The Political Fish

This is the completion of the Sunday Nancy Pelosi triad of stupidity.

As she made her rounds on the Sunday talk circuit, this time Madame Speaker drops a gem on us from CNN’s “State of the Union”. The Hill.com reported:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Republicans have left their mark on the healthcare bill and should accept that the bill will go forward.

“They’ve had plenty of opportunity to make their voices heard,” she said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning. “Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes. Republicans have left their imprint.”

Ok, its possible that I am just a political novice, or even just completely stupid myself, but that is complete drivel rolling off the lips of the third in line to the Presidency. Four years ago, when the Democrats took control of the Congress and the position of Speaker was handed off to Nancy Pelosi, it was a monumental moment for women in America. The Speaker of the House was a woman. We all cheered. It was terrific.

X Chromosomes have now been made to look  inept thanks to Speaker Pelosi.  

I’m sorry, im not sexist…I believe women should rise to whatever position their qualifications allow but this woman has done the womens movement no justice at all.

Bipartisanship is quite a simple philosophy really. Two parties work together to craft a piece of legislation out of compromise and competing ideologies. Likely members of both sides will vote in favor, both sides will vote against.

Removing the GOP from the process of healthcare reform because you CAN does not mean bipartisan. Removing elements from the bill because you had to save the jobs of members from the Democratic caucus is partisan. If those members were from the GOP…it would be bi-partisan.

Nancy, I hope this helped.

Madame Speaker is full of tidbits today from her interview with Elizabeth Vargas on “This Week”.

Speaker Pelosi, in a tacit admission that she knows this bill is wildly unpopular with the American people, called for her Democrat colleagues to sacrifice their careers to get the ObamaScare disaster passed. I suppose this would be a call to legislative kamikaze tactics, which should worry the American people. It also clarifies what we have known all along that this bill is ideologically driven, and not driven by the needs of our country or the desires of the citizenry.

Thanks for clarifying Nan… check out her own words (skip ahead to the 2:50 mark if you cannot stomach the entire interview)

From the AP

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged her colleagues to back a major overhaul of U.S. health care even if it threatens their political careers, a call to arms that underscores the issue’s massive role in this election year.

Lawmakers sometimes must enact policies that, even if unpopular at the moment, will help the public, Pelosi said in an interview being broadcast Sunday the ABC News program “This Week.”
“We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress,” she said. “We’re here to do the job for the American people.”

It took courage for Congress to pass Social Security and Medicare, which eventually became highly popular, she said, “and many of the same forces that were at work decades ago are at work again against this bill.”

No, this one is actually NOT straight from the lips of Joe Biden, I know I was shocked too.

No, even better. Nancy Pelosi today commented on her common views and common ground that she shares with the Tea Party movement in an interview with Elizabeth Vargas on “This Week” on ABC. You gotta see it to believe it.

From Newsbusters, here is the transcript.

ELIZABETH VARGAS, ABC NEWS: Let’s talk a bit about the coming elections in November. You had recently– and the Tea Party movement, do you think it will be a force to be reckoned with? You had said last summer that it was a faux grassroots movement. You called it the Astroturf movement.NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE SPEAKER: In some respects it is. Uh-huh.

VARGAS: Is the Tea Party movement a force?

PELOSI: No – No what I said at the time is, that they were — the Republican Party directs a lot of what the Tea Party does, but not everybody in the Tea Party takes direction from the Republican Party. And so there was a lot of, shall we say, Astroturf, as opposed to grassroots.

But, you know, we share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C., as — it just has to stop. And that’s why I’ve fought the special interest, whether it’s on energy, whether it’s on health insurance, whether it’s on pharmaceuticals and the rest.

VARGAS: So, common ground with many people in the Tea Party movement.

PELOSI: Well, no, there are some. There are some because they, again, some of it is orchestrated from the Republican headquarters. Some of it is hijacking the good intentions of lots of people who share some of our concerns that we have about the role of special interests and many Tea Partiers, not that I speak for them, share the view, whether it’s — and Democrats, Republicans and Independents share the view that the recent Supreme Court decision, which greatly empowers the special interests, is something that they oppose.

You will remember this past summer the mouth foaming rage that Speaker Pelosi was engaged in at the mere mention of the Tea Parties that were going on across the country, yes even in her uber-liberal district in San Francisco. She accused the Tea Partiers of being shills for the Republican party (a line she still clings to in the interview) Nazis, that they were inciting violence, and of course the famous line that we are all just astroturf and not a real grass roots moment.

Somebody should inform the Speaker that she is the target of most of the anger coming out of the Tea Party movement. The Obama/Reid/Pelosi cabal is the front and center focus of the Tea party movement and the ire from within it.

Oh and I might add, shame on Elizabeth Vargas for refusing to be an actual journalist and challenging the Speaker on such a ludicrous statement. There is no common ground, and her assertion that we have common ground on special interest groups is moot since she is in bed with the special interests on every level.

Flip Flop

I guess this is what happens when you get that sweet taste of absolute power on your lips. Your beliefs no longer matter when it fits your own purposes, and that is what we have here. President Obama back in 2005 (along with many other Senate Dem’s at the forefront of the healthcare debate) brought strong language against the Senate Republicans (the majority at the time) who had threatened to use reconciliation as a means to pass their agenda.

NO NO NO…you can’t do that!!!

Oh my what a difference a few years makes. Here is the blatant hypocrisy from the lips of Dear Leader Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer among others. Watch this all the way through. It’s precious material.

From Breitbart.tv

Joe Biden had by far one of the best quotes of them all.

Biden: “I pray God when the Democrats take back control we don’t make the kind of naked power grab you are doing

Like I say, in just a few short years..the leaders of this administration have sold their soul for a naked power grab of 1/6 of the US economy.

Shameless tyrants.

Well, I can’t fault the guy for being creative in spouting his rhetoric and propaganda concerning the healthcare boondoggle that he plans on forcing down the throats of an American public who does not want it.

Since no one ever watches these useless propagandizing weekly addresses, I’ll put it out there for you, if you can stomach it.

From WhiteHouse.gov

As the Winter Olympics draw to a close this weekend, I just want to take a minute to congratulate all the athletes who competed in these games.  And I especially want to say how proud I am of all the American men and women have achieved over the last few weeks. 

Whether it was the men’s hockey team’s stunning upset of the Canadians on their way to the gold-medal game, Lindsey Vonn’s heroic gold-medal comeback from a shin injury, or Apolo Ohno becoming the most decorated American winter Olympian of all time, you can’t help but be inspired by the sheer grit and athletic prowess on display in Vancouver.

And it’s not just the medal count that’s inspiring – though we’ve certainly done great on that score.  What’s truly inspiring is the character of the men and women who have won those medals.  The sacrifices they’ve made.  The integrity they’ve shown.  The indomitable Olympic spirit that says no matter who you are or where you come from or what difficulties you may face, you can work hard and train hard and still triumph in the end.  That is why we watch.  That is why we cheer.  That is why in the middle of an extremely challenging time for America, we’ve been able to come together as one nation for a few weeks in February and swell with pride at what our citizens have achieved. 

Now, when it comes to meeting the larger challenges we face as a nation, I realize that finding this unity is easier said than done – especially in Washington.  But if we want to compete on the world stage as well as we’ve competed in the world’s games, we need to find common ground.  We need to move past the bickering and the game-playing that holds us back and blocks progress for the American people. 

We know it’s possible to do this.  And we were reminded of that last week when Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together to pass a jobs bill that will give small businesses tax credits to hire more workers.  We also saw it when Democrats and Republicans in the House came together to pass a bill that will force insurance companies to abide by common-sense rules that prevent price-fixing and other practices that drive up health care costs. 

We need that same spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship when it comes to finally passing reform that will bring down the cost of health care and give Americans more control over their insurance.  On Thursday, we brought both parties together for a frank and productive discussion about this issue.  In that discussion, we heard many areas of agreement.  Both sides agreed that the rising cost of health care is a serious problem that plagues families, small businesses, and our federal budget.  Many on both sides agreed that we should give small businesses and individuals the ability to participate in a new insurance marketplace – which members of Congress would also use – that would allow them to pool their purchasing power and get a better deal from insurance companies.  And I heard some ideas from our Republican friends that I believe are very worthy of consideration. 

But still, there were differences.  We disagreed over whether insurance companies should be held accountable when they deny people care or arbitrarily raise premiums.  I believe they should.  We disagreed over giving tax credits to small businesses and individuals that would make health care affordable for those who don’t have it.  This would be the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, and I believe we should do it.  And while we agreed that Americans with pre-existing conditions should be able to get coverage, we disagreed on how to do that. 

Some of these disagreements we may be able to resolve.  Some we may not.  And no final bill will include everything that everyone wants.  That’s what compromise is.  I said at the end of Thursday’s summit that I am eager and willing to move forward with members of both parties on health care if the other side is serious about coming together to resolve our differences and get this done.  But I also believe that we cannot lose the opportunity to meet this challenge.  The tens of millions of men and women who cannot afford their health insurance cannot wait another generation for us to act.  Small businesses cannot wait.  Americans with pre-existing conditions cannot wait.  State and federal budgets cannot sustain these rising costs. 

It is time for us to come together.  It is time for us to act.  It is time for those of us in Washington to live up to our responsibilities to the American people and to future generations.  So let’s get this done. 

Thanks for listening. 

Strange, but I don’t think the Olympic spirit and the dedication of American athletes has anything at all to do with an arrogant executive forcing his will against the will of the people he works for…call me crazy.

Maybe next week you will have a better comparison Mr. President.

This should be a lesson to all former and current Presidents on how to conduct yourself when you leave the spotlight. America has had a long-standing tradition among former Presidents to not criticize the sitting US President, and to remain on the sidelines unless specifically called upon.

Sadly, the two previous Democrat Presidents have bucked that tradition and have inserted themselves into attempting to atone for their failures as President by criticizing the current. Bill Clinton was the least of these after he left office, only on occasion inserting himself. Jimmy Carter however could not leave well enough alone after all of these years, as he constantly would badger George Bush, all the while further embarrassing himself by bringing back to light his failed 4 years. From Breitbart.com

Former US president George W. Bush told a group of his White House aides at a breakfast Friday that he is “trying to regain a sense of anonymity,” an event attendee confirmed to AFP.Bush also told the group that he was pleased former vice president Dick Cheney had taken a lead role in defending their national security policies, declaring: “I’m glad Cheney is out there.”

The former president, who also touted his administration’s domestic agenda, said he was resolved to keep a low profile and indicated he did not want to be a thorn in the side of President Barack Obama.

“I have no desire to see myself on television. I don’t want to be on a panel of formers instructing the currents on what to do. I’m trying to regain a sense of anonymity,” Bush said.

“I didn’t like it when a certain former president — and it wasn’t 41 or 42 — made my life miserable,” he said in a reference to Jimmy Carter, who infuriated the Bush White House in 2007 when he accused the administration of allowing the use of torture on terror suspects.

Another reason I admire former President George W. Bush.

Apparently part of the requirement to get a job over at our good friends from MSNBC is to have zero class whatsoever.

Recently, we reported that Dick Cheney, the former Vice President of the United States had been taken to the hospital in Washington and was reported to have had his 4th heart attack. Well, the lefty loons out there pounced all over it, and in their classic libtard style began launching their classless tirades against the former Veep.

Amazing how bleeding heart liberals will whine when you chop down a tree, whine about people dying because of the American healthcare system, whine about everything under the sun in the name of helping people. Then when someone gets sick that just happens to be a conservative, the blood hounds come out and they attack a man on his sick bed. Classy folks. Listen to this idiot rant at your own peril.

Don’t worry Mr. Schultz, conservatives will likely pray for a speedy recovery when you burst that blood vessel in your head that always seems to be pulsating with your rage.

Shocking?

I didnt find myself shocked when I saw this poll from CNN.com, I did however find myself pleased to see that the American public is now fully awake and fully aware of what is going on in this country, and the threat that the Obama regime is posing to the rights of the citizens of the United States. From CNN.com

Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree.

The survey indicates a partisan divide on the question: Only 37 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of independents and nearly seven in 10 Republicans say the federal government poses a threat to the rights of Americans.

According to CNN poll numbers released Sunday, Americans overwhelmingly think that the U.S. government is broken, though the public overwhelmingly holds out hope that what’s broken can be fixed.

In a separate but certainly not unrelated poll released today by Rasmussen, we see that the Presidential Approval Index has dipped to a -20 in the latest report released today.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 23% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -20. For President Obama, the Approval Index has been lower only once (see trends).

Americans are strongly rejecting anything and everything that Obama is proposing, anything that he says. We have awaken to the reality that elections do in fact have consequences and that the American people will be rectifying this mistake come November of 2010, and November of 2012.

Sadly, the President cannot hear all of the noise.

It’s the Chicago strong armed thuggery in the White House that we have become so accustomed to seeing. More of it on display at yesterdays health care summit.

President Obama declares that the Democrat caucus will be moving forward on a socialist takeover of the United States healthcare system, with or without the GOP support. Apparently that also means with or without the support of the American people, who have been stating their case overwhelmingly against this bill.

That’s what we have elections for he says…well Mr. President, thats also what we have revolutions for. Roll the tape.

Obama knows full well that if this ever gets passed, it will be next to impossible to undo it, hence the high intensity energetic push to get it done in a “few weeks”. Dont worry about getting it right, just get it done. Mr. President, scoring a political victory by passing a disasterous bill will not work out well for you. The American people have spoken, and should you continue to not listen…well, who knows what happens next.

Ronald Reagan once said “the closest thing to eternal life on this earth is a government program”. Obama knows this.

And he does not care what you think.

Talk about setting the tone right from the start.

This one phrase and snitty remark thrown out by the President really summed up the entire sham of a summit yesterday. Ironically, the President throughout the day kept accusing Republicans of grandstanding and playing politics, when in fact the entire excercise at Blair House was nothing more than a political grandstand for the President, throwing out some faux bipartisanship in order to slap down all GOP ideas and move forward anyways.

Roll the tape, and see if you can’t put your finger on the irritation and argumentative spirit that Obama came to the table with.

I love John McCains response “I am reminded of that every day Mr. President”

I wonder if it is the shocking deficits that act as a reminder for him??

Just a thought.

*picking myself up off the floor*

I actually was shocked to hear someone, anyone really, from inside the beltway articulate what the American people have been saying very loudly for the past 8 months during this healthcare debate.

Washington cannot fix it all. Washington CAN however create a competitive atmosphere for the free market…and THAT will fix it all.

Listen to Congressman Ryan explain, he does it much better than I ever could.

I do believe he sucked all of the air right out of the room.

Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) wins the award for the lamest story of the day, as well as the most incoherent comparison of the day. This of course all took place yesterday in the Obama-led healthcare summit at the Blair House in Washington DC. Watch this video, and no one should ever claim this isn’t a humorous blog!!

No, I didn’t gloss over the story she told about the woman wearing her dead sisters dentures. That was just such an extremely lame story, it barely is worth mentioning. But, I suppose if we get our socialist ObamaCare bill passed, we will all get shiny new dentures with a hope and change symbol right on the front! I know i can’t wait.

But seriously now, Slaughter paints this picture that we are now a third world manufacturing country (not true), we have lost our technological edge in the world (ridiculously not true) all because….the healthcare industry hasn’t been taken over by the government.

This woman makes 6 figures a year of taxpayer money to spew this stupidity. No wonder Congress has the lowest approval rating EVER.

UPDATE: Glenn Beck Mocks the liberal bleeding heart stories, this is hilarious.

Can’t wait to hear the next letter from Obama, or from Louise Slaughter for that matter.

Promises made, Promises broken.

So it is in politics I suppose. Conservatives nationwide rallied around Scott Brown just a few short weeks ago in his bid to fill the seat vacated by the passing of the late Senator Ted Kennedy.  Conservatives then had their hearts broken this past week when Scott Brown, the self proclaimed 41st vote, voted with the Democrats to end debate and bring the Senate Jobs bill to a final vote.

Does Scott Brown really believe that the “son of stimulus” bill will really spur growth? (By the way, be sure to check out FlemingandHayes.com linked above, new friends that I met at CPAC and doing an excellent job doing citizen journalism from Massachusetts.)

“The last stimulus bill didn’t create one new job,” Brown said in response to a question about a jobs bill pending in the Senate. He added that the stimulus may have retained some jobs

Before Conservatives tear their garments in mourning at this vote, here is my take on what took place. Scott Brown, for all the hype surrounding him, is not a true conservative. He is the definition of a moderate or as he dubbed himself…a Scott Brown Republican. His victory in Massachusetts was a referendum on the Obama agenda, but this jobs bill really does not fit into that hard left agenda. This likely was a political move on his part, remember his job is to represent his constituents. The majority of voters in Massachusetts are in fact Independents, not Democrats or Republicans. Typically the state has veered to the left of center. A vote on this jobs bill gives Brown a whiff of bipartisan behavior and offers an olive branch to his left of center supporters.

For conservatives out there who are likely to blast me for these words, let me be perfectly clear. I am by know means handing out a pass to Senator Brown on this. I offered my time and money in support of him, as did many others across the country. His vote is a disappointment, but I do not view it as a complete abandonment of the conservatives that worked tirelessly to get him elected.  It is a break from his own words of being the 41st vote and not the 60th, but he kind of left it open that he would certainly not tow the GOP party line on every vote.

Senator Snowe from Maine

And lets remember, he is not alone. The jobs bill passed the Senate today by a 70-28 margin, bringing on board many within the GOP wing of the Senate.  Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine (notorious RINO’s) also voted for the bill, along with Kit Bond of Missouri and George Voinovich from Ohio.

Senator George Voinovich (R-OH)

What all of these Senators need to realize is that the government will not create job growth. The only influence Capitol Hill can have on the economy is to get out of the way and free up the marketplace for some of that dreaded American entreprenurialism. Government quits creating instability in the small business world, we get jobs. It works every time. Now, there is no doubt that the administration will be touting the erroneous “jobs saved” statistic down the road, but really…is 15 billion dollars worth of a second jobs bill really going to have an impact on the American economy when a similarly crafted 787 billion dollar jobs bill had little effect? Oh wait..I forgot, Joe Biden told us that it saved two million jobs.

Before we as the conservative movement totally abandon the Scott Brown we came to love in the election cycle, lets try and keep it together and realize that A. He is a politician and B. We need him to help stop the freight train that is the Obama agenda. 

In ObamaNation, 15 billion dollars is a mere drop in the hat when you look at his deficits. This olive branch may be worth the investment to stop the more damaging elements of the Obama agenda.

Or maybe not, you tell me.

Update: Check out the CPAC Blogger of the Year Ed Morrissey’s take on the issue on HotAir.com.  He posted an update on the bottom of the page, where retiring Indiana Senator Evan Bayh declares Scott Brown the cure. Classic

Retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana said Monday that electing more lawmakers like new Republican Sen. Scott Brown may be the “ultimate cure” for partisan gridlock in Washington.

Brown’s upset victory over a Democrat who held a double-digit lead a week before Massachusetts’ special Senate election last month signaled that voters wanted “more practical problem solving,” Bayh said in an interview Monday on ABC-TV’s “The View.

“Scott Brown is a good example of what I think the ultimate cure might be,” Bayh said. “My read on what happened in Massachusetts is the vast majority of moderates and independents rose up and said enough already.”

The Associated Press reported last night that former Vice President Dick Cheney had been taken to George Washington Hospital after experiencing chest pains.

An aide to the former veep today reported that further testing found evidence of a “mild heart attack. From Breitbart.com

WASHINGTON (AP) – An aide to Dick Cheney says tests on the former vice president showed “evidence of a mild heart attack.” He said Cheney was feeling good and was expected to be released from the hospital before the end of the week.

Cheney was admitted to a Washington hospital on Monday after experiencing chest pains.

Aide Peter Long issued a statement Tuesday saying lab tests at George Washington University Hospital found “evidence of a mild heart attack.” Long said the 69-year-old Cheney underwent a stress test and a heart procedure.

Our thoughts and prayers here at the Political Fish go out to the Vice President and his family, and wish him a speedy recovery.

Check out the surprise Cheney visit to CPAC 2010 this past weekend…

Convicted felon and disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is not out of the woods yet. Following his first felony conviction for which he was removed as mayor and put in the Wayne County Jail, the Detroit News is now reporting that Kilpatrick will be brought up on federal corruption charges for his role in a “pay to play” scandal that also involves  his father Bernard Kilpatrick. From the Detroit News today.

For at least five years, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have been investigating an alleged “pay to play” system at City Hall under Kilpatrick and allegations that contractors wanting City Hall business were directed to hire the former mayor’s father as a consultant.

Now there are new allegations that former Cobo Center contractor Karl Kado, who has been cooperating with the FBI since 2005, not only paid close to $300,000 to the mayor’s father but made about $100,000 in illegal cash payments directly to the former mayor.

In recent months, the federal investigation moved to the heart of Kilpatrick’s inner circle. Kilpatrick childhood friends and former top City Hall officials Kandia and DeDan Milton pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges and agreed to cooperate.

Detroit businessman Rayford W. Jackson, an associate of Bernard Kilpatrick’s who has pleaded guilty to bribery, said in a secretly videotaped conversation with FBI informant James R. Rosendall that Bernard Kilpatrick was receiving consulting payments totaling $45,000 a month while his son was mayor. But Jackson provided no context.

Christopher Andreoff, an attorney representing Kado, declined Sunday to comment on a report that Kado has given investigators detailed statements about payments Kado allegedly made to the former mayor and his father.

Sworn statements say Kado told investigators he made cash payments to Kwame Kilpatrick of about $20,000 each on four or five occasions, with Kado sometimes visiting Kilpatrick’s City Hall office and Kilpatrick sometimes dropping by the Cobo Center, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed.

“I am not going to comment on a report that may be in violation of a court order or a matter that is before a federal grand jury,” Andreoff said.

Kado, who awaits sentencing March 4 on charges of filing false tax returns, acknowledged in his plea agreement that he made illegal payments to at least one unnamed city official other than former Cobo directors Lou Pavledes and Glenn Blanton.

Both Pavledes and Blanton pleaded guilty to felonies and admitted taking bribes from Kado.

Kilpatrick remains a blight on the city of Detroit who is struggling through the worst unemployment in the nation and decades of mismanagement and corruption from city officials.  Kilpatrick served 90 days in the Wayne County Jail last year for his role in the text messaging scandal that brought down his administration.

These new charges will have no connection to more courtroom drama for Kilpatrick, who continues to embarrass his home town, for potential violations of his probation stemming from the text message scandal. Kilpatrick has been wrangling in the court room for the past 4 months over the terms of his probation imposed by Judge David Groner in which Kilpatrick was ordered to pay back 1 million dollars in restitution to the city. Kilpatrick has maintained that he simply cannot afford the monthly payments, all the while misleading the court over income, gifts and more.

Detroit –Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s failure to make a $79,011 court-ordered payment on Friday has resulted in the judge ordering his lawyers, the county prosecutor and probation authorities to report to him Tuesday morning.

No warrant has yet been issued accusing Kilpatrick of violating the terms of his probation, and he hasn’t been ordered to travel from Texas to attend Tuesday’s session.

In an apparent effort to avoid a confrontation with the judge, Kilpatrick made partial payments today and Friday toward the overdue restitution payment ordered last month by Wayne Circuit Judge David Groner.

Money orders in the amount of $21,175 were delivered this morning to the Wayne County Circuit Court clerk’s office. Kilpatrick also paid $14,048 on Friday, leaving $43,788 still due from the amount ordered on Jan. 20 by Groner.

The partial payments appear to be an attempt by Kilpatrick to avoid charges that he has violated terms of his probation, which could result in jail.

Groner’s order for the lump sum payment came in response to a lengthy hearing where he determined prosecutors presented evidence that Kilpatrick had deliberately hidden income from the court that should have been applied to the $1 million restitution he promised the city in pleading guilty to felony charges stemming from the text message scandal.

Groner also ordered Kilpatrick to make another $240,000 lump sum payment by April.

The federal corruption charges are a part of a wide ranging investigation by the FBI, and will involve and bring down many of the former Kilpatrick administration, as well as local businessman.

And by the way, call it a hunch on my part but I have a hard time believing that Michigan Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Kwame’s mother, can come out of this clean.

As a Metro Detroit area resident who has felt the pain inflicted upon this area by the narcissistic worm of a former mayor, I would welcome him back quickly if it meant he would be spending the next few years in federal prison.