11/28/2008

11 Comments

1. No one? Well, I’m not a Democrat, but these seem to be the names that get bandied about the most:

   Antonio Villagarosa
   Jerry Brown
   John Garamendi (just trying to be a completist)

   Comment by Sean P — 11/28/2008 @ 12:47 pm

2. I think Villaraigosa might have a tough time running. Does anyone remember the halcyon days of 2005 when he was elected mayor of Los Angeles, and all the major media outlets fell all over themselves hailing him as the next power player in Latino politics? If I were running against Villaraigosa, either in the primary or the general election, I would ask one simple question: What has he done as mayor? It seems that he has been pretty much all energy and no accomplishment. He has managed to make an appearance at every supermarket opening or each time a new bus is rolled out by the MTA, but on his signature issues — school district reform, traffic management, curbing gang involvement — he has singularly failed. I don’t think synchronizing the traffic lights on Wilshire Boulevard will make up for all that failure.

   Add to that his messy divorce and some other ugly details as to how he manages his day-to-day job, and I would hope he would have a hard time building any sort of political movement outside of Los Angeles. It is worth noting that in their latest version of America’s Best Leaders, Villaraigosa has been replaced as the Latino mayor du jour — er, por las dias — by Manny Diaz of Miami.

   Comment by JVW — 11/28/2008 @ 2:25 pm

3. [Kevin, I don't know what sort of access powers to the blog you have, but a comment of mine on this thread regarding Antonio Villaraigosa appears to be stuck in comment limbo.]

   I edit/remove/mark-as-spam/etc comments on my posts, but I don’t see your earlier comment. Sorry — Kevin

   Comment by JVW — 11/28/2008 @ 2:34 pm

4. In a primary between Villaraigosa, Newsom, Brown, and Feinstein, I reluctantly vote for Brown.

   Steve Westly, maybe? His star seems to have flamed out.

   Comment by aphrael — 11/28/2008 @ 3:27 pm

5. Comment by aphrael — 11/28/2008 @ 3:27 pm

   Yes, with those four, “Pat” Brown would make an excellent choice.

   Comment by Another Drew — 11/28/2008 @ 5:35 pm

6. I don’t get to vote in the Democratic primaries, but of those four, Feinstein is standout to me.

   –JRM

   Comment by JRM — 11/28/2008 @ 6:49 pm

7. Feinstein will be 76 next June, and almost 78 on inaguration day 2011. She’s three full years older than John McCain. It would be interesting that Dems who ran a subtle campaign accusing John McCain of being too old to be President will now try to argue that Sen. Feinstein has enough vim and vigor to govern the nation’s most populous state and it’s largest budget and budget deficit. Some media liberals are already hitching up the bandwagon and drying to pooh-pooh the age issue.

   The one interesting thing about Feinstein running for governor is that maybe, just maybe, she will finally have to answer real questions about how her husband made millions of dollars in arms deals while she served as a leading Democrat on defense appropriations committees.

   Comment by JVW — 11/28/2008 @ 10:21 pm

8. Comment by JVW — 11/28/2008 @ 10:21 pm

   And, there is the land issues re the Mojave National Preserve that her husband’s companies scored on – legislation that she was the author of in the Senate.
   Corruption, it’s a family business.
   Plus, we can always go to her gun-control mania, and point out how she has a CCW since her days as Mayor of SanFran.
   Ah, hypocrisy – the face of a Democrat.

   Comment by Another Drew — 11/29/2008 @ 9:42 am

9. It would be interesting that Dems who ran a subtle campaign accusing John McCain of being too old to be President will now try to argue that Sen. Feinstein has enough vim and vigor to govern

   Not a problem. Frank Lautenberg won his first Senate race by arguing that Millicent Fenwick, at 72, was too old for the job. Four weeks ago, at the age of 84, he convinced NJ voters that he wasn’t too old after all for yet another six-year term. I can only conclude that being a Democrat automatically makes one 20 years younger.

   Hmmm, that would make Obama only 27 — have I found grounds for yet another court challenge to his win?

   Comment by Milhouse — 12/2/2008 @ 8:36 am

10. Comment by Milhouse — 12/2/2008 @ 8:36 am

    Well, chronologically he might be 47, but intellectually,
    he sure seems to be stuck in those awful post-grad 20′s,
    without any leavening by experience in the cold, cruel world.

    Comment by Another Drew — 12/2/2008 @ 11:34 am

11. Villaraigosa’s name is too closely associated with his ex-wife, Corina. Antonio should either go back to his maiden name, Villar, or change it to something more flexible like Villarwhoeverimbangingthisweek.

    Comment by Xrlq — 12/2/2008 @ 12:14 pm

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