Newsom loses Eric JayeBy Tim Redmond
While everyone's fussing over Chris Daly's residence, here's some seriously big political news. Eric Jaye, who was Mayor Newsom's campaign manager almost from Day One, who has been one of his closest advisors and who has had his fingers in much of what's happened in the Mayor's Office all these years, just quit the Newsom for Governor campaign.
Jaye told me only that there was "a difference of opinion about campaign direction." There was also, I suspect, a difference of opinion in general -- some might call it a power struggle -- between Jaye and Garry South, Newsom's high-priced Southern California-based strategist.
For starters, it takes much of the campaign focus out of San Francisco -- Jaye helped Newsom create his political image through local programs and policies. It also shifts the campaign a big step toward the dark side -- South is a conservative political triangulator who was close to former Gov. Gray Davis.
This could change not just the shape of the Newsom campaign but of policy here in San Francisco. Who's going to tell the mayor what to do?
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Comments (5)
Uh oh, that means the only one left advising Newsom is Satan!
Posted by Sniffy | July 27, 2009 07:11 PM
Sorry, Tim -- as much as you wish it were not so, Daly's hypocrisy is "serious".
The man is profiteering off of the misery of others -- buying up foreclosed property at cheap prices to be a landlord.
Posted by Sherman | July 27, 2009 07:35 PM
Sherman, I agree that Daly's situation is news. I also believe that he had very little choice: He could have told his wife that she couldn't take the kids to live next to her parents (thus becoming an asshole) or he could resign and leave town, thus letting down his (very real) constituency, the folks who voted for him three times because of his progressive politics. If he left, Newsom would appoint someone to that seat completely opposed to Daly's agenda.
So he's making the best of a bad situation. Is that hypocrisy?
I don't think you quite understand the policy implications of the loss of Eric Jaye to the Newsom campaign. Jaye had immense influence over how Newsom ran the city, for good or ill.
Posted by tim redmond | July 27, 2009 08:36 PM
For Gavin Newsom to dump Eric Jaye the way Gavin did it says it all. Never trust a chronic LIAR. The man will never be the Governor of California. The South will profit not and the North always rules. Newsom will not get their votes and we must not surrender our water resources to them as much as Diane Feinstein wants that to happen. Eric Jaye will have much to ponder about and should write a book about his trips and experiences with Caligula.
Posted by Francisco Da Costa | July 28, 2009 01:01 AM
Tim - yes, all of those things may be true. I'll grant you that. But the one glaring omission yourself and the other Guardian writers have refused to address are the ethics of Daly buying up property which was foreclosed on - property previously owned by working-class Latinos. How does that look after Daly's relentless attempts to allow renters in foreclosed-on properties to continue living in them? How does it look in regards to Daly's repeated amens to "diversity." Here comes the rich white guy from the big city, buying up property foreclosed on and renting it back to the brown people while making a healthy profit - the appearance reeks to high heaven.
Posted by Shane | July 28, 2009 06:59 PM