Why We're the New Irish; Mexican-Americans, too, began apart--and are now a thread in the tapestry.(Antonio Villaraigosa's election as mayor, Los Angeles, California)(Cover Story)

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 30-MAY-05

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Byline: Gregory Rodriguez (Rodriguez is an Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and a contributing editor of the Los Angeles Times.)

Antonio Villaraigosa may not realize it, but his election as mayor of America's second largest city borrows a page from Al Smith. Like a lot of Irish-American politicians of his day, Smith knew how to play the ethnic card to great effect. After all, "shamrock politics" had helped the Irish establish a firm grasp on power throughout the Northeast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But as Smith rose through the ranks in...

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