Thursday Open Thread

Speaking of the L.A. municipal election ... (0.00 / 0)

... it looks like Villaraigosa will be re-elected quite safely, right?  Does he even have an opponent to speak of?

The reason I ask is that ... with the exception of Loretta Sanchez ... Villaraigosa may end up being the candidate for Governor I will support, and it concerns me that while Newsom and Brown are campaigning, he's not because of his re-election race.  I don't believe a re-election campaign is or should be a hindrance to his higher ambitions.  Many politicians have been re-elected in circumstances when it was obvious they were not going to serve their full term (think: Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton in 1990)

Antonio is looking more and more like the progressive Democratic front-runner by default, and he's gotta start running for Governor.

Gavin is thru after Prop 8 -- not because it passed, but because it revealed his #1 weakness (his utter incapability of engaging with ANYONE he disagrees with, not to mention his cockiness.)  Moreover, he's continuing to piss off the Left in San Francisco (and I don't just mean the sectarian Left, I mean he's going after SEIU in a major way with budget cuts) and allying himself with business Republicans that it's not really prudent for his statewide ambition.

And as for Jerry Brown, fuck ... where do I start? ... the man is a recycled has-been, his views on criminal justice are downright scary, and I have ALWAYS questioned the guy's mental stability.  I'll be damned if he's our nominee.  To be brutally honest, I'd much rather have Gavin than Jerry Brown ...

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by: paulhogarth @ Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 06:19:23 AM UTC

That's about right (0.00 / 0)

Villaraigosa doesn't have a serious challenger; it's like Newsom's own reelection bid. I don't expect Loretta Sanchez to run, and I too am hoping Villaraigosa puts his hat into the ring. He took a VERY progressive set of positions on the 2008 ballot measures, was active in the No on Prop 8 campaign without running into the problems Gavin did, and his accomplishment in getting LA County voters to pass Measure R - the sales tax for mass transit - was a big accomplishment.

He has his own issues to contend with, and not just personal (which I don't think will be a major issue if he runs). He's rubbed some folks in LA the wrong way with his moves on the LAUSD, which has some unions still upset with him. But he is in a better position than Newsom, and his connections with Obama could become very useful in a campaign.

The thing about Jerry Brown is he is very, very good at reading the public mood. Therein lies the problem - he often follows its whims. Brown did much to create the tax revolt of the 1970s, and then declared himself a "born-again tax-cutter" the day after Prop 13 passed. If Brown wants my support he'd have to convince me that Jerry Brown is gone.

I like Brown's focus on urban density and sustainability. But you're right about his stands on criminal justice, and Brown is ultimately NOT a progressive. I'm not sure I would call Antonio Villaraigosa a progressive, but he does seem like the best of the presumptive field at this point - assuming Loretta Sanchez doesn't become interested, and I don't expect that she will.

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave

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by: Robert Cruickshank @ Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 07:24:01 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yes, no competition (0.00 / 0)

There was a thought that right-wing mall developer Rick Caruso would jump into the race, but he didn't.

It's important to note that Antonio is very peripatetic but there haven't been a lot of accomplishments.  He bought the school board, much to the chagrin of the teacher's unions.  He's said a lot of good things about transit and crime and development.  Substantively, there's not a ton there for progressives to get excited about.

I'm very disappointed in the crop of gubernatorial candidates right now.  Obviously my first choice is going to be Labor Secretary. : )

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by: David Dayen @ Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 15:31:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Well Dunc's a Former Marine (0.00 / 0)

So I suppose he'd have some idea about what would distract him. A little disconcerting that a member of Congress would be too distracted by these folks to perform his job properly. Really screams "competence" ya know?

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by: Lucas O'Connor @ Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 06:42:50 AM UTC

Garamendi sounded good today (0.00 / 0)

Why do you disregard his candidacy?

JHotchkiss2
"Be yourself, everyone else is taken."Oscar Wilde

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by: Siftingthrough @ Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 07:51:37 AM UTC

actually, it's bridewealth, not dowry (0.00 / 0)

And it isn't that outlandish.  As the article says, it's common practice in Oaxaca.

Dowry involves giving money to the groom/groom's family to take one's daughter off one's hands.  Bridewealth is more common anthropologically.  A good test of the value of women from one more primitive society to another is whether women are valued with bridewealth, or devalued with dowry.

Actually, this case isn't that abnormal from an anthropological perspective: this is a fairly typical bridewealth for poorer families.  When girls reach puberty, they're marriageable, and a match is made with a friendly family of similar station.  Often, the man in question has to work for a certain period of time for the family.

A biblical example of this common practice can be seen in the story of Jacob, Laban, and Rachel.

Obviously, it's great that we've moved to a much more enlightened society where women aren't objects to be bartered and traded.  But it is important to note that this isn't some crazy guy: it's a really common, accepted practice around the world.

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by: David Atkins (thereisnospoon) @ Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 20:25:07 PM UTC