Ride As I Say, Not As I Do
Most pols can shoulder accusations of hypocrisy over little things like the Iraq war or taxes, but the Times' Duke Helfand hits Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa right where it really smarts with this piece on his avoidance of Los Angeles' public transit. A sample:
"Just about any morning, the mayor could catch a bus on Metro Rapid route 720 at Wilshire and Crenshaw boulevards, transfer to the nearby Red Line subway and arrive at City Hall in about the time it takes to shower, shave and eat a bowl of cereal.
"To gauge the trip, a Times reporter caught the 8:31 a.m. bus Monday down the street from Villaraigosa's official residence in Windsor Square.
"The time to City Hall was 44 minutes. Along the route, bus riders and subway regulars sounded off about the mayor's commuting habits.
"'Get out and ride the transit like you tell everyone else — not just a day, but a week or two,' scolded Jackie Sanders, 39, as she bounced around the crowded Metro Rapid 720. It was the last of three buses she rides every morning from Baldwin Village to Koreatown, where she is studying to become a pharmacy technician."
We here at Political Muscle are equally appalled. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to hop into our company car — the standard issue eight-cylinder Bentley Arnage LWB — and drive over to a conference on global warming two blocks away. Pray for us to find parking!
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