Rod Blagoevich's incredible implosion probably says much, much more about Chicago politics than Democrats as a whole (Blago was well known to be ethically challenged long before today's news). Nonetheless, the circumstances surrounding his unfolding demise virtually guarantee further expanded scrutiny.
One, this is the same political environment from which President-elect Obama comes. He could be pure as the driven snow on this one, yet people with whom he has associated with will inevitably be caught up in the scandal. Not helpful to the One.
Two, national level Democratic interest groups are bound to be ensnared in some manner too. Witness: SEIU looking awfully smarmy in the affair, regardless of whether or not Andy Stern & Co. broke any laws.
It's not exactly news to anyone in the Evergreen State that SEIU plays hardball, often on the edge of the norms of the political culture in which they're operating. One can only speculate what that looks like in Chicago politics.
Exit thought: It's official. Whomever you are, whatever party affiliation you hold. Never, ever f*ck with Rahm Emmanuel (and yes, in honor of his persona, profanity must be included). Need more reason why? This parody has some hilarious grains of truth.
Posted by Eric Earling at December 09, 2008 09:11 PM | Email Thishow many Caesers' Wives will appear;
all now washing their undies on the stones of the Ameri-Ganges River of Hope...
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on December 9, 2008 09:16 PMNow that one of the top democrats in the country has suffered such a super-nova of criminal stupidity and moronic arrogance, perhaps they can all crawl back under their respective rocks... and take their slime with them.
Posted by: Hinton on December 9, 2008 10:12 PMBtw, how did Blago know that Obama wasn't offering anything? Did Blago ask Obama if anyone was willing to $$$ up to get O's pick picked? If so, obama is obliged to report that. What did Obama know and when did he know it?
Posted by: Michele on December 10, 2008 01:46 AMVeeerrry interesting.
Paragraph finishes with this: "Rod Blagojevich asked whether something could be done with his wife's 'series 7' license in terms of working out a deal for the senate seat. Rod Blagojevich stated that he is 'struggling' financially and does 'not want to be governor for the next two years'."
Well buddy, looks like you won't be. Problem solved, eh?
Posted by: Michele on December 10, 2008 02:08 AMNow that there is an indictment, the MSM has no recourse except to cover it. I think, anyways. Also, listening to Colmes and Rove last night, it appears Colmes has already drunk the Kool-Aid on this. Rove was more of a sit back and let's see what happens type of response.
At this point, Obama appears clean.
Posted by: swatter on December 10, 2008 07:06 AMStupid is as stupid does.....in Demo-land.
Posted by: Saltherring on December 10, 2008 07:08 AMNewbusters did a word count on the ABC, NBC and CBS morning shows. They were counting how many times the shows identified Blago as a Democrat.
Answer: None.
This was posted for Bruce and some of the other siders from yesterday who went out of their way to show how balanced the MSM was and tried to prove it from the couple of news articles that might have had a reference. The fact the morning shows ignored the D word is quite telling. Bruce, don't you agree?
Posted by: swatter on December 10, 2008 07:32 AMAnd while I'm here, why not mention that it took the Seattle Times until the 4th paragraph yesterday to mention that Blagojevich is a Democrat, and the only mention of it in a massive article on his arrest.
Posted by: Reality on December 10, 2008 07:40 AMThe gift that keeps on giving.
You betch-ya.
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 10, 2008 08:46 AMIt took Blago attacking them personally for the crack reporters at the Chicago Trib to actually remember how to do investigative work and turn out a story. Now if only they could apply the same really difficult investigative skills to papers that are freely available on the Internet which show why Global Warming is not happening, etc. they might even win a Pulitizer. But when all they do is regurgitate talking points, corrupt politicians get to stay in office a lot longer than they should.
As always, it's our "truth squad" media's fault for never pursuing obvious stories.
Posted by: Jeff B. on December 10, 2008 10:33 AMAs for Obama's response concerning knowledge of the sale of his Senate seat, he has been protected by his staff so that he can plausibly deny it. His denial of knowledge was limited to himself, and did not cover his staff. It is difficult to believe that Axelrod was not well informed about the situation.
Posted by: Paddy on December 10, 2008 10:45 AMBut if he'd been an R?
Republican Governor - Close Personal Friend of Pres. Bush - Engages in Criminal Activity with Other Republican Bigwigs. Anonymous sources say BIAW part of GOP extortion scheme
Posted by: jimg on December 10, 2008 11:12 AMWant to bet he wanted something from Obama and just wasn't getting it? (money power, who knows)
It's a Daly state, and we all know that means dishonest public servants.
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 10, 2008 11:38 AMReport today:
"The Republican National Committee, however, circulated some of Obama's statements to the press on Tuesday, including a 2006 report indicating Obama said he would be happy to work for Blagojevich's 2006 re-election campaign, even though the Illinois governor was under investigation. "If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I'll be happy to do it," a suburban Chicago newspaper quoted Obama as saying. It was unclear Tuesday, however, how much, if any, work Obama actually did on behalf of the Illinois governor's candidacy."
Just spoke to a good friend of mine who has worked in Chicago the past 30 years.
Quid Pro Quo and stuff like Blago trying to sell the Senate AND Jesse Jackson Jr. (Candidate #5) willing to buy it are common place.
He also told me Jackson is damn lucky Fitzgerald came down on Blago when he did as in a few more days, Jackson, Jr. probably would have made the buy!
The other thing you KLOWNS need to grasp is that the ultimate Indictment is much more far-reaching than what has been filed so far. Fitzgerald SAVED some folks from themselves by doing it now...he could have and should have waited until a deal was actually struck.
That aside, we will be seeing many Chicago Politicians past actions and PERSONAL FINANCES put under the microscope of Quid Pro Quo....including President-Elect "MotherF**ker" and his wife. Not only will Obama's Rezko land deal be revisited, but also Mrs. P-E MoFo's wife's series of salary increases and promotions at the Hospital. Obama's personal finances AND past voting record will now be examined as they should have been BEFORE the election.
Obama is a Chicago-style, Hyde Park bred politician where stuff like this is common place...but not common place to most Americans.
TEAM OBAMA is circling the wagons right now...big time. The 1st step was Axelrod recanting what he told that reporter on Nov. 23rd. Axelrod will get to recant it again some day...under oath.
I am quizzical about why Fitzgerald pulled the plug on this Senate Seat Sale now...rather than wait until Jackson, Jr. took the bait.
His old man was the ultimate shake-down artist. The NUT don't fall far from the tree, do it?
And as long as we are doing guilt by association:
Ted Stevens Repulican Senator (Alaska, convicted of corruption)
Ted Young Republican(Under investigation for corruption)
Frank Murkowski (republican senator, governor)appointed his daughter to the senate seat he resigned from. His chief of staff was convicted of corruption with VECO oil company, Murkowski still under investigation.
Palin???? (Investigation showed abuse of power)
Washington:
Rossi: 2 Campaign finance violations
McKenna: Camapign finance violations by the Attorney General (who should know better)
That is the actual evidence - and you guys have....Nothing as usual.
Posted by: correctnotright on December 10, 2008 02:28 PMI'm willing to wait for all the evidence cnr...but it's fun to speculate. You Bush-haters did it for 8 years. Now it's our turn to expect the worst from your guy....P-E Mo-Fo (Blago's handle for him...slightly ethnicized)
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on December 10, 2008 02:35 PMDon't you just love the smell of karma?
I wonder if our pet liberals know how much we're enjoying the 'hope and change' they gave us.
OH! I read somewhere today the theme of Blago's campaign was.... wait for it.... HOPE AND CHANGE!
In a July New Yorker article, reporter Ryan Lizza quotes Obama's chief of staff designate, Rahm Emanuel, as saying that he and Obama served as key advisers to Blagojevich in his run for governor, along with two other campaign staffers. "We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two," Emanuel said, according to the magazine.
What is clear is that Obama endorsed and campaigned for Blagojevich in 2002. In June of that year, he told Jeff Berkowitz, a local television interviewer, that his "main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as governor," and when asked whether he was working hard for him, Obama responded, "you betcha."
Some of Obama's signature moves could be seen in Blagojevich's 2002 campaign: promising change and reform, tying his Republican opponent (Jim Ryan) to the unpopular Republican incumbent (George Ryan), and turning his unusual name into an asset and source of humor.
The looming question concerning the new administration is whether Obama could have thrived in a corrupt political environment that routinely produces the likes of Blagojevich without picking up a few tricks along the way.
It's not like Obama was one of the architects of Blagojevich's election to the Governor's office. Oh, wait... according to Obama's incoming Chief of Staff, Chicago politician Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Obama, an unnamed aide to Blagojevich, Emanuel, and Blagojevich's campaign chair David Wilhelm were the four generals behind Blagojevich's election victory. Emanuel stated that Obama and he "participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor. We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two."...
Did I mention that Blagojevich's campaign for Governor (of which Obama was not really an architect or strategist) ran on a message of change and reform? Yeah, there's no connection there at all.
I wonder if the illustrious Governor of Illionois has received his invitation to the inaugural ball...
On the other hand, there is nothing on anyone else at this time.
Posted by: correctnotright on December 10, 2008 04:27 PMDidn't take very long for that to become the rallying cry of the left over this thing.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on December 10, 2008 04:36 PMAT THIS TIME
You were warned around the time of the election that Rezko was making a squeal deal...
Loyalty, particularly amongst ethically challenged liberals, ends where self interest begins.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 10, 2008 04:52 PM"So, do the rest of you now have some idea of the depth of corruption in Chicago and Illinois, and why some of us were so concerned about electing a president who emerges from this cesspool?" --columnist Dennis Byrne
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 10, 2008 05:01 PMAt least they don't work for some evil capitalist corporation.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on December 10, 2008 05:09 PMIt leftist business as usual, wrongo. And now, finally, it looks like the cover is getting ripped off the ball.
See, the reason your sort sucks isn't because of your OCD about the GOP. It is, instead, your genetic inability to apply the same standards and contempt for the same amount of time, coming back like it's a mantra... to the slime infesting your merry little group.
Nope. That kind of thing is reserved for those wise enough to disagree with idjits such as yourself.
Glad I could clarify.
Posted by: Hinton on December 10, 2008 06:06 PMRev Wright (racist and America hater)
Rezco (crook)
Ayers (bomber)
and now his own Gov who wants favors. ($$$$)
Well we heard the same tone again from Obama.
These are not the people I knew. Yet for 20+ years and this crap you never saw? Come on, either you stupid as can be, or you knew what was happening but just let it go!
So funny. He's just nuts and nothing he says or has done is anyway real. Just a Kook!.
People like Alter, Mathews, Lanny Davis and Olberman should just go suck a tailpipe.
Posted by: Dengle on December 10, 2008 09:20 PMI wish the One wouuld come out and condem this and show some spine.
Posted by: Dengle on December 10, 2008 09:24 PMThis whole incestuous Chicago crime syndicate... er, political machine is like that movie game: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
How many Chicago thugs can YOU connect to Obama...
***
Tomorrows edition of Politico is reporting that Obama's new "Open for Qusetions" blog is censoring/deleting questions about Blagojevich.
Nice.
Is that honesty and openness the change you've been hoping for?
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 10, 2008 09:49 PMGezzzz.
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 11, 2008 06:24 AMBlago claimed Obama and he had 'process' established to discuss filling Senate seat
What kind of "process" would that be? Would it include plausible deniability via using intermediaries? You know, to avoid that 'bad karma'.
Rezko is spilling the beans to Fitzgerald
This is not necessarily a shocker because the Chicago Trib reported back in October that Rezko was singing in exchange for a lighter sentence on his 18 count fraud conviction.
But wouldn't you have wanted to be a fly on the wall in the prosecutor's office when Obama's good friend and patron was asked about the former senator and Blagojevich advisor, now president elect?
Come on, get the antenna up there, Barack. You got to wake up."
"It's just nice to know that my President-elect went through that entire system - all of these guys - Ayers, Blagojevich, Rezko, the Reverend Wright - and he didn't notice any of them. At his worst, he is oblivious. At his absolute worst, he is disingenuous.
Disingenuous... that means LIAR.
... Yep, we'll be here to pick up the pieces.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 11, 2008 11:57 AMFrom the actual report:
"ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he knows that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them.""
I guess that ain't clear enough for a moron like Ragnut. Ragnut can really throw out the accusations - too bad he can't actually READ.
Reading and looking at the facts before shooting off your mouth helps a lot for credibility - and you have NO CREDIBILITY!
And Army vet/Medic: Keep taking those mind altering med's - you haven't had a fact yet that you couldn't twist. I love the posters on here who leapt to the rightwingnut conclusions fostered by Limpbaugh and others without actually checking the transcripts....are you guys really as stupid and sycophantic as you seem?Or are you willing to propagate any misinformation about Obama to further your own internal agenda.
The bible says that people who deliberately spread false rumors should be stoned to death - I prefer public humiliation.
Posted by: correctnotright on December 11, 2008 12:53 PMIt's clear that public education has truly failed the least amongst us.
Poor little IncorrectAndAlwaysWrong has been advacned through school while never learning to READ... or to comprehend the meaning of all those b i g (sound it out, IncorrectAndAlwaysWrong... phonics works!) words he/she/it can't read.
Instead of Stuart Smalley pulling an ugly and expensive gregoire in Minnesota, he should take his bag of cash and have a chat with a Chicago thug.
I mean, we've never heard of a carpetbagger getting a senate seat, have we?
Problem solved.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 11, 2008 01:28 PMWOW, such harsh words against me. LOL
Hey never correct answer me this.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WHY has both Jacksons (JR & SR) hired lawyers?
Just maybe this rabbit hole goes deeper than YOU think.
PS, I give meds you fool, not take them.
try again!
Hey Rags... what did we do to piss off (nevercorrect) (-:
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 11, 2008 03:52 PMOn the other hand, there is nothing on anyone else at this time.
It's not the accuracy of the facts, it's the seriousness of the charge...
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on December 11, 2008 06:52 PMCorrect him.
Mock him.
Humiliate him.
Expose his idiocy ...
Tsk tsk, Medic surely you know that our lefty pets are in a perpetual state of "pissed off". Because of their natural state of anger and misery, even when they win they lose. When they get cake, they ASSume someone spit on it.
What a way to live... blech.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 11, 2008 07:46 PMGuilt by associative association! Let's play Six Degrees of Obama! (The best smears are the ones which cannot be disproven.)
Two, national level Democratic interest groups are bound to be ensnared in some manner too.
We all know how well SoundPolitics' baseless assertions have held up over time, don't we, Gov. Rossi?
regardless of whether or not Andy Stern & Co. broke any laws.
Wouldn't it be great if you could de-couple guilt from lawbreaking? Then Sen. Craig could be innocent, just like Jim Miller wrote here. Obama, and all of his associates, could just be declared guilty, and you'd never even have to manufacture any evidence.
Seriously, if this is all you've got, I fully expect you guys to be exchanging perfectly-kerned copies of Obama's Kenyan and Indonesian birth certificates for Christmas.
I guess plagiarism doesn't fall far from the presidential and vice presidential leaders in YOUR party... Stop stealing my lines.
40. I bet it's getting pretty crowded under Obama's bus.
This whole incestuous Chicago crime syndicate... er, political machine is like that movie game: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
How many Chicago thugs can YOU connect to Obama... -Posted by Ragnar Danneskjold at December 10, 2008 09:49 PM
And to change the subject, just for the heathen in YOU.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 11, 2008 08:16 PMSadly, No!
Posted by: tensor on December 11, 2008 08:39 PM"bring it all DOWN sis-tah!"
say--will Oprah now host Blago for the "balanced side of the story?" or is she runnin' for the door too?
new rallying cry---("this isn't the Chicago, Dem Party, (insert anything CYA here) that I-I-I-I-I knew!!!")
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on December 11, 2008 08:46 PMOh gee now let me think, ... do I want a naive Bambi running the country or a liar running the country?
LUCKY ME! I got BOTH!
Snort... no that's not Bambi reverting to another vile behaviour from his past, it's just little ol' me laughing.
President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, refused to take questions from reporters this morning about whether he was the Obama "advisor" named in the criminal complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
____________________________
I wonder "what" he's hiding?
by the way, Both Jacksons (JR & SR) now have lawyers? Hmmm
Posted by: Medic/Vet on December 12, 2008 05:56 AMI thought the mantra of you on the Left was it's the appearance of impropriety that is the problem. You know, the seriousness of the charge, not the actual facts.
So, with that said, and the close relationship between Obama and Blago which is being systematically purged by the pro-Obama camp, I think there MUST be a problem. And as such, I expect you and the rest of your fellow Leftists to call for Obama to come clean and step down.
After all, that was your method for the last 8 years...
Or are you saying you have a different criteria and requirements when it's your guy with stink on his hands?
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on December 12, 2008 07:15 AMThe past comes alive as Chicago's grand tradition of corruption is sustained for another generation. ...
For partisans, there's the schadenfreude that comes with watching the Democrats -- self-proclaimed anti-corruption zealots in recent years -- explain why Blagojevich shouldn't be lumped in with Congressmen Charlie Rangel (cut himself sweetheart deals), William Jefferson ($90,000 in his freezer) and Tim Mahoney (tried to bribe an aide he was sleeping with not to sue him; and you thought romance was dead) as part of a new Democratic "culture of corruption" storyline.
You were warned repeatedly about the long history of deep Chicago style political corruption at the epicenter of Obama's entire adult life. He was groomed for years by people like Williams Ayers, Reverend Wright, Jesse Jackson, Tony Rezko, and Mayor Daley's Chicago Machine, including Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod.
You said it didn't matter....
***
Obama, in desperate need of his teleprompter, said Wednesday, "I had no contact with the governor what -- or, uhhh -- or his office, uhhh, and so we -- I -- I -- I was not aware of, uh, what was happening. And as I said, uh, it's a sad day for Illinois. Uh, beyond that, I don't think it's appropriate to comment."
"Not appropriate to comment?" How about showing some indignation and moral outrage, or a simple stumble-free assurance that he will support Fitzgerald's investigation going forward, no matter where it leads?
Why Would Obama Lie About Meeting Governor Rod Blagojevich
Truthfully, it would have been irresponsible to not have discussed, even in passing, the replacement, so why the attempt, pitiful attempt with everything being so readily available, to deny having "any contact?"
Duh.
Emanuel Talked With Blagojevich
Barack Obama has not even been worn in yet, and the partisan dam that blocked media inquiry into his ties to corrupt Illinois politics has already started to burst.
Press scrambling to cover Obama's rear end
But it will dog him for the first few months of his administration unless he can get ahead of the curve and answer the nagging questions that are already making a mockery of his promise for a "transparent and open" administration.
Imagine if the situation were reversed.
Here's the bottom line: While many media talking heads are working overtime to create the illusion of distance between Mr. Obama and his staff and anyone remotely connected to Gov. Blagojevich, the governor has been under investigation for three years. All the key actors here are Chicago politicians. And there's a union boss involved too. To borrow a phrase, it requires the willing suspension of disbelief to suggest that the junior senator from Illinois; Axelrod, a long-time political insider from Illinois; Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman from Illinois; and the governor of Illinois have not talked since the election.
This is how the "game" of politics is played by hardball Chicago liberals, union bosses and community organizers. Obama is a product of the Chicago political machine and from a state in which four of the last eight governors have gone to jail. Now there's a major political scandal brewing around someone on whose behalf Obama once eagerly campaigned and endorsed as a man "who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois." As Jay Stewart, executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, told ABC News some months ago, "We have a sick political culture, and that's the environment Barack Obama came from."
Imagine if the situation were reversed. Had John McCain won and Republicans subsequently became embroiled in a corruption crisis, lost three races in a row and began calling out the president-elect about a lack of leadership, there's no doubt that the liberal media would be writing the McCain Administration's obituary and trumpeting these elections as clear evidence of "buyers' remorse."And finally, even Lefty Talker Ed Schultz Wary of Obama Team Claims on Blagojevich
Liberal radio host Ed Schultz has been decidedly skeptical about claims emanating from the Obama inner circle about whether contact was made between Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Obama or his surrogates on filling Obama's Senate vacancy.
Schultz hammered away at this on Wednesday's show, focusing on what could be Obama's Achilles' heel in the affair, senior adviser David Axelrod's statement on Nov. 23 that Obama and Blagojevich had spoken about the vacancy (after the scandal broke, Axelrod claimed he "misspoke").
Ah the fun is just beginning.
We'll be here to pick up the pieces.
Posted by: Ragnar Danneskjold on December 12, 2008 01:49 PM
