Will Blago come out ahead?
OK, the story so far...
Federal prosecutor Fitzgerald rushes a criminal complaint full of juicy allegations and stuff from wiretaps on Gov. Blagojevich.
They grandstand at the announcement, making it sound as if they'd nailed Capone himself.
The media goes absolutely bonkers over it, since it occurs at a time between the nomination and inaguration when there was absolutely nothing to report other than gossip about what Obama might do next.
They whoop it up and fall over each other to come up with more witty ways to put Blago down and belittle him.
Then after about a week of this piling on, some tiny voices start to be heard pointing out that nearly nothing in this supposedly damning complaint was actually a crime. A lot of big talk, disgusting behavior and general ickiness, but not much in the way of actual crimes committed.
Then Blago drops the Burris bomb, the politicians in Springfield and the Democratic leadership in D.C. all run around like ninnies trying to deal with it, at first full of righteous bluster that they'd never seat anyone Blago named, and then forced to face facts, and sputter along for a few days looking for a way to do a 180 turn and still try to pretend they hadn't.
Score one for Blago.
Now he's upping the ante. His lawyers quit. He doesn't play along with the impeachment game like they want him to. He continues to make statements and hauls out human props in his bid to turn himself into a modern day Robin Hood being persecuted by the evil hacks in Springfield. (which he is. Persecuted by hacks that is, not Robin Hood.)
Now even our august Senate doesn't know what to do.
Yes, Blago is a goof. He's a "character" to put it charitably.
But he's also forcing these gasbags to actually put their money where their mouths are. He's forcing them to put up or shut up, and so far, he's shut them up.
This aspect of it I like.
And I hope he exposes the gang down in Springfield and puts them through as much pain and humiliation as possible. They thought they had it made. Blago's name is dirt, he's a national laughing stock. So they thought it would be a walk in the park to impeach and convict him.
Nope.
And ultimately, even Fitzgerald might have his work cut out for him.
We'll see.
Blago, a corrupt clown, but a corrupt clown who is making the rest of the currupt clowns look bad.
Very hard to figure out who to root for.
posted by The Inside Dope @ 1/25/2009
12 comments
12 Comments:
"A lot of big talk, disgusting behavior and general ickiness, but not much in the way of actual crimes committed."
We love your blog.
We live in Decatur. We find ourselves actually cheering for Blago. I just believe there is more to the story than we hear.
I just loved your above statement.
In this matter, you are writing what I wish I had the talent to write. You are expressing the sentements of my husband and I so well. These are thoughts I would like to express but just do not have the talent. You are brave. THANK YOU
Thank you. It's nice to get some positive feedback once in a while.
As to my writing talent, such as it is, I'm afraid you're being too generous. But thanks for the kind words.
I am originally from southern Illinois.....the St Louis metro-east to be more specific.
I have been watching the Blago story with much interest, and really am anxious to see where it goes, what all comes out finally.
I really don't know what to make of it all, and love reading here, to see what those actually in Illinois are saying and thinking.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
This is a nice little blog, but I noticed not many people particpate. I wonder why?
Blago certainly doesn't deserve much energy in his defense, but I'm really glad someone is pointing out the hypocrisy of the rest of the bunch that runs this state.
It's getting really tiring to hear the astounded reactions of everyone from the pundits to the average joes to the "high crimes" of the governor. I'm getting particularly tired of the usual downstate phobia of "Chicago, Chicago, Chicago.." or "The Machine, blah, blah, blah..."
Get real. This state is corrupt, top to bottom. Chicago, suburbs and even the salt of the earth downstaters. Political cronyism, nepotism and general shenanigans are ingrained throughout. I spent a summer interning in a downstate Republican town of about 6,000 and another five years working in downstate state legislative offices. Was it all goodness and light? HELL NO! The cases of the Chamber of Commerce cabals swinging no-bid contracts and favors in an incestuous manner amongst their buddies were accepted as the norm. The family trees you could draw among government job-holders and elected officials were as blatant as could be. It's all there, just on a smaller scale than you find in the big Boogie Man Chicago. It's what we know, it's what we expect...and I think we even like it in a sick sort of way. It's in our political mania and how things get done in this state. Right or Wrong.
Blago's biggest mistake is his stupiditiy and willingness to talk about it so directly while he knew he was under investigation. What he was seeking to do was no different than the way any of these "good government" types that have the knives out for him now would act. Under our way of doing things in Illinois, he would've appointed someone and then....Voila...magically would've seen his campaign fund swell and walked into a cush job upon retirement. His problem was he didn't spend his last term and a half playing buddy-buddy with the rest of the power structure, so he reduced himself to blatantly having to ask and scheme for what normally would've just fell in his lap.
It certainly doesn't make Blago right or a hero of any sort. But please spare me the hypocrisy from the rest of these jackasses.
TID, I appreciate the way you're calling a spade a spade on this one.
Hi TID your comments are right on the money. I hope this impeachment and coming Federal trial of Blago exposes all who participate in Illinois' "Politics as usual".
And that includes President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and Michael Strautmanis.
Dope
It is hard to think Blago could lose a race to the bottom but I think you have done a nice job of describing the toxic waste site that the IL General Assembly resembles.
Keep up the good work.
Great googley-moogley!
When it rains, it pours.
So nice to get this sort of response. Evidently old Blago is a hot topic these days.
Your comments also confirms my faith in your average decent person out there and their sense of justice.
The media couldn't wait to scoff and laugh and act horrified by Blago, a guy they'd clearly never heard of before Fitzgerald's florid and overdone announcement of Blago's arrest and the criminal complaint.
We here in IL who have watched the utter farce that is Illinois state politics for many years knew the score and could plainly see how skewed and just plain wrong most of the major media's coverage of this was.
In a way, I hope it woke many Illinois residents up to just how the media treats even serious news stories as if it were nothing but entertainment for their amusement, background or facts be damned.
As has been going on almost since Reagan, the media has steadily declined into nothing but National Enquirer style reporting. As a matter of fact, that mag is even more credible than some "news" shows.
Anyway, it was a real lesson to watch how the D.C./N.Y. press and pundits reacted to this.
Blago is a goof, a buffoon, and a shameless panderer. So are about 90% of the people in the Illinois legislature.
Blago didn't start and continue the often incredibly childish and reckless style of government in Illinois all by himself in a vacuum.
It was the dynamic of the incredibly petty and low-minded personal feud between himself and Speaker Madigan that drug the government into the dirt.
To a certain extent, Blago is right in complaining that he had to go around the legislatures backs to get things done for the people of Illinois.
It's as if Madigan was some machine king-pin who was determined to teach the governor of the state that he, Madigan, was the REAL power around here, and that Blago better not get any big ideas.
It was shameful, and there's enough blame to go around everywhere.
Blago's only ally was Senate Pres. Emil Jones.
The three way power struggle existed in a rough balance through all these years, with the battles causing paralysis and making government into a joke.
Then Jones resigned not too long ago, and then Blago was left cornered like a rabid dog.
I have no idea what role Fitzgerald had in this, or how or if someone managed to sic him on Blago, but the whole thing is pretty rancid.
Now, as Blago says, they're going to ram through this kangaroo court impeachment, toss Blago out, and maneuver like hell to do it without allowing Blago to bring up some unfortunate information about any of them that would show they're just as crooked as Blago.
What do you expect when you seemingly can't get elected dogcatcher unless you're some politician's son or daughter? When money runs rampant and ensures elections?
With the preening, bloviating, ego-maniacal, self-serving, legacy candidates representing us in Springfield pulling stunts every bit as goofy and outrageous as Blago, it's hard to share with the national press the feeling that Blago is somehow a latter day political Al Capone.
We know political clowns. Hell, we elect them.
You know something else that's just great about this if these holier-than-thou legislators get their way? Who are they going to get to replace Blago? That's right, Pat Quinn!! The insiders may like to put him down with the "gadfly" label, but he's about the closest thing IL has ever had to a reformer as a statewide official. I wonder in their haste if the "regulars" have forgotten just how much they HATE him??!! I'm sure they feel confident that they can take him out in the next primary, but they shouldn't underestimate him. And in the meantime, it should be a lot of fun to watch.
Anon 1:48.
Excellent observation.
Indeed, let's hope that for the Springfield mafia, this is a case of be careful what you wish for.
Of course, they may have already let Quinn know his place, and Quinn might be nothing more than a placeholder for the next couple years.
It would be nice if he had as much balls as Blago and actually tried to push for some reforms, but somehow I doubt he will.
Not that Blago was a major reformer as far as good government goes, but look what happens to people who try to rock the good-old-boy pay-to-play boat.
Blago didn't get impeached because he engaged in pay to play.
He got impeached because, like a mafia associate who gets popped by the Feds, he was bringing too much attention and too much heat to all the rest who do the same or worse.
So all the rest of the crooks had to make a show of running away from him and bumping him off.
I only hope Blago's able to spill the beans on some of them on his way down.
Remember, we haven't heard ALL the tapes Fitzgerald has.
You can be sure there's a lot of phony hypocritical pols who made a show of dumping Blago that are sweating their asses off hoping they're not mentioned on those tapes.
There is word that some may have a good reason to worry.
According to an October 2006 Chicago Tribune report,
"Quinn accepted $17,000 in campaign cash from convicted
felon Tony Rezko, after the State Treasurer handed him a
state loan in the amount of $875,000."
Anon 3:51
Was this illegal?
Somehow I don't think so.
Is Quinn the subject of any investigation whatsoever?
With an army of investigators and the Justice Dept. swarming all over Rezko and Blago, don't you think that if there was even a whiff of wrong-doing about Quinn they'd be including him in investigations?
To my knowledge, no prosecutors are even interested in him whatsoever, which to me indictates he's done nothing approaching anything illegal, let alone unethical.
Is this the start of your slime Quinn campaign in preparation for your own abortive run at Gov?
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