FOR the past few years Gavin Newsom has been a stimulus (stimulus)package for the conservative(conservative) movement(很生动地表达~). His decision to allow gay marriages in San Francisco’s city hall in 2004 was credited with provoking a big Republican turnout in that year’s presidential race. Last year he unwittingly became the star of TV advertisements in favour of banning gay marriage in California. But not content with running a city loathed by conservatives, Mr Newsom now wishes to take charge of an entire state.

　　The young, handsome mayor (he is 41) has begun to raise money and hold town-hall meetings in preparation for a run at the office that Arnold Schwarzenegger will vacate at the end of next year. Mr Newsom joins a race that is thick with Bay Area politicians. Jerry Brown, the state attorney-general and former governor, grew up in San Francisco. So did Dianne Feinstein, the state’s senior senator, who has hinted that she may enter the race. Both leading Republican candidates have stronger ties to Silicon Valley than to anywhere else in California. Only one likely contender, Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles, is from southern California, where most of the state’s people live.

　　Mr Newsom is not the loony liberal of conservative tirades. By Bay Area standards he is a moderate Democrat; in San Francisco he is sometimes accused of conservatism. He is the son of a judge and part of the city’s Irish Catholic establishment. A former restaurateur, he claims to be pro-business, so long as that business is environmentally sound. Mr Newsom points out that San Francisco has one of the lowest unemployment rates in California.

　　With a population of about 750,000, San Francisco is no more than medium-sized (Phoenix, Arizona, is twice as big). That, together with the city’s wealth, makes it a good place to experiment. Mr Newsom has tried to turn it into a Petri dish for new-media and biotech companies. He has tidied up the city somewhat and cut the number of rough sleepers. The city boasts a high recycling rate and strict green building standards.

　　Most important, for Mr Newsom’s gubernatorial ambitions at least, he has expanded health care. Some 35,000 previously uninsured workers are now eligible for treatment by local clinics, paid for in part by a tax on businesses. With typical self-assurance, Mr Newsom claims that his model could be rolled out more widely if Barack Obama’s health plan falters. Some of his schemes are outlined in a series of talks, available on YouTube, which run for more than seven hours and have earned him comparisons to Fidel Castro.

　　None of which throws Mr Newsom off his stride. He does not exactly deny the charge that his city is out of kilter with mainstream America. He just sees it as a pioneer, not an outlier. As he points out, the city handed out condoms long bore the practice was mainstream. “Whether you support us or oppose us, we’re always at the leading edge,” he says.

　　The question that will determine Mr Newsom’s chances next year is whether voters will punish him for being at the leading edge of the gay-marriage issue. Asked about this, Mr Newsom says he doesn’t care. In fact, it may help him. To reach the governor’s office he must survive the Democratic primary, where liberals dominate. And at least he has taken a bold, consistent stance on the issue. By contrast, Mrs Feinstein and (particularly) Mr Brown have twisted in the cultural winds. The gesture that made Mr Newsom so hated may yet make his career(喜欢~). And after California, who knows?

　　这篇的主旨句就是Whether you support us or oppose us, we’re always at the leading edge,

　　隐约感觉可以用在创新与固守的类型上~还没过题库，分析不深~、

　　摹写：

　　The scandal that made him so notorious,may yet make his well-kown

　　这篇文章还有一个特点就是插入语的使用很多~值得借鉴~

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