Monday, November 19, 2012

Queries on the cosmology of New Orleans politics

I'm going to be really vain and comment bump myself....along with Adrostos.  Here's an exchange from the last post I made on C-Note's call for Jim Letten's head:

adrastos has left a new comment on your post "There's chutzpah....": 

I'm not a fan of Cedric's but Letten needs to go. It's not supposed to be a lifetime sinecure and he and his people act like it is.

Reply: 


Dambala - Jason B. Berry has left a new comment on your post "There's chutzpah....": 


That may or may not be true...I don't know. What I do know is that Richmond has no business sticking his nose in it. The conflicts of interest are too numerous to name and the fact that he's taking cues from Heebe's defense team is rich unto itself. Yes, one could argue that he is simply responding to the developments that are occurring in the case but I think we've both (been) around the block enough times to know that in N.O. politics...one should usually assume conspiracy coupled with incompetence instead of going one way or the other.

As fate would have it, shortly after I wrote that I got an email in the Zombie box informing me that C-Note is not only pushing for Letten's demise, he's already searched the talent pool and come up with his very own replacement.  According to the source, who I have a high amount of confidence in, C-Note's handpicked successor to Letten's seat is Kenneth Polite, Jr. from New Orleans based law firm, Liskow and Lewis.  

I don't know much about Polite, he may be a great candidate...his resume is rather impressive.  However, the fact that Richmond is not only calling for a change in the office but coming up with his own replacement is not good....not good at all in my book.

It also concerns me that C-Note may have enough stroke on Pennsylvania Avenue to get what he wants regardless of the other candidates that may be up for the job.  The timing of this whole thing is certainly curious...the release of the information by team Heebe on a second member of Letten's team that was posting comments on Nola.com, Jan Mann, coupled with Richmond taking stage, front and center, to call for Letten's head...both happening on the cusp of President Obama's re-election.

Yeah...yeah...I know..."Pull out the tin foil hat!"  Go ahead, get it out of your system.  

Oyster took me to task (ok, not really) on the conspiracy matter recently regarding my comments I made when Perricone was first outed.  Just for the record, I didn't say I thought Perricone was outed from someone within Letten's office...I said I didn't believe that they tracked all of Perricone's comments down off of Nola.com solely through the use of the super-duper writing analyst hired by team Heebe.   I think it was Doug that originally suspected there was a mole/leak in Letten's office (please see comment section for Doug's response).

Having cleared that up, I now do think someone tipped off team Heebe about Perricone but I don't think that person was working in Letten's office....at least not at the time Perricone was outed...doesn't mean that person didn't work for Letten at one time.

I've heard rumblings that there may even be, yet, a third person in Letten's crew that was firing off snarks on Nola.com.  If that's the case, it appears to me that we're now more in the realm of professional wrestling than professional football.

And I have no idea if Letten's job is even on the line but I do disagree with Adrostos on the matter.  I hope he doesn't leave, at least not yet.  At least I know there is a desire and intent to prosecute with Letten and no matter how you feel about the current situation you can't knock the man's track record...well..maybe a little, but not a lot.

To clarify, I don't have a unified theory here....I have no idea how the quantum field of the United States Department of Justice politics meshes with the relativity theory of New Orleans politics.  I just know that in my own observable universe, there seems to be an underlying order forming in the assumed chaos.  And if there is an underlying order, it looks to me like C-Note may be the Higgs-Boson that is providing the mass.

But hey, I don't have a supercollider, or even an electron microscope....maybe I'm just thinking too much.              

10 comments:

Doug Handshoe said...

I still think Heebe got information from an ex employee of Letten's office. Nothing I've seen changes that. Mark misunderstood the point I was making earlier this year.

Yeah, it was easy to see insiders were posting comments. Identifying those insiders is the dicier proposition and I think the linguistic expert provided cover for the insights Heebe got from that former member of Team Letten.

Polite is very young. Like you I am dubious of anyone C Note pushes for US Attorney. That said this should be Landrieu's call and she inspires less confidence that Richmond to make a good recomendation IMHO.

E said...

AZ, I think you're a bit ahead of yourself to assume that Richmond would be the one with the suction in DC to get Letten removed and, especially, to name Letten's replacement. He may have a suggestion for the administration, but the local individual with the real power on these matters is the senior Senator. That's just how these appointments work, for one. For two, Mary Landrieu is much more important for the admin's goals over the next two years and they are sensitive to her upcoming reelection challenge. Your explanation is not without merit, it's just sixth or seventh order. Congressman Richmond is not OZ. He's not even close.

Richmond's main value in DC is as a ringer for the Democratic softball squad. He's less influential than Mary Landrieu, Mitch Landrieu, or even KCP.

Jason Brad Berry said...

E,

All salient points and I am aware of the protocol regarding the senior party senator. In fact, look at the graphic in the previous post...there is a reason I included her.

What I would suggest, is that you re-read both posts, the comments that are going to come in on this one, specifically from people like Doug, above, and use some imagination.

Let me put it like this, Letten's office may be in turmoil but there are employees in the office that are critical to cases that are currently in play. A mass exodus from that office would certainly jeopardize, if not sink, some of those cases. Pending Letten's hand-picked replacement, that could certainly happen.

As for Richmond being the great Oz....of course not. At the moment, I think that title goes to Fred Heebe. Do the math.

Jason Brad Berry said...

Doug,

"I still think Heebe got information from an ex employee of Letten's office. Nothing I've seen changes that. "

Yup. Agreed. Although I'm not sure it was your original suspect.

This is a high stakes poker game, fo' true.

Anonymous said...

Polite appears to be the selection of the Landrieu clan while using Cedric Richmond to do their mouth piece.

Polite recieved his bar license in 2000 in Delaware. Worked for Skadden Arps until 2004. Department of Justice in New York from 2004 to 2010. Louisiana law license in 2010. and works for Liskow & Lewis.

Xavier University nominated & Jindal appointed Polite to the State Civil Service Commission (term ends 12/10/2016).

Mayor Landrieu appointed him to serve on the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad on June 28, 2012 (term ends May 17, 2016).

Board of Directors for:
New Orleans College Preparatory Academies;
Breakthrough New Orleans;
The Pro Bono Project;
Young Leadership Council;
De La Salle Alumni Association


http://www.nola.com/society/index.ssf/2011/05/nell_nolans_social_scene_patro.html

"Yet another Cavaliers evening unfolded in The Rose Garden in Elmwood when alumni presenters Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, Jefferson Parish President John Young and former U.S. Attorney Ken Polite Jr. helped hail the 2010-2011 Alumni Association honorees: Ralph Brandt Jr. (Alumnus of the Year), W. Henry Shane (Distinguished Alumnus of the Year), above-mentioned brothers Dennis and Justin Roubion (each one as a Young Alumnus of the Year) and Kiana Aaron Mitchell (Young Alumna of the Year). Signum Fidei leadership medals went to alums Tom Schedler, Jack Blitch, Paul Pastorek and Rafael Goyeneche"

Anonymous said...

I see the name "Young Leadership Council" there, and I cringe inwardly.

Is it just me?

Anonymous said...

Is that what we need? Another politically connected guy taking over? This job needs to filled by someone with no connections to the local establishment.

bruthas_back said...

"This job needs to filled by someone with no connections to the local establishment"............... Don't hold your breath!

oyster said...

Sorry, Dambala and Doug, for mis-stating your opinions.

Jason Brad Berry said...

No apology necessary. I actually do believe exactly what you suggested, I just didn't post that. I do believe the same thing Doug does, as he stated above.