Skepticism grows about downtown stadium

City Councilman Paul Krekorian got the ball rolling earlier this week, as he questioned the need to expedite the stadium deal. Then came two sports commentators on Madeleine Brand's show on KPCC ("worst idea ever"), then it was Daily News columnist Kerry Cavanaugh taking a swipe ("Shouldn't you reserve your super enthusiastic support for the project until after the financial details are vetted?"). Most interesting are the letters coming into the LAT: As of 2 p.m. Friday, not a single submission on the topic expressed support for the stadium (and dozens of letters have been received). Paul Thornton notes:

I point this out because rarely does an issue provoke dozens of reader responses that come down so decisively on one side. Take, for example, the Mideast peace process or Sacramento's perpetual budget woes, both topics that typically draw a high volume of submissions split more or less equally between those who blame Israelis or Palestinians for obstructionism and Californians who say no or yes to tax increases.

This is all very anecdotal, of course, and frankly I'm not sure that the opposition centers on the stadium idea itself or the way it's being shoved at L.A. taxpayers. Either way, though, the pushback is notable - and perhaps reflective of the trouble that AEG and the downtown cheerleaders might have in getting this thing through.