Dust off your crystal balls
Will Rob Blagojevich run unopposed, or will a primary opponent emerge? And if so, who do you think it might be and how would the candidate or candidates influence the governor's race. Is there any Dem who might actually have a shot at winning? How would they do it?
And on the Republican side, with Edgar out, who's going to emerge as their sacrificial lamb in the governor's contest?
Here's your chance to play armchair strategist. We can look back later and see who was most accurate in their predictions.
posted by The Inside Dope @ 10/10/2005
2 comments
2 Comments:
Sorry about that. But if I noted that Blago might get his ass handed to him, I'd have HeadUsher and perhaps a few other jumping down my throat and accusing me of being Republican.
Guess I get pounded no matter what I do, which shows me that it's probably stupid to pay attention to critics.
But beyond that, my thinking as to why Blago is all but a lock is that the Republicans have got nothing. I don't see any strong candidate out there on their side. And even though Blago is on the ropes and vulnerable, he's just got too much money and the infamous Dem machine behind him.
And we all know that it's often the case that the machine trumps the will of the people.
As a matter of fact, much of Blago's woes are directly due to his participation in the mother's milk of machine politics, namely greasing the palms of all your pals and those who can help ensure you stay in your office, aka cronyism.
Hell, the dems that hate Blago the most are infuriated because Blago didn't hand out the goodies enough. They hate him largely because he didn't play the tit for tat game they were long used to. When Blago didn't make sure some people were set up like kings, they lashed out at him. Why, Blago wasn't showing proper respect and payback.
So Blago soon found out that trying to be a "reformer" just wasn't going to fly.
As the old expression goes, I guess Illinois just ain't ready for reform.
He's been way too self-promoting and egotistical. He's been crude and somewhat cruel in his dealings with even figures in his own party.
He's made a ton of misteps and has managed to piss off not only the opposition, but most of the leaders and officials of his own party.
But part of me instinctively figures that that if politicians from both parties are pissed at him, he must be doing something right.
Well, it's like this. What I was trying to suggest, and I probably didn't do too well at it, was that if Blago is pissing off Dems and Republicans, that's probably a sign that he's actually attempting some reforms. It could be sign that he's pissing on some of their gravy trains, so to speak.
Maybe he's not kissing ass enough, maybe he's not handing out fat contracts or over-paid positions that everyone used to take for granted.
Stuff like that. If all the pols were just pleased as punch, it would seem to indicate that he wasn't reforming the system too much.
That's all.
And of course it's best to be thought well of, but if you have to pay off people to like you, then that's having no integrity whatsoever and a sign of weakness.
It's like the rich kid that has lots of friends... until the money runs out.
It proves that you have nothing left to offer but money or favors and are still plodding along in the same M.O. that has caused the public to justifiably think politicians are crooks putting their own agrandizement and gain far ahead of the needs and concerns of the average people they represent.
Sure, trade-offs are what makes the world go around, but when "where's mine?" becomes your sole guiding principle, then there's something wrong.
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