In a fresh off the press interview with Rolling Stone, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom takes Democrats to task for their spineless leadership on marriage equality. Newsom points out that their tepid waffling doesn't fool anyone, but reinforces everyone's belief that the Democrats lack conviction.  How is that going to win any votes? 

Rolling Stone: Listening to the Democratic opposition to the federal anti-gay marriage amendment, the party?s senators sounded more like Dixiecrats ? talking about marriage as a states?s rights issue ? rather than Democrats, pursuing this from a civil-rights perspective.

Gavin Newsom: Where?s the moral courage? It?s lost. I have the luxury of saying this from San Francisco, I certainly respect what it?s like saying this in parts of Kentucky or North Carolina, but also believe this issue won?t go away for the Democratic party we stand up on historic principles.

We?ve never run the 90-yard dash on equality ? ever. The history of this party is civil rights, women?s rights, human rights, labor rights, gay and lesbian rights. And for us to hold up civil unions and say that separate is somehow now equal ? when just a-year-and-a-half we ago celebrated the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board ? is transparent to the people. They see through the Democrats.

That?s why this issue was not seen by the Kerry campaign in 2004 in a positive light. Because people saw through John Kerry. They didn?t believe that he was only supportive of civil unions. Because here he was, running as a Democrat on all those proud traditions where we never fell short on equality. And so ? even though his position was exactly the same as Dick Cheney?s ? the American people questioned that. I don?t think the American people believe us. And that?s a big problem.