[img]1862|right|John Walsh||no_popup[/img]Congressman Henry Waxman, out of the blue, cancels himself out after receiving some bad news at his annual physical checkup. The 40-year veteran seeks a news media cover-up over his poor-health decision to abruptly pull out of D.C.
The last vestige of the vaunted Waxman-Berman Machine floats away on a wispy white-only cloud.
“Anybody But Zev for Congress” needn't bother to organize. Chicken Yaroslavsky doesn't have the guts to run against a field of well-financed candidates.
JFK's nephew Bobby Shriver contracts a bad case of cold feet. He begs off running for Congress to concentrate on his losing effort to defeat Sheila Kuehl for County Supervisor.
Hey, Waxman Baby:
Sic Transit, Gloria. No way, Molina.
Come November, Kuehl wins the County seat hands down while Wendy Greuel gets her lunch handed to her on a platter by Westside voters.
You can bank on it.
L.A. Times Wise-Guy/White Guy columnist Senor Esteban Lopez, who adores the ground that Zev endlessly pontificates on, tried halfheartedly in his Thursday column to light a fire under the historically reluctant Yaroslavsky's more than ample tush. His aim was to push the ever-so-slow-acting Zev into this red-hot Congressional race to represent in Congress the vast local financial interests held by Tribune Corp., Steve's Big Boss at the Times.
The Son Also Rises?
Expect the fairly Honorable Congressman Waxman to spend his remaining moments in office feverishly working behind the scenes, in vain, to get himself replaced in the House of Representatives by his first choice: His semi-anonymous dweeb son.
Let's check out the past:
Poor Zevele didn't have the courage to run against Tom Bradley in 1989, quickly throwing in the Crying Towel. He handed over to Dear Old Uncle Tom a record fifth term as L.A. Mayor without a fight.
Currently it's way more than completely unlikely that termed-out Supe Du Jour Yaroslavsky has acquired a spot of pill cup of guts in the intervening quarter-century.
Tripping Ain’t for Zev
In addition, Zev's health is poor. That nagging case of diabetes just won't go away. Constant future trans-continental jet flights between his comfy L.A. home in Fairfax and The Hill, as well as a steady diet of airport/airline meals would not improve the 65-year- old's already precarious health condition, now would it?
If Mr. Zev indeed were deadly serious about running on a level playing field against lots of other well-financed candidates – last time that occurred was when Zev won a City Council seat away back in the ‘70s – then he would jump into the race for Henry's seat this very instant. In a heartbeat, he would start furiously raising oodles of big campaign dough from contractors who do business with L.A. County to scare away all would-be competitors from running against Moneybags Yaroslavsky.
Some People Think This Way
Instead, Zev,The Eternally-Timid, is sitting quietly on the sidelines in that oh-so-familiar position, with his middle finger of his own left hand stuck firmly up his own cowardly nose
A Congressionally-victorious Zelda from the old Dobie Gillis television show reruns, Ms. Sheila Kuehl, already is in her seventies. She doesn't have lots of time left to build up Congressional seniority for years while sitting there in D.C. waiting for the Dems to finally become the majority party in the House of Representatives again. It would be far more than crazy and self-destructive to scuttle and run from the County Supe's race where she already is the favorite. Please don't forget that the salary and benefits are much higher locally than what Congress has to offer.
That leaves still relatively youthful-looking Mr. Bobby (“T” for Telegenic) Shriver as the next Westside Congressman. But overly-cautious Bobby decided not to go for broke by ditching the Supervisor's battle and entering the D.C. competition.
Bobby, you would stand as a practical shoo-in for this coveted Congressional position – if you decided to run!
Waxman's House seat would serve as your springboard for higher office in the Nation's Capitol, as it did for several of your close relatives, alive and dead. Remember?
The Kennedy brood and seats in Congress go together like ham and eggs.
Mr. Walsh may be contacted at JWALSHCONFIDENTIAL.WORDPRESS.COM & HOLLYWOODHIGHLANDS.ORG
