Gov. Blagojevich arrested

[NellyLunatic1980]

Looks like Illinois will be looking for both a new Senator and a new Governor. Somebody better inform Dawn Clark Netsch...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081209/us_ ... estigation

[Dawn Clark Netsch]

Hot damn!

How does it feel to be behind the 8 ball, Governor Blowjob?

[minimetoo26]

Any chance that hair is for real? {{{{SHUDDER}}}}

Freaky-lookin' dude............

[ne1410s]

Wow! (Not)

What's the record for most consecutive governors imprisoned? Illinois might set the bar pretty high.

[Bob Juch]

Here's a more comprehensive story:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi- ... 7801.story

[Badge #13]

I'll be on the lookout for bouncing governors.....

[kayrharris]

He was obviously pretty certain he was gonna get away with it.
Pretty audacious on his part.

[Appa23]

A crooked politician from Illinois???? I am shocked!

[silverscreenselect]

This was more a matter of when rather than if.

As one who has looked a lot at Barack Obama's questionable ties, it struck me immediately that, while Obama was far too close to people like Rezko and other other unsavory types, all the evidence seemed to me to be somewhat short of criminal (as opposed to ill-advised) behavior on his part. On the other hand, Blago's dealings with these guys was far more extensive and the quid pro quos were far more blatant. I was somewhat surprised, even by Chicago standards, that he hadn't been arrested yet and had won re-election in 2006 somewhat handily. It had been widely speculated that Tony Rezko was going to cut a deal and implicate someone higher up... that someone in all probability being Blago.

Ironically, what seems to have tripped him up is not his long history of corrupt behavior, but rather some new charges of accepting/soliciting bribes in exchange for potentially naming people to Obama's Senate seat.

[kayrharris]

The report I saw also said they were looking for cabinet positions as well as the
senate seat appointment.

[ne1410s]

sss:

As one who has looked a lot at Barack Obama's questionable ties, ...

Wow! Didn't see this post coming...

[nitrah55]

If I'm the Illinois legislature, I pass a bill calling for vacancies in senate seats to be filled by means of a reality show with 900 number call in.

If there's going to be money involved, the state may as well get it.

Who do we like to host? Jeff Probst? Simon Cowell?

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

File this under "statement that are now unintentionally funny" from yesterday's Chicago Tribune

Following a 90-minute audition meeting today with Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. said he was confident in the process the governor is using to make his choice for a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama.

[Rexer25]

If I'm the Illinois legislature, I pass a bill calling for vacancies in senate seats to be filled by means of a reality show with 900 number call in.

If there's going to be money involved, the state may as well get it.

Who do we like to host? Jeff Probst? Simon Cowell?

Get Regis to host, and bring back the old phone game. Then, have 10 qualifiers sit in a semi-circle around the stage, and ask them FF questions such as "List the four highest positions were a successful bribe was made by amount bribed, starting with the least.". The winner of the FF gets to the HS, where they get a higher position for every question answered, with the 14th question for governor, and the 15th for senator.

Just a thought...

[lilyvonschtupp26]

I'm filling out my app to be governor as we speak.

I've known Blago for 30 years, back to days when his uncle was my alderman and Blago tried to hold me up for a bribe for a garbage can. Never voted for the guy. He wouldn't have gotten elected if the Rep. party would have gotten their act together. His initial election was a swing away from Gov. Ryan and his litany of wrongs.

I'm glad he's finally going down. I do not believe he was anywhere near the Obama camp. He's had a bad rep. for a very long time and David Axelrod would never never have him near Blago.

I'm glad he's out of there. It's a good day for Illinois.

[ne1410s]

Patrick J. Fitzgerald for Senator.

[MarleysGh0st]

If I'm the Illinois legislature, I pass a bill calling for vacancies in senate seats to be filled by means of a reality show with 900 number call in.

If there's going to be money involved, the state may as well get it.

Who do we like to host? Jeff Probst? Simon Cowell?

Get Regis to host, and bring back the old phone game. Then, have 10 qualifiers sit in a semi-circle around the stage, and ask them FF questions such as "List the four highest positions were a successful bribe was made by amount bribed, starting with the least.". The winner of the FF gets to the HS, where they get a higher position for every question answered, with the 14th question for governor, and the 15th for senator.

Just a thought...

Outstanding, Rexer! This could revolutionize the political process in this country!

For a year or two, anyway, until TPTB got involved in the process and all the ROFers turned into energetic twenty-somethings, many of whom brought along cute baby pictures or just last night proposed to their fiancees atop the Empire State Building...

[megaaddict]

A week or so ago, Blagojevich was mentioned in a story on World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson, who needed at least FIVE attempts to pronounce the name correctly. I can just picture news anchors around the country walking around the office or sitting at their desks repeating, blah-goy-a-vitch, blah-goy-a-vitch...

[Bob78164]

I'm glad he's finally going down. I do not believe he was anywhere near the Obama camp. He's had a bad rep. for a very long time and David Axelrod would never never have him near Blago.

According to the Yahoo! story, the indictment quotes Blagojevich as complaining that Obama's people "wouldn't give him anything but appreciation." --Bob

[lilyvonschtupp26]

Besides our colorful governors, we also had the greedy Secretary of State Paul Powell.

http://www.tommcmahon.net/2005/12/paul_powell_the.html

I wondered why I was making a state check out to "Paul Powell" . . .

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

The United Nations’ (UN) International Anti-Corruption Day aims to raise public awareness of corruption and what people can do to fight it. It is observed on December 9 each year.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/ ... uption-day

[tubadave]

I just about laughed my ass off when I saw this news today. I've listened to my (very Republican) grandparents, who live outside of Peoria, complain about Gov. Blagojevich for several years. They pretty much assume that any Democrat that comes out of the Chicago political machine is crooked. Looks like they might have been right about this one.

[littlebeast13]

A week or so ago, Blagojevich was mentioned in a story on World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson, who needed at least FIVE attempts to pronounce the name correctly. I can just picture news anchors around the country walking around the office or sitting at their desks repeating, blah-goy-a-vitch, blah-goy-a-vitch...

Dawn Clark Netsch never has that problem.....

lb13

[ToLiveIsToFly]

What an awful day to be at all-day no-internet meetings (not that I didn't hear about it, of course, but that I couldn't respond here).

Rahm Emmanuel better be careful, too. He's the 2nd person to represent IL-5 in Congress in the past 20 years to go away, after Dan "Stamps" Rostenkowski.

I've known Blago for 30 years, back to days when his uncle was my alderman and Blago tried to hold me up for a bribe for a garbage can. Never voted for the guy. He wouldn't have gotten elected if the Rep. party would have gotten their act together. His initial election was a swing away from Gov. Ryan and his litany of wrongs.

I only lived in the 5th for one election, and I voted him because he was running against Mike Flanagan - the guy who beat Rostenkowski. I had been at a meeting with Flanagan; he was the most condescending person I'd ever met, and yawned through the entire meeting.

A week or so ago, Blagojevich was mentioned in a story on World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson, who needed at least FIVE attempts to pronounce the name correctly. I can just picture news anchors around the country walking around the office or sitting at their desks repeating, blah-goy-a-vitch, blah-goy-a-vitch...

Back when Hot Rod first ran for Congress (musta been '96), he had radio commercials that were basically nothing but a woman teaching people how to pronounce his name.

One of the best things about this, though, was the part of the story where his Chief of Staff, named John Harris, was also arrested. One of the people I was in meetings with all day is from central Illinois and named John Harris.

[Rexer25]

Based on what's been disclosed in the indictment, I'm surprised the governor hasn't demanded money to not nominate someone to the Senate seat.