Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Mayor, To Chair 2012 Democratic National Convention: Source

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic Party has picked Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to chair its national convention this summer in Charlotte, N.C.

The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, says in an email to DNC members that Villaraigosa will be nominated to chair the September convention.

Chairing the national convention, where Democrats are expected to nominate President Barack Obama for a second term, will place Villaraigosa in a national spotlight. Overseeing the gathering will also place the Latino mayor front and center as Democrats woo Latino support for Obama and other candidates.

Wasserman Schultz tells DNC members that Villaraigosa has empowered people during his career and will encourage engagement from Americans across the country.

Villaraigosa was elected mayor in 2005 and re-elected in 2009.

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Comments

[miz-ribble]

01:31 PM on 02/16/2012

I don't see how this is going to help the democrats.

[Hoodooman]

12:02 PM on 02/16/2012

The worst mayor in L.A. history, Sinverguenca!

[Gasparilla]

08:44 PM on 02/15/2012

What role? Mayor of a bankrupt city?

[HomeGrower]

07:07 PM on 02/15/2012

I wonder how he feels about being a shill for Obama to get Hispanic votes?

"After UCLA, Villaraigo­­sa attended the People's College of Law (PCL), an unaccredit­­ed law school that promotes labor union causes in Los Angeles. Villaraigo­­sa's desire to practice law has been prevented due to his repeated inability to pass the Bar Exam, which he has failed four times."

Another quality appointee.

[moonlightesq]

05:35 PM on 02/15/2012

Oh great, now Angelinos who elected Villarigosa will be laughing stock on the national stage.

[zizizzi]

08:22 PM on 02/15/2012

I sure didn't vote for him. Many Angelinos have buyers remorse.
He is not very well liked here.

He so badly wants to be governor of CA. NOT gonna happen!

[Hoodooman]

12:03 PM on 02/16/2012

If he becomes governor, I'm moving my business and family OUTTA HERE :)

[FTracy3]

04:49 PM on 02/15/2012

Are the Democrats trying to win this election by pandering to the narcissist do-nothing voting block?

[moonlightesq]

05:50 PM on 02/15/2012

He is not a do-nothing mayor, in fact, he has been very busy doing the following:

- taking freebies from corporations for shows, concerts and sporting events, without declaring, and subsequently fined;
- got caught cheating on his wife with a Latino reporter;
- welcomed the occupied L.A. crowd to overstay on the lawns of City Hall, then stick the taxpayer with a $100K + repair bill for the lawn;
- traveling the world on taxpayer money, while we see no new foreign investment in L.A.;
- failed his campaign promise to repair all the pot holes in L.A.

Well, the list goes on and on...so, I say he's been busy indeed.

[celtcalgal]

06:21 PM on 02/15/2012

God Forbid.

[mimsysc]

04:04 PM on 02/15/2012

sure pandering,,,,,,,, nothing new

[slowhanddean]

03:23 PM on 02/15/2012

Loved the pick at the top of the screen. It says Obama/Biden and Biden is nowhere to be seen. Then you have the picture of the Obamas including kids. During his first campaign the Dems would rail if anyone mentioned thier kids. Now they are front and center and Obama himself uses them as examples. One is him saying that if his daughter was punished with a pregnancy he would want her to be able to get an abortion. Funny how all of the ones who support that never ask why they weren't aborted because the woman was being punished.

[cybolt]

02:52 PM on 02/15/2012

This guy has done virtually nothing to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles. Nothing. So why pander to a voting bloc by using a person who has a shoddy record of service?

[slowhanddean]

03:27 PM on 02/15/2012

He's just pandering for the Hispanic vote. Vote for me and I will get you more free stuff. Everyone knows nothing in life is free. In fact the new free contraceptives are not free. Every taxpayer will be paying for it one way or another. Insurance will go up,etc. Has this potus done anything that hasn't cost this country and citizens more in some way? I can't think of anything.

[cybolt]

05:38 PM on 02/15/2012

It's just as transparent as trotting out Rubio. My point had more to do with Tony Villar's record.

Btw, if you bring the POTUS into the talk, let's make sure we represent the Republicans in Congress as well:

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no.

[RobietheCat]

04:53 PM on 02/15/2012

Actually I think this will backfire in a profound way as voters across the country see this guy who is a nullity and a fraud. He is absolutely the worst choice, especially since the LAUSD is now broke and ridden in scandal.

It may set Latinos back for a generation.

[Rob Paterson1]

02:40 PM on 02/15/2012

obama needs the Mexican-American/Latino Vote, u need to start getting serious for the immigration reform if you want our vote!

[Viper1st]

05:17 PM on 02/15/2012

And Maybe ~ stop deporting illegal Mexicans/Latinos at the rate of 1 evey 79 seconds?

[Scott Zwartz]

02:23 PM on 02/15/2012

What sleazy ball Corrupt, hated in LA, he's got to get out of town to where people do not know him. I supported him and he turned out to be a crook just like the rest of LA politicos both Dem and GOP, both Latino and non Latino.

As individual human beings they suck! It has nothing at all to do with gender, sexual orientation, political party, religion, race, ethnicity -- Los Angeles is a Pay to Play city which is corrupt to its very core from the top to the bottom and from side to side. Tony V isn't even the big cheese as the mayor of LA is more like Queen Elizabeth -- more show than power.

[ricksophie]

02:10 PM on 02/15/2012

Villaraigosa -- there COULD NOT be a better pick for DNC convention chair. He is a true Democrat in every sense of his being.
Villaraigosa has turned L.A. into a sanctuary city for illegal’s and then complains about how much impact this is having on the city’s finances and schools. He oversees a group of department heads that have no concern for taxpayer money and spend this money to their benefit. He is in control of a police department that is out of control and this is just to name a few issues.
Yes, HE IS the poster boy for the Democratic Party….

[Scott Zwartz]

02:24 PM on 02/15/2012

race and ethnicity has nothing to do with L.A.'s problems except for the bigots who always turn to racism to explain any problem.

[ricksophie]

03:30 PM on 02/15/2012

"race and ethnicity" - "bigots" -- hummmmm

Sounds like you need to dedicate some time improving your reading comprehension skills.

[Seastink]

05:12 PM on 02/15/2012

Sure the do. Mexicans have ruined the city.

[matt50]

02:27 PM on 02/15/2012

Lets put I guy in there that has helped make LA worst than it was 10 years ago, but hey, we will get the Latino vote. Just more of dumbing down the country to fit the needs of others.

[ddstan1120]

02:03 PM on 02/15/2012

Could have picked a Latino from another state, given the state of California's fiscal and political standing. Ruination.
Pandering at it's highest level, but Obama is surely going to need all the help he can muster in the upcoming election. This won't help, because he is gone in 2012.

[jsm422]

02:02 PM on 02/15/2012

Villaraigosa will be perfect for the Democrats. He's always away from his desk traveling to someplace instead of doing his job, spending tax money on first class everything like he has his own printing press. The one bright spot to this, is it'll keep old Tony our of LA.

[Scott Zwartz]

02:25 PM on 02/15/2012

Garcetti has had the power as the mayor has very little power. Every bit of time you waste on on y V, is less time to explain the horrors of Garcetti -- the next mayor

[NoQuarter472]

01:58 PM on 02/15/2012

Hey, two pigs in a poke, how much better can it get?