by Paul Goldman

First, as my ole friend Mike Allen would say, let me give a hat tip to Joe Morrissey. He pointed out to me the possible legal implications of the amazing rant against Jonnie Williams, aka Willie The Rat, by Governor McDonnell’s highly paid PR person (the one hired to defend His Excellency in public against the Rolex/House Loan/Dress//Wedding Cake/ “Money for Nothing and Your Chicks for Free” scandal(s) the titular head of the GOP finds himself facing. To paraphrase the AC/DC song: “Prosecutors to the left of me, prosecutors to the right.”

Of course, that’s if you believe the media stories of the last months. As I have written, the Governor deserves the benefit of the doubt. But he also deserves at least to have one person in his employ who understands the media and how not to do stuff that hurts the boss and leaves collateral damage everywhere.

Case in point: On page A-10 of this morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, you find what I naturally viewed at first from my 200-proof political point of view as really bad for Ken Cuccinelli. What happened? I will leave the Ken stuff for tomorrow, since this is too good to waste on just one column. Terry’s folks will probably jump on it by then. But if not, we will have some fun.

For now, let me focus on how the Governor’s PR guy made it clear that Team McDonnell is sweating bullets over a possible criminal indictment by the federales. That’s right: as will be clear, the only reason for such a rant is the gnawing fear Willie The Rat and Uncle Sugar are teaming up to ruin Governor Bob’s biscuits.  

 

Richard Galen, aka professional PR Guy Big Time, went after Jonnie Williams with a hatchet in the RTD today. Let’s remember: a few months ago, Governor Rolex – I mean McDonnell – was saying that Jonnie Boy was a great friend, someone he respected and someone who had helped him out with no expectation of any quid pro quo whatsoever. JW was just a goodhearted boy from Chesterfield who decided to help his Governor on account of public spirit. At the time, Mr. Williams was represented by the law firm of one of the Governor’s best friends, indeed his predecessor as AG, Republican Jerry Kilgore.

The Governor’s best lawyer, Tony Troy, put a few weeks ago a report saying McDonnell had never done so much as the smallest favor for Williams. In turn, Williams supposedly had never indicated that he ever expected anything of the kind, nor was there any reason to believe he had such a hidden expectation (those facts, if true would be a total defense to any Hobbs Act violation). Bottom line: In Troy’s narrative, Williams was Willie The Wonderful, Gandhi in a business suit, a real MBF, McDonnell Best Friend, a charter member of their mutual admiration society.

That was, until this morning, when Mr. Galen, aka PR Guy Big Time from DC, basically called Willie The Wonderful…Willie the Rat, a no good money grubber who is a sleazy business guy for sure, up to no good, interested not in the public interest but only how to make money off the public interest, a guy who, according to the great scene in the movie Wall Street, “would sell out his own mother” to make a buck.

The point being: Mr. Galen’s rant DOES THE GOVERNOR ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD. Indeed, unless there is a real fear of an indictment based, in part, on Willie The Rat telling the federales whatever was necessary as part of deal to avoid his own indictment, why attack him? Think about it: First of all, attacking Williams in this manner is a not-so-subtle shot at the U.S. Prosecutor. How does that help exactly? It doesn’t. Secondly  does it help the Governor to be publicly saying  he was not only dealing for years with someone of Mr. William’s low moral character, but that the Governor considered him a friend of Virginia, a public spirited citizen, and that EVERY WORD OF THIS is now (apparently) WRONG?

If all this has always been true, then how does the Governor explain having dealt with Williams all those years – not to mention having defended him all this year? Think about it: Why did the Governor return the gifts and pay back the sweetheart loans in July, when he could have done the same thing in April when the story first broke?

The guess here: at the start, Jonnie Williams and the Governor were on the same legal page in fighting off the prosecutors. One suspects the Governor realized Williams had decided to cut his own deal sometime post-April. His team then  decided the best course of action was now to return the gifts, pay back the loans, hoping to make it clear that if he HAD known what Williams had in mind, he would NEVER have taken the stuff in the first place.

Again, think about it: The federales are not interested in whether the Governor violated the state law on gift disclosure. THAT IS NOT A FEDERAL CRIME. Rather, the federal government is interested in two things generally: A Hobbs act type quid pro quo arrangement, and potentially some income tax/bank loan document issues. Those are federal matters.

So do the math: If the Troy report is right, and there is nothing in the public record to show the Governor doing anything criminal for Williams, then WHAT EXACTLY COULD WILLIAMS TELL THE FEDERAL PROSECUTORS TO REFUTE THAT CLAIM? In that case, why attack him in public if the guy has nothing to say? Why anger Willie The Rat and more importantly, indirectly malign the prosecutors for cutting a deal with such a guy? This surely can’t help in your dealings with them.  

The suspicion here: Williams might have something to say that will sound plausible. What could it be? Williams could say the Governor knew he  expected some help in promoting his one-time myth of a tobacco company now-turned myth of a diet supplement/Alzheimer’s-curing/health-care company. In theory, such help could take on many forms, nothing at all connected to the type of specifics in the Troy report. Williams could also talk about Mrs. McDonnell.

What the Governor could fear: That Williams, for a deal with the feds, agreed to testify that McDonnell knew all along, as did Mrs. McDonnell, the real reason he was buying gifts and loaning money at sweetheart interest rates. Moreover: Johnnie could say that he gave the wedding gifts not to help the children, but actually as a way to put cash in McDonnell’s pockets without it becoming taxable income to McDonnell, since it was technically a gift to the daughters. That would be enough to convict McDonnell of a Hobbs Act violation if believed by a jury. It would also be enough to indict McDonnell if believed by a grand jury. Would the Feds move against a sitting Governor based on Williams’ along? I would hope not. But Williams added to a trial of circumstantial evidence, matching a seeming pattern, is another story.

Moreover, it really would not be an admission of criminal wrongdoing by Williams even if he didn’t have a deal for immunity. Why not? According to Tony Troy’s report, Williams never asked McDonnell for a favor of any kind connected to the Governor’s exercise of public power. Ergo: How could the federales have overcome the the Troy Report, along with Williams’ similar denial, to make a case against Willie The Rate? They couldn’t.

You got it: Williams got McDonnell to clear him….and then he went from Willie The Wonderful to Willie The Rat. NO WONDER Galen is going bonkers on this. Admittedly, it is just supposition. But it does fit the known facts as reported in the press and seemingly consistent with Galen’s rant.

Bottom lime: How does it help McDonnell for his PR guy to public attack Williams as a “dirty rat” as James Cagney might have said, always out for himself, a “me” business guy trying to benefit from public power? This PR rant doesn’t impress the FEDS, indeed the opposite. It doesn’t stop Willie the Rat from Ratting, indeed it does the opposite. It doesn’t impress the public. Indeed quite the opposite here as well.  Now, McDonnell has created a whole new negative narrative requiring a rehashing of the Mess but from a different unflattering angle. What kind of PR did the Governor hire Galen to produce anyway, more bad stuff?

Meaning: The only reason to attack Williams is to try and damage his credibility. But who gives a damn about Williams except….maybe a future jury, or the McDonnell faithful in the electorate who need to have a reason to consider any possible future indictment as based on a DEM Administration cutting a deal with a sleazy business guy to bring down a popular GOP conservative Governor mentioned as a 2016 Presidential possibility?

If McDonnell were to get indicted, he would surely cry “partisan politics” or the like, rallying the GOP so that he could finish out his term.

Let me repeat myself: NOTHING McDonnell can now say about the stuff in the past relative to his Mess can change the direction of the narrative. It will be more of the same bad news from a different angle.

Instead, his ONLY hope now is to call a Special Session, change the discussion from how he caused the Mess to how he is trying to do the right thing and leave office having Fixed it. In that narrative, he gets to talk about the future laws, future clean campaigns, future freedom of politics and governing from this stuff.

The whole stuff will still be there. But the thrust of a Special Session narrative is about new things for the future, not new ways to spin bad stuff from the past.

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, August 11. The photo is of our next Attorney General, Mark Herring, taking in the amazing view at Lovers Leap along 58 on the way from Galax to Chatham.

*Reid says Obamacare just a step toward eventual single-payer system (Not sure why we didn’t just go right to single payer, or Medicare for All, but whatever…)

*New Cabinet members pressing ahead on environmental policies (That’s great, but I fear it’s far too little, far too late. We should have imposed a steep, revenue-neutral carbon tax about 20 years ago, or at least we should have passed a comprehensive energy law in 2010, but nooooo…..)

*Notes from the Capitol: Cantor to lead 18-day GOP lawmakers’ trip to Israel (I was going to say, “please stay there,” but then I thought, why would I wish Eric Can’tor on anyone, let alone a close ally?)

*Meaty scandal may topple Virginia politicians (“Cuccinelli now claims the state’s ethics laws aren’t stringent enough, presumably because they didn’t catch someone like him. He’s just called on McDonnell to convene a special session of the state’s General Assembly to consider new rules. As for repaying the $18,000 in goodies from Williams, Cuccinelli says that particular ‘bell can’t be unrung.’ That one deserves a needlepoint pillow of its own.”)

*Time for McDonnell to do the right thing (“Having endorsed Mr. McDonnell for governor nearly four years ago, it gives us no pleasure now to urge him to resign. Our reasons for this extraordinary step are both philosophical and practical.”)

*Jackson looks to restore conservative principles (“Conservative principles” like these – hatred of gays, hatred of other religions, science denial, tinfoil-hat conspiracy theories, etc.)

*Cuccinelli says his support of fetal personhood was always qualified (ANOTHER Big Lie from the guy who apparently can’t utter a true sentence.)

*Virginia, NYC Races Pose Distractions for Clinton

*Virginia attorney general’s office grows under Ken Cuccinelli (That’s right, “frugal Ken” has been busy GROWING THE GOVERNMENT – using taxpayer money, no less, to do so. So much for being “frugal,” and so much for any intellectual consistency or honesty by Ken Kookinelli…)

*Conflicts emerge as hurdles for Cuccinelli’s run (“‘Cuccinelli’s ability to portray McAuliffe as a seedy businessman who has cashed in on his Washington connections was always premised on the idea that Cuccinelli himself was a straight shooter who would never bend rules or cash in on connections,’ said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. ‘And the last few months have considerably tarnished the shine on that lamp.'”)

*Jeff E. Schapiro: Cuccinelli is the GOP’s Wilder (“Going mano-a-mano with Cuccinelli over a special session is a reminder for McDonnell what Democrats learned long ago about Doug Wilder: You’re better off with him as an enemy than a friend, because that way you’re not surprised when he turns on you.”)

*Analysis: Candidates off base on Medicaid savings (“Cuccinelli doesn’t count Medicaid savings, while McAuliffe exaggerates them”)

*GreenTech venture haunts McAuliffe’s run for governor (I really don’t get this story: an entrepreneur starts a company, it doesn’t work out as well as had been intended – something that happens many times a day in this country – and it’s a scandal of some sort? Why is this even news, frankly, other than noting it for the record perhaps?)

*Fracking: Point/Counterpoint (“We have a long-standing heritage in Virginia of appreciating and safeguarding our national forests. Let’s not abandon that now with the GW at stake.” In short: no and HELL no to fracking up the George Washington National Forest!)

*‘Fox penning’: Hunting tradition or blood sport? (Guess who supports this barbaric practice? That’s right, Virginia GOP Attorney General nominee Mark Obenshain.)

*D.C. area forecast: Just a few spotty showers for our Sunday

*Werth, Nationals power past Phillies (“Jayson Werth sparks a five-run explosion in the fifth inning with a two-run homer in the Nats’ victory”)

At first I thought it was kidding. A website called Messaging Matters tells Democrats they need a new motto for 2014. Then a Kos blogger chimed in, citing Messaging Matters idea as well. The message? “They Did Nothing.” Republicans did nothing. Wow! It’s the worst suggestion ever. Let’s hope no one at the DNC DCCC or DSCC ever thinks that it’s a good idea. But, it’s true, you say, so what’s not to like?

First, a negative about the other side does not a motto make. Worse, the fact that Democrats run the Senate and the White House make this obvious House obstruction a bit more complex.

It’s true that the Republicans did nothing in the past four-plus years, worse than nothing, even. They made sure nothing got done by anyone else too. They often engaged in the most vicious, racist campaign to thwart President Obama they could conjure up. And then in a slam to the entire US population depending on the government for everything from roads, public transportation, public safety, Homeland Security, Social Security, and more, they even threatened to shut the government down. Certainly, “they did nothing” can be a rejoinder should the GOP claim any accomplishments. But Democrats need more than this and there are some pretty obvious concepts we could use.

Second, a motto should be a positive statement of our values. Now, I am no messaging expert and I do not pretend to be. But even I can do better than the so-called Messaging Matters. Some rough examples, which I spent only a few minutes on.  A real messaging expert could no doubt do much better and have the “focus group” to discuss it (not that I think focus groups are the best way to run campaigns, but what do I know.

*Security. Equality. Fairness.

*Jobs. Stewardship. Fairness.

*Forward Together

*People above Corporations

*Citizens Really United

*People Matter

*Progress, not Regression

*Constructive Stewardship

*We the People

*Embrace the Future

I am sure you have some better ideas for messaging in just a few words:  What are they?

Finally, I like the idea of websites designed to pitch messaging ideas. Hopefully, Messaging Matters will do better next time.

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, August 10. Also, check out President Obama’s weekly address, in which he talks about how “it’s time to build on that progress by creating a better bargain for responsible, middle class homeowners.”

*Obama announces proposals to reform NSA surveillance

*TRANSCRIPT: President Obama’s August 9, 2013, news conference at the White House

*‘Independent Study’ On Keystone XL Closely Linked To Fossil Fuel Companies (Also see A Few Questions on the New IHS CERA Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Report and note that the corporate media flunkies couldn’t bother to do any of this work before breathlessly reporting the oil-industry-funded “analysis.” #FAIL)

*Reid raises race in discussing GOP opposition to Obama’s agenda (“It’s been obvious that they’re doing everything they can to make him fail…And I hope, I hope, and I say this seriously – I hope that’s based on substance and not the fact that he’s African-American.”)

*Cantor: ‘No One Is Advocating a Government Shutdown’ (Yet another blatant lie by Can’tor: in fact, a lot of Republicans have been advocating just that – a government shutdown as leverage vis-a-vis their “Obamacare” obsession.)

*U.S. justice denies bid for delay on Va. sodomy law (Cuccinelli continues to waste Virginia taxpayer money, loses yet ANOTHER case, and proves that he’s anything but “frugal” – or a competent attorney, for that matter.)

*Cuccinelli says he would ‘just write a check’ to repay gifts from donor if he could (Perhaps if he were more “frugal,” aka handled his personal finances better, he COULD “write a check?” What a loser.)

*Shuffling money around got Pentagon its $1B to end furloughs

*In Leaked Audio, Cuccinelli Affirms Support For E.W. Jackson (I’ve transcribed the key part here. Yes, these three nuts – Cuccinelli and his “clones” – are one team, no doubt about it.)

*Cuccinelli’s Strange Obsession (“Not only is Cuccinelli’s position highly discriminatory against gays and lesbians, it raises troubling questions about what he considers important in Virginia. The Old Dominion faces many problems such as clogged highways, creating jobs, eradicating poverty and improving health care. Why should what goes on in the bedroom of a legal-aged teenager dominate his focus?” Cuccinelli has serious “issues,” to put it mildly…)

*McAuliffe, Cuccinelli attend joint forum for Northern Virginia business community

*Call special session for ethics reform

*McDonnell denies talking to Star CEO Williams about taxes

*McDonnell offered state medical board post to doctor who lent $50,000

*Hillary Clinton hosting McAuliffe fund-raiser

*Star Scientific tells investors it does not expect criminal charges (Now, what about Gov. Rolex?)

*Jackson’s latest disclosure error an oversight, campaign says (Lots and lots of “oversights” in that campaign!)

*Goodlatte issues statement on Obama’s surveillance proposal

*Confederate flag an ugly reminder (“It’s an obligation that Virginia Flaggers, who say they want to honor Southern heritage, should consider as they pursue plans to raise a giant Confederate flag off Interstate 95 near Richmond.”)

*Clouds hard to kick, showers lurk today

*Nationals reverse course – for a night (“Dan Haren continues his second-half resurgence and is buoyed by a stout offense as Washington snaps a four-game slide.”)