I know he hasn’t been in office all that long - but how do our LA and Calif. Dopers think he’s doing? He’s been held up (by Newsweek and other MSM sources) as a possible Latino star on the national political scene. Do you think so? If so, does he have the stuff for the Senate or the Presidency, in time?
I’ve been watching this thread for a few days and surprised at the lack of responses!
I’m probably not the best person to respond to this because I can’t provide any specific cites, but I suppose I can provide my general opinion on things. As an Angelino, I am very very pleased with Villaraigosa’s performance. I love how he is a staunch advocator of public transportation and is working hard to extend the Red Line (subway route) down Wilshire Blvd. He removed all lobbyists from city positions and is working very diligently to restore the public’s faith in the government. He is working hard to enourage diversity in the city government as well.
One thing I love about Villaraigosa is his ability to connect and seem accessible to the public, which Jim Hahn seriously failed to do. I don’t even think I would be able to tell you what Jim Hahn looks like yet every single Angelino would be able to identify Villaraigosa in a heartbeat. Villaraigosa never seems pompous or “above” the people even though he is our mayor. I remember when Los Angeles received a first bomb threat via the subway system, the next day Villaraigosa was seen riding the Red Line helping to help qualm people’s fears and to personally demonstrate his faith in the security of the public transportation system. To me, that speaks volumes about him both as a person and a politician.
Do I see a future for him as a senator or even president? Absolutely. There is no doubt Angelino’s love him and are proud to have him as our mayor, and if he can win over some of the most cynical, jaded people in the country, then he can win anyone else’s heart!
Ha! Right after I posed my reply, I found an article in L.A. Weekly discussing his attempts to reform LAUSD and how he is a possible governor candidate for 2010 or VP candidate in 2008. I haven’t figured out how to create hyperlinks on this message board, so I’m just going to post the URL.
So far, there haven’t been any scandals or screams of rampant corruption, and nobody is out to take his head, so I suppose that means he is doing phenomenal. We are a pretty rough audience in L.A. 
What the others have said: he hasn’t screwed up yet. 
(Sounds like my annual job performance reviews 
)
He has sided with the protesting illegals, in support of people who break the law. The idea of taking over the school board might not work out very well. The Red Line will take more than a decade and may never happen at all. Funding is very questionable. By the time they are done we are talking 4 billion dollars and dollar one hasn’t been secured, nor does it look to be happening.
So what do you have? A whole lotta nothing. The guy is a weenie political hack, and if he becomes governor it will be a very bad sign for California :wally
They aren’t all illegals. Most are legal citizens.
I doubt if you could provide a cite. The large protest had plenty of illegals for sure. But the protests are to legalize the ones who are illegal, and make it easy for more to come. Just as bad, and the Mayor should be ashamed of his endorsement of the invasion of our nation.
Could just be they’re playing it cool while laying an ambush . . .
You can certainly have that opinion. Of course I think that you’re absolutely wrong. And of course you don’t have any cites either. I don’t believe that he endorsed this “invasion”, but a rather harsh and unworkable deportation plan that would do nothing to really protect our borders. A plan that many US citizens oppose and many voters in his city oppose.
Um, yeah. That’s why proposition 186 was approved by a 2/3 majority in California. And just to remind you, illegal aliens aren’t allowed to vote (yet), although many do.
And of course he endorsed the invasion. His mere presence was an act of solidarity. Christ, the man was a member of La Raza and has never renounced his affiliation. If you didn’t know, La Raza (“The Race”) wants to repatriate the southwestern United States to Mexico, in other words, they advocate overthrow and treason.
If holding criminals to account is “harsh and unworkable” let’s just empty the prisons. Have you ever even BEEN to the southwest? Like many dopers, you aren’t disclosing your location. I live in Los Angeles and see firsthand the effects of what is a very real invasion.
What doesn Proposition 186 have to do with this? He got elected by legal voters. Legal voters who made up a large part of the crowd and who don’t support what the crowd was protesting. Or how about emptying the prisons of murderers and rapists putting people who have illegally immigrated in them instead? I live in Texas in a town that is 39.6% Hispanic and in a county that is 35.8% Hispanic. I moved here from a town in southeastern NM that was 42.8% Hispanic and a county that was 39.6% Hispanic. What are exactly are these effects of this “invasion” BTW?
They were against the same legislation that the crowd was.
Cite? For that last part. What was the percentage split between the two groups?
Explain to me, then, why the very anti-illegal (would have denied almost all public benefits) Prop 187 was supported by a majority of HISPANIC CITIZENS.
A noisy crowd doesn’t always represent the feelings of the average citizen. Ask the black person who can trace his legacy in this country to, um, BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR how they feel about Latinos taking low paying jobs they are competing for. Get back to me when you finish your poll.
We will never know. If you are to believe the man in the street interviews, they were 100% citizens. If you believe that, you are as gullible as some bulls around here. There were plenty of illegals in that demonstration, and they marched without fear of reprisal. Si Se Puede!
And they can, but the repisal they are too shortsighted to see is that most US Citizens don’t like seeing the Mexican flag blocking our freeways, and our flag being burned. The reprisals will take the form of legislation, and they can demonstrate all they want.
In any case, who gives a rat’s patoot who is marching. We don’t run our democracy based on noisy crowds. We do it at the ballot box, and time after time it has been shown that US Citizens support strong border and immigration control. What is really frightening and motivating the marchers is that the polititians are finally starting to listen.
I’d like to see cite too. So far, it is just opinion on both sides.
I don’t know what California welfare system is like. But illegal aliens aren’t eligible for anything but WIC and indegent care in Texas. The Civil War with illegal aliens? That one’s a little out there, no?
Didn’t Prop.186 lose? And wasn’t that part of Wilson’s downfall?
YOU made the assertion that a majority of the voters agreed with Villaraigosa. I rebuted the fact that in the only real poll that counts (the one at the ballot box) that reflects voter sentiment about illegals (prop 187) the voters (including a majority of HISPANICS) favored the bill. That is what it has to do with it. Simple enough?
Me gullible? You throw around stuff like an illegal immigrant civil war and tout a lost Proposition that cost a Governor a political race.