In today's Los Angeles Times, there is a story of a very tangled web, that ends (right now) with popular Democratic LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declining to endorse the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Phil Angelides.
http://www.latimes.com/...
It is a tale of labyrinthine politics, cynicism, and payback that may, if things don't go well as a result, cause us to endure another four years of Arnuld, the avoidance of which ought to be the first priority at the state level. What's stopping Antonio from heartily endorsing his party's nominee for governor?
Antonio's main programmatic objective this mayoral term is to take over the LA School District, which he believes will increase accountability and therefore performance. That takeover has been attempted with mixed results in NYC, Chicago and elsewhere. Angelides has not supported that objective, presumably because one of Phil's major supporters, the California Teachers' Association, opposes it.
At least on the surface, things play out this way: Villaraigosa is expected to run again for mayor in 2009, and everyone who breathes knows he has other political offices in his sights. If Arnold wins this November, he is termed out in 2010, leaving the governor's race pretty wide open, unless Angelides beats Arnold this fall, making Phil the presumptive favorite for the 2010 race.
Meanwhile, Antonio and Arnold have teamed up to campaign for CA infrastructure bonds that are also on the ballot in November. No question major reconstruction for transportation, levees, and other projects is needed in the state; the down side is that the pairing of Arnold and Antonio (with the inevitable photo ops and appearances) boosts Arnold's stature as a "moderate" and a person who can get things done. It was that portrayal that won Arnold the recall in 2003, and when he discarded it for insipid and mean-spirited (unsuccessful) initiative "reform" in 2005, he got his butt thoroughly kicked and his numbers tanked. That infrastructure campaigning therefore not only provides Schwarzenegger a platform from which to rise from the ashes, it also offers fodder for cynics who suggest that Antonio is hanging with Arnold -- and now, declining to support Angelides -- to best position himself for the governor's race in 2010.
So, what do folks think about all this?