ieatcrayonz Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Link (UPDATE #2: Axelrod this evening issued a statement saying. "I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.") Obama is going to need better liars than this on his team. But whatever. I am just wondering if they are going to tack on extra time to the sentence for that hair or hairpiece of the governor's. I mean, everyone is going to have to look at pictures of this guy and the thing on his head hurts people's eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Woohoo! It's a great day for Illinois!!!!!!!! Finally, that douchebag is gone. Now here is hoping our Lt. Governer sucks less. At least he will reside in Springfield. NEWSFLASH: George Ryan was from Kankakee... Illinois is not immune just because Blago is from Chicago. Blago is a punk and always has been... I think Obama knew it and has been distancing himself for a long time. I don't know what it is about Illinois and Gov. corruption... What is this? The 3rd or 4th Illinois Gov. in 40 years? Since moving here I have noticed it is something they put in the water when it comes to patronage... Even the lowest person on the totem act it out if they have an ounce of power. Sad. truly sad. And yes, it is even more "Chicago as usual." Blago obviously thinks he has done nothing wrong... He was even taunting the Feds at the BoA thing a couple of days ago. And you know what the really sick thing is, he may have not broken any Illinois laws? We really need new gov't here... Every 20 years a ref comes up on the ballot for a state constitutional convention... It failed in 1988 and 2008 and last passed in 1968... I voted NO becuase I thought the corrupt pols would have worked this 80 million dollar convention to their favor... I am saddened because this state has been ethically broken since the get-go. Something needs to be done and Pat Fitz seems to be paving that new road... I hope he is successful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Link Obama is going to need better liars than this on his team. But whatever. I am just wondering if they are going to tack on extra time to the sentence for that hair or hairpiece of the governor's. I mean, everyone is going to have to look at pictures of this guy and the thing on his head hurts people's eyes. Obama knew what was up for a LONG TIME... Years even. We will see if Obama commutes Blagos sentence? Think he will? Afterall, stuff like Blago not being able to give speeches at the DNC, Grant Park (election night) and among other things Blago calling Obama a MotherF***ker on tape... Do you think Obama will show sympathy? IMO... Obama used what he could out of the machine (and Rezko)... And believe me, the machine hates Obama for that. Obama knew what was right and wrong... What is wrong with using the bad guys and then turning on them? It is the way to break up corruption, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Woohoo! It's a great day for Illinois!!!!!!!! Finally, that douchebag is gone. Now here is hoping our Lt. Governer sucks less. At least he will reside in Springfield. Vote Quimby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowLinesandArmadillos Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, where is my two x four, oh yeah and arrogant to. And did I say stupid.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomer860 Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 At least here in NY , Gov Spitzer was having fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyemike Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 NEWSFLASH: George Ryan was from Kankakee... Illinois is not immune just because Blago is from Chicago. Blago is a punk and always has been... I think Obama knew it and has been distancing himself for a long time. I don't know what it is about Illinois and Gov. corruption... What is this? The 3rd or 4th Illinois Gov. in 40 years? From what I heard yesterday, with Blago, it's 5 in the last 50 years. And you're right, the President-Elect had nothing to do with this. Notice that the governor did not speak at Grant Park on Election Night. What Illinois needs is total reform at ALL levels...the US Attorney is trying to do that. But, be careful in anointing Fitzgerald. We all know what Lord Acton warned us about nearly a century ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Obama knew what was up for a LONG TIME... Years even. If you are in Obama's confidence to the extent that you can make this statement, then why don't know what he's going to do? Maybe you can even find out what Michelle's going to wear to the inauguration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 If you are in Obama's confidence to the extent that you can make this statement, then why don't know what he's going to do? Maybe you can even find out what Michelle's going to wear to the inauguration? I'd have a hard time believing that anyone involved with the Illinois Democratic Party as Obama was didn't know what was going on. Considering that in the middle of his Presidential campaign, Obama lobbied the state senate to pass an anti-corruption bill - resulting in the law Blago was arrested under - I'd be more inclined to believe that Obama knew what was going on, and was working within the political structure to stop it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 I'd have a hard time believing that anyone involved with the Illinois Democratic Party as Obama was didn't know what was going on. Considering that in the middle of his Presidential campaign, Obama lobbied the state senate to pass an anti-corruption bill - resulting in the law Blago was arrested under - I'd be more inclined to believe that Obama knew what was going on, and was working within the political structure to stop it. Since Obama has called for the resignation, and expressed support for a general election to replace him, this could be true. If so then it speaks well of Obama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC-Bills Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 [b]NEWSFLASH: George Ryan was from Kankakee... Illinois is not immune just because Blago is from Chicago.[/b] Blago is a punk and always has been... I think Obama knew it and has been distancing himself for a long time. I don't know what it is about Illinois and Gov. corruption... What is this? The 3rd or 4th Illinois Gov. in 40 years? Since moving here I have noticed it is something they put in the water when it comes to patronage... Even the lowest person on the totem act it out if they have an ounce of power. Sad. truly sad. And yes, it is even more "Chicago as usual." Blago obviously thinks he has done nothing wrong... He was even taunting the Feds at the BoA thing a couple of days ago. And you know what the really sick thing is, he may have not broken any Illinois laws? We really need new gov't here... Every 20 years a ref comes up on the ballot for a state constitutional convention... It failed in 1988 and 2008 and last passed in 1968... I voted NO becuase I thought the corrupt pols would have worked this 80 million dollar convention to their favor... I am saddened because this state has been ethically broken since the get-go. Something needs to be done and Pat Fitz seems to be paving that new road... I hope he is successful! I am saying the next Governer will actually govern in Springfield. I agree with you on the rest. I also voted no for the review because I didn't want to take a chance of the legislature screwing with the state retirement system and making themselves exempt from the changes amongst other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 I'd have a hard time believing that anyone involved with the Illinois Democratic Party as Obama was didn't know what was going on. Considering that in the middle of his Presidential campaign, Obama lobbied the state senate to pass an anti-corruption bill - resulting in the law Blago was arrested under - I'd be more inclined to believe that Obama knew what was going on, and was working within the political structure to stop it. Once again, I hate to say this, Tom knows something about something. NYT article In a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of Barack Obama’s rise through Illinois politics, a phone call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly contributed to the downfall of a fellow Democrat he twice supported, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. Mr. Obama placed the call to his political mentor, Emil Jones Jr., president of the Illinois Senate. Mr. Jones was a critic of the legislation, which sought to curb the influence of money in politics, as was Mr. Blagojevich, who had vetoed it. But after the call from Mr. Obama, the Senate overrode the veto, prompting the governor to press state contractors for campaign contributions before the law’s restrictions could take effect on Jan. 1, prosecutors say. Tipped off to Mr. Blagojevich’s efforts, federal agents obtained wiretaps for his phones and eventually overheard what they say was scheming by the governor to profit from his appointment of a successor to the United States Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Obama. One official whose name has long been mentioned in Chicago political circles as a potential successor is Mr. Jones, a machine politician who was viewed as a roadblock to ethics reform but is friendly with Mr. Obama. Beyond the irony of its outcome, Mr. Obama’s unusual decision to inject himself into a statewide issue during the height of his presidential campaign was a reminder that despite his historic ascendancy to the White House, he has never quite escaped the murky and insular world of Illinois politics. It is a world he has long navigated, to the consternation of his critics, by engaging in a kind of realpolitik, Chicago-style, which allowed him to draw strength from his relationships with important players without becoming compromised by their many weaknesses. By the time Mr. Obama intervened on the ethics measure, his relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, always defined more by political proximity than by personal chemistry, had cooled as the governor became increasingly engulfed in legal troubles. There is nothing in the criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday to indicate that Mr. Obama knew anything about plans to seek money and favors in exchange for his Senate seat; he has never been implicated in any other “pay to play” cases that have emerged from the long-running investigation of the Blagojevich administration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Once again, I hate to say this, Tom knows something about something. NYT article Hey, wait a minute...how did Bill O'Reilly's talking points make it into the New York Times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Since Obama has called for the resignation, and expressed support for a general election to replace him, this could be true. If so then it speaks well of Obama. When did Obama call for this? Before or after this whole mess came out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 When did Obama call for this? Before or after this whole mess came out? After. Which is entirely responsible, really. "Before" would have been in the middle of a criminal investigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 After. Which is entirely responsible, really. "Before" would have been in the middle of a criminal investigation. Ok the fact the he called for the idiots resignation and a general election after what has transpired speaks well for him? I guess when you're dealing with a politician doing something ethical is impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Ok the fact the he called for the idiots resignation and a general election after what has transpired speaks well for him? I guess when you're dealing with a politician doing something ethical is impressive. It speaks better than interfering with a criminal investigation for political reasons would speak of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomer860 Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 If you are in Obama's confidence to the extent that you can make this statement, then why don't know what he's going to do? Maybe you can even find out what Michelle's going to wear to the inauguration? Obama is "clean and well spoken"--Joe Biden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I'd have a hard time believing that anyone involved with the Illinois Democratic Party as Obama was didn't know what was going on. Considering that in the middle of his Presidential campaign, Obama lobbied the state senate to pass an anti-corruption bill - resulting in the law Blago was arrested under - I'd be more inclined to believe that Obama knew what was going on, and was working within the political structure to stop it. That too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 There was an interesting article in this morning's paper - not that that any wingnut would read it or give it credence, but it's there - that discussed how Obama could live in Chicago and yet not be part of the filthy politics that is Chicago. The net of this article was that Obama did not rise up through the Chicago political machine and was pretty much an "outsider", who didn't benefit from that network, and therefore is not a part of it. Obviously being a politician, and a politician from IL, is probably embarrassing (to ALL of them) because this isn't a "party" thing....it's Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts