News Illinois Governor Arrested for Selling Senate Seat

[BobG]

"He's out there like he's talking to his wife in bed."

Originally Posted by Blagojevich
...give this “mother****er [the President-elect] his
senator. **** him. For nothing? **** him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put
“[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give ****ing [Senate Candidate 1] a
****ing Senate seat and I don’t get anything.”

"During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife can be heard in the
background telling ROD BLAGOJEVICH to tell Deputy Governor A “to hold up that
****ing Cubs s**t. . . **** them.”

Charming couple.

I'm glad I don't live in their house.

Do they have kids? It must be incredibly traumatic for them to hear their parents having sex.

 

[BobG]

Boy what a mess it would be if he appoints someone now.

He could for instance appoint his defense attorney as a way to pay his defense bill. That could be more than any $1.5M he might have gotten anyway, plus the guy might be able to tie it up in the courts until the term expires, or they would have to seat him in the Senate.

Geez, that must be the least desired seat in the history of the Senate. Is there any legitimate politician that would dare take an appointment to that seat, now?

 

[Astronuc]

Geez, that must be the least desired seat in the history of the Senate. Is there any legitimate politician that would dare take an appointment to that seat, now?

Probably not while Blagojevich is governor.

Can Obama Escape the Taint of Blagojevich?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081210/us_time/08599186537000

Blagojevich Arrest Fits Tradition in Illinois, Land of the Plea
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20081210/pl_bloomberg/a5hfmtfqlk9s

Analysis: Scandal threatens to dog Obama
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/ap_on_go_pr_wh/illinois_governor_analysis

and presumably the scandal would dog any democratic appointment. Maybe Blago could appoint a republican.

 

[seycyrus]

Alot of news sources are claiming this scandal wil lgive Obama enemies an opportunity to criticize Obama. I haven't heard anyone (politician) try to lay any sort of link to Obama.

Blags been a dirt dog for years. The Chicago Tribune has been all over him a year after he took office. Did you see how he tried to take back the money from the children's hospital?

A real scumsucker.

 

[mheslep]

Blago may have just felt compelled to follow tradition. Four of the last eight Illinois governors:
40 Blago - Indicted
39 George Ryan - Currently in jail
36 Daniel Walker. Convicted on S&L deals in 87. Requested pardon from Clinton in '01, not granted.
33 Otto Kerner. Convicted 17 counts bribery, conspiracy, perjury.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I have nothing against the Democratic Party as long as it is based on ethical and moral standards, e.g. honesty and fairness. I do have a problem when malfeasant individuals knowingly take huge payments in selling out the public trust. Basically that is stealing as well as fraud, IMO, and it seems there was a lot of that going on over the last several decades.

 

[LowlyPion]

Geez, that must be the least desired seat in the history of the Senate. Is there any legitimate politician that would dare take an appointment to that seat, now?

There is no question in my mind that Jesse Jackson Jr. would take it in a heartbeat.

Incidentally he is rumored to be Candidate #5. Valerie Jarrod is probably Candidate #1. Appreciation is what Candidate #1 was offering. But apparently Money talks and Appreciation walks.

 

[LowlyPion]

I have nothing against the Democratic Party as long as it is based on ethical and moral standards, e.g. honesty and fairness. I do have a problem when malfeasant individuals knowingly take huge payments in selling out the public trust. Basically that is stealing as well as fraud, IMO, and it seems there was a lot of that going on over the last several decades.

Don't get in too much of a snit over it. You're talking Illinois. Apparently in relative terms this Blagofavitch is a real humanitarian ascète.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Don't get in too much of a snit over it.

Thanks, I'll try to calm my savage breast. I'm upset because I was candidate 3.

 

[BobG]

Blago may have just felt compelled to follow tradition. Four of the last eight Illinois governors:
40 Blago - Indicted
39 George Ryan - Currently in jail
36 Daniel Walker. Convicted on S&L deals in 87. Requested pardon from Clinton in '01, not granted.
33 Otto Kerner. Convicted 17 counts bribery, conspiracy, perjury.

Walker's crimes occurred a decade after he was governor. He was a crook, but not a crooked politician. (He seemed to think it was important to point that out on an interview this morning).

 

[BobG]

Evidently, there's more tapes that haven't been released to the press.

Later on December 6, BLAGOJEVICH was saying goodnight to his daughters when Daughter A asked BLAGOJEVICH to tell them a bedtime story. BLAGOJEVICH said "Sure, sweetie," but that in exchange for the bedtime story Daughter A and Daughter B would have to make their beds in the morning and spend the next two weeks canvassing neighborhoods in the South Side of Chicago for Friends of Blagojevich. The daughters agreed and BLAGOJEVICH asked them what story they would like to hear that night. Daughter B said she would like to hear the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. BLAGOJEVICH reminded his daughters that the story would have to be short because he had a phone call scheduled for later that evening with the presidents of the SEIU and Change to Win coalition. Daughter B said that would not be a problem. BLAGOJEVICH said, "Okay, so once upon a time there was a lady who was really poor." ...

Jack and Milky White were on the way to the market when they encountered "this really strange lookin' homeless guy" who offered to buy Milky White. Jack said he would sell Milky White at the price of "$1.5 million and a seat on the board" of Citigroup. The old man offered to give Jack five magic beans for Milky White. Jack said "are you f---ing kidding me?" and told the old man to "get out of my f---ing way." ...

 

[Art]

I have nothing against the Democratic Party as long as it is based on ethical and moral standards, e.g. honesty and fairness. I do have a problem when malfeasant individuals knowingly take huge payments in selling out the public trust. Basically that is stealing as well as fraud, IMO, and it seems there was a lot of that going on over the last several decades.

Using your earlier logic, are you saying you prefer the communist party then

 

[D H]

There is no question in my mind that Jesse Jackson Jr. would take it in a heartbeat. Incidentally he is rumored to be Candidate #5.

Confirmed.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ConductUnbecoming/Story?id=6431739

Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the anonymous "Senate Candidate No. 5" whose emissaries Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly offered up to $1 million to name him to the U.S. Senate, his attorney confirmed today after it was reported earlier on ABCNews.com "The Blotter".​

 

[LowlyPion]

Confirmed.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ConductUnbecoming/Story?id=6431739

Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the anonymous "Senate Candidate No. 5" whose emissaries Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly offered up to $1 million to name him to the U.S. Senate, his attorney confirmed today after it was reported earlier on ABCNews.com "The Blotter".​

I think the $1.5M question is if his emissary was his dad.

The hymnals will really hit the fan if that's the plot twist.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the anonymous "Senate Candidate No. 5" whose emissaries Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly offered up to $1 million to name him to the U.S. Senate, his attorney confirmed today after it was reported earlier on ABCNews.com "The Blotter".

Actually, D H didn't say this, ABC News did. The sentence doesn't parse very well. I wonder what they really meant to say.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Using your earlier logic, are you saying you prefer the communist party then

I think you just set some kind of record for twisting a person's words. It is a good example of someone reading something with a preconceived mindset, and then getting from it what they wanted to believe..

 

[BobG]

FBI agent Mark Grant talked about the possibility of Illinois being the most corrupt state in the US:

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge in Chicago Robert Grant said he was asked by reporters when he first started the investigation "whether or not Illinois is the most corrupt state in the United States."

"And I didn't answer that question, yes or no, and I can't answer that question today. I don't have 49 other states to compare it with.But I can tell you one thing: If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, its certainly one hell of a competitor," he said.

Actually, Illinois ranked 6th in a http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1008-04.htm. They pulled their data from this http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/pin/docs/arpt-2006.pdf (Table III at the end of the report) and divided by the population of the state.

The BCS Corruption Rankings:
1) Louisiana (no surprise there - did anyone really think Louisiana could be beaten)
2) Mississippi
3) Kentucky
4) Alabama
5) Ohio (long tradition - one of the high marks for my old home town was when Geraldo Rivera chased Judge Barbuto's enforcer, Bobie Clark, down Main St in Akron, shouting out questions all the way. My mother-in-law was even on TV telling Geraldo the sheriff wouldn't talk to him [the sheriff was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to illegal distribution of weapons]. About half the county government was wiped out that year).

6) Illinois (may only rank 6th, but Chicago might be the most corrupt city in the US)
7) Pennsylvania
8) Florida
9) New Jersey
10) New York

Illinois isn't even close to Louisiana and Mississippi (and Mississippi isn't even close to Louisiana), but the battle for 3rd through 9th is real close.

What is it about the Gulf Coast?

Unfortunately, they don't tally the least corrupt states; just the 35 most populous states. Nebraska has a small population, but they still have to be contender for least corrupt state in the US (I knew there was a reason I always liked living there) - yearly totals of 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1. One year they got up to 4 officials convicted.

 

[Art]

I think you just set some kind of record for twisting a person's words. It is a good example of someone reading something with a preconceived mindset, and then getting from it what they wanted to believe..

Uh? Astronuc said what he didn't like about capitalism was the lack of ethics and morality so you inferred from that he supported the communist system. You on the other hand say you dislike the Democrat party because of the lack of ethics and morality so therefore by your logic it is reasonable to presume you prefer the communist party. Exactly how is this twisting your words. It simply serves to show how ridiculous your original assertion re Astronuc's comment was, which essentially translated as 'if you don't like dark blue you must like orange'.

 

[Office_Shredder]

1) Louisiana (no surprise there - did anyone really think Louisiana could be beaten)
2) Mississippi
3) Kentucky
4) Alabama
5) Ohio (long tradition - one of the high marks for my old home town was when Geraldo Rivera chased Judge Barbuto's enforcer, Bobie Clark, down Main St in Akron, shouting out questions all the way. My mother-in-law was even on TV telling Geraldo the sheriff wouldn't talk to him [the sheriff was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to illegal distribution of weapons]. About half the county government was wiped out that year).

6) Illinois (may only rank 6th, but Chicago might be the most corrupt city in the US)
7) Pennsylvania
8) Florida
9) New Jersey
10) New York

How the hell is New Jersey only 9th? The true pinnacle of corruption isn't lots of convicted politicians, but lots of politicians who should be convicted but aren't.

Besides, I saw Ice Harvest. Kansas should be top 4 at least.

 

[Art]

Unfortunately, they don't tally the least corrupt states; just the 35 most populous states. Nebraska has a small population, but they still have to be contender for least corrupt state in the US (I knew there was a reason I always liked living there) - yearly totals of 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1. One year they got up to 4 officials convicted.

But by definition wouldn't you expect the most corrupt state to have the fewest convictions??

 

[BobG]

But by definition wouldn't you expect the most corrupt state to have the fewest convictions??

Only if it's a one-party state (or one-party city like Chicago). Even in a one-party state, people develop enemies and dropping a dime on your enemy is one way to get rid of them. Turning them into the feds works best, since the feds are least influenced by local politics.

If you toss in small states, North Dakota is the most corrupt state in the US (8.15/100,000) and Montana slips into 4th at 6.34. Arkansas has 5.76, South Dakota has 5.58, and Delaware has 4.69 (you can slip them into the big states on your own). I think having 5 of the top 10 filled by the smallest 15 states made the people doing the report wonder how meaningful a ranking they were getting.

Oregon just nips out Nebraska (0.74) for least corrupt state.

Least corrupt (including small states):
1) Oregon (0.68)
2) Nebraska (0.74)
3) Iowa (0.91)
4) New Hampshire (1.07)
5) Minnesota (1.24)

6) Kansas (1.41)
7) Utah (1.41)
8) Washington (1.52)
9) Colorado (1.56)
10) Nevada (1.72) - Nevada? How did that happen?

New Mexico & South Carolina make honorable mention with 1.74

Only 2 small states make it into least corrupt.

At small numbers, I think they start to worry about the impact not prosecuting corruption could have. As the numbers get bigger, it's harder for a single house cleaning or a single locality never prosecuting corruption has less of an effect. For example, half of Montana's convictions came in 2000 & 2002. Toss those 2 years out and they drop to 3.83. Same in North Dakota - low numbers and suddenly 16 in 2003, followed by 9 more 2 years later (kind of like an earthquake followed by an aftershock).

 

[BobG]

How the hell is New Jersey only 9th? The true pinnacle of corruption isn't lots of convicted politicians, but lots of politicians who should be convicted but aren't.

Besides, I saw Ice Harvest. Kansas should be top 4 at least.

If it makes you feel any better, New Jersey was really close to finishing 3rd.

It was close battle and they put up a good fight.

I'm surprised Oregon winds up least corrupt, but everyone knows states like Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota would have little corruption, because residents of those states have character. They have lousy weather, but they have lousy weather that builds character! Of course, North Dakota and South Dakota have pretty lousy weather, too - I just don't understand it.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

If it makes you feel any better, New Jersey was really close to finishing 3rd.

NJ has alway been a clean state. 47 indictments, no convictions.

 

[turbo]

NJ has alway been a clean state. 47 indictments, no convictions.

And LOTS of very wealthy Federal prosecutors, we assume?

(Or lots of very fearful prosecutors who don't dare leave their homes.)

 

[mheslep]

FBI agent Mark Grant talked about the possibility of Illinois being the most corrupt state in the US:
Actually, Illinois ranked 6th in a http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1008-04.htm. They pulled their data from this http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/pin/docs/arpt-2006.pdf (Table III at the end of the report) and divided by the population of the state.

The BCS Corruption Rankings:
1) Louisiana (no surprise there - did anyone really think Louisiana could be beaten)
2) Mississippi
3) Kentucky
4) Alabama
5) Ohio (long tradition - one of the high marks for my old home town was when Geraldo Rivera chased Judge Barbuto's enforcer, Bobie Clark, down Main St in Akron, shouting out questions all the way. My mother-in-law was even on TV telling Geraldo the sheriff wouldn't talk to him [the sheriff was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to illegal distribution of weapons]. About half the county government was wiped out that year).

6) Illinois (may only rank 6th, but Chicago might be the most corrupt city in the US)
7) Pennsylvania
8) Florida
9) New Jersey
10) New York

Illinois isn't even close to Louisiana and Mississippi (and Mississippi isn't even close to Louisiana), but the battle for 3rd through 9th is real close.

What is it about the Gulf Coast?

Unfortunately, they don't tally the least corrupt states; just the 35 most populous states. Nebraska has a small population, but they still have to be contender for least corrupt state in the US (I knew there was a reason I always liked living there) - yearly totals of 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1. One year they got up to 4 officials convicted.

Not so fast. I don't see much relevance in the population qualification: there's only one governor, one big city mayor, and so on. Looking at table III for raw numbers of federal corruption investigations over 10 years and across all regions in a state we have
1 - NY: 762
2 - Fla: 684
3- Ill: 544

La: 329
Miss: 194
Which is more what I would have expected. Louisiana is not that high.

 

[LowlyPion]

It's Sarah Palin. I want to thank you for replacing me as the country's most embarrassing Governor

.

#1 message on Dave's list.

 

[LowlyPion]

Rahm Emanuel apparently had a couple of discussions with Blogofabitch about the Obama senate successor. Obama team may even have provided a list of people acceptable to Obama. No money was mentioned.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/p...n=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

I'm still waiting to hear if Jesse Jackson maybe was negotiating for Jr. I'm pulling for that firecracker plot twist.

 

[Astronuc]

Ill. governor's chief of staff resigns
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/ap_on_re_us/illinois_governor_chief_resigns

A Blagojevich spokesman said Friday that John Harris had resigned. That should put more pressure on Blagojevich.

 

[BobG]

Rahm Emanuel apparently had a couple of discussions with Blogofabitch about the Obama senate successor. Obama team may even have provided a list of people acceptable to Obama. No money was mentioned.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/p...n=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

I'm still waiting to hear if Jesse Jackson maybe was negotiating for Jr. I'm pulling for that firecracker plot twist.

Somehow, the vision of Emanuel and the Blagojeviches having a conversation just makes me laugh.

To figure out what they're really saying to each other, you have to know morse code.

 

[Astronuc]

Somehow, the vision of Emanuel and the Blagojeviches having a conversation just makes me laugh.

To figure out what they're really saying to each other, you have to know morse code.

I think it would be more of swearing competition.