Felsenthal Files - April 2012

04/30/12

Will Rahm Ever Buy His Boutique Jeans from This Store Again?

The Sun-Times’ Mark Konkol has a full-page story that reveals Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s expensive taste in jeans. Konkol’s source is Emanuel’s “denim advisor,” David Shelist, owner of The Denim Lounge in Roscoe Village and on Oak Street. After reading the story, I wondered if Rahm might object to being featured in the Sun-Times story buying such pricey jeans...

Posted at 02:35 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (2)

04/23/12

Scrubbing Pots and Pans—Blagojevich Comes Full Circle

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, behind bars for almost six weeks now, is washing pots and pans six days a week at the Englewood Federal Correctional Center in Colorado, according to Fox News’s Larry Yellin, who interviewed Blago’s former lawyers at the prison gate Sunday. After 90 days of pots and pans detail, Yellin reports, Blago will be teaching...

Posted at 04:38 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (3)

04/20/12

Nicolas Sarkozy and Rahm Emanuel: Separated at Birth?

If Nicolas Sarkozy survives the first-round vote this Sunday, and if he wins the runoff election on May 6th, we could see him standing together with Rahm Emanuel at the NATO summit in Chicago, one month from today. It's interesting to observe the strong personality similarities between Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant and former mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, and Emanuel, the son of an Israeli immigrant...

Posted at 04:03 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/18/12

Tim Johnson Quits Congress with Parting Shots at Eric Cantor and the Chicago Tribune

After reading the Tribune’s blast at 15th District Congressman Tim Johnson in Monday's editorial, “I really must be going," I called the quirky 65-year-old Urbana Republican for a response. I first interviewed Johnson a couple of years ago when The Hill named him one of the hardest workers in Congress. The legislator, whose best friend in the House is Ron Paul, announced earlier this month that he was leaving Congress...

Posted at 10:50 AM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (4)

04/13/12

Bill Daley in David Corn's New Washington Insider Book

Because the White House remains “Chicago on the Potomac,”—although less so now with the exit of Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod—it’s always fascinating to see how the latest Washington insider book portrays Chicagoans in the corridors of the West Wing. The latest of the genre is David Corn’s Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor, and the Tea Party...

Posted at 01:18 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/10/12

Will Guzzardi on His Plans for the Recount (and After)

Will Guzzardi, the 24-year-old, Ivy League-educated former Huffington Post Chicago editor, announced Monday that he would pursue a recount in the March 20th primary for the 39th District State Representative. When I spoke to the Brown University graduate on Monday night, he was trailing by 125 votes to five-term incumbent Toni Berrios, the daughter of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. Guzzardi said he plans to file...

Posted at 11:53 AM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/06/12

Ameya Pawar's First Year: The Rookie Alderman on Rahm, Schools, and More

A year into his rookie year as 47th Ward alderman, Ameya Pawar sat down with me in his office on North Lincoln Avenue on a recent Monday evening. Despite pulling an all-nighter—he was writing a paper for a graduate class at the University of Chicago—the 31-year-old energetically listed for me all of his accomplishments and plans as alderman, a job that few expected him to win...

Posted at 12:28 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (2)

04/02/12

Quinn Brings Jerry Stermer Back in the Fold

During his campaign in 2010, Pat Quinn suffered the loss of one of his longest and must trusted confidantes, Jerry Stermer. Stermer now has a new job as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced today by the gov's office.

Posted at 03:03 PM in Felsenthal Files | Permalink | Comments (0)

	04/30/12 Will Rahm Ever Buy His Boutique Jeans from This Store Again? The Sun-Times’ Mark Konkol has a full-page story that reveals Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s expensive taste in jeans. Konkol’s source is Emanuel’s “denim advisor,” David Shelist, owner of The Denim Lounge in Roscoe Village and on Oak Street. After reading the story, I wondered if Rahm might object to being featured in the Sun-Times story buying such pricey jeans... Posted at 02:35 PM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (2)
	04/23/12 Scrubbing Pots and Pans—Blagojevich Comes Full Circle Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, behind bars for almost six weeks now, is washing pots and pans six days a week at the Englewood Federal Correctional Center in Colorado, according to Fox News’s Larry Yellin, who interviewed Blago’s former lawyers at the prison gate Sunday. After 90 days of pots and pans detail, Yellin reports, Blago will be teaching... Posted at 04:38 PM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (3)
	04/20/12 Nicolas Sarkozy and Rahm Emanuel: Separated at Birth? If Nicolas Sarkozy survives the first-round vote this Sunday, and if he wins the runoff election on May 6th, we could see him standing together with Rahm Emanuel at the NATO summit in Chicago, one month from today. It's interesting to observe the strong personality similarities between Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant and former mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, and Emanuel, the son of an Israeli immigrant... Posted at 04:03 PM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/18/12 Tim Johnson Quits Congress with Parting Shots at Eric Cantor and the Chicago Tribune After reading the Tribune’s blast at 15th District Congressman Tim Johnson in Monday's editorial, “I really must be going," I called the quirky 65-year-old Urbana Republican for a response. I first interviewed Johnson a couple of years ago when The Hill named him one of the hardest workers in Congress. The legislator, whose best friend in the House is Ron Paul, announced earlier this month that he was leaving Congress... Posted at 10:50 AM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (4)
	04/13/12 Bill Daley in David Corn's New Washington Insider Book Because the White House remains “Chicago on the Potomac,”—although less so now with the exit of Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod—it’s always fascinating to see how the latest Washington insider book portrays Chicagoans in the corridors of the West Wing. The latest of the genre is David Corn’s Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor, and the Tea Party... Posted at 01:18 PM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/10/12 Will Guzzardi on His Plans for the Recount (and After) Will Guzzardi, the 24-year-old, Ivy League-educated former Huffington Post Chicago editor, announced Monday that he would pursue a recount in the March 20th primary for the 39th District State Representative. When I spoke to the Brown University graduate on Monday night, he was trailing by 125 votes to five-term incumbent Toni Berrios, the daughter of Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. Guzzardi said he plans to file... Posted at 11:53 AM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/06/12 Ameya Pawar's First Year: The Rookie Alderman on Rahm, Schools, and More A year into his rookie year as 47th Ward alderman, Ameya Pawar sat down with me in his office on North Lincoln Avenue on a recent Monday evening. Despite pulling an all-nighter—he was writing a paper for a graduate class at the University of Chicago—the 31-year-old energetically listed for me all of his accomplishments and plans as alderman, a job that few expected him to win... Posted at 12:28 PM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (2)
	04/02/12 Quinn Brings Jerry Stermer Back in the Fold During his campaign in 2010, Pat Quinn suffered the loss of one of his longest and must trusted confidantes, Jerry Stermer. Stermer now has a new job as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced today by the gov's office. Posted at 03:03 PM in Felsenthal Files \| Permalink \| Comments (0)