http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout RSS Feed for Clout en-us Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:29:06 GMT http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090710_Clout__Lost_Street_papers_found.html IT'S BEEN 26 years since Geraldo Rivera breathlessly opened mobster Al Capone's "vault" in front of live TV cameras at a Chicago hotel, finding only a few empty liquor bottles. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090703_Clout__Former_British_PM_Tony_Blair_has_cheesesteak_wit__Mayor_Nutter.html MAYOR NUTTER took a little break from budget headaches last Friday to take on what some might call a more important international diplomatic mission: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090626_Clout__CouncilWatch_will_keep_an_eye_on_the_members.html IT'S SUMMERTIME. Is the City Council living easy? Do the 17 members spend their three-month recess drinking wine coolers in Wildwood, or hunkered down in their offices working on legislation? http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090619_Clout__Feeling_Ethics_Board_s_lash__Council_members_want_blood.html MAYBE it's a good thing that City Council just broke for a three-month recess. We think a little cooling-off time might be in order for some members who are seriously whipped up about the Board of Ethics. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090612_Clout__Realtors_on_shaky_ground_over_property-tax_mailing.html A MAILING from the Great- er Philadelphia Association of Realtors caught PhillyClout's eye this week with its big bold warning that "Philadelphia's budget 'Compromise' is a budget sham!" http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090605_Clout__Controverial_Goode_aide_draws_fuss_over_Facebook_postings.html LOVE HER or loathe her, you have to admit that Latrice Bryant knows how to get noticed. City Hall was abuzz this week over postings on a private Facebook page that appeared to belong to the controversial aide to Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. Several posts from the page were provided to PhillyClout by multiple sources. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090529_Clout__Clout_engages_in_shuttle_diplomacy_to_bring_tentative_peace_to_D_A__s_office.html DEEP DOWN, PhillyClout just wants everyone in the city's political community to get along. So, we're now offering PhillyClout Mediation Services, for those oh-so-frequent times when political pals become sworn enemies. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090522_Clout__The_judicial-candidate_money_pit.html IT'S A financial leap of faith to run as a Democratic-endorsed judicial candidate in this city. First, the City Committee collects $35,000 from each endorsed candidate for an "assessment" that gets spread around to ward leaders, who drive voter turnout by printing up sample ballots. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090515_Clout__Candidates_know_when_to_put_politics_aside.html CLOUT'S BEST wishes go out to judicial candidate Beverly Muldrow, who collapsed while speaking at a candidates' forum Wednesday night, and whose life may have been saved by two rival candidates. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/clout/20090508_Clout__Pols__worth_has_gone_up_in_our____BRT_s__assessment.html CLOUT FIRMLY believes that there is no greater joy than finding out what your friends and enemies are worth.