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Kwame Wheel of Fortune

 
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parkito

Aug 14, 08 15:31

Post #1 of 4 (148 views)
Kwame Wheel of Fortune Can't Post
Place your bets now, where will Kwame Kilpatrick end up during the Dem Convention?

http://news.yahoo.com/...5HhdOnmy1EwGkqWs0NUE

Obama camp: Detroit mayor would be a 'distraction'

DETROIT – Barack Obama doesn't want Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his legal troubles to be a distraction at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, and he got his wish Thursday when a judge ordered the city executive to stay home.
<snip>

Kilpatrick, who would have gone to the convention as a superdelegate, faces eight felony charges in a perjury case and two felony charges in an assault case.

The day began when a judge overseeing Kilpatrick's arraignment on perjury and other charges said the mayor could get rid of the tether around his ankle and attend the convention.
<snip>

Wayne County Circuit Judge Leonard Townsend, who is overseeing the perjury case, turned a routine arraignment Thursday into a dramatic scene when he suddenly declared that Kilpatrick could get rid of the device that tracks his moves and go to Denver. The mayor had been barred from traveling outside the Detroit metro area.
<snip>

The Wayne County prosecutor's office filed an appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals. It was not known when the appeals court would act.

By afternoon it was clear that the ban on out-of-state travel remains as part of the assault case.
<snip>

Kilpatrick's lawyer, James Thomas, said high-ranking Democrats want the mayor to attend the convention. Obama spokesman Brent Colburn, however, said in an e-mail that the focus of the convention should be on Obama and not on what Colburn called "the troubles of one individual."

Also Thursday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm's legal team said she has no authority to pardon Kilpatrick because he hasn't been convicted of a crime. One of his lawyers had raised that possibility in a letter to the governor Wednesday.
<snip>

Granholm plans to hold a Sept. 3 hearing to decide if she should remove Kilpatrick from office.


You can't make this stuff up.

Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)


slowbern

Aug 15, 08 8:36

Post #2 of 4 (92 views)
Re: Kwame Wheel of Fortune [parkito] [In reply to] Can't Post
Place your bets now, where will Kwame Kilpatrick end up during the Dem Convention?

God, I hope so. But I think it is a physical impossibility at this point. After his tether and bond restrictions were removed yesterday, they were put back on later in the afternoon and he was denied permission to attend by Judge Giles.

This story gets crazier and crazier. It is never-ending drama, I tell you. Especially when you add to it the Tamara Greene stripper murder and how it relates to the Manoogian Mansion Party of "urban legend." There are now EMS workers who treated this deceased stripper after she was allegedly beaten up by the Mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick.

Also Thursday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm's legal team said she has no authority to pardon Kilpatrick because he hasn't been convicted of a crime. One of his lawyers had raised that possibility in a letter to the governor Wednesday.
<snip>

Granholm plans to hold a Sept. 3 hearing to decide if she should remove Kilpatrick from office.

My best guess is this "hearing" will never take place. I think there is a deal in the works for Kilpatrick to resign in return for a plea bargain. Governor Granholm has no interest in getting to the bottom of this. She has no hope of getting any information from witnesses if she is unwilling to offer pardons or immunity. She is just trying to look tough and objective to the State who is watching her with an eagle's eye. Of course, the reality is that everyone knows she used to work with "hizzonor" and they are good friends (similarly Michael Cox the AG) so he will be assured of more than a fair hearing if one were to ever take place.

Bernie


_______________

There, Sphere, are you happy?


parkito

Aug 15, 08 9:05

Post #3 of 4 (84 views)
Re: Kwame Wheel of Fortune [slowbern] [In reply to] Can't Post
Granholm plans to hold a Sept. 3 hearing to decide if she should remove Kilpatrick from office.

My impression was that this was to force a conclusion to the mess well before the general election so that Detroit could be properly organized for the general election and Obama in time.

From what you Detroiters/Michiganers have posted, it seemed like the state follows the city, which was in part why Obama wouldn't (couldn't) win the Michigan primary (if it was held). If my understanding is correct, Obama would have trouble winning Michigan in November if the Kilpatrick mess is still going on. Not because of the black eye, but the hit on party organization and efforts to organize and energize the vote.

Yes, no?

Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)


slowbern

Aug 15, 08 9:34

Post #4 of 4 (77 views)
Re: Kwame Wheel of Fortune [parkito] [In reply to] Can't Post
My impression was that this was to force a conclusion to the mess well before the general election so that Detroit could be properly organized for the general election and Obama in time.

From what you Detroiters/Michiganers have posted, it seemed like the state follows the city, which was in part why Obama wouldn't (couldn't) win the Michigan primary (if it was held). If my understanding is correct, Obama would have trouble winning Michigan in November if the Kilpatrick mess is still going on. Not because of the black eye, but the hit on party organization and efforts to organize and energize the vote.

The Michigan Democratic Party is in a shambles. There is no clear leadership. It used to be Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara (who got all of these bozos into office in the first place) but he is dead. It should be Governor Granholm, but she has no coat-tails. She has a better chance at organizing and rallying the party without Kwame in place, but up until this past January, he was the "new face" of Michigan Democratic politics.

The Mayor of Detroit has long been a HUGE position for the Dems because of his ability to get out the vote, especially the African-Americans in the City. Of course, it didn't hurt to have the City Clerk as a willing accomplice to mail out 50,000 absentee ballots that were pre-checked for your voting convenience. But that is another story.

The Democratic woes and the fact that McCain has been fairly popular in Michigan, which is one of those battleground swing States, meant that Michigan is totally winnable by either campaign.

It is hard to say what will happen. It took a HUGE push from the NDP to get Kwame's mom, Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick through the Primary (she was a 4 term House of Reps incumbent) and even then she only eked by with a few hundred votes. I don't know how much political capital the Dems can spend in one broken city like Detroit.

Bernie


_______________

There, Sphere, are you happy?