As 2010 approaches, I’ve be taking some time to handicap next year’s gubernatorial race. I will continue to comment on the Republican race as it develops but want to focus on the General Election next year and why Gavin Newsom’s nomination presents serious issues for Democrats in California.
As mayor of San Francisco, Newsom has consistently fallen into line with his city’s liberal political wing, most notably his support of same-sex marriage. Last year the voters showed they weren’t ready for that idea of Newsom’s.
But those in the know (as I am finding out) are aware of an issue that will be much tougher for Newsom to shake than gay marriage in a general election next year. Newsom has been a vocal supporter of San Francisco’s illegal “Sanctuary City” policy in which city officials are directed to NOT inform Federal immigration authorities when they detain or arrest an undocumented immigrant.
This policy, and Newsom’s steadfast backing of it, had real and deadly consequences last summer. On June 22nd, 2008, Edwin Ramos, an illegal alien already twice convicted of felonies (including mugging a pregnant woman) in San Francisco, allegedly opened-fire on Anthony Bologna and his two sons with an AK-47, killing all three of them, because of a traffic jam (read it here).
Although Ramos’ rap-sheet was long enough to warrant deportation years ago, San Francisco’s sanctuary city protected him and ultimately cost three innocent members of the Bologna family their lives.
Less than two weeks after the shootings, Newsom continued to defend the policy saying that, “…If I believe in a sanctuary city, we don’t just believe in it, we’ll market it, we’ll advertise it and people get outraged by that. But if you believe in something, fight for it.”
And advertise it he did, even sponsoring a multi-lingual campaign that spent $83,000 in taxpayer dollars.
I am itching for the chance to take on Gavin Newsom in the general election next year. He would be a very easy target… Showing Newsom as someone who has blatant disregard for the law, has grossly misused taxpayer money and has consistently put the rights of illegal immigrant criminals ahead of honest, law-abiding citizens will make him radioactive to California voters far more than his other already all too public foibles.
Unfortunately, Newsom’s primary opponent, Attorney General Jerry Brown, will probably use these kinds of extreme and dangerous (to the public) positions and actions of Newsom to clean his clock before Republicans ever get that chance.
Check out this video:
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