Life in "Progress" city

From the motor city where the only conservative in town is in the witness protection program fearing for her life.

Reports that the FBI is preparing to file new corruption charges against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his father shocked the Michigan political establishment over the weekend and may prove damaging to Democratic candidates facing a hostile electoral climate this fall.

Let's get one thing straight. If the media printed a picture of Kwame and friends clubbing baby seals in the arctic, they'd still get reelected. The only thing keeping Kwame from his run as mayor are his indictments.

Both Detroit newspapers reported Sunday that the feds have evidence the Kilpatricks took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Karl Kado, a little-known city contractor. Kilpatrick resigned from office and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges on Sept. 4, 2008, following an investigation that showed he used city resources to cover up a romantic affair with his chief of staff Christine Beatty. He served 99 days in jail and was ordered to pay restitution of $1 million to the city.

That scandal looms large over Michigan politics and observers say the Kilpatrick name has become toxic with voters, who may look to punish the Democratic party this fall. The most obvious impact will be on the former mayor’s mother, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who is facing an uphill battle to defend her seat in the 13th District. But the scandal’s impact may also extend to Lansing, where at least two of the leading candidates for governor will have to face questions about their connections to the Kilpatrick regime.

The latest revelations came when Kado, who has been cooperating with the FBI for almost five years, told the feds he paid $100,000 in cash directly to the then-mayor in 2002. He also claims to have paid hundreds of thousands more to Bernard Kilpatrick, the mayor’s father. Kado is awaiting sentencing for paying bribes to protect multi-million dollar contracts connected to the city’s Cobo Center, which is home of the North American International Auto Show.

“No one’s surprised, it’s sort of par for the course,” said Dennis Darnoi, a political operative in Oakland County who runs Densar Consulting. Darnoi said a number of Oakland County businessmen interested in doing business with the city said they were given Bernard Kilpatrick’s number and told to call it to set up a meeting with the mayor. Bernie Kilpatrick would then allegedly request $10,000 to guarantee a meeting with City Hall. “It was just kind of how business was done,” Darnoi said.

This is how government for entrenched democrats works.....

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