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Or a run of the mill politician who just got caught?
There are rumors that Blagojevich was trying to sell the Senate seat that Obama recently vacated. This while under investigation for other corruption charges.
I had forgotten how totally and openly corrupt Illinois (and particularly Chicago) politicians are. They don't even bother to try to hide it.
Exceptional crook - even for Illinois. I mean, this is 50s/60s style corruption. The current Chicago Dem machine still has its share of corruption, but this is throwback to a bygone era style corruption.
Good riddance to bad rubbish - and I say this as a stalwart Democrat (one who pointedly did NOT vote for Blago last time out).
Both. He's a run of the mill governor of Illinois, which is almost always an exceptional crook.
Just read the story. This guy is a real piece of work. I'm as cyncial as anyone about politics, but this is just off the chart. I guess we know now why they delayed Rezko's sentencing. He was spilling his guts about the governor.
Oh, this is much worse. The worst crooks were low down on th totem pole then. Even are former indicted governors weren't this bad.
There are rumors that Blagojevich was trying to sell the Senate seat that Obama recently vacated.
Understatement. They have Blago on tape trying to do this.
If he gets convicted on even half the indictment - he's going away for a hell of lot longer than George Ryan
Obama next?
I think the better question is what's bigger cesspool of corruption, Chicago or Russia.
New Orleans always seemed to me more run-of-the-mill corruption combined with really bad government, due to the lack of a middle-class (kind of like DC).
Chicago/Illinois government is more like a criminal enterprise.
There's almost something admirable about it. He didn't like being a governor because the Senate is where you can make the real money!
That's not true. He's a terrible governor even aside from the
governorcorruption. Completely indifferent to balancing the book, he has no credibility with the state legislature, won't return the phone calls of Senator Durbin, rules by press conference, caused multiple overtime sessions for the legislature in Springfield, seems to go out of his way to alienate downstate (96 of 102 counties) with his indifference to them. Just a horrible, absolutely pathetic governor -- and that's before getting into pay-for-play and the rest.Edited for stupidity.
I knew it was just a matter of time before you showed up.
If they had anything on Obama at all, don't you think something would have leaked by now?
Ah, the yelp of a beaten conservative.
Obama's clean here.
Doubtful that Obama will get involved in the actual investigation, but it has the beginning of a media crapstorm should Blajogiomwoimivich try to deflect blame and pulls Obama's name out of his ass.
Yeah. If they had something on Obama, Blago's not the headline story today. Still, this isn't good news for Obama at all. I hope it doesn't stall any of his momentum. We, as a country, really need him to hit the ground running.
Nah, the indictment leaves Obama in the clear. One point mentions that Obama wanted "Senate candidate 1" to have the job. Blago groused that all Obama's was willing to give Blago was appreciation for selecting SC#1. "[bleep] them" Blago stated on the tape.
Some others will fall (Senate Candidate #5 was offering a half-million for the seat, IIRC), but Obama comes off looking clean.
Chicago/Illinois government is more like a criminal enterprise.
For decades, the mob was (is?) part of the Machine. They controlled the first ward, which is where the Loop (AKA some of the most valuable real estate in the world) is. John D'arco and Fred Roti (aldermen from the First Ward) were so closely tied to the mob they didn't even try to deny it. D'Arco was openly Sam Gianannca's man. But both were among the most powerful aldermen in teh city. When Daley died in '76, Roti was one of the 5-6 guys in the room who picked Bilandic as the next mayor.
Absolutely.
The crap he pulled in nearly derailing the much needed mass transit bill -- which was a very delicate piece of legislation to even get through the GA before Blago pulled his stunt -- should have made it pretty clear that corrupt or not, he needed to go.
Pat Quinn ought to very, very entertaining!
Durbin should win, but if Ryan gets freed from jail, it won't be forgotten.
It sounds like Mr. Grant is also surprised each morning when the sun rises.
If I'm not mistaken, this makes 3 of Illinois's last 5 governors if he ends up with jail time.
You sure are predictable. If there was major game-changing dirt on Obama and the Repub operatives were not able to get it out there during the longest election cycle in US History, well, I guess that must be due to liberal media bias.
Holy F****** S***, Holy F******* S***, Holy F****** S***
And apparently naive. You need to read some American and Chicago political history if you actually find this surprising.
EDIT: I see Sam Malone and Ryan beat me to it. Damn job is interfering with my posting time.
According to Rich MIller's Capitol Fax blog, SC#5 is probably Jesse Jackson Jr.
If I'm not mistaken, this makes 3 of Illinois's last 5 governors if he ends up with jail time.
He'll be the fifth one indicted in the last half-century: Stratton, Kerner, Walker, Ryan, Blago.
Hey, man. I'm not surprised Blago's corrupt, but the outright selling of a senate seat while you're all ready under investigation and planning your own presidential run, to boot, is just off the charts. It's like something you'd see on one of those idiotic CBS dramas. I mean, sh!t, man.
Right - I mean, recall that before the PA Dem primary, there was lots of grousing because the Obama campaign refused to distribute "meal money" to Philly area machine volunteers. You can look up and down the primary season - when getting big city machines behind you was a big deal - and Obama lost a lot more support from such mayors than he won... for every instance of a Kilpatrick that wanted to jump onto his coattails, there were 2 or 3 Nutters, Villaraigosas, etc that wouldn't.
I'm not at all concerned about Obama being swept up into this. There's always the danger of the wurlitzer -- the Limbaughian forces screeching OMFG!!! OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA -- but I have extremely high confidence that Obama and the campaign have clean hands here.
Obama simply didn't run with the 'machine'... You can go back to his lost house primary challenge against Bobby Rush or the fact that the big Chicago machine players didn't back him during his 2004 Senate primary.
Of courseDaley, Stroger, Blagojevich, and company got behind him the Presidential race... corrupt machine doesn't mean "stupid" - there was no upside to them failing to "support" him.
But to claim Obama comes from that clan of Illinois Democratic politics simply isn't true.
Sorry to disappoint you...Obama's favored candidate was rejected by Blog because they wouldn't promise him a bribe.
The 3 of last five is also correct:
Walker (convicted)
Thompson
Edgar
Ryan (convicted)
Blago (indicted)
Welcome to my dump of a city!.
In case you are not kidding around, I was talking to Beano, not you. People occasionally comment on my boring, even-handed political rhetoric. Blagojevich is an example of why I am that way. I am liberal as hell, but both parties, and the other parties, have people like this guy--and admirable people as well. Simple point but one often forgotten in the heat of rhetorical battle.
Hey, man. I'm not surprised Blago's corrupt, but the outright selling of a senate seat while you're all ready under investigation and planning your own presidential run, to boot, is just off the charts. It's like something you'd see on one of those idiotic CBS dramas. I mean, sh!t, man.
This news is stunning. It's not surprising, but it's certainly stunning.
Of courseDaley, Stroger, Blagojevich, and company got behind him the Presidential race... corrupt machine doesn't mean "stupid" - there was no upside to them failing to "support" him.
A lot of machine wards had better turnout for Kerry in '04 than they did for Obama in '08.
But to claim Obama comes from that clan of Illinois Democratic politics simply isn't true.
Well he does, but from a different wing of it. There have always been some clean Dems in IL - even in Chicago. Longtime Senator Paul Douglass might be the most famous example.
Blog and his chief of staff knew they had been under investigation for a long time...were preparing to be in the best situation when the indictment came down...and yet they chose to offer the senate seat to the highest bidder? Stupid.
I hear you. Beano is just being Beano, but I am genuinely surprised by the depth and scope of Blago's criminality. William Faulkner couldn't have dreamt this up. I usually assume politicians are much more suave about their kickbacks.
From what I've read, Daley and Obama have an uneasy alliance at best. Obama is supported by the Hyde Park people, who traditionally are Daley opponents. Obama has powerful backers, but the Chicago machine (and Blagojevich is a product of that) is not one of them.
In another piece of news, Christine Hefner is stepping down as head of Playboy. She is an early Obama backer, and she'll likely be getting some sort of job from the new administration.
Paul Simon too (though from downstate). His daughter's endorsement in TV ads might have won Obama the Democratic primary for his senate seat.
In another piece of news, Christine Hefner is stepping down as head of Playboy. She is an early Obama backer, and she'll likely be getting some sort of job from the new administration.
Ambassador to the Holy See?
He already knew that he was under investigation. Perhaps he was just trying to get that last pay day in before the indictment came down.
Early reports are that #5 may be Jesse Jackson Jr. It just gets better and better.
Paul Simon is still my favorite American politician ever, if only for his appearance on Saturday Night Live with the other Paul Simon.
I guess but the feds are kinda stingy about letting you keep that ill-gotten loot. So...who was the idiot that offered money for the seat?
As noted by a couple people above, the early contender is Jessie Jackson Jr.
They've apparently got him discussing bribes on tape. I'm thinking that your assumption is a good one.
Sad, but unsurprising, if true.
Smart ones are. As Al Smith once said, when touring a law school library, "There is a young man who is studying how to take a bribe and call it a fee." There are any number of ways to camouflage kickbacks--usually going through middlemen--insurance and legal retainer fees, padded contracts, etc.
From the sound of this, Blagojevich is both arrogant and dumb as well as being passe. As zonk says, this whole thing has a 1955 feel to it--except it occured under the scrutiny of the digital age.
According to the indictment, while talking on the telephone about the Senate seat replacement with his chief of staff and an adviser, Mr. Blagojevich said he needed to consider his family and their financial struggles. “I want to make money,” he said, He then added, they allege, that he wanted to make $250,000 to $300,000 a year.
...
“I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain,” Mr. Blagojevich said in a recorded conversation with an adviser, according to the affidavit. “You hear what I’m saying. And if I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself.”
what ... a ... maroon
Nah, he really thought he was above it all. He takes corruption to the level of being a sociopath.
I mean, the indictment mentions Blago's long term plans and "one last payday" was most certainly not part of it. He'd always gotten away with it before, and he assumed he always would. Simple as that.
Paul Simon is still my favorite American politician ever, if only for his appearance on Saturday Night Live with the other Paul Simon.
Today's either the anniversary of his birth or death. I forget which.
His death. December 9, 2003.
Well -- hubris to the point of stupidity, I guess.
Right - the traditional Chicago machine backed Dan Hynes in the 2004 IL Senate primary (Hynes' primary campaign chairs were legendary Cook County board Pres John Stroger and Rich Daley's brother John).
After he won the primary, though, and even before Jack Ryan was forced off the GOP ticket - it was clear Obama's star was on the rise. Unlike Blago, he seemed to take a perverse pleasure in picking fights -- Daley is smart enough to know when it's a good idea to swim with the current rather than against it.
Like I said - there was zero upside for the old guard to battle Obama once he won the primary.
The tapes reveal a two-term governor who no longer wants his job, badly wants cash and is determined to leverage a financial benefit out of his appointment powers.
He also appears to think little of the president-elect, whom he calls a "motherf***er" at one point.
“F**k him,” Blagjoveich says of Obama during a lengthy call with top aides and his wife recorded on November 10th, “For nothing? F**k him.”
In another section of the complaint, Blagojevich expresses exasperation that Obama and his team aren't willing to offer him an inducement in exchange for appointing an aide, apparently Valerie Jarrett, to the Senate.
Blagojevich "said he knows that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the Senate seat but 'they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. F**k them,'" says the complaint.
I assume those 8% are literally on the machine's payroll. Or dead; do the dead get to vote in polls in Chicago, or just elections? There's no other possible explanation.
I heard 13%. Maybe it was 4% very positive, but he still had one-seventh in this state in his corner.
Just wanted to connect this thread to baseball in case future Internet paleontologists are searching for a specific word in each page of a thread.
Gawd, we've had this asshat as our governor for six years. Bleach.
Who is going to play the Gov in the inevitable movie about how much of a behind-the-scenes crapstorm the Cubs sale was?
That was only because Slobodan Miloševi? outbid Alija Izetbegovi?.
I forget, did he come before or after Stephen Douglas?
Stephen A. Douglas - senator from 1846-61
And as long as we're mentioning good and competent men who served the Illinois Dem party, Alan Dixon had a very nice career for himself, only marred by his politically suicidal vote to put Thomas on the Supreme Court.
If they start doing that, Selig is going down, too.
I'm not sure who's election victory disgusted me more, Blago's second term or Todd (friggin') Stroger.
Talk about two men who had absolutely no business winning.
Which led to Carol Mosely-Braun's election. Speaking of hack politicians...
It's amazing he got elected at all, with a name like "Milorad Blagojevi?". The evil was obvious from the beginning.
I'd take Edgar over Thompson - Thompson was/is a shameless self-promoter. Edgar is much more boring technocrat.
Like I said above, the Pat Quinn regime is certainly going to be interesting. There's a maverick.
Which led to Fitzgerald (who appointed Fitzgerald). When Senator F decided not to run for reelection, that paved the way for Obama. He might have won in '04, but there was no way he would've gotten the big DNC speech if he was taking on an incumbent.
If Dixon didn't vote for Thomas, Barack Obama isn't elected president in 2008.
Funny how things work.
Jim Thompson (R) was also a good, clean governor. Pretty much the ONLY clean governor in recent Illinois history, in fact.
Did you mean Edgar? He was as clean as all get out and fantastic. I voted for him and I'm usually a staunch Dem. Thompson has been involved in some Conrad Black stuff that's gotten some legal attention. He's not indicted or anywhere close, but it's odd to call/imply he's the cleanest governor we ever had, especially since the other Jim is cleaner. Sure, THompson's problems all come well after his days in office, but then again so did Walker's corruption.
Does Valerie Jarrett return to consideration? Tammy Duckworth might be a safe choice. I can't see it being any of the Chicago congressmen.
What was the MSI scandal? I missed that one.
The fact that this is, like, the third most significant thing he did is proof of how big a douche he is. Nixon would be proud.
So's your Mom.
(hey, you didn't think this scandal would bring my out of seclusion? - finals week is nigh, I'll be back discussing baseball before you know it. Hope everyone is well.)
Oops, yeah - forgot about the whole MSI thing (I mean... when par for the course is going to jail, you sort of forget the scandals that don't indict the principle party).
Dag raises the whole Conrad Black issue above - but that 1)post-governorship, and 2)sounds an awful lot more like Thompson simply shirking his duties.
Big campaign contributor to Edgar got sweetheart state deals - pretty sure a number of underlings went to prison, but I don't think Edgar was ever directly implicated... It was more the Daley style "see no evil, hear no evil" type corruption, as I recall.
Murray Chass doesn't particularly care for his father, I hear.
I'd have bought this, except for the fact that he was a key memeber of the George Ryan defense team. Now I'm thinking he was just smarter.
Someone cleverly invoked Clay Davis above. Think Clay crossed with Tommy Carcetti, yet delusional about thinking he's the smartest man in the room. That's our governor.
I suppose the only job more arduous than fixing Illinois politics would be fixing the Maple Leafs.
More opportunity to travel abroad?
Maybe Blogs thought he was a tri-state Northeast Governor. We had Rowland in CT, McGreevey in NJ, and Spitzer in NY fall recently for various, colorful reasons.
You can certainly secure a better job as a lobbyist when you get out of jail. And if you drag out the trial long enough you can still remain in the Senate for quite a while, racking up "contributions". And convicted Senators still stand a good decent of re-election, apparantly, so it's worth a shot. I'd take that job over governor. But not if it involved jail time, of course.
His wife seems just as sleazy as he is too.
Wiki is pretty circumspect, but if what it insinuates is what I think it is ... ew ew ew ew ew.
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