Newsom's Ultimate Betrayal

Adam and Eve, Circa 1932
Painting by Tamara de Lempicka

Fog CIty Editorial

By Nevena Predolac

February 2, 2007

"The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust."

Muhammad al-Bukhari.

While everyone is exercising their own moral fiber in denouncing Newsom's adultery and his breach of the public trust, his most concerning action is the painful betrayal of his loyal and trusted friend, Alex Tourk.

Former Newsom Deputy Chief of Staff and Newsom 2007 Campaign Manager Alex Tourk
Photo by Luke Thomas

In a shady corner we find Judas, Delilah, Brutus, and now Newsom and Ruby Tourk added to the membership of the Backstabber's Club.

Newsom's betrayal paints a dismal picture of Newsom the man which we cannot separate from Newsom the politician, or Newsom the Mayor of San Francisco.

If Newsom is capable of betraying one of his most loyal and trusted servants, what can we expect of his respect for San Francisco constituents?

And If there is a problem with Newsom's thinking, we should all be afraid, very afraid, because he pens the big deals on our behalf.

We hold our elected officials to the highest standard of propriety. Our hands may have become slippery after Mayor Willie Brown's numerous affairs, but we the people of San Francisco hold the firm grip over who we want to lead our great city. The initial shock of Newsom's betrayal may begin to fade, but our values should not.

Our sympathies should not be with those who dismissed the risks of breaking hearts but with those who have become innocent collateral damage; whose consequences were chosen for them and now must endure the seed Newsom has sewn.

It's not the mayor's sex life that we should remember or care about, it's Alex Tourk as an embodiment of those who get hurt when egos grow taller than City Hall, when base instincts override judgement.

Newsom's "lack of judgement", as Newsom Press Secretary Peter Ragone put it Thursday, is the usual type of obliqueness we get from the mayor's office.

Inspired by shame Newsom could deliver us an apology from the heart, not from a "PR for Dummies" playbook.

It's not clear or relevant who handed whom the apple, or if there were any persuasive snakes involved, but, in return, Newsom may see himself as morally naked for the first time, and so do we.

The honorable way out of this shady corner is for Newsom to gracefully depart Eden.

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