Thursday, December 31, 2009
Politics / Clout City / News Paul Vallas endorses David Hoffman—then points out his flaws
Posted by Mick Dumke on 12.31.09 at 03:11 PM
Local journalists miss Paul Vallas. When he was running the Chicago Public Schools and, later, campaigning for governor, he could be counted on for two things reporters love: returning phone calls and talking. A lot.
Vallas is now running the New Orleans schools but was back in town this week—and in top form yesterday, when he stood before reporters and announced his support for Democratic Senate candidate David Hoffman.
Looking trim, tan, and assured, Vallas said lots of great things about Hoffman, calling him "the type of individual we need in elective office," praising his "great integrity" and "record of accomplishment," and predicting that he would be "an exceptional United States Senator."
That was what was scripted. But Vallas was never one for sticking to the script, and after the cameras—and Hoffman—had left, he elaborated for a couple of us who’d stuck around. And elaborated and elaborated and elaborated.
Vallas told us that what he really liked about Hoffman was how as city inspector general he’d stood up to the Daley administration—something Vallas himself knew a little about, having been ousted as schools chief in 2001 after he started showing too much independence from the mayor.
"He refused to be bullied," Vallas said. "He refused to be intimidated. When he felt himself being put in the box, which some previous IGs experienced, he used his contacts with the federal agencies like the FBI and the US attorney’s office. That took real balls. And it’s not like he was thinking, 'Well, I’m going to challenge the status quo and them I’m going to run for the Senate.' I really think he took the risks without thinking about what the consequences would be, because that’s how he is."
I’m not sure voters want to hear that their senator is the type who’ll take risks without considering the fallout—the Senate has been known to vote on things like going to war, spending billions of taxpayer dollars on bank bailouts, and extending health care to the uninsured. But Vallas wasn't done.
Another reporter asked him what he thought of Hoffman’s support for President Obama's decision to close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. "I’m impressed with the man," Vallas said. "That doesn’t mean I agree with him on the Guantanamo issue."
What about Hoffman’s criticism of federal security officials for failing to keep Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the failed Christmas Day terrorist attacker, off a U.S.-bound plane? "I think his answer, while somewhat long-winded like mine tend to be, was right on target," Vallas said. "I don’t agree with him on everything, but I think there’s something to be said for supporting someone who has a track record of success."
Vallas then admitted that there were some other things about Hoffman he wasn't taken with, such as his promises to create jobs, which all of the senate campaigns have identified as a top priority.
"Look—this guy’s running for the Senate,” Vallas said. “When they’re all talking about how they’re all going to bring jobs and all these things—they’re not going to do any of those things. I mean, what they’re going to have to do is support the administration when what they’re pushing is good for the public and oppose it when they screw up. You want someone who has that kind of independence. I think he has the potential to do that. And I always reserve the right to withdraw my support from any candidate who deviates from that."
That doesn't mean Vallas isn't committed to Hoffman—he said he's backing him in both the Democratic primary and, should he win it, the general election, even though Vallas tends to lean Republican on economic issues and foreign policy, and earlier this year thought about running as the GOP's candidate for Cook County board president.
In fact, Vallas admitted that he's a fan of the likely Republican Senate nominee.
"I think Mark Kirk is an excellent candidate," he said. "I think the Democrats will try to paint him as a right-winger and he’s got to be careful not to do that. But I think he’s an excellent candidate."
Vallas explained some more: “I’m supporting David because I really like his independence, though I believe on fiscal issues it’s most likely that Kirk is probably closer to me.”
Vallas also said that while Hoffman was "clearly" the best Democrat in the race, he wasn't interested in knocking front-runner Alexi Giannoulias, who like Vallas is Greek.
"I’m not supporting the Greek candidate, but I’m not going to badmouth the Greek candidate. My mother said to me, 'If you’re going to support Hoffman, all right, but don’t say anything negative about Giannoulias.' And I always listen to my mother. That was the home compromise. She was not happy with this endorsement. She said, 'I’ve got to go to church on Sunday—what am I going to tell the ladies?'"
Comments (12)
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Doesn't Hoffman claim to be an "outsider"? What outsiders have and use their direct lines to the FBI and the Department of Justices?
So now that we know Mr "Outsider" Hoffman has no problem going back to past "Insider" relationships, does that mean that Hoffman will use his direct "Insider" ties to Sen. Boren, the Blue-Dog, and the right-wing Judiciary that he met while clerking for Judges Jacobs and Rehnquist? The NYT (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/us/22bar…) just reported on a study that suggests yes indeed clerks share the ideology of the judges they work for and they take that ideology to their jobs.
"A Supreme Court clerkship really brightens the legal résumé, and former clerks have their pick of the best jobs at law firms, in the academy and in government.
The career choices they make also say something important about the state of the Supreme Court. A new study has found that former clerks have started to take jobs that reflect the ideologies of the justices for whom they worked."
If Hoffman wins, the only one who benefits is Joe Lieberman because Joe's party of one will double.
**head hits table over and over and over**
like
dislike
"I really think he took the risks without thinking about what the consequences would be..."
I read that line as having a [to himself] tacked on at the end, given the context. So adding the same to your next line, "I’m not sure voters want to hear that their senator is the type who’ll take risks without considering the fallout [to himself]," yes, please, I really do want to hear that from my senator so they can do what needs to be done and stop running 6 year long re-election campaigns.
That is very true. But You can get always get a full medical coverage at the lowest price from http://bit.ly/68ShhE if you do your home work you can find the best plan.
I'm with Prescott on the "consequences" line. Mick, if you really think Hoffman is reckless, show us some evidence; don't play grammar games with the offhand comments of someone endorsing him. I'm open to a valid argument, but insinuation is beneath you.
Someone should check the IP address on Shirley. That prose sounds amazingly like the sort of stuff a certain SEIU operative's sock puppets would post on Capitol Fax during the Congressional special. Well written, poorly thought out. Perfect trolldom, since the very ludicrosity of the claims often diverts conversations from the channels they'd fallen into, when they are detrimental to his candidate.
Shirley, your comments are silly. Here's why...
Re: Shirley's implied argument that Hoffman's "direct lines" to the DOJ and the FBI make him "insider" whose independent judgment is compromised...
I assume that the "direct line" she's referring to is the fact that, as a federal prosecutor, Hoffman worked at the DOJ and was assisted by the FBI. These are the "direct lines" that all federal prosecutors have; thus, under Shirley's assumption, no federal prosecutor could ever be an "outsider." The implication of this line of thinking is that if Patrick Fitzgerald were to run, he could not be considered an "outsider" because he had a "direct line" to the DOJ and the FBI. But this is an absurd result, since no one would doubt Fitzgerald's credentials as an "outsider." And since Shirley's assumption leads to an absurd result, it should be rejected.
Re: Shirley's implied argument that Hoffman's clerkship w/ Rehnquist suggests he's a secret conservative...
The study Shirley cites does not show that all the law students who clerked for conservative justices were conservatives. At most, the study suggests that, if you didn't know anything else about a person, but you knew the person clerked for a conservative supreme court justice, it would be more likely that the person was conservative. But we know additional stuff about Hoffman besides the fact that he clerked for a conservative justice. We know that he's chosen to run as a democrat, supports liberal policies, was a pain in Daley's neck, etc. -- all stuff that suggests he's a liberal. Given that Hoffman has shown no indication of having conservative leanings, but rather has consistently shown liberal leanings, it seems pretty obvious that he is one of the liberals documented by the study who just happened to have clerked for a conservative justice. (For what it's worth, I've personally known very liberal people who clerked for a conservative supreme court justice; it's hardly unheard of.)
i am surprised that shirley is not accused of being the fabled "orion", the straw man that is trotted out whenever someone disagrees with the otherwise group think dynamic of this blog
Shirley's comments were somewhat coherent, unlike the lunatic rantings of "orion". Nice try, oreo.
I have heard David Hoffman speak. He is super smart -- and without a doubt the most progressive Democrat in the race. He supports gay marriage...and a woman's right to choose...he is critical of Obama's plans in Afghanistan...That's enough for me.
Blago, This is what we know about Hoffman. He CLAIMS to be a Dem. We know that Hoffman went after Labor when working for Daley. His only act agianst Daley, he wrote a report against the meter situation after the fact. Then he resigned. What exactly did he do other than go after Labor and promote Rehnquist's agenda?
Shirley -- Hoffman has been endorsed by Abner Mikva, who has served five terms in the U.S. Congress as a Democrat, and has also served as Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mikva said that he chose clerks who were the brightest. He also said that he knew Rehnquist would do the same. The other side of the coin is that an applicant for a clerkship would be honored to accept any Supreme Court appointment. This position offers a very unique learning experience for a young clerk, and the prestige that would follow throughout his/her career. And he didn't "go after labor", he went after people who flaunted the law who happened to be affiliated with labor; I give him credit for that.
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