Tony Returns
revolute, nunez_obama_tony, 27th October, 2006 (via Flickr)But with looming budget deficits, Olympic/Pico push back, LAUSD, and gang shootouts, I heard the voice of a man who would just rather not be here anymore.
On Senator Clinton’s prospects, Villaraigosa remained confident, but confessed that if she loses the nomination, he intends to actively support Senator Obama—repeating his assertion that “change” in Washington would “produce dividends” for Angelenos.
Especially, I’m sure, if a Cabinet post were part of the package.
Labels: Barack Obama, hillary clinton, mayor antonio villaraigosa
Posted by solomon @ 3/03/2008 06:39:00 PM
14 Comments:
What a scum-sucking, self-serving piece of crap Tony Villa-Raigosa is.
Guaranteed: he will get his butt kicked in the next mayoral election because he'll be out of town vamping for Obama.
Mayor Sam scoops the Times—about itself *
Kevin Roderick
Thursday, September 1 2005
The political blog Mayor Sam's Sister City is not anonymous any longer. Two of the ring-leaders came out of the closet in a post today, after the Times asked them to confirm or deny that they were the secret bloggers. It turns out one, as some suspected, was a top campaign operative for mayoral candidate and Villaraigosa campaign chair Bob Hertzberg. Hertzberg denied any knowledge of the connection and told the Times he probably would have stopped it if he knew. The poster who used the pseud "Mayor Sam" and who says he started the blog is Michael Higby, the Chairman and past president of the California Junior Chamber of Commerce. That's him in the pic. He Googles as a 40-year-old political and community volunteer in the Valley who is Corporate Communications Manager of Investors Management Trust, if his online resume is up to date. The more interesting name is Brian Hay, who says he was the site's "Mayor Frank." Hay was Chief Information Officer for Hertzberg's mayoral campaign and more recently has overseen Hertzberg's website BigIdeas4LA. As editor of the Hertzblog's news digest, he often promoted Mayor Sam's gossip. Today's post did not disclose any other identities, even though the blog has claimed to have four regular anonymous contributors. The early, web-only Times story by City Hall reporter Steve Hymon says that Mike Trujillo, a spokesman for Rob Reiner's school initiative, also confirmed that he had played a "key role." He is a Villaraigosa supporter who is active in the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats.
HertzbergIt will be interesting to see how this plays out. Higby posts that he intends to keep the site going, "continuing its mission of shedding light on local government." I wouldn't be surprised, however, if the bloggers get some personal and professional backlash. They didn't confine their posts to spinning issues and pursuing political agendas. They hid behind anonymity to—sometimes—insult people they have to work with if they intend to stay in the local political swirl. They also have tried to intimidate journalists. Hertzberg, too, may have some 'splaining to do. In the Times story, Hay confirmed that he was posting anonymous items while also working for Hertzberg, but he argues that it was high-minded: "A lot of times the mainstream media is under a lot of different pressures from editors, you have things that you can't do or things that would never make the L.A. Times, so we provided a location for those insiders and hacks to go and do what they like to do. The water cooler chat. That's all it is."
In an email reply this afternoon, Higby told me: "As of right now, only Brian and myself have agreed to out ourselves and leave it to all our other participants to make their own decisions as to what they wish to do." Coincidentally, Mayor Sam's Sister City just got a "web site of the month" nod in the September issue of Los Angeles magazine. From the Buzzcuts section: "For a crotchety perspective on local politics that stretches beyond the grave."
(Disclosure: I've been a target of personal insults and attempted attacks on my journalistic integrity by both Higby and Hay in their secret identities, as well as the subject of misinformation at their site. But I'm just glad to know who they aren't. When I interview City Hall aides, I prefer not to wonder if they are the one who keeps calling me "full of shit" online. Here's another reason I'm not a big fan of blogs that abuse anonymity: I've recently been having a pleasant and supportive email exchange with Hay about some issues in his life. While I didn't know that he was also the "Mayor Frank" who talks trash about me online, he did. A bit unfair, I'd say.)
* In print: In Friday's Daily News, Trujillo says he was one of several people to fill the blog's "Chief Parker" role and was involved only briefly. The story calls him an unpaid volunteer on the 2005 Villaraigosa campaign, and says a Reiner spokesman denied knowledge of the blog. Hay says in the DN story that he became active after Hertzberg lost the mayoral primary. In Friday's Times story, however, Hay says that he was active while running the Hertzberg campaign website. Hay, 29, also says that ten different bloggers have posted as Mayor Sam, Mayor Frank and Chief Parker. He argues that the loss of anonymity will be good for the site by letting its authors openly check out information at City Hall. Trujillo, 26, told the Times his stretch overlapped with the Villaraigosa campaign for mayor.
The thing is, Villar's political views are more in line with Obama. Looks like he's admitting he picked the wrong horse.
Stop with the "Latinos won't vote for Obama" crap. That's exactly what it is. Representatives of all ethnicities, races and genders will and won't be voting for him.
The biggest KNOWN nut in cyber space is most of the anon posts on this blog. If you think MAV or the clowncil takes this blog seriously with this KNOWN nut blogging here 24/7, well think again. It's an awesome blog with lots of good information, but the big story is you rely on a known nutjob for most of the posts here and YOU KNOW IT. Nuff said.
Who is that?
He shall remain nameless.
Well, Damn, you guys are outing ME?
How crass.
First of all, "nut job" is not a nice moniker. The only "nut job" I have seen here is the former weirdo who was given the keys to the blog, a guy using an alias of "ZD". He's gone (thankfully), R.I.P.
Mayor Sam's blog is a good way to about what is going on in the city.
Hertzberg is a thousand miles away from anything newsworthy.
So, let's get back to the question at hand:
Why did Antonio come back?
Because, it is over in Texas; they vote today and his job is done, one way or the other. They don't need him for the caucuses. They need smart lawyers and a corrupt judge or two.
Don't worry; Clinton has several of those in Texas.
If there are bows to take, he'll go back; if not, who wants to be around a loser?
Yeah yeah yeah Mayor Sam blog is bad etc. etc. etc. BUT it is known all over city all that the clowncil members and their staff regularly check up to see if anything has been posted about them. Reporters monitor this blog for inside scoops into the idiot shennigans for our elected morons. So say what you will but this blog is being hit 1,000's of times a day.
12:47
Why shall he/she remain nameless. Does he/she engender such fear? Obviously he/she is saying something worthwhile if you have taken the time to mention him/her. Who is it?
The Mayor, very simply, has to be around for the big meeting on gangs. What would it look like if he did not show up in his own city for a very hot topic, while others have come from all over for this serious issue?
That would be hard to explain for Villaraigosa, especially with so many dramatic incidents happening so recently in the host city.
Maybe he wants to be the apologist for the latino gang element. He certainly protects Special Order 40 as a personal agenda item.
Have you noticed that when he speaks without a script that he seems to have developed speech patterns with a lot of stumbling, stops and starts and stutters as if he is creating a lie instead of just reciting a prepared one?
Just an opinion. Observing from CD-14
Like I said, if The Hildebeast wins big tonight, he'll be on the stage with her when the cameras start grinding, even if he has to have an aide hold up a cardboard cutout.
If she loses, well, he has important work to do here in LA.
Remember, the most dangerous place in Los Angeles is always between Antonio and a camera.
Well, I guess the reports of Antonio's political death were a little premature.
As a Super Delegate, he now becomes a player, and as a person who delivered the Latino vote in Texas, he is a huge player with a catbird seat for whatever comes out of the convention.
His own election will be a breeze; no one will dare take him on except Walter.
Sorry all you haters, it isn't over 'tl it's over.
He came home only because of the 'gang conference'!!! He doesn't give a shit about what the LAT writes about him or about what the citizens think of hime!!!
He is ONLY concerned about ONE thing: HIMSELF!!!!
It's all fine and dandy to have a National player for Mayor...but LET'S ELECT AN AMERICAN MAYOR TO FILL THAT POSITION!
Villar would put on 'black face' makeup if he thought he needed the black vote...but, because he is a Mexican, he is undeservedly known as the
'First Latino Mayor of L.A.'!
He used the Mexicans and the citizens of LA to promote his own ugly agenda...and he must be ousted next year! He is pure sleaze!
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