Antonio Villaraigosa gets spotlighted

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received major props today -- along with three other Californians -- in a Washington Post look at Hillary Clinton's solid win in the state's Democratic presidential primary.

Villaraigosa's staff couldn't have written a better headline: "Clinton's California Dream Team."

And the piece contains this nifty nugget, illustrating how Villaraigosa -- already noted for his indefatigability -- pulled out all the stops for his chosen candidate. Noting that after arising one day at 5 a.m., stumping for Clinton in Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento and then returning to Los Angeles, it says of Villaraigosa:

"After about 700 miles and five or six speeches on Clinton's behalf, he still had one more address to deliver. Then he planned to rush home to cook broccoli and chicken for his 14-year-old daughter, whom he sees only occasionally"  because his failed marriage.

Villaraigosa's messy breakup with his wife -- as well as his utter lack of background in foreign policy matters -- almost assuredly eliminates him as a vice presidential contender, should Clinton nail down her party's nomination.

Still, in that eventuality, his efforts on her behalf should pay undeniable political dividends for him.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Ironfem]

Well he has gone on trade missions abroad, which is the majority of foreign policy trips for the typical VP anyway. I thought he had to come back from somewhere in Latin America when the LAPD showed how community-oriented it was on May 1, 2007.

But, I find it deeply, DEEPLY, ironic that a feminist is surrounding herself with men who disrespect their own wives.

[Kay]

Excuse me, disrespect their own wives, do yo mean CRAIG or ATCHINSON?
You keep hurling morality at good people, hypocrite. 55 percent of marriages goes into divorce. Check your wife or husband hes more likely cheating on you.

[Ironfem]

Worse.

I'm referring to Bill.

Sure, marriages fail - but most don't involve humiliating their wife in public like Villar and Clinton have. Or don't you remember? Then again, maybe party loyalty is more important to the Clinton campaign than familial loyalty.

Also -unless *I* am cheating on my spouse, I can't be called a hypocrite. You might need to go back to the dictionary for that one.

[Edgar]

Political dividends? Only if she wins....

[ES]

So that's what Antonio was busy doing -- supporting Hillary -- when he should have been working his ass off to end the writers' strike. Didn't he campaign partially on the notion that he has experience resolving labor disputes and can build bridges between differing constituencies? Why is he not getting the flak he so rightfully deserves for utterly failing/abandoning Los Angeles in the middle of this crisis?