Gavin, Antonio and Denver
When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. And I'm wrong. There was no embrace this morning between rival mayors Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, no jabs at the press for wanting to make a united Democratic front into a potential gubernatorial smackdown. Newsom spoke to California Democrats at the convention in Denver, then walked off the podium and down the hall with a trail of paparazzi, while Villaraigosa marched past. The two did not even look at each other.
Newsom not only delivered the speech of a man running for governor, he killed. He hit his campaign talking points or, at least, those things that ought to be his campaign talking points: San Francisco's universal healthcare program, universal preschool, universal this and universal that. Environment. Living wage. Same-sex marriage -- not by taking credit for launching the movement, but by calling on California Democrats to defeat Proposition 8, the gay-marriage ban.
He repeated these words often, and he sold them: "If we can do it in San Francisco, let me promise you, we can do it in the state of California." Or: "I promise you. We have evidence. This is not an assertion, this is not another political speech. I will show you how it's done. We have done it in San Francisco. It can be done anywhere."
And get a load of this zinger:
"I appreciate some people wanting to take over school districts; I certainly respect the desire for change, but we decided to do it differently. We decided to build a partnership with our public schools." Was he talking about anyone in particular?
Villaraigosa could have answered that his partnership for schools gets under way next week, or that he has environmental programs of his own. But his was not a gubernatorial campaign speech. He talked about what Democrats have been talking about all week -- if they are going to get what they want, they have to elect Barack Obama.
But these delegates were starting to tire of hearing that from people other than Obama himself.
"I wanted to come and say a few words to you," Villaraigosa told California Democrats, "not to talk about anything I'm doing in Los Angeles, but to speak to you about what we all need to do throughout the state, throughout our city and throughout the nation."
I have some sympathy for Villaraigosa. Earlier this week (and this summer), reporters and others got on his case for spending so much time out of state campaigning for Hillary Clinton, then for supposedly not doing enough to get Clinton voters to back Obama. And now, when that's exactly what he's talking about in Denver, I'm saying he didn't equal Gavin Newsom in presenting himself as a potential governor. He can't win for losing. He's not even a candidate for governor (Newsom has opened an exploratory campaign, Villaraigosa deflects questions about his intentions).
Still, Newsom sure sounded inspiring in comparison, and his list of solid accomplishments from his first term helps listeners ask themselves what Villaraigosa has to show for himself. It also diverts attention from the fact that San Francisco is a fabulously wealthy boutique of a city, with a combined city-county government that makes it easier to turn talk into action.
Am I giving Newsom too much credit? Am I going too easy on Villaraigosa? Listen for yourself:
Download a. Villaraigosa 8-28-08.mp3
AP photos
lol do what in San Francisco? screw over public transportation? mess up the budget? allow illegal immigrant drug dealers who are minors a safe haven so they can kill innocent civilians? enforce gun laws on poor people who live in subsidized housing? aggressively force cigarette smokers to quit by banning them from every possible area? force people who live in subsided housing to prove that they have vehicle registration? SF has been getting worse and worse ever since that man stepped into office. I would reelect Arnold (if I could) in a heartbeat over the guy...and I'm about as far from a republican as you can get and think that arnold is a total joke...but at least he isn't Gavin Highstrung
Posted by: a | August 28, 2008 at 08:22 PM
Doesn't look like we in Cali have a lot to pick from in 2010. Governor Schwarzenegger is a disaster, who became a "girlie man" himself when it came to the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, who made him bow down and worship their powerful union. Villaraigosa on the other hand, missed an opportunity to heal the riff between Blacks and Latinos in L.A., when he made some questionable comments about Obama and ended up backing Hillary to the point of neglecting his job as mayor. He would never get the votes he needs from Blacks to become Governor of California. Blacks haven't forgotten the treatment of many shortsighted politicians, like Villaraigosa, who jumped on the Clinton bandwagon, assured that she would destroy the Junior Senator from Illinois. They figured they'd never have to look Barack in the face again or apologize for their borderline racist behavior. Well, they were wrong and now they're hoping that Barack is not like them. Fortunately, for them, he's not. He's a cut above all those who had written him off. Although, I don't agree with a lot of Newsome's agenda, but, I'd still vote for him over L.A.'s mayor any day.
Posted by: Gary In Pismo Beach, CA | August 29, 2008 at 12:04 PM
I would challenge Newsom to find any meaningful partnerships in a district like the LAUSD with its 700,000 students (as opposed to San Francisco's tiny 56,000 and dropping) and with so many special interests tearing it apart.
Newsom's comment wasn't a zinger, it was pure naivete.
Posted by: Westchesterparents.org | August 29, 2008 at 06:02 PM