Jerry Brown has had a very frustrating summer. First, his disingenuous efforts to portray Oakland crime as down when it’s actually been exploding on his watch (homicides up 57% from 1999-2005)
were overwhelmed by daily headlines of carnage in the city streets. Yesterday, the Oakland Tribune reported the city now has had more murders this year than all of last year. The aggressive campaign of Senator Chuck Poochigian has been relentlessly pounding on Brown’s (typical) neglect of Oakland as he campaigns full-time for AG while the city is in the grips of what can only be called a public safety crisis. Come to think of it, a public safety crisis is exactly what the Poochigian has accurately labeled the ever-worsening situation in Oakland.
Now, Wednesday’s LA Times reports that a new book by an experienced investigative reporter is again raising questions about Brown’s integrity. Jerry Brown’s questionable competence and integrity have always been his weakpoints and are resurfacing at a most inconvenient time for the (perennial) candidate.
The book is titled "Supermob" and focuses on famed fixer Sidney Korshak who was named by the California Attorney General’s office and others as a major figure with alleged ties to organized crime. The Times reports investigative reporter Gus Russo says that "Brown took campaign contributions from Korshak and unions with suspected mob ties during the 1970s, and then granted them political favors. In an interview, Russo said the timing of the book’s release had nothing to do with Brown’s candidacy. But "I would question anyone running for political office who would curry that kind of favor," Russo said."
More excerpts from LA Times reporter Eric Bailey’s story follow:
Jerry Brown received "massive contributions" during the 1974 gubernatorial race from friends and associates of Korshak, the book contends. During his reelection campaign four years later, Brown’s association with Korshak "became a major point of criticism and even mockery," the book says.
**There is more – click the link**
September 2nd, 2006 at 12:00 am
It is, of course, important to note that the writer actually focuses in “SuperMob” on ANOTHER politician, rather than Jerry Brown, as the allegedly principal mobbed-up pol of his era.
That would be Ronald Reagan.
As Ken Khachigian, now Poochigian chief strategist, was chief speechwriter for President Reagan, I am sure he will be ever available to discuss the book’s many claims about the corruption of Reagan.
Despite my hopes — and urgings for months to Pooch campaign to challenge Jerry Brown by doing something more active than sending out press releases — this has been a very boring campaign this summer. But now it looks like a little bit more fun.
September 2nd, 2006 at 12:00 am
When first reading Bill Bradley’s comment I had hoped, for a brief moment, that Ronald Reagan had been resurrected and was once again a candidate for statewide office in California.
Alas, Ronald Reagan is not the Democratic candidate for Attorney General. That would be Jerry Brown. Maybe that’s why the blog focused on the mob connections of Brown rather than the “greatest American of all times.” (Hey, that’s the opinion of the American people and the Discovery Channel, not mine.).
I would like to think someone who brags about his membership in “High IQ” societies (although, in one of life’s great ironies, I’m not sure the Screen Actors Guild really qualifies as a high IQ society) would have realized that Ronald Reagan is, in fact, not running for Attorney General of California.
Cesar Chavez would be proud of his protégé. Despite his feeble attempt to pass himself off as an advisor to the Poochigian campaign, it should be noted that Bill Bradley is, and always has been, a shill for extremist liberal Democrats – when he’s not shilling for the Green Party, Ross Perot or failed Republican presidential candidates, of course.
September 3rd, 2006 at 12:00 am
Hey, pal, nice job of dealing with the facts of the matter at hand.
When fact fails, go straight to the silly ad hominem attack.
Given the constant attacks I get from the lefty Kos crowd, it’s a nice change of pace to hear this kind of nonsense.
I gather you don’t know who Lew Wasserman was. Too bad the world is more complicated than a cookie cutter.