What's the deal with Kerry's guy James Johnson?

[politick]

Who's been picked to head up his VP search? I don't know much about him, except that he was instrumental in getting Geraldine Ferraro on Mondale's ticket.

What does he bring to the table?

[DemDogs]

1. Friends with Kerry

Long time connections in DC -- with just about everyone.
Wife is political, too -- at Harvard. Friends with Teresa, I heard.

[sandnsea]

2. A tight lip

That's what I read the other day. Plus he's well respected, smart, knows alll the people that need to be known for this process. But I'd bet it's mostly that he's tight lipped.

[politick]

4. Tight-lipped?

You mean that he's not likely to leak anything on VP to the press... or that he'll be loyal to Kerry and not cause any trouble?

(or neither...?)

[seaglass]

5. That he won't leak. There was an article in the Globe a few

days ago that discussed when Gore was selecting a VP. The pluses and minuses of each potential VP was leaked out to the press. Kerry wants a process that is respectful of the candidates.

The article also mentioned that when Gore decided that Lieberman would be his VP that Kerry found out from Teresa's chief of staff who had seen a morning news report. Kerry wasn't contacted personally until after noon.

He obviously learned a lot from this experience.

[politick]

6. do you have

a link to that Globe article, per chance? I'd like to take a look at it.

[SaveElmer]

3. Also recently retired chairman

Of the Kennedy Center. He worked for Mondale, and I think he is a VP at some financial institution (not sure which)

[Donna Zen]

7. Private investment banker

Ran Fanny Mae as well.

Very inside