By doing so, SF Republican, you have forfeited any argument you may have had.
Posted on 05/18/2005 1:04:53 AM PDT by RWR8189
LOS ANGELES - Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa unseated Mayor James Hahn on Tuesday to become the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century, confirming the rising political power of Latinos in the nation's second-largest city.
After a lackluster term tainted by corruption allegations at City Hall, Hahn was turned out of office in favor of a high school dropout and son of the barrio who turned his life around to become speaker of the California Assembly and then a member of the Los Angeles City Council.
With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Villaraigosa had 202,861 votes, or 59 percent, to 140,416 votes for Hahn, or 41 percent.
"You all know I love L.A., but tonight I really love L.A.," an exuberant Villaraigosa told supporters.
Villaraigosa will become the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles since 1872, back when the city was merely a dusty outpost of only about 5,000 residents on the edge of the Western frontier. Hahn, the scion of a prominent political family, becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in 32 years to be bounced from office.
Villaraigosa, 52, positioned himself as a unity candidate who would bridge racial and ethnic groups in a city that is 48 percent Hispanic, 31 percent white, 11 percent Asian and 10 percent black. The Democrat lined up marquee endorsements from John Kerry to basketball legend Magic Johnson.
The bruising runoff between the two Democrats was a rematch of the 2001 election, in which Hahn rallied to defeat Villaraigosa and win his first term. But Villaraigosa came back strong this year, nearly ousting Hahn in the March primary.
Elsewhere, Pittsburgh held a primary for mayor with the city mired in worst financial crisis since the collapse of the steel industry during the 1980s. And voters in Dover, Pa., picked their candidates for the school board in a community that has been roiled by a new and apparently first-in-the-nation policy requiring that students learn about the "intelligent design" theory of creation.
Hahn's family has been active in Los Angeles politics for decades; his father, Kenneth, was a beloved county supervisor. He touted Los Angeles' dropping crime and argued that he is the man to cure such urban ills such as failing schools and gridlock.
But the coalition of blacks and moderate-to-conservative San Fernando Valley voters that put him in office four years ago broke apart this time. He lost black support because he backed the ouster of Police Chief Bernard Parks, who is black, and suffered fallout from allegations that his administration exchanged city contracts for campaign donations.
And Hahn's lawyerly — some say drab — image left him open to criticism that he isn't up to being the public face of star-studded L.A.
"People want substance rather than style. I think they want results rather than rhetoric," Hahn, 54, said after voting early Tuesday. "You know, maybe I have a charisma deficit disorder, but I've done the job people have elected me to do."
Villaraigosa, who once wore a "Born to Raise Hell" tattoo before turning his life around, promised to bring a fresh start to the city.
"I will never forget where I came from. And I will always believe in the people of Los Angeles," he said Tuesday night.
In other races Tuesday:
_ Former City Councilman Bob O'Connor beat a crowded field of Democrats in the Pittsburgh mayoral primary. O'Connor will be heavily favored to win in November because Pittsburgh is predominantly Democratic. Mayor Tom Murphy is not seeking a fourth term.
_ In Dover, Pa., a party-line split emerged in a school board primary that has made national headlines because of the board's October decision to require that ninth-grade students be told about "intelligent design" when they learn about evolution in biology class. Republicans picked seven incumbent school board members who support the policy, while Democrats favored a slate of seven challengers who say intelligent design doesn't belong in science class. Intelligent design holds that the universe is so complex, it must have been created by some kind of guiding force.
_ Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, once called "America's Deadliest D.A." for her pursuit of the death penalty, took a big step toward winning a full fourth term by cruising to victory in the Democratic primary. The 64-year-old prosecutor defeated a 38-year-old lawyer who accused Abraham of being soft on City Hall corruption.
_ In Erie, Pa., Mayor Rick Filippi, who is under indictment on charges of using insider information to try to profit from real estate deals, lost his re-election bid in the Democratic primary. The primary came a day before he faced a preliminary hearing in the corruption case.
Hi Travis, as always thanks for the ping.
I don't equate wanting to enforce our nation's borders with being a nazi or a racist. For the record, I hate Nazis, and I hate racists. There are a lot of people whom I respected, who I have nothing but contempt for now, due to being racist idiots. I have never read anything from you that would lead me to think you're a racist or a nazi.
I want to get a signed copy of your book for my dad for fathers day. Obviously, if you turn out to be a nazi racist bastard, well you can go shove the book!
:-)
Ask anybody who's read it.
"Ask anybody who's read it."
??
Any racism in EFAD?
Bump!
Of course not. Your book is one heck of a novel. Riveting.
t-skoz ought to read it before it becomes NON-fiction.
Trav... you are being too sensitive. Or I forgot the /sarcasm tag there...
Anyways as soon as I have more than $5 in the bank (another story) I'm going to set my dad up with the book for fathers day. Somewhere along the way you sent me your address for a signed copy and I am gonna take you up on it! That will make it the 2nd Freeper-penned book that I've gotten signed! You should all check out FReeper Ohioan's book "The Conservative Debate Handbook"... shameless plug here: http://www.debatehandbook.com/
Is that your book? It looks great, are there free excerpts somewhere?
Well, let me ping writer33. I have a personally inscribed copy of his novel too and he has another book ready for sale.
No, it's Ohioan's book... I've had it since about hmm... 2000? It used to be strictly internet-only, and I hosted a mirror site of it. Also printed out a copy at Kinkos and had it bound (hmm, I might have had the 2nd or 3rd ever print edition! hahaha)
Anyways, online version available HERE: http://pages.prodigy.net/krtq73aa/debate.htm because I have taken down the mirror site now that a print version is available. Also go to http://debatehandbook.com and order your copy today! IT'S A RADICAL BOOK!!!
;-)
Agree with you completely.
Thanks!
Nope.
Not a bit.
"Any racism in EFAD?"
Considering the hero chick is not white, nope.
Awesome link.....THANKS !!
By doing so, SF Republican, you have forfeited any argument you may have had.
There will be more middle class moving out of the city -just what is NOT needed as thats the tax base...I'm from California (Riverside County) and lived in LA for 3 years (West Holllywood, Santa Monica and Malibu) Even in the "chic" areas I lived in you had to be carefull - I believe the crime is worse in LA then NYC, more gang problems IMO.
I do not believe Travis to be a white supremist whatsoever.
EFAD is about gun confiscation and all hues are represented as both good and bad guys....and gals.
I don't know any white supremacist on this forum period although I have seen the rare pop-up post/troll or cryptic e-mail but those have always been directed more at Jews.
I cannot recall any Klan type racism ever here.
But that does not stop some posters from coming to threads like these and calling us racists and then slinking off.
That is simply an FR tradition for some posters right from old political tactics of the past. The big smear.
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