Ever the Slick Salesman, Antonio Villaraigosa Turned to Twitter to Combat Opponents of Subway to Sea

• @Mercer I'm not too familiar with the area and the commuter volume (Over 300,000 people travel into the Westside every day for work from areas throughout the County and beyond is what's on the MTA website but how many of these people will use this line?) Do we really need to spend $4.2 Billion on this line or can we spend less on already existing transportation options and make them better? I DO know that above ground transportation systems cost less than below ground ones like this proposed subway. There might be enough people who need this line to make it a viable purchase but my question is does it really need to be a subway? I don't give a hoot about Villaraigosa's 'legacy,' its about him doing his job and doing it well. And that means spending money conscientiously, especially in this economy. LaBonge makes me nervous as well since he seems to be wrapped around the mayor's finger and knows about the vote count before the vote is even counted.

• @RF Sorry for the late response. I was too busy learning to be potty trained. Seriously, what kind of a-hole are you? As for the substance of your comment, I think reasonable people can disagree on what "combating opponents" can mean. McDonald went out of his way to use his it in his headline, which implies that the story was going to be about an argument between AV and opponents or about AV fending off opponents, which is not what the article describes at all. Hence, it's a misleading and sensationalist headline. The most straightforward definition of "combating opponents" would be to refuting opponents' arguments. In this case, AV presented his OWN arguments. You do not, in fact, have to address opponents in order to present an argument. Obviously his "opponents" might read his tweets, but that's a far cry from engaging in "combat." To offer another example, if I tell a friend that RF is a condescending idiot, I'm presenting an argument but I'm still not "combating" RF (even if RF overhears me). If I say in in this forum, then I am engaging in combat because I'm responding directly and presenting a counter-argument that is meant to sway, and perhaps even humiliate, RF.

• Some folk might want to learn how to use Crayons properly before attempting to discourse in public forums. One need not "mention opponents" to combat the morons, capiche?

• I am very glad that the vote was locked in long before yesterday's meeting. The board members did in fact listen to their constituents. They have been holding meetings regarding this projects for years and years and years. I have attended many of them. Those speaking at these have always been majority in favor of the project. Yes, there have been a few concerned citizens, and the small number of complainers and loons. But I have been standing up at MTA public meetings for TEN YEARS and encouraging them to build this thing. I never thought it would happen, due to Proposition A, and the Waxman federal legislation. But Waxman changed his mind, Measure R got passed, and damn it, here we go, finally. Still, under the best possible circumstances, it won't be running for TEN MORE YEARS. But I have my fingers crossed, and I am willing to wait. In the meantime, I congratulate the Mayor for all his hard work. If it is his legacy, it is a higly worthwhile one.

• Why does tweeting make Antonio slick? The whole f'ing world tweets these days, especially politicians. It's what they do. Get used to it, Patrick. And how was he "combating opponents"? It doesn't look like he mentioned opponents in any of the tweets that the article cites.

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