How do you win a Mayoral election in the City of Angels?

The same way you win any election: by convincing the electorate that you are the best candidate for the job, and that, coincidentally, your opponent is a weak-kneed sob-sister who enjoys long walks on the beach with Islamo-fascist extremists.

Of course, outspending the other guy by a 2-1 margin doesn't hurt, either.

Not that the money changed the outcome of this election (Mayor McBland was toast from the get go).

Instead, the rush to throw heaps o' cheese at the Villaraigosa campaign reflects the time-honored desire of monied interests to come out on the winning side. What contractor wants to approach the city, hat in hand, to beg for a sip from the public trough from a pol who was on the receiving end of negative ads financed by that contractor?

This kind of piling on is not illegal, or even unethical. Hell, end of campaign bandwagon-jumping is as American as PAC's and 501(c)(4)'s.

On the other hand, if we had stiff campaign spending limits we... well, we wouldn't be able to apportion access to public officials! We'd have to shift our whole election paradigm! That can't happen!

Change, bad!

Inertia, good!  ¶ 10:57 AM