On the morning after the day-long Progressive Convention ended without a leftist candidate to oppose incumbent Gavin Newsom in his re-election bid, political columnists Matier and Ross -- the mayor’s PR team at the SF Chronicle -- explained why they think the golden boy is unbeatable.

According to the journalistic duo, Gavin’s job approval rating is still sky high. 62% of San Franciscans feel that the city is “on the right track,” despite obvious problems, such as homelessness and the lack of affordable housing; and Newsom’s already got a campaign war chest of over $1 million.

M&R don’t quite have it right. What makes Newsom seemingly undefeatable is not just the numbers, it’s also his showmanship. The constant Barnum and Bailey routine. The greatest show on earth is not some elephant trotting around in a tutu and a funny hat, it’s Care Not Cash, gay marriage and Project Homeless Connect. That’s the way Newsom keeps the masses thinking everything is hunky-dory. When he’s not “ending” homelessness by taking a small percentage of the unhoused (those on general assistance) off the streets, Gavin’s issuing marriage licenses to queers in defiance of state law or washing the feet of a homeless man at one of his regular Project Homeless Connect gatherings. Reliable sources tell us that feeding the hungry with five loaves of bread and two fish is next on his messianic agenda.

Progressives have our work cut out for us if we want to retire the man behind the curtain. It’s not going to be easy. Gavin knows his routine well. He jumped on board universal healthcare when polls showed that it was immensely popular. He talked about a free MUNI, but does nothing to make it happen. He stages a photo op on any number of other issues, including immigration reform.

On the other hand, he just pulled a George Bush on the supplementary housing funding that the Board of Supervisors recently passed with a veto-proof majority. Though the money is slated to help low-income folks, the mayor says he simply won’t release it. Like the president who’s refused to obey over 700 bills that Congress has passed.

Progressives need to learn a lesson from Gavin’s showmanship. We once had the routine down. Eight years ago, Supervisor Tom Ammiano leaped into the mayor’s race at the eleventh hour as a write-in candidate and within two weeks got himself into a runoff with then-incumbent Willie Brown. Not to mention garnered headlines throughout the nation. The campaign was offbeat, nontraditional, and filled with pizzazz. Ammiano ultimately lost, but not before the grassroots movement that drafted him to run took over the majority of Board of Supervisors seats and changed the course of politics in San Francisco.

History could repeat itself. Even if progressives don’t beat Newsom this year, an exciting campaign now could galvanize support for progressive candidates running for the Board of Supervisors next year, ensuring that we have a progressive majority for another two years.

All we’re lacking is the ring leader with the top hat and the jacket with the tails.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a radical, southern Italian, working-class, atheist queer writer and performer with a webpage: www.avicollimecca.com