The Obligatory Post on the Obvious
By Dan on Dec 10, 2008 in Politics
I’ll post the trivia answers and responses soon. It looks as if Jodi will be the winner, but I want to give Doug D. a chance to defend his co-title.
So anyway I thought I’d weigh in on this whole Blagojevich thing.
Many people are shocked that the governor would continue his nefarious ways even though he knew the Feds were watching. His actions are being attributed to stupidity, arrogance or any number of mental disorders. I agree that all of these are possibilities, but the extent to which they are attributable is limited.
I think the main reason he carried on in such a brazen fashion is because that’s the way he’s always done it. That’s the way he was taught to do it. Everything is for sale. Everything comes at a price. And a little bit of every deal needs to go to line his own pocket.
Blagojevich wasn’t alone here. Many other people were willing to listen to his demands. Reading the criminal complaint, there didn’t seem to be anyone who thought that their strategy to sell the Senate seat was out of line. It was, to borrow a phrase from the governor, business as usual.
So I’m not surprised that Blagojevich was surprised by his arrest. He didn’t think he was doing anything wrong, because to him, that’s the way that politics is practiced.
I think that any governor would have expected something in return for the Senate seat. They probably wouldn’t have been as greedy or coercive as Rod, but they would have expected that somewhere down the line they would have a marker to call in.
Even Obama’s offer of appreciation for appointing his preferred candidate probably came with the tacit understanding that “we owe this guy one.” It wouldn’t have been a cabinet position or ambassadorship, as Obama didn’t even want to appear in the same room with him, but I would guess that if Blagojevich had played ball and managed to avoid indictment over the next two years, that he would have found himself with a cushy job courtesy of a friend of Obama. That’s just the way politics goes.
What did Blagojevich in was super-sized ego, ambition and greed, which caused him to cross the line from political gamesmanship to outright bribery and fraud.
Bernie Schoenberg made an interesting comment on Sam Madonia’s show this morning. He said that it wasn’t surprising that Blagojevich didn’t like Obama – as evidenced by the extremely off-color descriptor he used to identify the president-elect – because Blagojevich thought he was going to be Obama.
Blagojevich apparently believed he was the political wunderkind who would rise from the prairie of Illinois and be swept* into the presidency. He was the son of an immigrant with a funny-sounding name who would capture the nation’s heart and inspire YouTube odes of fascination from comely young ladies.
It was always a fool’s dream, of course. Where Obama is intelligent, Blagojevich is obtuse. Where Obama is smooth and savvy, Blagojevich is tone-deaf and ham-handed. Where Obama is generally well-liked, Blagojevich is almost universally despised. It’s really no wonder then that Obama is headed to the White House and Blagojevich, the big house.
*Sorry Becky, I used that word again.
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Ha! That is ok… but next time I will have to kill you…. I mean isn’t that what Chicagoan’s do… we are a corrupt bunch.
Just becareful when you are at MB’s party … you never know who I have working for me.
Becky | Dec 10, 2008 | Reply
The media, unless they did it and I missed it, should have reported nationally about the overall feeling of elation felt by many Illinoisans upon hearing of the arrest.
In the, “I have always liked Jim Edgar” category. I loved how he laid the blame for Blago on the voters. As I have said before here, how could anyone have voted for this guy a second time given the improprieties that were either known or looming in the distance? That is disgusting, disheartening partisan politics. The voters in Chicago and those in Washington D.C. are peas in a pod. D.C. re-elected a crackhead mayor. Chicagoans re-elected a scumbag who can only wish that he was as well regarded as a crackhead.
And lastly, in regard those that Blago plugged into the top positions of state government agencies. What are the odds that they aren’t as crooked and slimy as he?
M.B. | Dec 11, 2008 | Reply
Dan
Very good post…you hit the nail on the head…nice web site…enjoy the reading…
Steve Allison – Q.C. class of 88
steve allison | Dec 11, 2008 | Reply
True MB but if the Republicans would start running someone half-way decent… they might get elected. I certainly don’t have a problem voting for a Republican governor. I also liked Edgar.
Judy Barr Topinka wasn’t exactly a stellar choice.
BTW I didn’t vote for Blogo either time as I was living out of Illinois or just returned.
In any case when you have JBT and people like Alan Keyes (Senator) running as your Republican choice… they aren’t going to be elected.
Becky | Dec 12, 2008 | Reply
Becky,
That has to be the silliest thing I have ever read.
So you are saying the Chicago Democrats knew how bad Rod was but thought JBT was worse? How in the hell could she have possibly been worse than him? HE IS A CRIMINAL AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. Has she been arrested lately?
What does it say about the Illinois Democratic party that Rod was their best choice to run for gov? I would have voted for a ham sandwich over Rod.
Just admit it. The average Chicago resident is a flaming idiot. Say it. Say it!!!!!
M.B. | Dec 14, 2008 | Reply
When I heard that JBT was running, I thought she had a decent shot at winning. She was moderate enough to attract Democrats, especially women, who for some reason like to see their kind in office (that’s a joke.)
Two things led to her defeat. One, Blagojevich had a lot more money and used it to control the message. And two, JBT never seemed like she really wanted the job. She ran a terrible campaign, which is a shame, because from what I’ve read she’s always been an ethical politician and an effective administrator.
How anyone voted for Blagojevich the second time is beyond me, except that some people will never crossover and vote the other side.
A ham sandwich is sounding pretty good right now.
Dan at BFS | Dec 15, 2008 | Reply
I don’t know how he got elected the second time except that they MUST have felt JBT was a worse choice. I know much of it Blogo campaign was to tie her to Ryan.
I just remember moving back during some of this election and thinking that it was a sad state of affairs to have to choose between these two.
But I don’t think the Republicans of this state should be patting themselves on the back for having clean politicians.
MB what Dem have you voted for recently? I know I have voted for a number of Republican candidates.
Also since I am a resident of Buffalo Grove I can’t speak to the intelligence of the Chicago voters. But Blogo didn’t win just on the votes from the north. I am SURE there are Democrats in Springfield… in fact wasn’t your father one? : P
Becky | Dec 16, 2008 | Reply
Becky, you ignorant sl&*.
Obviously the idiot Chicago voters felt that Blago was the best candidate…..because they are idiots.
If I had the choice to vote for a guy that I felt probably was a criminal and was being investigated as such, or vote for someone who I wasn’t crazy about but wasn’t under any investigation it is not much of a decision.
Additionally, Blago got killed in the downstate voting. Below I-80 he is as despised as Hitler (there it is Russ, I said it, I must have lost this argument). Here are a few figures I could find;
-Blago won 65% of the Chicago suburban vote
-Blago won 80% of the black & latino vote
-Blago won 69% of voters with no high school education (Hmmm, idiots??)
-Blago won 59% of the vote from those with a h.s. degree as opposed to 37 and 35% of those with a college or post graduate degree (hmmmm, not idiots)
As far as downstate votes are concerned 67% of voters in Sangamon county voted for Topinka. Blago got 21%. So Blago’s win definitely was not on us!
And finally, I have voted for democrats in the past. Recently I voted for Madigan and Hynes as both showed that they were willing to fight Blago and not just tow the party line.
So what up now?
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