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Remember the summer of love of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Telemundo Channel 52 anchor/reporter Mirthala Salinas a couple of years ago?

Well, it is Deja Vu all over again – now with Lu Parker and said Los Angeles Mayor Villar (except this time he is single).

Over the weekend, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was spotted perusing the merchandise in a Larchmont bookstore with a local television reporter who is also a former Miss USA. 

Earlier today, NBC Channel 4’s L.A. news website posted a story about the sighting, including a snapshot of the two together inside Chevalier’s bookstore with the mayor casually dressed, wearing shades and having a laugh. The woman, Lu Parker of KTLA Channel 5, is a general assignment news reporter and weekend anchor for the station.

And that made it newsworthy, given that the mayor’s prior relationship with a different TV reporter coincided with the widely publicized breakup of his marriage.

“Witnesses say they did not hold hands or kiss, but appeared very chummy,” the NBC Channel 4 story said. “Parker was seen touching the mayor’s chest and stomach while they spoke. She was also seen looking at a book about Kenya and overheard saying to Villaraigosa, ‘We should buy it for our trip.’ “

And, Parker has already told her bosses at KTLA that she and the Mayor are dating.

Flap wonders if the Mayor’s new squeeze is the reason he seems disinterested in the 2010 California Governor’s race and recently passed on the California Democratic Party Convention, where he was conspicuous by his absence.

Mayor Villar appears to be busy.

Watch Lu Parker interview the Mayor on election night in November here.

Good luck Tony, you will probably need it, knowing your track record.

Previous:

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: The Mayor’s “OTHER WOMAN” Mirthala Salinas Moves On

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Affair with Mirthala Salinas Is OVER

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Mirthala Salinas Resigns from Telemundo

Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Mirthala Salinas Transferred to Riverside

Remember when former Democrat National Committee Chairman Howard Dean called the Republican Party, The White Party?

Well, he was correct demographically.

More than 6 in 10 Republicans today are white conservatives, while most of the rest are whites with other ideological leanings; only 11% of Republicans are Hispanics, or are blacks or members of other races. By contrast, only 12% of Democrats are white conservatives, while about half are white moderates or liberals and a third are nonwhite.

But, historically, this has also been the case.

Gallup has data out suggesting that 89 percent of self-identified Republicans are white; the comparable figure among Democrats is 65 percent. These numbers closely match those from last November’s Presidential election, when 89 percent of John McCain’s voters were white as were 60 percent of Barack Obama’s, according to exit polls.

This, however, is not exactly anything new. 88 percent of George W. Bush’s voters in 2004, and 91 percent of them in 2000, were white. And nearly 98 percent of Ronald Reagan’s voters in 1980 were white as were 96 percent of Gerald Ford’s in 1976. The GOP is, in fact, slightly less white than it once was, as they do relatively better among Hispanics and Asians than among blacks (if still not particularly well), and Hispanics and Asians are starting to make up a larger fraction of the nonwhite (and overall) voting pool.

So, what is the challenge to the GOP as the non-white population of  voters increases in relation to all American voters? Will the Republican Party have to engage in crass racial pandering-type politics like the Demcorats have done since the 1960′s with African American voters?

Yes, if the GOP wants to win. But, since certain racial groups are concentrated in specific areas in certain states, Republicans may wish to concentrate on winning in other areas of the white electorate rather than confront overt racial pandering.

However, the GOP will have to eventually recognize the changing demographics and broaden their base of support otherwise it may be tough to win elections.

So says the latest Radmussen Poll.

The question:

So far, has the economic stimulus plan helped the economy, hurt the economy or had no impact on the economy?

• Helped – 31%
• Hurt – 27%
• No Impact – 31%
• Not Sure – 11%

This approval of Obama’s economic stimulus package is down seven points from when it was first approved in February.

In the meantime, Americans overwhelmingly say former President Bush is too blame for ongoing economic problems.

President Obama contends he inherited the nation’s ongoing economic problems and that his actions since taking office are not to blame. Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters agree with the president that the problems are due to the recession that began under the Bush administration.

Just 27% of voters say the problems are being caused more by the policies Obama has put in place since taking office, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Ten percent (10%) are not sure which president is more to blame.

However, Americans are growing restless and those numbers will likely change, if by the end of the summer, the economy has not dramtically improved.

North Korea is continuing its tests of long-range missiles which potentially might target the United States.

North Korea has positioned its most sophisticated long-range ballistic missile at a launch site for a test firing that could come within weeks, a newspaper here reported Monday.

Pyongyang, which last month raised tensions worldwide by conducting a nuclear test, could even fire its missile when South Korean President Lee Myung-bak meets President Obama in Washington on June 16, according to the report.

The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper in Seoul reported that the newest missile set for launch from the Dongchang-ni launch site on North Korea’s west coast may be a version of the Taepodong-2 rocket that Pyongyang fired in April.

The report, citing unnamed sources, said the missile has a range of up to 4,000 miles and could reach Alaska. Both South Korea and Japan acknowledged today that a new North Korean long-range missile test could come within weeks.

What is the United States response?

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who has submitted a budget that cuts national missile defense programs said, “at this point, it’s not clear what they’re going to do.”

And, then downplays the entire affair.

Gates spoke in Manila before boarding a U.S. military jet for Alaska, where he was scheduled to view a key part of the missile defense system, the ground based interceptor silos.

In the 2010 budget, Gates proposed cutting more than a billion dollars from missile defense, halting the planned expansion of the interceptors from 30 to 44. In the wake of the North Korea test some experts, including former Defense Secretary William Cohen, have suggested rethinking those cuts.

But in an earlier roundtable with reporters, Gates said his budget will robustly fund missile defense, cutting only parts of the program, like the airborne laser, that had little chance of success. Gates said the interceptor program will get $750 million to continue its development and $200 million to sustain the existing 30 missiles.

“The 30 interceptors we have are adequate for years to come to deal with the North Korean threat as we see it developing,” Gates said.

Gates said North Korea will not be able to deploy a significant number of long range missiles in a short period of time. If they were to expand their capabilities, the U.S. would have “ample time” to build additional interceptors.

Yet, Bill Clinton’s former Secretary of Defense, William Cohen advises Gates to NOT cut the missile defense budget.

With the increasing billigerence of North Korea and Iran, why would the Obama Administration considering placing the United States at risk while it is wasting $ Billions in bailing out failed automobile companies.

Mr President, how about some priorities here.

By the way, do you think Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will give Secretary Gates an earful today about Alaska job losses as a result of Obama cuts in missile defense?

General Motors has indeed become Government Motors as the automobile manufacturer files for bankruptcy protection today.

General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday as part of the Obama administration’s plan to shrink the automaker to a sustainable size and give a majority ownership stake to the federal government.

GM’s bankruptcy filing is the fourth-largest in U.S. history and the largest for an industrial company. The company said it has $172.81 billion in debt and $82.29 billion in assets.

As it reorganizes, the fallen icon of American industrial might will rely on $30 billion of additional financial assistance from the Treasury Department and $9.5 billion from Canada. That’s on top of about $20 billion in taxpayer money GM already has received in the form of low-interest loans.

GM will follow a similar course taken by smaller rival Chrysler LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in April. A judge gave Chrysler approval to sell most of its assets to Italy’s Fiat, moving the U.S. automaker closer to a quick exit from court protection, possibly this week.

The plan is for the federal government to take a 60 percent ownership stake in the new GM. The Canadian government would take 12.5 percent, with the United Auto Workers getting a 17.5 percent share and unsecured bondholders receiving 10 percent. Existing GM shareholders are expected to be wiped out.

And, American taxpayers get left holding the bag to bail out, yet again, General Motors, I mean Government Motors.

What a waste!

Back in December, in an economy far, far away, then-CEO Rick Wagoner tossed out the scary cost to taxpayers of $100 billion if General Motors wasn’t saved by the government. Well, GM was saved in December and again in March, and as early as today the feds will rescue it a third time in a prepackaged bankruptcy that is already costing at least $50 billion, and that’s for starters. Welcome to Obama Motors, and what is likely to be a long, expensive and unhappy exercise in political car making.

Flap asks what is the exit strategy of the federal government for Government Motors? How much more will Americans be forced to pay to prop up the United Auto Workers and this failed company?

This entire GM bailout has been a calculated political manipulation of the marketplace by the Obama Administration. Obama interventions includes help for the unions, trade protectionism and help for the Michigan economy that Obama needs for re-election in 2012.

How much more will Americans have to cough up?

Day By Day by Chris Muir