Rising Democratic Star Villaraigosa to Deliver Spanish-Language Rebuttal to Bush State of the Union Speech

The DNC announced this week that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will deliver the party's Spanish-language rebuttal to the President's State of the Union address.

Los Angeles-born, UCLA-educated Villaraigosa, the son of a poverty-stricken Mexican immigrant family, is a dynamic speaker with boyish good-looks and a spell-binding smile. He’s also a tireless campaigner and shrewd politician, with an optimistic spirit and restless energy. He’s known as a consummate coalition and consensus builder.

His JFK-esque inaugural speech was brilliant and commanding. His inauguration on July 1, 2005, was befitting of fledging political royalty, and was attended by, among others, Vice President Al Gore, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Governor Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, former California governor and Republican US Senator Pete Wilson, Oakland Mayor and former California Governor Jerry Brown, former California Governor Gray Davis; and the mayors of New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Chicago and Long Beach.

Reports SignOn San Diego, "Asked for a preview of what he might say, Villaraigosa, who is in Washington for a mayors conference, said: 'I need to hear what the president will be saying about the state of the union and the future. But I can tell you that as the mayor of a city, the issues of homelessness, poverty, what we do around our schools' are possible topics.

He also mentioned the 'dilapidated infrastructure ' of American cities, including roads and bridges. 'I think we need to see a real commitment on the part of both parties, frankly, to beginning to invest in the infrastructure of the cities. The power of the economic engine, the vitality of America is in our cities,' he said. "

Mayor Villaraigosa will deliver his rebuttal from the Los Angeles Mayor's Office. If his inaugural speech is any indicator, his State of the Union rebuttal will be extraordinary.

As a preview, here's a passage from his mayoral inaugural speech: "Dream with me of a Los Angeles where our kids can walk to school in safety and where they receive an education that gives them a genuine opportunity to pursue their own dreams....

Dream with me of a Los Angeles where it doesn't matter whether you're African-American, Latino, Caucasian or Asian. Whether you're Jewish or Muslim, Protestant or Catholic. Whether you're from Watts or Westwood. Where every Angeleno is an equal stakeholder in our city's future."

Be sure to read my articles on Antonio Villaraigosa:
-- Profile of Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles & Rising Democratic Star
-- Coronation for Political Royalty: The Inauguration & Speech of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
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