Mayor Gavin Newsom is refusing to become the face of liberal criticism of President Barack Obama by reminding everyone he is still at the forefront of the gay marriage issue.
The former gubernatorial hopeful has refused to take the bait cast by talking network heads looking for someone to lead the left's revolt against the president.
Newsom put himself in the awkward position of party step child when he criticized Mr. Obama, in a haunting interview with the New York Times, for not taking a stronger stance in favor of gay marriage.
The mayor has become a popular figure on national news shows following his critical comments first published last week. Tuesday, Newsom appeared on MSNBC for the second time in less than a week and for the second time in less than a week the mayor was asked about his criticism of Obama and not his work as mayor of San Francisco.
Newsom has been careful not to give the media anything to feed off of since clarifying, but standing by, his initial comments to push the president to share his view on gay marriage. Instead he has focused on his own involvement in the push to legalize gay marriage.
“That somehow he has stepped back from the issue is ludicrous,” Newsom's Press Secretary Tony Winnicker told the San Francisco Examiner.
And just in case anyone questioned Newsom's dedication to movement, he flew to the heart of Mormon country to show his support for gay marriage.
Newsom joined his actress wife at the Sundance Festival premiere of “8: The Mormon Proposition,” a movie that casts a critical eye on the Mormon church's role in the campaign to pass Proposition 8.
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