Mayor's Race
Gore gives Newsom the nod
BY J.K. DINEEN
Of The Examiner Staff
Published on Wednesday, December 3, 2003
Former Vice President Al Gore gave a rousing endorsement of mayoral candidate Gavin Newsom Tuesday afternoon, hailing the fellow Democrat as an innovator committed to “renewing The City with great ideas.”
The arrival of the Democratic heavyweight a week before Election Day underscored the Newsom campaign’s portrayal of the race against opponent Matt Gonzalez as a contest between a traditional Democrat and a Green Party member.
Gonzalez left the Democratic Party after he was elected to the board of supervisors in 2000.
“I’m here because I’m passionately in favor of Gavin Newsom,” Gore said.
The former vice president, who arrived at Regency Center in a rental car with no staff, gave a 15 minute speech, which included an amusing, self-effacing portrayal of his post-White House years and a commentary on Newsom’s campaign.
Gore, who now lives in Nashville, Tenn., praised Newsom for the detailed policy papers he has put out, which he said he read on the plane. The detailed papers, he said, would bear fruit should Newsom be elected mayor.
“The thing that reminds me most of my experience in the White House is what Gavin Newsom has done … putting out 21 detailed policy papers containing lots of fresh, new ideas,” Gore said.
Gore stressed that governing should be based on “evidence-based policy” and that politicians should immerse themselves in the “nuts and bolts of the programs and policies that are where the rubber meets the road.”
After the vice president’s remarks, Newsom and Gore sat before the packed audience talk-show style, with Newsom asking Gore questions about reorganizing government and what sector of the economy he thought would drive the next economic boom.
The event was part of Newsom’s “Great Cities, Great Ideas” series, where he has brought experts in from around the country and picked their brains, in a format that has been half seminar and half campaign rally.
With more than 500 people in the audience and a limited amount of time, the discussion did not generate any new ideas likely to revolutionize San Francisco government — but Gore said he appreciated the format.
“I’ve campaigned all over the United States and I can’t say I’ve ever had an event where the candidate for mayor wants to have an in depth conversation about the ideas which are important to the future of the city,” Gore said.
The Gore event was unscathed by planned anti-Gore Green Party protests, which the Newsom campaign blamed on Gonzalez partisans — but turned out to have been generated by e-mails sent by computers at the Newsom headquarters.
Both campaigns denounced the protest and a Gonzalez supporter took out a full-page advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle saying that Gonzalez supporters welcome Al Gore to San Francisco. Gonzalez held a peace walk in the Mission, which was billed as an alternative to protesting Gore.
Outside the forum, a few Democratic Gonzalez supporters distributed flyers about a past Newsom contribution to the local Republican Party.
Newsom Campaign Manager Jim Ross said he continues to look into the Gore protest e-mail. “We’re doing an investigation,” Ross said. “We’re taking it very seriously and I don’t believe it came from the campaign.”
E-mail: jdineen@examiner.com