Don't Hate the Mayor, Hate the Game

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, 39, cheated with his married secretary, wife of his best friend and campaign manager. Perhaps I have been jaded by reality t.v. and tabloid newspapers, but I don't understand why we become so completely shocked and outraged when a politician is caught with their pants down (literally); what I do understand is that Newsom is a man before he is a mayor, and we should collecectively thank him for his speedy, honest confession.

The controversy stems from the fact that we tend to immortalize politicians, place them on pedestals that they are not worthy of. They juggle the same worldly issues that mere mortals face every day: adultery, fornication, addiction and/or substance abuse. We become so indignant, puffing our chests out whenever the newest scandal crawls across our television screen, but if we looked at these mayors, congressmen and presidents as men perhaps we would be more understanding and less shocked by their indiscretions.

Although cheating and adultery are clearly unacceptable to most constituents, it must be noted that Newsom is a young man with movie star looks, a millionaire smile and endless charm. No doubt he has top-notch groupies, eagerly making their presence knoat political events as if they were at a professional basketball game. Although Newsom is easy on the eyes, most politicians have sex appeal regardless of their physical features; they exude intelligence, presence and most importantly power. From JFK to Clinton, Presidents of the United States have long been entangled in unforbidden love affairs, so the path of wickedness has a lofty legacy. Politics and power go hand in hand, and as long as men are placed in positions of authority, there will be a flock of doe-eyed secretaries, staffers and volunteers falling all over themselves to get next to them.

In recent years, statisticians have told us that nearly 70% of married men cheat, so it's no wonder that these high-powered scandals and love triangles increasingly persist, headlining the evening news and the grocery store checkout lanes. No doubt average citizens have heard of far seedier affairs from friends and neighbors, but we wag our hypocritical fingers at people in positions of power when they are no different from us. To assume that politicians live sanitized lives is ludicrous, and expecting them to somehow live up to our unrealistic, high expectations is absurd. In his three years in office, Newsom has had his share of critics, but he has never received this much criticism since he allowed gay couples to marry at city hall a couple of years ago. For the most part, Newsom has supplied a breath of young, fresh air to the metropolitan city.

I met Mayor Newsom around the time of the notorious affair when I was a high school teacher in San Francisco. He came to dedicate the health center, and he was a dynamic speaker. He was engaging and sincere, stopping to meet anyone that held their hand out for acknowledgement. Newsom walked through the school without much security, and he presented himself with humility and grace. He was more like the sexy next-door neighbor than the most powerful man in San Francisco.

Public outcry was to be expected when the allegation arose that he was going to continue paying his friend and former campaign manager, Alex Tourk, 39, until he had acquired a new position (he quit January 31st after his wife admitted to the affair). Ironically, the newspapers are calling it "hush money", but the cat is already out of the bag; it's more like an act of atonement or restitution. Needless to say, the inappropriate gesture was in poor taste, but the new news is that Newsom agreed to pay Tourk's salary out of his own pocket--I hope Tourk can find it in his heart to forgive him because Newsome is obviously guilt-ridden.

I must admit that when Newsom divulged his alcohol addiction just a few days after the February 1st press conference I cringed at the way his spin doctors had clearly spun out of control. It has become cliché for the accused to blame his/her discretion on an addiction of some sort. I thought he was forthright and sincere when he acknowledged his affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourke, but when he qualified the affair with alcoholism I felt that he was making excuses. My mother always used to say that "less is always more", and in this situation Newsom was better off quitting while he was ahead. The alcoholism was either a red herring or an overshare, but either way it was TMI (too much information). Prior to last week, Newsom was set to launch a re-election campaign in November for a second four-year term. No word on whether or not he has had a change of heart.

As a side note, Mrs. Tourke, 34, is currently in an Arizona rehab for her own drug addiction. Newsom, who was separated from his wife during the affair with Mrs. Tourke, is now divorced and dating Brittanie Mountz, 20.