Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Arrested

[Steve]

What the fuck is wrong with that state's politics? Is it just the fact that the parties protect their own from investigations?

More importantly, what would it take to clean it up? Mass arrests?

With a political culture and climate like Illinois', you'd need something truly earth-shattering to make a real dent in the problems. Not just mass arrests of the current crop of leaders, but a complete purge of the state party apparatuses, the state government, a lot of the city governments too I imagine (Chicago, obviously, is on that list), and quite possibly aimed shots at leaders in the state's private sectors who are also used to the system of corruption and are the most likely people to fill the vacuum when you're no longer looking.

You're not looking at gutting the State of Illinois' political and government systems. You're looking at napalming it into dust and building an entirely new one from the ground up.

[Broomstick]

Entrenched corruption is tolerated in Chicago and, to a lesser extent, Illinois for two main reasons:

1) This has been going on so long that many in the area are convinced that it is normal - native Chicagoans are, by and large, absolutely convinced that it's not that bad and it's exactly the same everywhere else. Yes, corruption exists elsewhere but not nearly on the same scale.

2) However slimy and sleazy, it actually works - Mayor Daley is a slimeball but the garbage is picked up, the streets are plowed after snowstorms, the streets and sidewalks are fixed, etc. and if a few innocents are crushed along the way, well, no system is perfect, right? An amazingly corrupt system that nonetheless does get shit done even if in a terribly inefficient manner.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Entrenched corruption is tolerated in Chicago and, to a lesser extent, Illinois for two main reasons:

1) This has been going on so long that many in the area are convinced that it is normal - native Chicagoans are, by and large, absolutely convinced that it's not that bad and it's exactly the same everywhere else. Yes, corruption exists elsewhere but not nearly on the same scale.

2) However slimy and sleazy, it actually works - Mayor Daley is a slimeball but the garbage is picked up, the streets are plowed after snowstorms, the streets and sidewalks are fixed, etc. and if a few innocents are crushed along the way, well, no system is perfect, right? An amazingly corrupt system that nonetheless does get shit done even if in a terribly inefficient manner.

I wonder if it is as bad as that College Park Mayor that got charged for some drug related crime, and still managed to get himself voted back in place.

[Rogue 9]

What the fuck is wrong with that state's politics? Is it just the fact that the parties protect their own from investigations?

More importantly, what would it take to clean it up? Mass arrests?

With a political culture and climate like Illinois', you'd need something truly earth-shattering to make a real dent in the problems. Not just mass arrests of the current crop of leaders, but a complete purge of the state party apparatuses, the state government, a lot of the city governments too I imagine (Chicago, obviously, is on that list), and quite possibly aimed shots at leaders in the state's private sectors who are also used to the system of corruption and are the most likely people to fill the vacuum when you're no longer looking.

You're not looking at gutting the State of Illinois' political and government systems. You're looking at napalming it into dust and building an entirely new one from the ground up.

Then it should be done. This kind of governmental corruption is not remotely acceptable on any level.

[Bilbo]

Sounds like Fitzgerald just saved some careers. Imagine if this had come out 6 weeks from now. Even if a 100% clean person without the buying had been appointed Senator? Boom. Instead dead career. If anyone like say Jesse Jackson Jr. had started even the most informal over the phone horse trading talks over the Senate Seat? Bom. Instant career dead.

What I find amusing is that Dick Durban suddenly barely knows the governor. Not what he would have said even 4 days ago.

I also find it amusing that he wants to do a special election for the Senate seat now.

Why?

Does it have anything do to with the fact that by the end of the week Republican Pat Quinn who EVERYONE says is as straight a shooter as they come will be at least acting governor and thus would be the one to pick the new senator? EVen at a time like this Durban is playing the game.

BTW. Unlike the commentators I dont think yesterday was a sad day for Illinois. It was a great day, a great day to be proud to be an American. We do not always suceed at it but unlike many countries around the world we hunt down those in public office who are breaking the law and we loudly and openly proclaim what they did for all to see.

[Bilbo]

Entrenched corruption is tolerated in Chicago and, to a lesser extent, Illinois for two main reasons:

1) This has been going on so long that many in the area are convinced that it is normal - native Chicagoans are, by and large, absolutely convinced that it's not that bad and it's exactly the same everywhere else. Yes, corruption exists elsewhere but not nearly on the same scale.

2) However slimy and sleazy, it actually works - Mayor Daley is a slimeball but the garbage is picked up, the streets are plowed after snowstorms, the streets and sidewalks are fixed, etc. and if a few innocents are crushed along the way, well, no system is perfect, right? An amazingly corrupt system that nonetheless does get shit done even if in a terribly inefficient manner.

I wonder if it is as bad as that College Park Mayor that got charged for some drug related crime, and still managed to get himself voted back in place.

you mean Marion Barry who got himself elected back as Mayor of Washington DC?

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Entrenched corruption is tolerated in Chicago and, to a lesser extent, Illinois for two main reasons:

1) This has been going on so long that many in the area are convinced that it is normal - native Chicagoans are, by and large, absolutely convinced that it's not that bad and it's exactly the same everywhere else. Yes, corruption exists elsewhere but not nearly on the same scale.

2) However slimy and sleazy, it actually works - Mayor Daley is a slimeball but the garbage is picked up, the streets are plowed after snowstorms, the streets and sidewalks are fixed, etc. and if a few innocents are crushed along the way, well, no system is perfect, right? An amazingly corrupt system that nonetheless does get shit done even if in a terribly inefficient manner.

I wonder if it is as bad as that College Park Mayor that got charged for some drug related crime, and still managed to get himself voted back in place.

you mean Marion Barry who got himself elected back as Mayor of Washington DC?

I meant College Park, MD. I might be wrong, but I was told of this by a former native of the area.

[KrauserKrauser]

I believe it was Marion Barry that was caught doing Cocaine off of a stipper's ass and still somehow got re-elected. Talk about Chutzpah!

[xammer99]

1. This isn’t surprising in the least, and the only thing that could be considered surprising is the sheer audacity of it. That is just… staggering, but it’s also the perfect display of Chicago Machine politics at its very best. Hopefully Fitzgerald won’t stop there and will go after Stroger and his cronies next, because that democratic machine just needs to fuckin die.

2. To the guy who said “it works”, given the now MAMMOTH budget shortfalls that Illinois & Chicago are experiencing, we can see now that it only works when the economy is booming. Now that it’s slow, you get even higher taxes (Chicago was already the most heavily taxed city in the country) and less services for it because of that corruption.

3. Sadly it is correct that Chicagoan’s and Illinoisans just accept it and think everyone is like that. So in the end, nothing is going to change because the voters won’t insist on it changing and the Democratic Machine will continue to rule.

4. What really concerns me about all this is that the light is going to get shown, nationally, into Chicago politics and how it will effect Obama. I don’t think he’s dirty, but he is the product of the Chicago System which means he played the game. The game being you kiss the right rings and bow to at the appropriate moments to the right people to get anywhere. That is how the Chicago Democratic Machine works, and Obama is a product of it.

So again, while I don’t think he’s dirty, I know he’s not going to be the proverbial knight in shining armor because of the system he came from. However, the more people from Chicago he takes to the White House, the higher the likelihood that one of’em is shady or dirty, and the last damn thing we need right now is a presidential scandal, ESPECIALLY one that happens before the man ever takes the Oath.

Welcome to the national stage, Chicago Politics… you couldn’t have picked a worse time to make headlines.

[Bilbo]

1. This isn’t surprising in the least, and the only thing that could be considered surprising is the sheer audacity of it. That is just… staggering, but it’s also the perfect display of Chicago Machine politics at its very best. Hopefully Fitzgerald won’t stop there and will go after Stroger and his cronies next, because that democratic machine just needs to fuckin die.

2. To the guy who said “it works”, given the now MAMMOTH budget shortfalls that Illinois & Chicago are experiencing, we can see now that it only works when the economy is booming. Now that it’s slow, you get even higher taxes (Chicago was already the most heavily taxed city in the country) and less services for it because of that corruption.

3. Sadly it is correct that Chicagoan’s and Illinoisans just accept it and think everyone is like that. So in the end, nothing is going to change because the voters won’t insist on it changing and the Democratic Machine will continue to rule.

4. What really concerns me about all this is that the light is going to get shown, nationally, into Chicago politics and how it will effect Obama. I don’t think he’s dirty, but he is the product of the Chicago System which means he played the game. The game being you kiss the right rings and bow to at the appropriate moments to the right people to get anywhere. That is how the Chicago Democratic Machine works, and Obama is a product of it.

So again, while I don’t think he’s dirty, I know he’s not going to be the proverbial knight in shining armor because of the system he came from. However, the more people from Chicago he takes to the White House, the higher the likelihood that one of’em is shady or dirty, and the last damn thing we need right now is a presidential scandal, ESPECIALLY one that happens before the man ever takes the Oath.

Welcome to the national stage, Chicago Politics… you couldn’t have picked a worse time to make headlines.

Worse would have been 3 or 4 weeks from now after someone was picked for the senate seat.

My money is on Rahm being the poison pill that does the most damage to the image of Obama.

[xammer99]

Worse would have been 3 or 4 weeks from now after someone was picked for the senate seat.

My money is on Rahm being the poison pill that does the most damage to the image of Obama.

Really? My bet is on Axelrod considering how closely he worked with Blagojevich, though I can see Emmanuel considering how "In" he is/was with the Machine.

But yeah, after a senate pick... wow that woulda been bad, but man talk about some political drama. We'd get a two-for-one on scandal and possible impeachments with Rod and the Senator.

And man... I wanna know who lowballed at 500K for Candidate #5.

[Bilbo]

Worse would have been 3 or 4 weeks from now after someone was picked for the senate seat.

My money is on Rahm being the poison pill that does the most damage to the image of Obama.

Really? My bet is on Axelrod considering how closely he worked with Blagojevich, though I can see Emmanuel considering how "In" he is/was with the Machine.

But yeah, after a senate pick... wow that woulda been bad, but man talk about some political drama. We'd get a two-for-one on scandal and possible impeachments with Rod and the Senator.

And man... I wanna know who lowballed at 500K for Candidate #5.

Word is that Jesse Jackson Jr is candidate #5 and offered 1 million.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ConductUn ... 739&page=1

I figure Rahm will be the poison pill because I figure him the most likely to be corrupt and to step on so many toes that people will just love to sink him as soon as possible.

Axelrod may do some damage to Obama but not by being dirty. He may do damage by not keeping skeletons properly in their closets.

[xammer99]

Wow... Jesse Jr is #5? Damn. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though I am disappointed considering his pious bloviating on the radio.

Wow and the transcripts make it look like #5 approached Blagojevich so that it's not just a case of Blagojevich demanding money, but #5 offering first. Yay double wammy of corruption!

This makes me wistful for the good old days of public horsewhippings and stocks in the town square. It'd be great of Rod and #5 got to spend a few days in Millennium Park letting people do whatever they wanted to'em.

[Mayabird]

2. To the guy who said “it works”, given the now MAMMOTH budget shortfalls that Illinois & Chicago are experiencing, we can see now that it only works when the economy is booming. Now that it’s slow, you get even higher taxes (Chicago was already the most heavily taxed city in the country) and less services for it because of that corruption.

It was the Broomstick, who is of the female persuasion and therefore not a guy, and also everybody has massive budget shortfalls right now. Cities, counties, states, federal but that's practically a given at this point. Is Chicago any worse off proportionally than average?

[xammer99]

2. To the guy who said “it works”, given the now MAMMOTH budget shortfalls that Illinois & Chicago are experiencing, we can see now that it only works when the economy is booming. Now that it’s slow, you get even higher taxes (Chicago was already the most heavily taxed city in the country) and less services for it because of that corruption.

It was the Broomstick, who is of the female persuasion and therefore not a guy, and also everybody has massive budget shortfalls right now. Cities, counties, states, federal but that's practically a given at this point. Is Chicago any worse off proportionally than average?

Yes, Chicago is worse off than others. Thousands of people are getting let go, more are not getting replaced, all city employees are being forced to take unpaid vacation time, but those I imagine are givens. What's not a given is in a Snow City like Chicago, streets aren't getting salted or plowed, that's a real sign that things are really really bad. But to drive it home more, in a panic to make up the shortfall, the city had to sell it's parking meter's to a private company for around a billion or so (Daley already announced that this would result in a huge increase on parking meter fees, I believe his word was "staggering").

Oh, and icing on the cake, they are raising fairs on all public transportation as well as cutting routes quite significantly. The reason this is icing on the cake is last year, the CTA got a huge bail out from the state in addition to a fair hike to stay some what solvent because they were hemoraging so much cash. But in literally, the last hour, Blagojevich threw in a clause that all senior citizens get to ride any public transportation for free just so he could buy some more votes.

This isn't even touching on such waste as Blago's $20,000 in signage proclaiming his beneficence at each and every IPass station (Open road, no top tolling stations) or the other state officers like Jesse White who has his name plasted all over every SecState DMV and other branches. All just to remind ya who brought you these great services! Though admittedly, White has saved the state quite a lotta money, so my hat is off to him for that.

[Bilbo]

I have long said that we should do away with all the signs. I dont care who the mayor is when I enter a town. I dont care who the governor is when I enter a state. I dont care who is in charge at the drivers license bureau. It is a staggering waste of money across the entire country.

[Bilbo]

Wow... Jesse Jr is #5? Damn. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though I am disappointed considering his pious bloviating on the radio.

Wow and the transcripts make it look like #5 approached Blagojevich so that it's not just a case of Blagojevich demanding money, but #5 offering first. Yay double wammy of corruption!

This makes me wistful for the good old days of public horsewhippings and stocks in the town square. It'd be great of Rod and #5 got to spend a few days in Millennium Park letting people do whatever they wanted to'em.

So when does Jr get indicted for this? It should happen pretty soon is this is all accurate. Even if he does not this should guaruntee that we never see him in the Senate chamber.

I do fully expect the idiots of his congressional district to vote him in with a landslide though unless he is sitting in a prison cell.

[xammer99]

I doubt him sitting in a jail cell would stop the son of the Dear Leader from getting re-elected if it were legally possible for him to be elected. Hell, Boston had a Mayor sitting in a jail cell after receiving a multi year sentence and still running the city from his cell. I have absolute and utter confidence that Chicago can top that one.

Chicago... Doing It's Best To Make New Orleans Look Honest!

[xammer99]

Sorry, that should be "the son of one of the Dear Leaders", since Jesse Sr's is one of the rings you have to kiss to advance in the Machine.

[xammer99]

Madigan said that if Blagojevich does not resign and the legislature fails to impeach him, she is prepared to invoke Illinois law that could result in his removal from office. She said she may be prepared to take this step sooner rather than later if it appears the legislative impeachment process is too protracted, declaring "Illinois needs a new Governor."

From Here

I LOVE that. Madigan is the daughter of Speaker Madigan, head of the House. Madigan the Elder and Blagojevich _HATE_ each other with a deep and undying passion, and it's frequently a competition to see who can pander/waste more in government, and it was Madigan that Blagojevich totally fucked in the CTA scheme to give free rides to seniors (Proper fucked, before zee Germans got there!). So this is her saying "even if dad doesn't get you in the House, I'm going to get you", because she's been a top name in the running for the Governor's spot in a couple of years and this is her chance to REALLY maker her bones.

God I love Illinois politics!

[Fire Fly]

Jesus, Blagojevich seriously reads like he's some sort of mafioso; this entire episode is pretty disgusting. I know that Jackson has been apparently campaigning pretty hard for the vacant senate seat but apart from very circumstantial evidence, I don't want to condemn him just yet, although Jackson and Jackson Jr. always came off as a bit shady to me.

[xammer99]

Jesus, Blagojevich seriously reads like he's some sort of mafioso; this entire episode is pretty disgusting. I know that Jackson has been apparently campaigning pretty hard for the vacant senate seat but apart from very circumstantial evidence, I don't want to condemn him just yet, although Jackson and Jackson Jr. always came off as a bit shady to me.

He's been campaigning very hard and very publicly for it. During one rather lengthy interview on WLS he even talked about how great it'd be for him to get the senate seat and then his wife take over his congressional seat so that they could work in the same town again.

Jackson Jr. isn't as shady as the old man by a long shot, so I don't wanna hang him yet either. But conversely, he is a Chicago Machine Politician.

Also, any takers on this all having been helped by Rezko rolling on people for leniency? Rezko would (a non government official) would actually show up to meetings to represent Blagojevich, saying he was acting with his authority and would make deals on his behalf.

[Bilbo]

Jesus, Blagojevich seriously reads like he's some sort of mafioso; this entire episode is pretty disgusting. I know that Jackson has been apparently campaigning pretty hard for the vacant senate seat but apart from very circumstantial evidence, I don't want to condemn him just yet, although Jackson and Jackson Jr. always came off as a bit shady to me.

He's been campaigning very hard and very publicly for it. During one rather lengthy interview on WLS he even talked about how great it'd be for him to get the senate seat and then his wife take over his congressional seat so that they could work in the same town again.

Jackson Jr. isn't as shady as the old man by a long shot, so I don't wanna hang him yet either. But conversely, he is a Chicago Machine Politician.

Also, any takers on this all having been helped by Rezko rolling on people for leniency? Rezko would (a non government official) would actually show up to meetings to represent Blagojevich, saying he was acting with his authority and would make deals on his behalf.

Jr isnt as sleazy because he hasnt had enough time to wipe anyone elses blood on his shirt to gain himself some fame. Obama better be very careful anytime he stands in public next to Jesse Jr. Junior might try to do his old man one better. Old Man wiped the blood of MLK on his shirt and rode that bloody shirt into stardom. Jr may look to the same with Obama. (Yes am mostly kidding here)


http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/10/ ... .governor/

This article is pretty funny. Not only did Blago return to his desk today working like nothing happened but there are no indications that he is going to respond to this except by his lawyer saying he will be vindicated.

Also the comments made by some people are hillareous. One person who obviously did not read the indictment or listen to more than 2 minutes of the news is calling this all a vast conspiracy to make Obama look bad.

[xammer99]

Man, I wish you were totally kidding, but Junior can be one seriously viscious SOB like pops. Though I've yet to see him getting into the overt blackmail game yet.

And yeah, Blagojevich heading back to work was AWESOME. I'm still really hoping he appoints himself Senator as a final, big "FUCK YOU" to the rest of the Machine for abandoning him, though apparently Reid can reject the appointment (Someone feel free to verify this one). He'll have to act quick though with Durbin and Madigan (both of'em) pushing so hard. It's a full on panic mode for Durbin and the Madigans and a chance to earn some serious brownie points on the national level for saving the seat from Quinn. And I assure you, those brownie points are very much in the mind of the Madigans.

[Bilbo]

Man, I wish you were totally kidding, but Junior can be one seriously viscious SOB like pops. Though I've yet to see him getting into the overt blackmail game yet.

And yeah, Blagojevich heading back to work was AWESOME. I'm still really hoping he appoints himself Senator as a final, big "FUCK YOU" to the rest of the Machine for abandoning him, though apparently Reid can reject the appointment (Someone feel free to verify this one). He'll have to act quick though with Durbin and Madigan (both of'em) pushing so hard. It's a full on panic mode for Durbin and the Madigans and a chance to earn some serious brownie points on the national level for saving the seat from Quinn. And I assure you, those brownie points are very much in the mind of the Madigans.

Yeah it is definitely all politics here. Any choice Blago made could be killed instantly by the Senate. So it really comes down to make sure that Quinn cannot get in there and then make a selection. Odds are he would make a good selection too, he is a straight shooter and no one has ever said ill of him.

Hell I would love to see Quinn get in there and then appoint himself.