Wimp!
UPDATE: I've taken a lot of heat for giving Sir Caruso heat for dropping out of the race. Yes, a lot of that was from the usual haters, but one reader, Heather made an incredible point that I simply failed to think of:
"He knows that Villaraigosa is a dirty, nasty, corrupt little man who will attack his family any chance he got."
Duh! I guess I was so used to both Barack Obama and John McCain having too much class to go after anyone's family that I forgot what happens here at home. And considering that I was wrong to call Rick a wimp though am still disappointed he didn't get in. My apologies
I'd still like to designate November 7th as "Weasel's Day" because even though Rick has good cause to pause, there's other folks who could have got in, would have had support and could have won. Now we got nothin'! But maybe Antonio found himself a job while he visited PE Obama.
Oh - and by the way - anyone who gets into politics (or blogging!) better be prepared to be called names. Folks who run for office better have thicker skins that most people today.
It's Weasel Day! Rick Caruso woke up, saw his shadow and now there will be four more years of our 11% Mayor. Caruso proves his mettle and decides he can't beat damaged goods Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor, or at least isn't up to the task, issuing the following statement:
"I have decided that the obligation of serving as mayor would put a burden on my family that is too much at this point in their lives and, as a result, I will not be a candidate in the upcoming campaign for mayor."
Currently, the remaining announced challengers to Villaraigosa include Westside attorney Walter Moore, San Fernando Valley activist and businessman David Hernandez and Venice based former radio executive and artist/activist Zuma Dogg.
It was also reported today that Mayor Villaraigosa is headed to Chicago to assist the Obama transition team. I guess Barack wanted someone other than Joe the Plumber to clean his toilets.
Labels: Barack Obama, david hernandez, Joe The Plumber, mayor antonio villaraigosa, rick caruso, walter moore, zuma dogg
Posted by Michael Higby @ 11/07/2008 09:38:00 AM
31 Comments:
I know I am the voice of the inexperienced here, but why don't Walter Moore and David Hernandez team up and create a "defeat Antonio" platform, and flip a coin to see who of the two them is the best front person?
Let's not argue who is better. We all have our ideas. But if Mr. Moore is reading this, maybe you can talk with Mr. Hernandez and see if you can get him to join your team.
When Rick Caruso's name first came up, Walter Moore called on the developer to drop out of the race and support Moore's candidacy.
So who do you guys think Caruso will endorse: Villaraigosa, Moore, Zuma Dogg or David?
For these guys, it isn't about developing a strategy for beating AV. It's about each one hoping that they will get some free publicity to feed their egos and talk about one or two of their very narrow issues.
It's really too late for anyone to join the race who would have the zillions of dollars needed to stage a credible race.
Right now, you have to figure that AV will be easily re-elected with 65% of the vote in a low turnout election. The others who don't like AV will close their eyes and pick someone else on the ballot, which means that all those losers will bore us for years with how many votes they got.
Antonio really got a couple of good gifts this week.
With Caruso dropping out, unless someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat, he can coast to a second term and bank a lot of dough.
The defeat of Prop 8 really hurts Gavin Newsom in multiple ways so Villar may only have to go up against Garamendi and Jerry Brown. With Newsom out of the race or at least having alienated a big base of supporters, most of those folks would go over to Tony.
Read the LA Times today you guys!
There is an article demanding to know what Mayor V. intends to do either for the State or the City.
I think this should be about defeating the Mayor with the person who has the best odds of winning. I think that Walter might try to approach the Caruso team to talk about issue and seek an endorsement, assuming that they are on the same page of issues.
One on one, Walter Moore is going to have a very good showing once we are distanced from this week's election.
Zuma Dog you are such a fun person, but I hope you see the light and find a way to support Walter. Your spotlight is not going away any time soon, so don't fear that. My friends all know about you and think you are a hoot! But let's get Walter in there so we can bring CHANGE to Los Angeles!
HEY GAVIN: IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN "WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
They should not have let either Newsome or Villaraigosa get involved in the defeat 8 effort. They would have done better without those guys and this awful sound clip.
You truly prove how immature and ignorant you are Michael. Rick Caruso is one of the most decent men who has integrity and class. Anyone who knows Rick well, know his FAMILY HAS ALWAYS COME FIRST. We can't say that about the mayor. We had to read in the papers what he did to his wife and kids. Rick is smart and this had nothing to do with winning cause when the rumor was out he may run all you heard at meetings all over the city was thank god. He is a man who understands his kids are still young and wamts to be there for them as he always has. So we support you Rick and unlike the juveniles on this blog, admire your decision.
Everyone is calling Obama's office in Chicago to tell them the truth about LA's loser Mayor. he did not even help and campaign for Obama but more interested in his own re elect term. CALL OBAMA AND LET HIM KNOW.
Chicago Office
John C. Kluczynski Federal Office Building
230 South Dearborn St.
Suite 3900 (39th floor)
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 886-3506
You would call a parent who puts the welfare of his family before his own political ambitions a weasel?
Um, okaaaay.
I thought maybe that designation might be more appropriate for someone who say, oh, I don't know, cheated on his wife with her compa, and then with a television reporter very very publically.
But to slur a man who would protect his family from intense public scrutiny (hardly a weasel-like act) because he didn't do what you were assured he would and which in turn, you assured this city he would, is unfair.
The shame here, is definitely not his.
Heather at 12:03
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna spread it far and wide.
It ruined my Hope Buzz seeing lil' Tony Villar up there with my new President-elect.
::shudders::
Heather - what the hell are you doing?
Let Obama take him and get him the hell out of this town!!!!!!!!!!!
He can go be a puny fish thrashing about in a huge effin' pond instead of remaining a snake in our LA pond.
It is outrageous that Higby posted false information about Caruso running for office!
You lose all credibility when you say that you "have it from high sources" and "one has a moustache" that Caruso's running.
You were played for a sucker, Mike, and you have to step up to the plate that you were misled and that you misled your readers here. I think you did this deliberately.
That goes double for the inflammatory comments you made about Barak Obama. You carry this arrogance and hidden anger against blacks, and you mask it by backing initiatives or candidates that are not in the best interst of blacks.
So when you then come to your blog to put out flatly wrong information about Caruso, it should make everyone wonder if you are playing us for chumps, too.
You all everyone a big umbrella of an apology. It is getting harder and hard to come to a blog with such laced hate content.
Higby has got to stop the name calling. You always tell us to stop the name calling and you post a piece taunting this good man!?
What gives you the nerve to do that? You should run yourself (HAHAHAHAHAHA) or have talked to Rick.
Not coming and calling him names.
Yes! It is time for Higby to come clean and explain why he lied to us and where that hostility toward blacks is.
Has anyone else noticed how Higby is mow softening his tone after Obama won? Like, "oh, I didn't write anything bad aboutthis black candidate." and the truth is that you did.
It is one thing to be ruthless, but it is cruel to treat Rick Caruso this way, Higby.
Racist!
debbie, its a bit hypocrital of you isn't it, you do plenty of name calling at your (wasteland 0f a) blog.i guess its up to you who deserves to be called what and when its appropreiate.please stay over there where nobody reads your views.
Hold the phone kids...
First off it looks like Palin Derangement Syndrome, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Villaraigosa Derangement Syndrome, whatever, has morphed into Mayor Sam Derangment Syndrome.
Those of you have been reading the blog know that part of the brand here is to be a bit over the top (did anyone complain about Mayor Poopy or Pollovillar or Bitter Bernie et al).
But god forbid - Caruso has children! It's for the children remember!
That didn't stop Obama or Palin or Clinton or Schwarzenegger or any number of politicians from running. How old are Caruso's kids anyway?
Look he can do what he wants but they shopped the story around and they were prepping it and then he backed out. A lot of people were depending on Rick to oust the POS we have now.
So I think you guys need to calm down, go back to what your doing, take your emotions out of it because this never was and never will be the hearts and flowers blog. If you want that you can go start it somewhere else.
your breath(stinks)/maxipad10/what ever your anme is today give it a rest your not here to do anything other than try(and not very good) to insult higby, really your just insulting yourself, but your used to that.
Don I'm glad to see you learned how to make blogger accounts but I don't think anyone wants to smell your breath.
You can call me a racist six ways from Sunday but folks still know you're a fool.
How the hell can you presume to know what candidates are good for Blacks or not?
You sir, are an idiot.
Agreed - the best thing Obama could do for LA is give Tony some kind of job in Washington. What's open?
Because you show your dislike of blacks when you write things about how Prep 8 is the fualt ofthe blacks and don't stop others from that, youliar!
You are now saying that your prediction of a Caruso mayor was a lie toldto you, but what about those independent sources youo claimed??????? That made usall think you did your homework!
So stop calling Caruso names when you lie, lie!
You should read the e-mails I'm getting of everyone supporting Caruso. Obama had Michelle's support as a great mom who put the kids first. Palin, well how much do you want to bet the teenager pregnant will not be getting married. People admire Rick for putting his family first. He knows that Villaraigosa is a dirty, nasty, corrupt little man who will attack his family any chance he got. To not put his family through that is a true champion. How many men do you know that thinks more of their family then being a politican??? NONE NONE NONE
PEOPLE NEED TO HOLD THIS IDIOT ACCOUNTABLE. Ask before voting for Villaraigosa if he intends on staying.
LA Slimes-Opinion....This isn't like it was in 2003, when Villaraigosa ran for the City Council and vowed not to leave halfway through the term to run for mayor. He did run, but he at least served half of the four-year council term to which he was elected.
But in this land of the perpetual election, where the city primary is March 3 and the term begins in July, a reelected Mayor Villaraigosa would be taking his second oath less than a year before voters return to the polls to choose a successor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. That means that during the first (and perhaps only) year of his second term, his attention would be elsewhere -- if he is going to run for governor.
And let's not pretend that he hasn't spent a great deal of time thinking about it. He's an ambitious man, and he is regularly asked about his plans. He deflects questions with a throwaway line about how, right now, he's just focused on being mayor of Los Angeles, a job he loves. It's a non-answer answer.
The funny thing about Antonio going to Chicago to meet with Obama - did you see the list of people on the advisory board with Antonio? Big names, heavy hitter, respected type folks - and then Antonio.
HERE'S MY STATEMENT TO THE PERSON/PEOPLE WHO DON'T THINK I SHOULD RUN AND SUPPORT WALTER:
i don't think walter is "all that" as much as some of you. and i think i would be the best person of those on the ballot.
you know me as a "performance activist" in the spirit of Andy Kaufman. But I have a nice
corporate background, including being an internationally published author on the topic of
"Methods for Management of Quality and Productivity" based on the 14 Points of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Check this out for more:
http://ladailyblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/zuma-doggs-14-point-plan-for-la-city.html
Anyway, I've woken up every day for the past two and a half years and done everything I can to help "fix the city" and help "take back the city".
at first it was a lot of theatrics, but when people started to approach me with their issues, I evolved. And due to all the time I have spent day after day, talking to people in council
chambers, and on the phone and in person...i have a relationship with the viewers of TV 35 and the radio and blog readers...and based on the education the community has given me, I think I'm A LOT more qualified to run the city, than Walter.
I know you're not "hating" on me, and I know a lot of people feel the way you do. But maybe you just don't know me well enough. Hey, I pulled all this off, so far,
with zero dinero...AND I don't think people would still be appreciating me if I was just clowning around, or not representing the voice of the community. (It's not an easy tightrope to walk. I strive to find the voice of the community vs shady city.)
Sorry. I guess if I thought Walter was a serious candidate, based on his agenda and what he has done (beyond one note), then I would be scared to run, and wouldn't want to run.
You need to attend a public event with ZD and watch what happens.
Let's hit a neighborhood council meeting together. Not all the members think it's such a joke. A lot of people tell say, "I don't know about anyone else, but I'D vote for you." A LOT of people say that to me.
I've already done my homework and put in my time over the past two and a half years.
So the only thing I can say is, get to know me better...not to endorse me, but so you can at least understand why I am doing this, and couldn't care less about competiton from Walter.
My constituency is FAR more broad demographically, geographically and socio-economically. (HEY! Aren't there more younger 18-24 year old registered than ever before. Hmmmmmm, they would vote for ZD!
GET TO KNOW ME!
Zuma Dogg
Mayor09.com
I hope Obama dragged Antonio into that meeting with the likes of Warren Buffett and Robert Reich to SCHOOL Viagraosa's ass on a few things. Like a mandatory tutor for that big dummy.
Rick Caruso never made a big public thing about saying he was considering running. You did! You raised your expectations unreasonably high because of your dislike for AV. When he decided not to run, you had a long ways to fall.
Even though Caruso said it was because of family considerations, it could have been for a whole assortment of other reasons, including the amount of work involved, that he couldn't also run his business at the same time, and that his polling showed that he couldn't win. We don't know.
www.change.gov
The new Obama website.
What the chances that McCain could have done something like this as fast ... or all all?
Caruso has now attained entrance to the Michael Higby "Sacred Cow" Society.
Only Huggy Hertzberg has been previously admitted to this exclusive group of individuals for whom Mayor Sam is in the tank.
Villaraigosa is our mayor for the next four years, Michael. live with it.
By the way, mutt, no one takes your candidacy seriously.
We all see it as a way for you to cadge some money for gas, coffee or bus fare.
Why don't you go back to your own blog that no one reads and write yourself some posts?
Dang Phil after four years you're still obsessed with Hertzberg.
Last I heard he was selling solar panels.
Oh, wait a minute! Check that ballot measure!
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