Shocker! Illinois Governor May Be A Crook!
The more things change the more they remain the same
By streiff Posted in 2008 | Blagojevich | Democratic Governors | Illinois | MSM | Obama — Comments (35) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The Chicago Tribune reports that a federal judge has lifted the veil of anonymity from a federal indictment and revealed that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is "Public Official A" who is alleged to have accepted a $50,000 campaign contribution in return for placing a donor's brother on the Illinois Banking Board, to have been beneficiary of a scheme to extort a $1.5 million campaign donation from a Chicago business man, and to have offered to steer state bond issues to an investment banker in return for cash. Of course, Governor Blagojevich, like the participants on Cops is innocent until proven guilty but right now he looks like he is one step away from indictment and a long vacation at Club Fed.
Corruption in Illinois politics is not only unremarkable, it is endemic. It was the deep seated corruption of former Governor George Ryan, now known as Inmate 16627-424, that broke the Republican party in that state.Everyone's favorite Chicagoan, Mike Royko, once remarked in his book Boss that if you wanted a quorum of the Chicago City Council to be present you had to hold the meeting at the Cook County Jail. I lived there during the Operation Greylord investigation when a Chicago cop substituting for an alcoholic night court judge made history by sentencing a disrespectful bum to death for treason.
So why is this interesting and gratifying but ultimately local story on the front page? Even as the primary contest between Hillary! and Obama takes on a vague tinge of Armageddon?
Because the indictment returned was on one Antoin "Tony" Rezko. If that name rings no bells I suggest you read this story because before this election is over we will know as much about Mr. Rezko as we know about Paula Jones and John Kerry's three Purple Hearts. Because in the media adoration of Barack Obama they have continued to studiously avert their gaze from his politics, his record, and his financial dealings. If you doubt me, check the number of times the word "Obama" appears in the Trib article despite the number of times the Obama and Rezko have been written (532,000 hits on Google) about and ask yourself if any other politician would receive this kind of treatment.
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Shocker! Illinois Governor May Be A Crook! 35 Comments (0 topical, 35 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Rezko is the new Abramoff: toxic, radioactive, and prolific.
Proudly supporting John S. McCain for President (McCain/Romney?)
The Chicago Tribune ran a story a year or so ago lamenting the fact that they don't have a recall provision in Illinois.
Even members of his own party don't like him. He has had numerous, very public fights with Michael Madigan, who is the Democrat speaker of the House in IL.
It's unfortunate that the Illinois GOP is so utterly incompetent that they rarely run decent candidates.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
State Senator Bill Brady will most certainly throw his hat in the ring on the GOP side. He's got a good organization and statewide appeal. He is a "checklist" Republican and will end the streak of RINOs we've had in the Governor's mansion (so to speak). I think he can defeat anyone they have (including Chicagovich) next time around, with the possible exception of Dan Hynes.
The democrats in Illinois are imploding right before our eyes. It's a beautiful thing.
"Be intolerant. Because some things are just stupid"
- Ryan Dobson
It's white bread, unexciting, and uninspring. No wonder we can't pile up any signifcatn wins. We are unable to capitalizae against a party with a scandal on a weakly basis because all of our guys were tied to Ryan. Maybe Bobby Jindal can make a pit stop on his way to the White House in 4years...
"Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will."-John McCain
McCain/Rudy 08-kill the terrorists and punch the hippies.
You may be right about the national media not yet reporting much about the Obama - Rezko connection, but the local papers including the right-leaning Tribune have reported extensively on their relationship. Except for the seemingly discounted price that Obama paid Rezko on their adjoining properties, the papers have not found any hint of corruption on Obama's part. Suggesting otherwise is on par with the NYT hit piece on Sen. McCain.
On the Blago front, the best thing that could happen for the Dem party in Illinois is for the gov to be indicted before his term ends. The GOP is weak here and running against the unpopular Blagojovich would have at least given us a fighting chance. Now, the Dems will get to hand pick a better replacement who will run as an incumbent in the next election.
the Obama-Rezko connection has been blogged about a lot but it hasn't been covered for squat. "Seemingly discounted", hah.
No one gets a one-time deal like Obama received.
As to the governor, I don't much care who gets elected in Illinois because in a best case scenario we're going to get someone indistinguishable from a Democrat. However, an indicted governor, especially when the indictment has a clear link to Obama, should get some attention. It certainly calls Hope! Change! into question.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
Hope they don't notice
Change the subject if they do.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
for re-election in 2010. I am postive one or both of Lisa Madigan (State AG) or William Daley (the Mayor's brother and former Comm. Sec.) will run and ride their name ID to Springfield. I have no confindence in the State GOP to find a suitable candidate. I mean they just gave up a US House seat the other day, because just now they find out the Primary winner who had the backing of the Party did not want to fundraise or put 100% into campaigning. The best hope for conservatives is if Rep. Roskam runs he is a solid conservative and was the only Republican in IL to win anything of importance in 06 or if SIU President Glenn Poshard (A decent conservative Dem) runs in a crowded Dem Primary and Conservatives are smart enough to cross over for him.
McCain '08
He's got name recognition in IL now.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
I was very very excited to see him and vote for him in 2004. I got the opportunity to a lunch in the summer with a bunch of high profile conservatives from Illinois, and I have to be honest, Alan Keyes turns me off a lot. I think he's too far to the right relgigously for Il, and other than being evangelical he didn't lay out all that much else he was good at. He came across as a Black Mike Huckabee.
"Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will."-John McCain
McCain/Rudy 08-kill the terrorists and punch the hippies.
But he comes off as a guy who runs for office because it beats actually having to work for a living. It's a nice way to get people to pay your living expenses, I guess.
It's too bad, because he is a very smart and articulate guy, but I don't think he really plans on doing something constructive with those talents.
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
The IL GOP needs tor ebuild. It does not need to rebuiild around Alan Keyes, whoshould quietly do his radio show and demonstrate a willingness to work for the good of the IL Party.
"Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will."-John McCain
McCain/Rudy 08-kill the terrorists and punch the hippies.
you missed the /snark/ tag.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
I will say you remind me of my conservative grandpa who occasionalyl gets so heated with liberals that he thinks we shoudl nominate the most far right person he can think of. I thought you were having one of those moments that I refer to as a Rex Grossman pass, wherin which you say, screw it(family friendly), I'm throwing it downfield, which is essentially what yo do in nominating Alalnk Keyes for anything. But its nice that we batted that back and forth while you were gone and confirmed he is in fact, crazy.
"Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will."-John McCain
McCain/Rudy 08-kill the terrorists and punch the hippies.
It doesn't appear as if Obama even got a discount, according to this:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a_9sOMpy91Js
I don't know if there is much "there" there.
Taft sunk the GOP in Ohio because of his corruption and Ryan did the same thing in Illinois. Dems will get a free pass for Blagojevich. Just look at New Jersey.
It's in the local papers as well (caught it in the Dixon Telegraph), and even his own party can't stand him--I don't think there is going to be a free pass.
It's beyond the Dems' control.
Like Kyle says above, see NJ. Or SCOFLA in the 2000 prez race, if you wish. While being in the courts should make it less partisan, it isn't always so!
"The day you think you know it all is the day your trouble starts."
Like Kyle says above, see NJ. Or SCOFLA in the 2000 prez race, if you wish. While being in the courts should make it less partisan, it isn't always so!
"The day you think you know it all is the day your trouble starts."
Funny how the subject demanded to offer his retort, libel laws in Britain being what they are:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/nov/16/iraq.politicalcolumnists
Kate
“It is the American vice, the democratic disease which expresses its tyranny by reducing everything unique to the level of the herd.” Henry Miller
The article from the TofL:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections...
Kate
“It is the American vice, the democratic disease which expresses its tyranny by reducing everything unique to the level of the herd.” Henry Miller
this hotel, to quote a phrase.
Ah, Chicago!
Better title since this is more of the same ultra liberal corruption.
Gee, if he were, say, a Republican Senator from Alaska, perhaps the FBI would visit his mansion for tea?
Something about a double standard on questionable land deals and criminal links keeps coming into my mind.
"Nec Aspera Terrent"
bene ambula et redambula
Contributor to The Minority Report
I would have a double-standard for Republicans. Corrupt Republican politicians are a liability to the Party, and I would hold my own people to a much higher standard. Plus, I would prosecute and imprison when the least political damage would be done, and come Election Day, we could have the bad eggs all in jail and off the ballot and the airwaves.
BUT...if you let the Democrats get away with "corruption", you can hang it around their necks come election time. Just think of that, every week in October and early November, another Democrat politician get to do a perp walk. Sorta brings tears to the eyes...
Of course, I would never condone such unethical behavior, and would be shocked, shocked if anyone working for me acted in this manner. Why, anyone who did that would have to be removed from his or her position, maybe even promoted two or three steps! You know, to protect the integrity of the office and all.
The sad but true of it is that gangsters, bootleggers, hit men and loan sharks played a significant role in making this country what is is today, and no place is that more evident than in Chicago, right up until this moment.
Aaaaah, this brings back memories. Living there for seven years, one of my recollections is that the city has a grinding heaviness to it, a kind of ethereal undertone of darkness, that results from the fact that even honest people suspect that at least some of their livelihood and success is the direct consequence of corruption in some office beyond their pay grade, and that eventually the hammer is going to fall on them and everyone they know and love. It's a city of vast appetites and even vaster and darker secrets, which is why it produces so many fascinating writers, actors and comedians -- in Chicago, if you didn't laugh, you'd die of the heaviness.
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I also wonder, in a theoretical sense, whether it is possible for Chicago (and in particular politics there, and in Illinois more generally) to ever really rid itself of corruption. It reminds me a little of New Jersey, except that Chicago's concrete overshoes are even heavier. Scandals erupt and make the media and everyone stares and then yawns because they know that it's like background radiation, and afterward all of the other compromised and corrupt people just wipe their brows, say: "Whew! Glad it wasn't me this time!" and go right back to doing things the same way they always have.
How can they avoid it? After you have a critical mass of people who have created their fortunes through corruptions large and small, I don't see how you stop it.
A lawyer buddy of mine lives in a Chicago suburb and he's the only person I've ever known that had a cop try to shake him down. He was working late downtown and on his way back home got stopped for speeding. Or so he though. He was 15 mph over. Fair enough, he figured he deserved the ticket.
But the cop took him into his squad car, locked the doors, and informed him that he had to pay the fine on the spot --- or spend the night in jail. My buddy had no cash on him, but offered to go to an ATM and get some. He knew he was being robbed, but what could he do, locked in the back of a corrupt cops car?
The cop expected my buddy (wearing an expensive suit) to have cash on him, so he just let him out of the car and off with a warning.
I guess my friend should have reported the cop, but his attitude is why bother, nothing will change, no point getting the cops angry at you. He just tries to avoid Chicago proper and stick to the suburbs.
New Republican blog:
h ttp://darkcomedyhour.com/dcmacdaddy/
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
when we have Peter Fitzgerald (senator 1998-2004, 40something years old) and David McSweeney (ran for 8th district in 2006, got 45% of the vote). Bill Bradley as well (mentioned above), Peter Roksam (IL-6).
May not be a large enough handful, but hopeless in IL?...nah!
McSweeney lost in what is probably the most Republican district in NE Illinois, when their was a liberal 3rd party candidate to siphon votes off from the Democratic candidate. Fitzgerald seemed to indicate that he is done with politics after stepping down from the Senate and why I like Brady (who I voted for in the Gov. primary last cycle) if you finish 3rd by a wide margin to Topinika who had her own ethical issues and Oberweis who is a joke of a candidate then your not a rising star. I will agree Roskam is a star. He is a solid conservative, who has stood firmly in the Shedegg-Cantor-Henserling-Ryan (WI) part of the caucus.
McCain '08
but I should have figured it would be up here already. Blago is beyond worthless, and if the Republican party in IL has any brains (questionable) they will capitalize on this big time. The bad part is that voters are just pasting all politicians--R or D--as corrupt. It just runs rampart among both parties in this state.
As for the potential impact on Obama...as was posted above, there just does not seem to be much substance to them, but I certainly agree that it needs to be researched by the national media. The local media HAS done plenty of snooping on it...that fact that it wasn't reported just indicates that they haven't been able to find the dirt (on Obama, that is; they've found plenty on Rezko).
Either way, the state Republican party needs to run with this, even if Ryan's recent imprisonment makes it seem quasi-hypocritical. We all knew Blago was dirty, now we need to nail him and his cronies to the wall and get some conservative movement back in this state.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777