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Willie Brown chats with Blagojevich, dishes

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Illinois

* At least somebody is talking to the governor. Here’s Willie Brown’s latest column…

I got a call from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich the other day. The first thing I said to him was, “You know, this call is probably being taped.” […]

He laughed, we talked, and all in all he seemed in pretty good spirits for a guy looking at federal charges.

That’s because he has no clue. More…

I wouldn’t bet on him stepping aside anytime soon. If anything, his hand is getting stronger by the day.

I don’t think he’ll ever step down voluntarily, but Brown never really explains why he thinks Blagojevich’s hand is “getting stronger by the day.” Perhaps that’s just what the guv told him.

I can’t go into details, but my impression is that the whole mess started because the governor had been considering appointing a political rival, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, to the Senate so she wouldn’t be able to run against him when he went up for re-election in 2010.

Apparently, Obama’s people weren’t happy about the idea of Madigan coming to Washington, and there were some pretty heated conversations between Blagojevich and Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, which I understand will burn your ears off.

That doesn’t quite jibe with widely published reports about a list Emanuel supplied to Blagojevich…

Sometime after the election, Emanuel called Harris back to add the name of Democratic Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan to the approved list, the source said.

But, hey, maybe Emanuel just caved in to the idea. We don’t know for sure.

It sure is funny, though, that Blagojevich has found a way to blame Obama for his own troubles. Typical.

* We should all be most worried about this passage…

I know Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said after the “pay to play” stories hit the press that he wouldn’t seat anyone appointed by Blagojevich. But if the governor appoints someone of impeccable credentials - say, a university president or Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s brother Bill, who used to be Bill Clinton’s commerce secretary - who’s going to say “no”?

If Brown got that idea from Blagojevich himself, then all heck is about to break loose.

* While the governor chats up his few remaining buddies, Pat Quinn is quietly putting together a transition team…

As a disgraced but defiant Gov. Rod Blagojevich vows a lengthy fight to hold on to his office, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn has been quietly working to put together a transitional government for when, or if, he is able to seize the reins as Illinois chief executive.

“It’s presumptuous to announce anything,” Quinn said. “But I think that the public should be secure in the knowledge that, if the governor is impeached or resigns, then we’re ready to start in a moment’s notice.” […]

Quinn has reached out to a “couple dozen” friends, seeking transition advice. In an interview Friday, he vowed that his administration would include “individuals of the highest integrity and competence.”

Among those Quinn is relying on to shape a transition are Brian Hamer, director of the state Department of Revenue, and Jack Lavin, director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Hamer worked with Quinn after his 1982 election to the former Cook County Board of Tax Appeals. Lavin served with Quinn after he won the state treasurer’s position in 1990 after the corruption scandal that took down predecessor Jerome Cosentino.

But Lavin also provides a reminder to one aspect of the scandal unfolding around the governor—former Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko, who was convicted in June on federal corruption charges.

Those Rezko types are everywhere. It’s almost impossible to avoid them. Lavin has done a good job at DCEO, so I, for one, don’t hold Rezko against him too much.

* Related…

* In Blago’s Defiance, Echoes of an Idol, Richard Nixon

* The truth? He can’t handle the truth

* Funding a Special Election Could Help Save Newspaper Industry

* Who gains, who loses?

* More tollway trouble

* Don’t give Rosemont 10th casino license

* Unable to do his job, gov should step down

* Lawmakers not swayed by Blago’s bold denial

* No right to be so wrong

* Daley declines to call for Blagojevich’s resignation

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:01 am

Comments

Can anyone think of how Blago’s hand could be getting stronger?

Comment by ahem Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:07 am
University president to U.S. Senator? Glenn Poshard anyone?

Comment by From the Sidelines Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:12 am
Can anyone think of how Blago’s hand could be getting stronger?

Weak impeachment case because Fitz won’t release evidence.

Pressure to get Obama’s seat filled e.g. Bill Daley accepting now doesn’t make sense, but it might in a few more weeks.

The Gov knows an awfull lot about a lot of people and how many people think the Gov did anything that much different than a lot of other Illinois Pols?

He’s not without a defense….

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:20 am
===how many people think the Gov did anything that much different than a lot of other Illinois Pols?===

Actually, a recent poll showed a lot of Illinoisans believe just that.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:23 am
I thought Willie Brown’s column was kind of flip. I wouldn’t put too much stock into it. I suspect he just saw a way to pump up his column by including someone who is at the top of the news these days.

He’s a lot smarter than that.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:28 am
Actually, a recent poll showed a lot of Illinoisans believe just that.

Maybe, but I bet the Gov knows enough to leak a convincing case the contrary… watch him start trying.

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:31 am
===Maybe, but I bet the Gov knows enough to leak a convincing case the contrary… watch him start trying.===

Whatever. The witch is on the stake. It’s over.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:32 am
Also, BB, there’s no “maybe” about it.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:34 am
I hope Lavin makes it to Quinn’s administration - he’s a good guy.

Comment by phocion Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:35 am
If for some reason the Senate would not vote to get him out, there would be a public revolt. The backlash would be incredible.

He (Blago)may believe his hand is getting stronger and the case is weak but there has been a lot more than swearing on tapes on this Governor, I am betting people are coming out of the woodwork to talk to the Feds, and impeachment staff.

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:40 am
….no maybe about it

Imagine the ethical baseline Illinoisians are using here though…

…a friend of mine married an Illinois Pol and family members shook their heads because he was in a business where you could only trust people as far as you could throw them.

I’m guessing the poll reflects the Gov as a heavier shot among a bunch you can’t trust.

Blagojevich just a harder heave.

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:41 am
BB, the voters of this state rightly (if belatedly) recognize this guy as an extremist.

Will he push back? Sure. Might he raise his approval ratings? It’s tough to go below 7 or 8 percent, so maybe. Will it work? Nope. He’s gone, baby. Gone.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:44 am
Have the defense lawyers (Gensen, Banks, etc.) become Blago’s new enablers, allowing Blago to
-escape the consequences of his actions, and
-be secure in the knowledge that no matter how much he screws up, somebody will always be there to rescue him from his mistakes

Comment by anon sequitor Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:49 am
I think he’s gone, but unless he puts his own welfare and that of his family first, I think he could be around a while. (His press conference was pretty disturbing at a human level. This was a guy in trouble.)

These are tough cases to make though (remember the Ryan trial), and the political case is even fuzzier.

He’s got a huge uphill struggle but he’s not without a defense…

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:55 am
anon - it’s Genson and Adams

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:58 am
Quinn is caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s prudent to be putting a transition together right now, it’s quite necessary. I know he doesn’t want to go too far, worrying about appropriateness and letting the constitutional process take place, but transitions are hard. They really are. And normally you get about two months, he’s going to get a transition measured in days, whenever it finally happens.

Comment by Scooby Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:59 am
I’ve always thought that people in other states (e.g. California), don’t really get the ‘Illinois way’. I came here via Michigan and Missouri, and it took me a while to really understand how things were done here, and a while longer to understand that people just accept it. Willie Brown probably just thinks that it’s all blown out of proportion, and that Blago et al really couldn’t have done what they’re accused of doing. Guess again Mr. Brown.

Comment by Bobs yer Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:01 am
Anonymous, it’s Genson and Adam. No “s”

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:02 am
Anon 1058, you’re right.
I just realized that mistake and came back to correct it but you beat me to it.

Comment by anon sequitor Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:02 am
Guv is stronger b/c without feds evidence legislature will have to dig deeper. Many acts occuurred before or while Madigan was working to get him re-elected. If he can set up as a middle man just doing what he was told by madigan and daley he is in good shape. Madigan’s refusal to admit he was was wrong in supporting guv and refusing to impeach is going to put him in the mix.

Comment by the Patriot Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:03 am
===without feds evidence legislature will have to dig deeper. ===

Um, huh? They’ve already said that they’ll use the criminal complaint in the impeachment report.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:09 am
===If he can set up as a middle man just doing what he was told by madigan and daley he is in good shape===

LOL. You obviously have not been around for the past six years.

Try reading and thinking more before commenting again, please. Thanks.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:10 am
Believe it or not there are a few current agency directors that are qualified, and have done a good job-

Lavin, Scott, Duckworth are some who immediately come to mind

There are even politically connected hirees that have been quietly doing their jobs and hoping that one day there will be a Governor they are proud to say appointed them/serve under

I can only hope Quinn is in line for the job sooner rather than later…

That’s my Christmas wish for the citizens of the soon to be great again State of IL…

Comment by Loop Lady Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:13 am
Of the national media types, only Keith Olberman seemed to notice how nervous Blago was at his Friday appearance. He’s lost a lot of weight in the last year and probably isn’t sleeping that well. All he has now is Patti, and she may be in trouble herself.

I’m in agreement with Rich- it’s all over now, baby blue. But when exactly?

I think it’s time for a Blago Pool– what day is his last day as Governor? The one with the closest prediction gets a prize, but we will all be winners….

Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:14 am
I wonder how long it took one of Blago’s defense attorneys to call him and tell him to shut up?

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:14 am
I wonder how soon Brian Hamer and Jack Lavin become Ex-Directors in the Blagojevich administration.

Comment by GA Watcher Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:16 am
BB-

You’ve been hitting the Christmas punch a little too much!

The thing I came away thinking after the presser on Friday (No questions please) was that Blago was threatening his colleagues with the fight, fight, fight rhetoric as that if I go down, I’m takin’ a few people with me, so gimme a couple months to get my ducks in a row, otherwise, I’ll make life miserable for as many folks as I possibly can…

Just like Rod to be thinking of others…

Comment by Loop Lady Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:18 am
I just read Bernard Schoenburg’s column from 12/18. He mentions Genson’s term on the IHPA board expired on 1/19/2004 nearly five years ago.

Of the seven seats on the board, one is vacant and five are expired.

You know, if they’re going to impeach the governor for FOIA violations (among other broken laws and ethical lapses - though how does something lapse that was never there in the first place) how about nailing him for failure to make appointments as required by law.

I believe this would fall under the nonfeasance column rather than the misfeasance or malfeasance ones.

The panel could even call Genson to testify. I’d love to see Adam cross-examine. Could be fun.

Comment by From the Sidelines Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:19 am
He wants to talk, doesn’t he? He is talking to Willie Brown? Lucky dog!

When do you think Blagojevich will start contributing to our blogs? He has the time and wants so badly to talk!

If you can read this Mr. Governor - please join in the fun!

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:25 am
The Willie Brown story:

Until 2005 Brown was a registered lobbyist whose business and political dealings continue to cut a swath through most of the Chronicle’s coverage areas. He has included as political, financial, and lobbying allies Governor Schwarzenegger, PG&E, Lennar Corporation, and some of the most important Democratic politicians in the state. Given Brown’s history of allegations of inappropriate self-dealing, his new column promises to make a joke of the paper’s guidelines governing “ethical news gathering” and “conflicts of interest.”

People in and around the Chronicle newsroom — which still includes news scribes dedicated to the pursuit of truth — are sickened by the new Willie deal.

“Real journalists in the room were appalled by it,” said one insider familiar with the mood at the paper. “And the people who weren’t are people who don’t put journalism first or who have a very shallow understanding of San Francisco politics, or of who Willie Brown is, or of the reporting done in Hearst papers on Willie Brown.”

“People have major concerns about violations of every journalistic principle that’s out there,” another Chronicle insider says. “It’s government too close to the press and vice versa.”

I’m sure there’s no connection at all between Willie Brown’s support and Rod’s recent signing of the Hollywood tax credit for Illinois films. None. Right.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:33 am
…Keith Olberman seemed to notice how nervous Blago was at his Friday appearance…

He said some troubling things. I’m not talking politics.

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:34 am
BTW, I LOVE this quote from the above story:

“The day after Brown’s first column appeared, a Chronicle story noted he was called to testify before a federal grand jury investigating state Senator Don Perata. Again, the paper made no mention of Brown’s role as a columnist.”

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:38 am
and, for those who are wondering, Blagojevich has raised over $1.1 MILLION from California donors.

I’ll forward the list to Capitolfax, in case they’d like to post.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:46 am
“But if the governor appoints someone of impeccable credentials - say, a university president or Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s brother Bill, who used to be Bill Clinton’s commerce secretary - who’s going to say “no”?”

I also heard this argument on one of the Sunday morning talk shows. I don’t buy it. If you make a statement that you will not seat anyone that RB appoints and get a large bunch of senators to endorse that statement, then I don’t think the people would find anyone that RB names as “acceptable”.

There are some major principles involved here. Reid would be accepting an action from a man who has already been impeached in the arena of public opinion. Blago impeached himself. If Reid chose to play with him now I believe all hell would break loose especially if Durbin chose to back up Reid. Accepting anyone that RB names now would only legitimize RB, at least in his own mind, and cause him to dig in more. It would also give ammunition to celebrity pols like Willie Brown who are seeking to minimize the crimes RB has committed.

Comment by vole Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:51 am
vole, good points. The other problem with Willie’s/RRB’s theory is that Bill Daley most likely wouldn’t take such an appointment. Nor would many others. Roland Burris and some others probably would, however.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:53 am
Willie Brown is one of the more fascinating rascals in recent U.S. political history — and no stranger to Justice Department investigations.

Great Willie quote after he took a fortune in contributions from Big Tobacco and then helped pass the first and most sweeping anti-smoking measures in the country:

“If you can’t take their money and turn around and bleep ‘em, you’re in the wrong business.”

Term-limited as speaker, and with the GOP holding a two-seat majority in the Cally House, he engineered a coup where he picked off a couple of GOP defectors, spearheaded one of them being elected speaker, and had himself appointed to the new post of Speaker Emeritus, from where he continued to rule.

Something of a dandy, he likes fast cars and the ladies. One last Willie quote: “If you can’t wear it, drive it or make love to it, I’m not interested.”

I’d love to sit around and hear him and MJM talk shop.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:56 am
…Bill Daley most likely wouldn’t take such an appointment…

He wouldn’t now but if this thing drags on for more weeks and looks like dragging into months I think they’ll be some consensus Illinois needs two Senators voting on these big stimulus (bailout) issues… You could see Dems and the biz side of the GOP rally around a guy like Bill Daley.

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:03 pm
==You could see Dems and the biz side of the GOP rally around a guy like Bill Daley==

No way the GOP would support a RRB appointed Bill Daley. This is just silly talk.

Comment by Crystal Clear Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:28 pm
It was kind of funny yesterday on the morning news show, but some of the guests were talking like Illinois would not be represented at all without an Obama replacement. I kept thinking, “have they completely forgotten Durbin?”

Do we really think this replacement is going to be that critical? That soon?

Comment by vole Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:41 pm
I thought Jesse White wouldn’t certify the appointment anyway so it wouldn’t even make it to the Senate-right?

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:44 pm
Even if he does appoint somone wth great credentials, what would it say about that person if they accepted under the current fire strom.

It takes two people for the appointment dance, and nothing prevents whoever Blago appoints from saying no thank you to the Gov. There may be a faster way to political sucide then accepting the Senate appointment form the Gov, but I cant think of any.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:53 pm
This is just silly talk.

Well, it’s a pretty weird situation. What looks silly may turn out rationale given the way Illinois is headed.

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:59 pm
+++++
Believe it or not there are a few current agency directors that are qualified, and have done a good job-

Lavin, Scott, Duckworth are some who immediately come to mind
++++++

Lavin? Which agency?

Comment by Macbeth Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 1:20 pm
I’d think that now more than ever, a prospective Blago senatorial appointment would be self-serving to the extent possible. But anyone who’s in a position to help Blago one way or another is likely tainted by the feds’ probe, or simply doesn’t exist.

Not sure what Blago has to gain by appointing “squeaky clean” Bill Daley. He’s no friend to the mayor, who is already clamoring to have bailout money funneled directly into his hands rather than vis a vis the state. Can’t imagine that the oligarch of Chicago would want the additional media attention that would inevitably come his way if and when little bro is selected.

Maybe Poshard could offer him a teaching post at SIU - ethics in government? He could telecommute from Ravenswood Manor.

Comment by The Doc Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 1:27 pm
I thought Blago actually called Willie Brown to say “I loved you in The Princess Diaries,” saw it on The Disney Channel in between Hannah Montana episodes.

Comment by carbon deforestation Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 1:47 pm
GA Watcher & Macbeth -

It seems you know the Lavin I know. Up until know all he has done is run a bleep-up proof department which is insulated by layers and layers of “buffers”. As it is said, sunlight is the best disinfectant. DCEO is just still in the dark at the moment. I think I can comment on this, I watched it from the inside for a few years.

Comment by Big Mama T Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 3:01 pm
Does anyone else think that Rod knowing/ appointing someone with “impeccable credentials” is a complete oxymoron? As for his CA fundraising - let us not forget that the first ethics test forced on state employees by Mr. ‘no more business as usual’ was created by a California firm that contributed $25 or $50K (I forget the exact amount) to his campaign coffers. The handwriting was on the wall way back then.

Comment by cynically anonymous Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 4:02 pm