibility).
• The city has bigger fish to fry.
• He has nice hair
It’s too bad that the affair was with his campaign aide’s wife… but these things happen. :-\
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This isn't a religious issue. To put this affair in context, a campaign manager is probably closer to a candidate than anyone except the candidate's spouse. The candidate's deepest, darkest secrets have to be disclosed to his or her campaign manager. They are very tight. So, to sleep with your campaign manager's wife is about as low as you can get.
It says a lot about this man's honor and integrity. I am baffled that he is still a public official. Well . . . now that I think about it . . . this is San Francisco where anything goes.
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Baffled or just unsophisticated? SF isn’t the only place where people have affairs. In fact, one would be hard pressed to name a place where affairs haven’t taken place.
President François Mitterrand had numerous affairs and a longtime mistress (he eventually had a child with her) and everyone knew it. When he died, his mistress was at his funeral and his family—including his wife--embraced her as someone who was important to him.
Being naïve about sex and adult relationships is a great position from which to morally lecture other people, but when reality bites you either grow up fast or remain an idiot. Dick Cheney and his wife have learned that lesson the hard way. I’m sure they had all kinds of notions about how evil gay people were until their own daughter turned out to be a big dyke.
Every reasonably attractive man or woman understands what Mayor Newson went through. It’s nothing to celebrate but throwing rocks when we all live in glass houses is ultimately foolish.
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I believe I'll stick with "baffled." ::)
This isn't about men who have affairs. Plenty of them do it, and they are almost always "outed" eventually. This is about a public official sleeping with his campaign manager's wife. It is dishonorable and displays an alarming lack of judgment, self control, and poor character. Not the kind of person you want leading a city (unless it's San Francisco apparently).
I suspect people who have an anything goes view of sex and their sex lives don't have a problem with this. Folks who believe a person should honor their marriage vows, not sleep with their close friend's wife, and that public officials are held to a higher standard might be a little bothered by this.
And talk about a hypocrite. Here is a man who was championing (homosexual) marriage while he was destroying his own marriage and the marriage of his good friend. Now THAT is hypocrisy.
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http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=13&entry_id=13121
Would this prevent you from voting for Newsom?
The voters have spoken:
Tori Paulman, The Haight
Seriously people! Give me a break -- I think some folks need to get more lovin'! In addition to the separation of church and state in this country, we should focus some attention on the separation of state and bedroom! What Newsom does, how he does it and with whom should at best be a subject for the tabloids, certainly not for the polls.
Lesley Walsh, Richmond District
I can't say I appreciate politicians' pecadillos all over the morning news, but then again, I'm not Newsom's confessor, and I really don't think it's any of my business. I'll decide who to vote for after I've seen the opponent and the campaign.
Susan Jackson, Sunset
Willie Brown set the example for this kind of boorish behavior. Why should we expect anyone to act any differently? Newsom at least has done more for San Francisco than his predecessor; his heart seems to be in the right place, even if other body parts are not.
Brian Backus, Lower Haight
I'm a big fan of our mayor, and this personal matter would in no way affect my vote. I only regret that it may diminish a very talented politician's national prospects.
Paul Barwick, Mission District
Looks like a two'fer to me. In one stroke (no pun intended) he has laid to rest the rumors that he might be gay, and also has shown himself to have what it takes to be a Democratic candidate for president.
Vandana Makker, The Haight
I would still vote for him. Bill Clinton clearly had a shady personal life, but he was a great president. I think Newsom is doing a good job as mayor.
Al Parso, SOMA
The mayor is hot! He's a stud! Who wouldn't want to sleep with him? He definitely has my vote.
Lucy Wang, Russian Hill
No wonder the city is still in a mess! His personal life keeps getting in the way. I didn't vote for him in the last election, so why should change now?
Lynne Painter, North Beach
Of course not! I hope it doesn't keep him from running. The media need to spend less time on his hair and personal life.
Robert Cromey, The Mission
I judge Mayor Newsom by his civic, not sexual, performance.
Chris Coghlan, Sunnyside
It wouldn't make me not vote for him. Most of us have made very poor decisions, especially when we are going through emotionally tough times. The healing power of the flesh is not to be undervalued. He would have to fall farther than that for me to turn on him now. His stance on gay marriage was one of the bravest things I have ever seen from a politician.
Charles Barragan, The Mission
I never voted for Mayor Brylcream, and frankly it's refreshing to see a bit of tarnish on the Golden Boy's veneer. His tryst reflects his total immersion in the political waters, where power and sex will draw you in but the consequences may drown a career.
Albert Goodwyn, Seacliff
The affair is irrelevant. I'll vote against him on another basis: He's in it for the ego and does not pay enough attention to the needs of the city. Even Jordan was better, not to mention Agnos.
Daniel Curzon-Brown, Ingleside
I could care less where the mayor places his affections. Why would anybody run when every syllable, every moan is dragged out for public commentary? Stop it! The media are the culprits, making much ado about nothing.
Julie Bennett, North Beach
I'd prefer that Gav kept it in his pants and stayed out of the limelight. Yet his conduct wouldn't sway my vote. Newsom is the only politician I have voted for that I actually agree with just about every decision he has made. I trust him. When stories like this are made public, it makes me think that I now know the dirt about him, unlike other politicians and the big, ugly ghosts in their closets. Gavin has passion -- it helps him more often than it hurts him. Run Gavin Run!
Rick Chafian, The Sunset
I had been very pleased with Gavin Newsom's actions in the early part of his mayoral term, until recent reports of his being seen in bars with an underage girlfriend, combined with his statement of "I'm not making any public comment" and chief political adviser Eric Jaye's quote that "any political damage will soon dissipate" regarding the affair with a married co-worker. I will seriously have to re-evaluate whether Newsom's ethics deserve re-election.
Edan Hughes, Upper Market
For centuries in Europe when their leaders had mistresses, it was looked upon as a sign of power and potency. Our bachelor mayor needed to get laid. Big deal!
George Lindsay, Outer Haight
Of course I will vote for the mayor's re-election. His peccadillos have nothing to do with how he governs the city. The media must more vital misdeeds to report on than this.
Toby Dixon, Lower Haight
I voted for Matt, but have grown to like Newsom. I don't think we have to worry about voting for Newsom because I doubt he will be running after this affair. However I would vote for him if he ran -- unless Matt decides to run.
Don Langley, Pacific Heights
It's an example of acting without thinking, which is troublesome, but it's a personal matter. My vote is based on public actions. Willie Brown's having an illegitimate baby while in office didn't seem to affect his governance, so why should this stupid dalliance affect Gavin's?
Brad Akin, St. Francis Wood
No, because his private life is none of our business. This gossip is not worth the paper it's printed on. The writers of the article, as well as Jack Davis, Eric Jaye, Tony Hall and Willie Brown should all be ashamed of themselves for their comments.
Howard Crane, Russian Hill
It's one thing -- and not a very intelligent thing -- for a prominent public official to engage in an adulterous relationship. It's quite another thing when he betrays a loyal associate in the process. We now know who and what Mr. Newsom is. Since he undoubtedly will not step down, it is up to us, the voters, to decide what to do with him.
Wade Hampton, Miraloma Park
I will still vote for Newsom. My belief in his character, integrity and dedication to serve the city is still intact and steadfast. I did, however, raise an eyebrow over his lack of judgment in this indiscretion.
Tony An, The Sunset
It won't have any effect on me. Newsom didn't do anything illegal. What he does in private is none of my business. I would even vote for Bill Clinton.
John Champlin, Lower Haight
Having an affair with an employee, married to your friend, who is also an employee, while you're still married? Yeah, that's pretty darn low. However, it's not clear that there's a better candidate running -- so far.
Paul Holtz, The Castro
Not at all. It was extremely poor judgment, and a terrible thing to do to a staff member and supposed friend. But his private life is separate from his public persona, and has no effect on his ability to lead -- though I suspect many supervisors will ramp up their efforts to block his initiatives purely out of spite.
Ed Rose, Duboce Triangle
Considering the precedent set by Willie Brown, I wouldn't vote against Gavin on the basis of this latest revelation. However, when I see the homeless still in the streets, a weak police chief and dismal public transportation -- that could have an effect.
David Jamison, Buena Vista Park
This wouldn't influence my vote. I still strongly support Mayor Newsom, even though I think this was a stupid mistake. He's done a great job as mayor, and I hope to see him win a second term.
Sharon Collins, Pacific Heights
Depending on who his opposition will be, right now I would vote for him. He seems to have a libido and personal judgment problem, but has been a good mayor. Too bad his inability to to control his sex drive will bar him from future higher office holdings. Maybe he should head for sex-drive rehab. Congressman Foley knows the way!
Marilyn Benioff, North Beach
It wouldn't influence my vote one way or another. If Newsom is doing a good job for the city, what difference does it make what happens in his private life -- though it's hard to keep it private, it seems.
William Buehlman, The Excelsior
A candidate's judgement is always a consideration. As with anything, there are degrees. Many of us have made some poor decisions in our personal lives which, hopefully, we learn from and don't repeat. This doesn't mean that translates to an inability to do a good job in our professional lives. I would probably vote for a more progressive candidate, but not because of this incident.
Abra White, Nob Hill
Not at all. I believe more in the deeds the mayor does in office than the hyped misdeeds of his private life. In cases like these, there are hurt feelings and abundant chances to sling mud. When voting, we all have to remember more the good than the bad.
Kim Klausner, Bernal Heights
Poor impulse control does not necessarily make one a bad mayor. And my opinions about a politician's personal life don't influence how I vote. But in this case Newsom made a personal decision that has ramifications for public policy. I'll evaluate his entire record at election time, but I offer a piece of unsolicited advice -- let your brain, rather than other body parts, guide your decisions about relationships.
Henry Mensch, Excelsior
I would still vote for Newsom. People have messy personal lives -- that's why we hire them on the strength of their skills and abilities. Mayor Newsom has done a great job for San Francisco, and I hope that other San Franciscans can see this.
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Oh my God, an elected official had an affair with his Campaign Manager's wife, the world just might end. ::)
If this is the worst thing an elected official is outed as doing this year then politicians as a whole will have their best year ever. If someone wants to start listing all the politicians that have had affairs they'd be typing for a week. Affairs have always and will always happen in both parties.
Two consenting adults have sex and it makes headlines, big deal.
If he commits a crime or is accused of corruption then great, talk about it but having sex with another consenting adult?
Oh, and by the way, Campaign Manager's are more often than not hired guns, brought in for one purpose and leave once the job is done. To use the brother analogy is more than reaching.
Anything to cast negative attention on a liberal though, great strategy. ::)
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"Tourk and Newsom have been friends for years and frequently socialized outside work." Sort of consistent with what I said about the relationship between a candidate and his or her campaign manager. ::)
I'll be interested to see what kind of public comments Newsom makes about this.
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"You can trust me with your life, not your money or your wife."
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"You can trust me with your life, not your money or your wife."
Ain't that the truth. :-\
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No, what you said was "a campaign manager" not this campaign manager. You intimated all campaign managers are as close as a spouse or sibling. ::)
The fact is often times campaign managers are hired guns that come in to do a job and then leave to run another campaign without thinking twice about the previous candidate. To imply that campaign managers are analogous with a family member is ridiculous and hyperbole.
And last I checked "friends for years and socialized outside of work" still doesn't imply a relationship that's as close as wife or brother but of course having you admit that is impossible.
Of course none of that matters because this guy is a Liberal, if he were a conservative it would make all the difference in the world to those that spew party line rhetoric as if it were gospel read from the Bible.
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"Tourk and Newsom have been friends for years and frequently socialized outside work." Sort of consistent with what I said about the relationship between a candidate and his or her campaign manager. ::)
I'll be interested to see what kind of public comments Newsom makes about this.
He has already made his public comments. He apologized to his aide, Alex Tourk, his staff, and to the people of the city. He said he was committed to rebuilding his credibility and getting on with the business of the city. End of story.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/02/MNGVJNTI9G1.DTL
http://www.nbc11.com/news/10912261/detail.html
In looking at this story it helps to keep some perspective. Many people are just hearing about this affair for the first time so their emotions are raw, but for Newsom this event is more than a year old. Most of the country now looks at the Bill Clinton’s blow job as much ado about nothing. $50 million and 5 years of investigating and the biggest “crime” they could come up with is one that hadn’t even taken place when the investigation started: he lied to a grand jury about his infidelity.
Gingrich. Guiliani. Many married politicians survive affairs. In fact, I think it is fair to say the public is not surprised by this kind of stuff anymore. By the way Newsom is single. In a matter of weeks, if not days, people will compartmentalize Newsom’s affair and look at his record of managing the city.
Everyone who has heard about this story has at least two close friends whom are having affairs right now. Yawn. ::)
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He has already made his public comments. He apologized to his aide, Alex Tourk, his staff, and to the people of the city. He said he was committed to rebuilding his credibility and getting on with the business of the city. End of story.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/02/MNGVJNTI9G1.DTL
http://www.nbc11.com/news/10912261/detail.html
In looking at this story it helps to keep some perspective. Many people are just hearing about this affair for the first time so their emotions are raw, but for Newsom this event is more than a year old. Most of the country now looks at the Bill Clinton’s blow job as much ado about nothing. $50 million and 5 years of investigating and the biggest “crime” they could come up with is one that hadn’t even taken place when the investigation started: he lied to a grand jury about is infidelity.
Gingrich. Guiliani. Many married politicians survive affairs. In fact, I think it is fair to say the public is not surprised by this kind of stuff anymore. By the Way Newsom is single. In a matter of weeks, if not days, people will compartmentalize Newsom’s affair and look at his record of managing the city.
Everyone who has heard about this story has at least two close friends whom are having affairs right now. Yawn. ::)
It's good that he apologized and he said the right things: http://www.nbc11.com/news/10902626/detail.html
But my goodness. What a sad commentary when an act like this by a public official elicits a yawn. Certain segments of our society have really become desensitized to what used to be considered unethical, improper, illegal, etc. behavior. It's not just Newsom, who I think forfeited his right to hold an office that requires the public trust, it's some people that I personally encounter in the business community. You would be amazed how fast and loose people are with the truth and their own integrity. It's a shame.
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Why is everyone blaming Newsome? The guy was single. He wasn't the one who vowed to take Tourke in holy matrimony forsakeing all others. I think both Tourkes bear some degree of responsibility in this as well. Sadly, what should have been a private matter to resolve between the 3 of them has gone public. I hope the backlash against this underhanded stategy against Newsome not only backfires, but that Newsome rebounds, and succeeds exceedingly well. When will the right learn? Sex scandals don't concern democratic voters because as a whole, ...they're not as uptight, hypocritical or sanctimonious about their own sex lifes, ...let alone someone elses. You want to hurt a Democratic candidate... attack him on the issues. ps - He's kinda easy on the eyes. ;)
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BeachBum, I hardly think the brother anaology is appropriate. If they were close like brothers, I doubt he would have slept with the guy's wife, ...and at the same time, if they were close like brothers, I doubt Tourke would have gone to the press rather than speak privately with him over an affair that had ended over a year ago. He would do what any other brother would do... kick his ass! :D
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I have said this before in other venues and I’ll say it again here: if we start firing everyone who has had an affair in short order everyone will be unemployed. :-\
As near as I can tell when it comes to affairs you are in one of three stages:
• you’ve had one in your past
• you are having one right now, or
• your going to have one in the future.
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Why is everyone blaming Newsome? The guy was single. He wasn't the one who vowed to take Tourke in holy matrimony forsakeing all others. I think both Tourkes bear some degree of responsibility in this as well. Sadly, what should have been a private matter to resolve between the 3 of them has gone public. I hope the backlash against this underhanded stategy against Newsome not only backfires, but that Newsome rebounds, and succeeds exceedingly well. When will the right learn? Sex scandals don't concern democratic voters because as a whole, ...they're not as uptight, hypocritical or sanctimonious about their own sex lifes, ...let alone someone elses. You want to hurt a Democratic candidate... attack him on the issues. ps - He's kinda easy on the eyes. ;)
I believe he was still married, from what I've read.
And blaming the victim are we? The way I read this story, the media cornered the husband. It is difficult to suddenly and quietly back out of a public position.
And Democrat voters less uptight? I have a different view. I think many liberals have no boundaries when it comes to sex and relationships (see, e.g., Hollywood). So, from that standpoint, many liberals are "loose," and many conservatives are "uptight." :)
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BeachBum, I hardly think the brother anaology is appropriate. If they were close like brothers, I doubt he would have slept with the guy's wife, ...and at the same time, if they were close like brothers, I doubt Tourke would have gone to the press rather than speak privately with him over an affair that had ended over a year ago. He would do what any other brother would do... kick his ass! :D
Have you ever worked on a political campaign? You might have a different opinion if you experienced a campaign and political office from the inside. I think the brother (or sister) analogy is entirely appropriate. Those guys and gals are just like family. At least that has been my experience.
And this is not necessarily a private matter. I just read an article about public vs. private ethics. Here is an excerpt. I wholeheartedly agree with the bolded portion:
This city is a mess, and so is its leader. That is why I was not shocked when hearing the news that he hubristically betrayed his friend and created an uncomfortable work environment, to say the least. A guy with Newsom’s looks, charisma, brains, money, and power could have made so many wiser choices. Why didn’t he?
Newsom’s arrogance led him to ignore the inevitability that his affair with an employee and wife of a trusting friend would become public. But, as I asserted above, his professional track record of disrespecting rules and boundaries led him to make this inexcusable choice. I do not believe people can separate their professional and private behaviors: they either have integrity or they don’t.
At some point, the lines between appropriate and inappropriate become blurred; people either respect boundaries or they don’t. It matters not whether these boundaries exist on the job or off the job. Now, Mayor Newsom, who, in humiliation, had to explain himself in front of cameras, realizes that boundaries and the law of unintended consequences DO matter.
The woman in this saga is now blaming the affair on substance abuse (I am disappointed: I was hoping for the usual bipolar-disorder excuse), the campaign manager has resigned, Newsom’s reputation is in tatters, and employees, friends, and families are in pain. . . .
http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/02/02/gavin-newsoms-pc-sex-scandal/
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>Newsom’s reputation is in tatters...
Hardly. That’s not to say there aren’t and shouldn’t be consequences but in the big picture this is a small matter.
You can’t expect sexual fidelity from your teachers, clergymen, parents, or presidents. Can you even expect it from yourself?
As someone said previously, if this is the worst thing that a politician is outed for this year then they will have their best year in decades. Anyone who would decline to vote for Newsom based on this episode alone is hopelessly naive. Would you fire or fail to hire every job candidate based on adultery? I’m disappointed in Newsom over this, but the guy is human, still a great mayor, and he’d get my vote.
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::) Good thing this will be an out-patient program. Wouldn't want him anywhere near the prostitutes in the program.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to Seek Alcohol CounselingTuesday, February 06, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Gavin Newsom said Monday that he plans to seek counseling for alcohol use, following the disclosure that he had an affair with the wife of a trusted aide.
Newsom, 39, said that while "my problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment," he had stopped drinking and wanted professional help staying sober.
"Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life," Newsom said in a statement.
Newsom said he would be receiving treatment from Mimi Silbert, the founder and director of the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco and that it would not affect his duties as mayor.
Delancey Street provides a residential program for hard-core addicts, including ex-convicts and prostitutes. Although the mayor plans to work with her on an outpatient basis, the program she has in mind for him will hardly be cushy, said Silbert, who met with Newsom over the weekend.
"The good thing, to me, is that he came and asked for help from a place he knows would not be light," Silbert said.
San Francisco Mayor Admits Affair With Campaign Manager's Wife Video
'Deeply Sorry' Delancey Street, which she founded in 1971, does not rely on the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous, but works to address the underlying reasons for excessive drinking, she said.
For privacy reasons, Silbert would not elaborate on how specifically she planned to help Newsom, whom she described as "very serious" about getting help.
Before taking office in 2004, Newsom founded a wine store, a string of highly successful restaurants and the Plump Jack Winery in Napa County. He is running for a second term in November.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250412,00.html
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Rehab? Yawn. No one in the city is phased by this. People whom work in or around city hall (staff, reporters, etc) have known about Newsom’s drinking problem for some time. We are all glad he is getting treatment.
http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/ in Palm Springs
http://promises.com/ in Malibu
http://www.wonderlandcenter.com/ in LA
http://www.eisenhowerfoundation.org/grassroots/delancey/index.html Delancey Street in San Francisco
http://www.10acreranch.org/ in Riverside
http://www.visionsteen.com/ in Malibu
http://www.passagesmalibu.com/ in Malibu
The list goes on and on… You can’t lose money by opening a rehab facility in California. Like I said... yawn. ::) If he chooses to run for reelection, he will win.
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Everyone hops in rehab when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
you can't bash a man with a problem like alcoholism.
Nice little place to avoid the media and let the story die.
Weird he waited til after being caught to start rehab.
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Here comes the Dems on this board (and everywhere else) comng to defend this guy..............if it were a Republican the haters would be all over the place, God the hipocracy!!
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Here comes the Dems on this board (and everywhere else) comng to defend this guy..............if it were a Republican the haters would be all over the place, God the hipocracy!!
Mr. I. do you really care that this guy had an affair?
If he does something corrupt or illegal then bash him all you want but an affair? Do you plan on bringing up every Republican politician that had an affair and starting a thread about them too?
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Mr. I. do you really care that this guy had an affair?
If he does something corrupt or illegal then bash him all you want but an affair? Do you plan on bringing up every Republican politician that had an affair and starting a thread about them too?
No, I'm sure it happends everyday in politics, I'm just saying that when it happends to a dem he gets a pass and if it happend to a republican it would be front page news for 6 months!
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No, I'm sure it happends everyday in politics, I'm just saying that when it happends to a dem he gets a pass and if it happend to a republican it would be front page news for 6 months!
OK, I agree that there are Democrats on this board that would harp on it as well. I'm just speaking for myself when I say this guy's affair doesn't matter and I would feel the same way if he were a Republican or and Independent. The whole point of this thread was that this guy's a Liberal, if he were a Conservative no way it gets started by the same person.
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Everyone hops in rehab when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
you can't bash a man with a problem like alcoholism.
Nice little place to avoid the media and let the story die.
Weird he waited til after being caught to start rehab.
Not weird at all. This is nothing more than damage control. The guy has no integrity.
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Not weird at all. This is nothing more than damage control. The guy has no integrity.
agreed. i was being sarcastic with the 'weird' line. People who use rehab to dodge responsibility, well, they suck.
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agreed. i was being sarcastic with the 'weird' line. People who use rehab to dodge responsibility, well, they suck.
True.
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No, I'm sure it happends everyday in politics, I'm just saying that when it happends to a dem he gets a pass and if it happend to a republican it would be front page news for 6 months!
That's not true man... I give them all a pass... If someone came out and said Bush fucked some aide, I may even have more respect for the guy... his wife is terrible.
Anyway... I give them ALL a pass on fucking around... Who cares? It's got nothing to do with their job in office. Don't start on the integrity either, they are politicians, that pretty much whacks any integrity they had anyway... Besides, how many of us wouldn't bang something else anyway...
Maybe not YOU, but there's a very high percentage of dudes (women too) who would and have had affairs, then turn around someone else for doing because they're a "public figure"
Hypocrites be damned.
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Public figures in 'sorry' state
Mastering art of high-profile apology a key leadership test
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wrote an impassioned front-page apology to his furious wife. Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden has done the heartfelt public mea culpa -- twice now -- and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has done it repeatedly in the past few years, for everything from off-the-cuff musings to Hollywood star-era bad behavior.
So San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's pained public apology Feb. 1 for an affair with the wife of his campaign manager served as a high-profile initiation into a growing club -- that of prominent public figures who have had to say "I'm sorry" in the glare of very big headlines.
As Newsom proved last week, there's a fine art to the delicate problem of making a public apology -- and not everyone navigates the crucial steps to make it effective, said Barbara Kellerman, a lecturer at the Center for Public Leadership in Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
"A leader's apology is a performance in which every expression matters and every word becomes part of the public record," Kellerman wrote in her extensive study published in the Harvard Business Review called "When Should a Leader Apologize -- and When Not?"
That, she said in a telephone interview from Boston, makes this difficult act the ultimate high-stakes move "for themselves, for their followers, and for the organizations they represent."
The latest political apologies are just the most recent in a line that runs back decades and includes, among its most famous, President Bill Clinton's 1998 mea culpa in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Kellerman said there are five simple rules when it comes to the art of a good public apology: Acknowledge your mistake, accept responsibility, express regret, say it will never happen again -- and make it fast.
And in that context, Kellerman gave Newsom's performance decidedly mixed reviews.
She rates his first apology -- perfunctorily delivered in a news conference Feb. 1 -- as highly effective. "Consider the context," she said. "If he were mayor of Boise or Tallahassee, Fla., the level of tolerance would not be the same. ... He did fess up and turn people's attention back to the business of the city."
That is, until last week, when the San Francisco mayor followed that up by telling his department heads that he had an alcohol problem and would seek counseling. Kellerman said that made it all look suspiciously like part of a new -- and increasingly tiresome -- trend: the apology-rehab combo.
Similar themes were used recently by a congressman (former Rep. Mark Foley, copping to hitting on male interns), a movie star (Mel Gibson, anti-Semitic rant), a TV star (Isaiah Washington of "Grey's Anatomy," anti-gay rant) and a comedian (Michael Richards, anti-black rant).
"It's a joke," Kellerman said of the rehab explanation. "Anybody who is serious thinks of that as more funny than anything else. I think for a public official, that's not generally the way to go. I think most people dismiss that out of hand."
Newsom's public apology, though national news, was trumped in the international headlines by an even more eye-opening one -- that of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who delivered a "mea culpa" so memorable that an Italian commentator predicted it "will be used in years to come by men from the left and the right as a blueprint for conjugal repentance."
The apology came after Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario, wrote a front-page open letter to a major Italian newspaper, headlined "Silvio, Say You're Sorry." It demanded that Berlusconi, reported to be Italy's richest man, show her respect and stop flirting with other women in public settings -- as recently when he told an attractive woman at an event that if he weren't married, "I would marry you immediately."
The former premier delivered the sugar in a searingly passionate front-page response, published with the headline, "Veronica, Forgive Me."
"Take this public show of my private pride giving in to your fury as an act of love. One of many," he said, in a letter that ended with the sign-off, "a big kiss, your Silvio."
It was a masterful performance, Kellerman said. "He's been immensely successful in public life as in corporate life -- so who can quarrel with someone that powerful? He committed a range of sins, sure ... but then again, it's Italy. The levels of tolerance in Europe -- especially for issues relating to fidelity and marriage -- indeed are enormously different than in this country."
She isn't as kind to Biden, who had to apologize in a past presidential campaign for plagiarizing parts of his campaign speeches. The Democratic senator was forced to do it again this month when he called presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama a "clean" African American candidate for president.
Biden "is known for running off at the mouth," Kellerman said, and his past misdemeanors make this "not so readily forgivable. We're not talking a personal but a public matter. It's much tougher to get over."
And since this transgression concerned a comment on the very sensitive issue of race, "it's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to recover."
But in the case of Schwarzenegger, who has publicly apologized for groping and for such comments as suggesting a Latina legislator was "hot-blooded," the public is more likely to cut him a break, Kellerman said.
"Context matters," she said. The California governor is a former Hollywood star who -- like it or not -- gets more slack in the apology department.
And for that, "he might thank his wife," Kellerman said. First lady Maria Shriver, who softens her husband's rough edges on many a public occasion, "is every bit as responsible, if not more so, for the (public's) willingness to forgive. So he owes a very high debt of gratitude to his eternally loving and tolerant wife."
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Public figures in 'sorry' state
Mastering art of high-profile apology a key leadership test
It was a masterful performance, Kellerman said. "He's been immensely successful in public life as in corporate life -- so who can quarrel with someone that powerful? He committed a range of sins, sure ... but then again, it's Italy. The levels of tolerance in Europe -- especially for issues relating to fidelity and marriage -- indeed are enormously different than in this country."
I'm not so sure about that. Take Eddie Murphy for example. Married to a pretty woman. Apparently has a thing for transvestite hitchhikers, divorces his wife and mother of his five (?) kids, shacks up with Scary Spice and apparently knocks her up only to leave her a few months later and hook up with Baby Face's ex. No one is jumping up and down about him. Didn't affect his box office appeal or bother "the Academy." Our standards are pretty low in this country.
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I do not believe people can separate their professional and private behaviors: they either have integrity or they don’t.
At some point, the lines between appropriate and inappropriate become blurred; people either respect boundaries or they don’t. It matters not whether these boundaries exist on the job or off the job.
So where's your holier-than-thou condemnation of Bush?
...or do you acribe to the 'youthful indescretion' line of defense?
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Berlusconi's public apology was priceless. I laughed so hard about that.
She actually mailed it to a paper that was fiercely anti-Berlusconi too. :D
Never diss the wife!
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you can't bash a man with a problem like alcoholism.
WTF? Even when Rush ADMITTED he was an addicted the fucking media tried to tear him apart along with all the libs and people on this board, the DA made public his personal medical info and just about everything else they could get their hands on and now you say (because he's a liberal I'm sure) that "you can't bash a man with a problem like alcoholism"?
And PLEASE don't tell be that taking prescription drugs is any different!!
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LOL I was being sarcastic. When people screw up, they SHOULD be nailed to the wall for it.
People from both parties use rehab as a place to hide WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT.
They don't need help, until it helps them avoid the media. THEN they use it.
And, anyone who questions they're actions is looked at, as an A-hole, for attacking them while they're in rehab. it's bullshit. If you get caught with little boys, in a DUI, or with illegal scripts, you should face the crime, not stall til the spotlight fades, THEN face the crime.
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WTF? Even when Rush ADMITTED he was an addicted the fucking media tried to tear him apart along with all the libs and people on this board, the DA made public his personal medical info and just about everything else they could get their hands on and now you say (because he's a liberal I'm sure) that "you can't bash a man with a problem like alcoholism"?
And PLEASE don't tell be that taking prescription drugs is any different!!
I think that more to do with Rush's hypocrisy vis-a-vis substance abuse and addiction.
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So where's your holier-than-thou condemnation of Bush?
...or do you acribe to the 'youthful indescretion' line of defense?
What the heck are you talking about? First, there is no "holier-than-thou condemnation" in anything I've said in this string.
Second, this string has absolutely nothing to do with Bush. But if you want to discuss Bush sleeping with his campaign manager, cheating on his wife with someone else, getting a blow job from an intern in the Oval Office, etc., I'm perfectly willing to do that.
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What the heck are you talking about? First, there is no "holier-than-thou condemnation" in anything I've said in this string.
Second, this string has absolutely nothing to do with Bush. But if you want to discuss Bush sleeping with his campaign manager, cheating on his wife with someone else, getting a blow job from an intern in the Oval Office, etc., I'm perfectly willing to do that.
With the exception of an alledged affiar with Rice, I've not heard he's done any of these things,
...however his rampant alcoholism. and cocaine abuse is well documented should you care to look it up.
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With the exception of an alledged affiar with Rice, I've not heard he's done any of these things,
...however his rampant alcoholism. and cocaine abuse is well documented should you care to look it up.
So which tabloid news site did you hear about the Bush/Condi affair? And why isn't the mainstream media covering this story? Is it because Bush has bribed the media (as you have previously alleged)? I would be all over him if this were true BTW.
No I'm not interested in debating Dubya's "well documented" ::) "rampant alcoholism" and "cocaine abuse" that, if true, happened decades ago.
I'll discuss the whole scandalous sex thing if you want to provide your sources on the Bush/Condi affair.
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So which tabloid news site did you hear about the Bush/Condi affair? And why isn't the mainstream media covering this story? Is it because Bush has bribed the media (as you have previously alleged)? I would be all over him if this were true BTW.
No I'm not interested in debating Dubya's "well documented" ::) "rampant alcoholism" and "cocaine abuse" that, if true, happened decades ago.
I'll discuss the whole scandalous sex thing if you want to provide your sources on the Bush/Condi affair.
Man, if he tagged Condi, he goes up a few points (like he can go anywhere else but)... She's a LOT better than that Monica Lewinsky broad... (I say broad with love ladies).