As for Bill Richardson, he is now the top candidate for Secretary of Commerce according to The Wall Street Journal. While this cabinet position isn’t what he was ultimately hoping for, I am hopeful that he will be offered this job. Governor Richardson has been instrumental in expanding the film industry in New Mexico and has commenced some important tourism and public works projects in the state as well.

Photo Credit: HermesLive.com, Barack Obama and Congressman Raul Grijalva

Well, the editors of the Pasadena Star-News think that Mayor Villaraigosa has blown it with a transportation measure to extend the San Gabriel Valley’s Gold Line, which currently connects Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles.

Villaraigosa shot down funding for the Gold Line extension into Monclair because he doesn’t feel that the Metropolitan Transportation Agency would dole out the money that it has in a manner that would be equitable for the San Gabriel Valley. Instead, the mayor wants to use a half cent sales tax increase on LA County residents to help fund railway projects. Three of the five LA County supervisors don’t approve of Villaraigosa’s plan, including his former mentor Gloria Molina.

I don’t think that higher taxes are going to be popular with anyone in California right now, especially in Los Angeles County, where the cost of living is already much higher than the rest of the country. Additionally, Governor Schwarzenegger and the legislature will likely approve a one cent sales tax increase to close the state budget loophole.

Two Latinas in Congress representing the San Gabriel Valley area, Hilda Solis and Grace Napolitano, recently sat down with Congressmen David Dreier (R) and Adam Schiff (D) to express support for the Gold Line Foothill Extension. I agree with the Pasadena Star-News. Let the local congressional delegation take care of this, and perhaps Villaraigosa can work on an issue where he has more local support. If he wants to be a successful candidate for governor, Villaraigosa needs to hit a home run on one of the big issues he tried to tackle when he was first elected to the mayor’s office. The education system and housing crisis are still big problems in LA. Maybe he can devote more time to those issues.

Photo Credit: USA Today, 06/15/05 from back when Villaraigosa was first elected mayor. Doesn’t it look like he’s flashing his “American Me” pose? I only wonder who the Mayor’s cronies mentioned in the linked Pasadena Star-News editorial look like. Are they as scary as Santana’s (Eddie Olmos character) gang?

Check it out:

When rumors started to surface last fall about a mistress, I would just hope that it was gossip or maybe fodder to counter Ann Coulter’s remark that Edwards was a “faggot.” Once again, Coulter was wrong. But now that the story has broke and Edwards has acknowledged his affair with Rielle Hunter, I think that other politicians, especially Latinos aiming to climb the political ranks, should take note of this mess and try not to make similar mistakes. Just last summer, we were lamenting Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s affair with Mirthala Salinas, which weakened his credibility and ended his marriage.

All of this drama with mistresses and girlfriends seems like it could be avoided if these men went to places where prostitution was legalized. Both Canada and Mexico have legalized prostitution with certain restrictions, and both places are relatively close for a politician of means to hop on a plane, get serviced professionally, and return home without facing the wrath of the media, the Christian conservatives, and their angry supporters. Of course, I would hope that couples work through their personal problems before resorting to this sort of thing, but if that isn’t possible, why not take this approach? I believe that contemplating the costs and time away to make a short trip to Canada or Mexico might dissuade some politicos from even considering cheating on their partners.

Another thing that has bothered me about this affair and the aftermath has to do with the doom and gloom coming from so many Democrats. Yes, John Edwards royally screwed himself, but John McCain’s whole career has been built as a result of his own affair in which he hooked up with Cindy Hensley. As Cenk Uygur at the Huffington Post points out, “Why are McCain’s actions any more excusable than Edwards?”

James Carville, former Clinton aide and strategist, offered this on Friday, “Certainly, his political career is in shambles. It’s not going to come back. I humanly feel sorry for Mrs. Edwards. I feel sorry for the Edwards children. But I’m not shocked.” This sort of statement is completely uncalled for, as Carville watched President Bill Clinton lie under oath regarding his own sexual relations with a certain intern, get impeached, and then go on to finish his presidential term. I’m beginning to think that James Carville likes to shoot his mouth off for shock value, kind of like he did in calling Bill Richardson “Judas.”

As with other affairs, I think that time will erase some of the hurt and damage that John Edwards had done, and I hope that he can re-group and continue dedicating himself to eradicating poverty in America. Yes, he was reckless, and his calculated risk imploded when he was being mentioned as a possible candidate for a cabinet position in an Obama administration. And I can’t believe that he decided to run for president, jeopardizing the Democratic Party’s chances for a win in November, but it’s done. Time to move on, and most importantly learn from his mistake.

I appreciated John Edwards for speaking out on behalf of the poorest Americans. He also is a big believer in the notion that everyone can obtain a college education, which is actually a concept that Harry Truman first brought to the national agenda with the Presidential Commission on Higher Education in 1947. Over 60 years later in America, and we are still falling short of enrolling our citizens in postsecondary institutions and assisting them with the support needed to graduate and complete degree programs that allow them to earn a decent living. As I have discussed before, Latinos are terribly under-represented in American colleges and universities.

John Edwards is still involved in the College for Everyone Program, which is a scholarship program that he and his wife Elizabeth started three years ago in North Carolina. As one of the only presidential candidates this season to really give higher education more thought than a few talking points, he used this opportunity today in stepping out on the national stage again to reach his former supporters via e-mail to donate to the College for Everyone effort.

John Edwards showed true leadership today in calling for the Democrats to come together to win back the White House by devoting their energy to campaigning against John McCain. There has been much speculation that should Obama win in November that he might consider John Edwards for Attorney General or some other cabinet level position. Wouldn’t that be a breath of fresh air, especially after having to endure Alberto Gonzales (aka Fredo)? I hope that he continues to be part of the discussion and policy making process because he has some great ideas for helping the most needy of Americans.

Photo Credit: AP

Last week, I found this in the LA Times:

“The Times reported Monday that Villaraigosa has spent 18 of the last 65 days out of town, campaigning for Clinton. In just over two months, that’s nearly a third of his time. Traveling with him are City Hall aides (using vacation days) and his police security detail. Is Los Angeles winning or losing from this arrangement?”

He’s starting to draw more criticism from local leaders, and he’s given Steve Lopez, the LA Times columnist, the snub for PBS’s Charlie Rose. Speaking of Charlie Rose, did anyone catch the interview? I thought Villaraigosa wasn’t as good as he could have been. He didn’t seem to have a good assessment of the national political scene, and did anyone else catch the bit where he said that John Edwards was the son of a coal miner? How could Villaraigosa have missed this? John Edwards always tells us that he’s a son of a mill worker. Villaraigosa just isn’t very good when he has to speak for an hour unscripted. He kind of reminds me of a Latino Ronald Reagan speaking in cliches, which is disappointing because so many of us had so much hope for him. And Villaraigosa still thinks that Hillary Clinton is “heads and shoulders” above the rest and suggests that Latinos are supporting Hillary Clinton because of what she has done for us. I guess he hasn’t asked her about Tyson Foods and Monsanto.

Check it out and see for yourself:

Now I’m not suggesting that Latinos vote for Obama simply because of his race and the possibility that we can forge alliances with the African-American community. I think that everyone should examine the issues closely, but also think critically about how ethnic and gender differences have been exploited in this race. Additionally, examine the paper trail. Who is funding these candidates? John Edwards has raised a good point that you can’t take money from entities and then expect to not have to cater or pay them back at some point.

As Harry Pachon (another professor whose classroom I have sat in) points out, “…the ‘X Factor’ is the volatility of the Latino voter.” I think that this volatility comes from the fact that we Latinos cannot easily be pigeon holed into a tidy census designated box. In addition, when a group has been marginalized for so long and has relatively weak internal leadership, I don’t think that any politician can really call such a group its “firewall.” At least, I hope not.

Caroline Kennedy also threw her support behind Obama in moving op-ed piece in the NY Times. This might have some traction with Latinos. It isn’t uncommon to find pictures of JFK in Mexican-American homes, often placed next to a sketch of Christ or a photograph of the Pope. At the end of her piece, she states, “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.” I think that the Clinton administration was inspirational to a degree, but then we became distracted when the Republicans took back the house and with the Lewinsky scandal. There is something to be said for someone who can inspire action because we aren’t going to get out of the mess that the present administration is leaving behind without a committed core of people willing to work for change.

The Honorable John E. Edwards

410 Market Street

Suite 400

Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father’s legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father’s legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are – a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don’t have lobbyists in Washington and they don’t get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III

John Edwards has been the most vocal in terms of speaking out on issues of economic justice, an issue that touches Americans of all ethnic backgrounds. I wish that I could say the same for Hillary Clinton, but I do think that Barack Obama has made a good case for the impoverished and downtrodden and has more recent experience working directly with the disenfranchised.

As for tonight’s debate, I really think that John Edwards stood out and looked the most presidential. He didn’t need to engage in a tit-for-tat debate about his record or statements made this week. Edwards was the only candidate to mention Katrina as well… I’m kind of shocked that the other candidates didn’t bother to mention this most recent disaster that disproportionately affected poor Americans. He was passionate, persuasive, and acted with a calm demeanor.

Barack Obama performed well, but I think that debates aren’t the best medium for him to articulate his positions. I do think that as the Clinton machine continues to hammer him that he will improve. He did raise a good point in that he feels as if he is running against both Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton. While we are on this topic, I really think that team Clinton would be better served if Bill took the high road and behaved more like former President Carter instead of attacking like an angry dog. He just can’t let go and let his wife (uh, political partner) do her thing. Some of us in the more progressive wing of the Democratic party don’t like being hit over the head with his accomplishments in the 1990s.

So in my opinion, I would rank the winners of this debate as follows:

Edwards, Obama, Clinton

“Ronald Reagan, the man who busted unions, the man who did everything in his power to destroy the organized labor movement, the man who created a tax structure that favored the richest Americans against middle class and working families, … we know that Ronald Reagan is not an example of change for a presidential candidate running in the Democratic Party.”

I’m baffled why Barack Obama would feel the need to invoke Reagan’s name as an agent of change. We’re talking about a president who not only busted the unions and sought to destroy the protections of working class families, but he was someone who chose to ignore the AIDS epidemic, ramped up the arms race, and sold weapons to Iran to fund the Contras. Yeah, the same Iran that Bush and company are demonizing now. Ronnie and friends violated the Arms Export Control Act to supposedly free some hostages for those of you who need a refresher.

Reagan really was a contradiction in the sense that he projected this strong militaristic image, yet he managed to escape combat service during WWII because of nearsightedness. He did produce some military propaganda films though. I will never quite understand the American people’s affinity for this President. Hmm… doesn’t win any brownie points with me Senator Obama.

For the Dems, the final stats from Iowa are as follows:

Obama  38%

Edwards 30%

Clinton 29%

The only Latino presidential candidate came in fourth and plans to continue campaigning. Senators Biden and Dodd are leaving the race. Considering that Hillary Clinton has a well oiled political campaign machine, I’m pleasantly surprised with the results in Iowa, one of the whitest and most homogeneous states in the union. Hopefully, the healthy competition will continue.