Leave Gavin ALONE! Mayor Was Right To Skip D.C. Beg-a-Thon

While Gavin Newsom doesn't make a habit out of staying in San Francisco, it was a good thing he missed last week's D.C. crusade

The theory is that by skipping out on the Supervisors' week-long lobbying trip to Washington D.C., Gavin was putting his campaign for governor ahead of San Francisco -- despite the fact that any campaigning politician with an ounce of sense loves to pose for photo ops in the nation's capital. Villaraigosa sure made it down to Washington, didn't he?

I don't say this often, city press corps, but ... back off the mayor!

Gavin Newsom's right, and the press is wrong: He had absolutely no good reason to go to Washington D.C., and plenty of good reasons not to.

We might not have noticed that, but Gavin figured it out -- and he kept a low profile right when the city needed him to do it most.

It's not just that the D.C. trip was useless for city electeds to go on -- although it was. I challenge anyone to point to a single award or earmark that resulted specifically from Eric Mar being at a crucial, crucial, meeting in our nation's capital. In fact, I challenge anyone to come up with a single tangible result of this trip that wasn't already in the works thanks to Pelosi, Feinstein, and Boxer ... all of whom are on the mayor's speed dial.

But the pointlessness of the trip, though a plenty good reason for it not to happen, wasn't a good enough reason for Gavin not to go: He'd look great in D.C.. Being treated like a celebrity among the monuments would play to his strengths. If he were really thinking about his campaign, he probably would have been there ... at which point we'd have all criticized him for not hanging around the city attending to business.

But through no fault of his own, Gavin is carrying baggage that could have potentially hurt the city in a high profile lobbying trip at this time -- and even if he can't admit it in public (which he can't) he was smart enough to see it, and keep a relatively low profile. I don't usually give Gavin credit for subtlety, but in the last two weeks he's earned a gold star.

Let's walk this through.

First and foremost, Gavin backed the wrong horse for president -- and if you think that doesn't count for something in D.C., you've never been there. Politicians are not a "forgive and forget" bunch. They're more "it takes a village to burn the village" types. Gavin was a high-profile, vocal, supporter for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, and D.C. politicians get very, very, petty about these kind of things.

President Barack Obama is keen to mend fences, but I guarantee you that not every functionary in his administration is so charitable right now. Gavin did nothing wrong, but someone was sure to try for payback.

It would be different if Clinton were still a powerful Democratic senator. She owes him big, and a timely trip to D.C. could probably have pulled some goodies out of the junior senator from New York. Gavin will cash that chit someday, but right now Hillary's in no position to protect or aid him during a budget crisis. Gavin figured that out - and it's good for San Francisco that he did.

The next problem with Mayor Newsom glad-handing for us in D.C. is that candidate Newsom has his own hands out. As Newsom runs for governor he's actively competing with every big name Democrat up for re-election in the next three years for fundraising dollars from the party's usual suspects -- many of whom live in the Bay Area, and might give to Gavin over some "important" congressman from that place they fly over. That puts him on an elite hit list. Most Washington insiders have no interest in making him look successful: They'd rather see a news report about how San Francisco lost funding because of Newsom, and would be happy to arrange for it given the chance.

Gavin is likewise still radioactive to much of the country over gay marriage. We roll our eyes now about "whether you like it or not Newsom," but them's still fighting words in middle America, and it would be easy for a newly elected Democrat from a red state to score cheap points at home by showing San Francisco's mayor up. You think that wouldn't play well in "family values" land?

Bottom line: If Gavin Newsom goes to Washington, the trip becomes all about "Gavin Newsom," and not "San Francisco." At that point nobody listens about our need for transit dollars, or school aid: Gavin Newsom could talk until he was blue in the face about renewable energy investment -- and he would -- and at the end of 7.5 hours all people in D.C. would still be thinking about is how they can hurt his poll numbers.

The trip was already pointless: By staying home and keeping a low profile, Gavin Newsom kept it from becoming a fiasco.

Disagree with him on the issues all you like, but we owe him for that one.