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Former advisor flees the Burris train wreck

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Burris

* Lynn Sweet has the story of a comically self-serving attempt to pass blame…

Bud Jackson is a political consultant who has worked campaigns for Roland Burris in the past. When Burris was appointed to the Senate, he was helping out a bit, pro bono, he told me. Now he is dumping on others who, he said, ill advised the junior senator from Illinois.

But Jackson, who makes a living in political communication, wants everyone to know he has nothing to do with the hole the senator has dug himself with his changing stories about his relations with people in ousted Gov. Blagojevich’s orbit.

* The letter…

Concerning Senator Roland Burris

Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Members of the Media:

As many of you may recall I actively helped my former client, Roland Burris, during his run-up to being successfully seated in the United States Senate.

Since that time, well … his team’s public relations efforts have been less than stellar. Turns out that, because my business is political communication, I need to let folks know that I have not been involved in the decisions that have led to the public relations fiasco over the past week. In fact, I actively counseled his team to take very different actions, to no avail.

I have not returned countless calls from my friends in the media, partly because my role no longer includes responding to media queries, now that the Senator has his own official staff. If you are a member of the media, please contact Jim O’Connor, the new communications director (being shot out of a cannon) for Senator Burris at his Washington, DC office (202) 224-2852.

I know based on my own private conversations and experience that Senator Roland Burris has been the victim of bad advice and, when set-up to fail, he certainly shall we say, has had less than adeqaute attempts to better and more clearly inform the public at a press conference, or two. It has ben painful to watch. Regardless, the senator has more than 30 years of public service and his integrity has never been questioned. I know that he has done nothing inappropriate despite the impression that has been left.

Despite what may or may not happen as a result of the mess that has been made, I stand behind my former client. To quote the movie Oh, Brother Where Art Thou Senator Burris is “in a tight spot.” It’s an unfortunate distraction for Illinois people who are most concerned about their jobs and their homes. It’s not so bad if you’re a Republican, a Democrat gunning for his seat, or if you’re trying to sell newspapers — they all benefit by painting everything in its worst possible context.

So to sum it all up: it’s complicated.

Sincerely,

Bud Jackson

So, to “sum it all up,” Jackson says that Burris has been the victim of bad advice, but the stories resulting from all that bad advice are “painting everything in its worst possible context.” Should Burris have just dummied up about his prevarications? I’m not clear about what Jackson believes Burris should’ve done.

I prefer a different quote from Jackson’s favorite movie…

“I slaughtered this horse last Tuesday. I think it’s startin’ to turn.”

* Meanwhile, Rod Blagojevich’s former press secretary Lucio Guerrero spills a few of his guts…

For the first time, a key advisor to impeached former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is providing an insider’s account of life inside the administration after Blagojevich’s arrest. […]

On the day the Senate trial convened, Blagojevich began a media blitz that his press secretary advised against.

* And Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. attempts to explain…

“During that very lonely period, (I was) trying to defend my character and my integrity against allegations I had absolutely nothing to do with,” he said. “I still have not talked to federal authorities. I am not an informant. I’m not a snitch.

“I’m not any of those things, and yet I’ve been maligned, besmirched, through that process, and I still have some mental trepidations associated with the things I read about myself and would think, ‘That can’t possibly be me.’ But it is what it is.”

So, when he does talk to the feds, does that then make him a snitch?

* Related…

* Plenty share blame for Burris debacle: Urging him to resign assumes he carries a conscience.

* Should he stay or should he go now? This is a different problem. It’s with how he laid out the wording on the monument. There’s a heading “Trail Blazer,” and then it says “First African-American In Illinois to Become:” and after that he leaves some space before listing his accomplishments — Illinois Attorney General 1991-95, Illinois Comptroller 1979-1991, all the way to SIU Exchange Student to University of Hamburg, Germany 1959-60.

* Too late for ex-Burris backers to cut and run

* Sen. Roland Burris questioned in probe of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich

* Burris stays silent amid calls for resignation

* Burris return puts senator to the test

* Burris Faces Battle As He Heads Back To Washington

* Colleagues must convince Burris to quit

* Burris Under Fire, But Still Silent

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 8:51 am

Comments

@Jessie Jr

Your repeated assertations that you “are not a snitch” makes one wonder does that mean that you have dirt, but are not providing it to the feds?

Makes one wonder what he is implying that he knows, but isn’t telling.

Comment by How Ironic Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 8:56 am
I stayed up after the Oscars to see the Lucio Guerrero interview on ABC-7. I was…disappointed. Guess I expected more inside info, or for someone to get pushed under the bus, or something like that. Ah well.

Comment by Concerned Observer Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:01 am
Dear Bud,
When I read your touching letter I think of another movie scene - the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles. (This goes for you too JJJ}

- These political folks always answer the question on most peoples mind: “Do they have no shame?”

Comment by You Go Boy Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:03 am
So he considers it a negative if a person knows about criminal wrong doing and tells law enoforcement about it ? Interesting.

Comment by Reality is Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:12 am
J3 needs to stop talking. Right now. Claiming on the record to not be a snitch is double-talk for “I’ve got something to say, but would rather protect my rapidly disintegrating reputation”.

===But Jackson, who makes a living in political communication===

Apparently Bud’s so-called expertise doesn’t apply to his own communications. A poorly written and confusing essay that spawns more questions than it answers. You’ve just armed every potential employer with a reason to not hire you, and perhaps opened the door to a chat with the feds.

Comment by The Doc Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:14 am
Well said, Doc. Bud Jackson’s letter was poorly-written and ill-advised. Reminds me of the old saying about doctors treating themselves. You’ve got to wonder how he plans to make a living if he’s refusing to return reporters phone calls.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:20 am
P.S. If I’m Patrick Fitzgerald’s office, I’m calling Bud Jackson this morning to set up an interview about those “private conversations” he had.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:22 am
Shame on Lucio and Bud Jackson for trying to save face after the fact. Their post-scandal reputation management efforts are so transparent and self-serving. Lucio, my advice? Go away for a while.

Comment by awol Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:22 am
Rich - I’d go with this quote from Homer’s The Odyssey, on which Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? is based:

“By their own follies they perished, the fools.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:27 am
Okay. So let’s assume that I’m hiring a political communications consultant. Do I want one who will keep his/her mouth shut about whatever confidential matters we discuss, or do I want one who will go rogue publicly and throw me and my staff under the bus to save his/her own hide?

Hmmmm…. Let me think about it and get back to you.

Comment by soccermom Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:32 am
soccermom — you might be right about Bud Jackson, but with Lucio I wonder if it’s not smart to trample on Rod before he’s able to start blaming you for various things.

Comment by Concerned Observer Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:38 am
I still have not talked to federal authorities. I am not an informant. I’m not a snitch

I’m sorry, I thought if a citizen had knowledge of criminal activity, it was his DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to inform the proper authorities.

And so much more so if such a person is an elected official.

Comment by Pat collins Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:41 am
Trample on Rod? NEVER stab your principal in the back. It just shows how truly disloyal you are. how does it benefit Lucio to do that now?

Comment by awol Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:41 am
Agree. Lucio looks like a loser.

Comment by kid and play Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:43 am
Pappy O’Daniel: I’m a forgiving, Christian sort of man. And I say, if their rambunctiousness, and misdemeanoring, is behind them…
[turns away from the mike, towards Everett]
Pappy O’Daniel: [no-nonsense] It is, ain’t it, boys?
Ulysses Everett McGill: Uh, yes sir, it is.

Comment by Don't Worry, Be Happy Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:50 am
Let’s say you give Bud Jackson the benefit of the doubt on this one, isn’t he still taking credit for all of Burris’ other campaigns?

Comment by Scooby Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:51 am
It is about time that these individuals behave like adults. In each case above, we see public officials behaving as though they are hapless victims instead of community leaders. This is a problem!

Roland Burris is a US Senator, with a 30 year record in public office. You wouldn’t know this as you watch him over the past two months, would you? Why? It isn’t just his obvious confusion, his updated versions of answers previously given as sworn testimony, or the fact that he seems to be unable to appear in public without rope lines, barriers, and a bouncer who doubles as his legal mind. Roland Burris is a failure as a community leader at a time when we need not just any leader, but a US Senator. Almost anyone can flounder and stutter as though they are a mindless weakling. Loser!

Jesse Jackson Jr. has been given opportunities only royalty receives, yet after being given a Congressional seat at a young age and exposing himself as a player in Rod Blagojevich’s pay-to-play follies, he whines, cries and falls apart.

“During that very lonely period, (I was) trying to defend my character and my integrity against allegations I had absolutely nothing to do with,”

Does this sound like a community leader to you, or does this sound like a line from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? It is outrageous that this former Ivy League football player is willing to publically wallow in a skirt and feign a Scarlett O’Hara act, while playing victim.

Gentlemen! You are not victims! You are people we depend upon. You are experienced public officials that have political powers few of us will ever entertain. You have had millions of dollars in election promotions, thousands of loyal supporters giving you cash, chauffeured automobiles, luxurious lodgings and staffers galor! How dare you turn to us as though you are victims at a time when we are the ones being victimized?

You people are not immortal. You are not irreplaceable. You do our civil work, at our pleasure. If your previous actions have not gotten you into the public embarrassments and legal predicaments that now threaten your precious power bases, then your behavior, excuses and stream of half-truths clearly demonstrate to us that both of you need to be replaced immediately.

We need leaders - not crying babies!

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:52 am
There’s no doubt that Burris is still a trail blazer. It’s just that the trail is not one anyone else should be following.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:53 am
Come on, awol. You’re smart enough to know Blagojevich is a special case.

Lucio should have been smart enough to know that going in, too.

Comment by Concerned Observer Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:56 am
My point is that he signed on to the job knowing what he was getting into. There’s no point in trying to save his ass now. People will always question his judegement becuase he took that job in the first place. He needs to stop promoting his “crisis communication skills.” No one will hire him.

Comment by awol Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 9:59 am
Oh, he’ll get a JOB, but he may have to leave the state, and he may have to go back to the newspaper biz.

Comment by Concerned Observer Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:09 am
Trips has me a little confused. From the Southtown yesterday, he’s already talked to the feds about Blago

–The governor wanted money from the multinational companies Jackson had found to plan and build the airport, Jackson said. Trying to work with Blagojevich was so “horrible,” Jackson said, he shared information about his experiences with federal agents.

“I have worked with four governors (including newly installed Gov. Patrick Quinn),” Jackson said. “It wasn’t until I came into contact with the Blagojevich administration that they sought to shake down the developers. Their behavior was so unacceptable to me that I took that information to the U.S. attorney because how can we build our state if every time someone wants to invest and create jobs, they have to go through a political gauntlet of ‘gimme, gimme, gimme?’ “–

Still, even after that horrible experience, he was able to play ball with Blago about the Senate appointment. How does he square that?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:13 am
Well said Van Man!

Comment by what the heck? Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:19 am
Get off Burris and start fixing far worse problems we have statewide.

Comment by reflector Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:22 am
JJJr. talking about the abhorrent practice of shaking people down…..did he ever go with Pops on “Take Your Child To Work Day”?

Comment by You Go Boy Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:32 am
VMan, Trips didn’t attend an Ivy League school or play football. You must have him confused with Gary Fencik or Sid Luckman.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 10:33 am
If you rat out your neighbor who has cancer and is growing a small amount of weed in his basement you are a snitch.

If you point out public corruption by a elected official you are a whistleblower or civic minded citizen.

Apparently the esteemed Congressman Jackson needs to figure that out.

Comment by IrishPirate Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:01 am
You would think that after 20-30 years in any profession (particularly in a high profile role) you would have learned the skills of the trade and understand the good and bad of almost any situation you step into. If you want to play in the big leagues you better be prepared when/if that time comes. To come across as a well meaning nice guy who simply did not understand what he was stepping into simply screams poor preparation and false presentation. Burris is a ‘tight spot’ of his own making that he should have seen coming. Watching all these people pose for the PR headline and then turn on each other when the heat starts is just fascinating.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:14 am
“I’m not a snitch”. Sounds like JJJ is trying to play up to his base.

Comment by SpfldJimbo Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:15 am
Sounds like JJJ is trying to play up to his base.

As in?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Snitchin’

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:37 am
Try this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Snitchin%27

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 11:39 am
To borrow another Oh Brother line, if I were guessing, I’d say for Mr. Burris that serving only a few weeks in the U.S. Senate is like eating a 1/3 of a gopher.

Comment by Old Shepherd Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 12:34 pm
As Albert Einstein once said: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the the universe.”

Comment by Ghost Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 1:10 pm
Off topic, but for a reason. Isn’t it nice that Chicago got noticed on Oscar night for a reason that has nothing to do with political scandal?

http://www.truenorthsnacks.com/story/

Comment by Way South of the Border Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 5:59 pm
Is you is, or is you ain’t, my constituents?

Comment by Rayne of Terror Monday, Feb 23, 09 @ 6:18 pm