Ill. Scandal

[The Judge]

What seems clear so far is that those in politics didn't think that there was much wrong with the way the Governor was acting. They thought that "pay to play" was part of the culture, its the way it's done. A little horse trading in what its all about. Why would anyone pay 1 million dollars to be a "Senator"? You see ,to me it makes no sense to pay that kind of money for a job that pays $163,000 a year before taxes.

This means another game is being played at tax payer expense. The plan is to make that Senatorship pay way more then 1 Million Dollars.

The good Governor wasn't so dumb he knew he had something that was valuable and he was going to sale it. It would have work to except his phone was bugged. Those that would pay knew to layer themselves and not make direct contact. They are so arrogant they see nothing wrong with this, its all part of the GAME.

[Tom]

We should suspend Illinois's statehood.

[HUSKER55]

Well at least now we know that politicians from illinois are crooks, don't we?

kinda says it all doesn't it? do you think the decent people on both sides of the aisle will wake up next election?

[Tom]

What is it, 3 of the last 6 governors doing time?

Nice state.....

[Steve 'StatMan']

I was kind of hoping the new national exposure would get us some help in uncovering the corruption here in IL, but little did I know some of it would come this fast. But it is famously deep, on both sides of the isle and oozing in the cracks in between.

[Tom]

I like your choice of the word oozing. I like it a lot. :ThmbUp: "Scurry from the light" is one of my favorites, too.

[so.cal.fan]

A friend of mine told me yesterday that no fewer than 7 Illinois governors have been in scandals, at least three were indicted and convicted and served time.
Anyone know?
My friend is originally from Chicago, is over 80 years old and is a history buff.
She says that the old Mafia ran the town for years, and it is still run in the same fashion

[GaryG]

Betty Maltesel, the widow of an Outfit guy, ran Cicero through most of the 90s. There was corruption to be sure but Cicero was shielded from the gangs and hoodlums to the north. Too bad she went to prison. I haven't seen Cicero since my last trip to Hawthorne several years ago but I can imagine what it has become. In some ways a strong Outfit was good for the citizens of "Chicagoland". Small time thugs were scared to death of crossing them.

[so.cal.fan]

The problem with Obama (one of the problems) is that he is strictly from the Chicago machine politics. He is the establishment candidate, and when his more integrous supporters realize that, they will be very dissapointed.
I predict we will see plenty of books and commentary on how Acorn and others just may have fixed this election.
It's happened in Chicago before. Even liberal writer Seymour Hersh reports that the Chicago machine fixed the election for JFK against Nixon. Some have gone so far as to say Nixon should have contested it, but didn't of course, because chances are very good he was also part of a "political machine"
It's really sad, because America is basically a meritocracy. We like to be proud of our elected officials. It's not easy.
:(

[Cangamble]

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2008/12/breaking-feds-seize-blagojevich-ebay-account.html

[so.cal.fan]

I wonder what percentage of politicians are sociopaths?

[Tom]

I wonder what percentage of sociopaths are politicians? :eek:

[boxcar]

I wonder if there's any real difference between the two. :eek:

Boxcar

[thruncy]

A friend of mine told me yesterday that no fewer than 7 Illinois governors have been in scandals, at least three were indicted and convicted and served time.
Anyone know?
My friend is originally from Chicago, is over 80 years old and is a history buff.
She says that the old Mafia ran the town for years, and it is still run in the same fashion Chicago has a culture of corruption unequalled anywhere I know....the state of IL. counters with some of its own. Obama is not from IL.; he worked there. He is a transcendant and brilliant politician who PICKED Chicago as a stepping stone to fulfill his vision..."The Audacity of Hope."** A Supreme Court Justice, former IL. Governor Otto Kerner was convicted of accepting bribes from then Arlington Park President; Marge Everett in return for the most favorable racing dates and a strategically located expressway exit/entrance. He did time in the pen. **One HAS to be audacious--and brilliant--to function effectively in Chicago politics.

[Bubba X]

Chicago and Illinois state politics have always been corrupt. But there are differences between Chicago and the rest of the state.

Chicago works well under corruption because EVERYBODY gets their piece. All the way down to the guy on your block who gets the new garbage can or rhe entire block getting new street lights.

Chicago is and has always been Daley/Dem machine territory. State politicians are not allowed to make money in the city. Period.

The Governors who get caught either are incredibly greedy or try to do business in Chicago. Blago fits both descriptions.

Blago made his second biggest mistake staying in Chicago and not moving to the capitol when he made Governor. Then he held up funding for a Children's Hospital in the city. Who do you think has decades-long political ties to that hospital? It ain't Blago. Same thing with his threats to the Tribune.

Blago's biggest mistake is crossing Daley. Blago cut his teeth in Daley's office and is married to the daughter of a 30-year Chicago City Council power dog (and strong Daley ally) named Richard Mell. Richard Mell has not talked to Blago in years. So, you decide where Mell's loyalty lies.

Blago is just a fool. He's been under investigation for years and may or may not have gotten taken down anyway. But the selling of the Senate seat obviously made him a pretty easy takedown right now.

This event has been brought to us by Richie Daley. No doubt. That he perhaps managed to toss Jesse Jackson Jr under the bus is an extra bonus.

You do not mess with Daley.

[The Judge]

Sounds about right.

[thruncy]

Chicago and Illinois state politics have always been corrupt. But there are differences between Chicago and the rest of the state.

Chicago works well under corruption because EVERYBODY gets their piece. All the way down to the guy on your block who gets the new garbage can or rhe entire block getting new street lights.

Chicago is and has always been Daley/Dem machine territory. State politicians are not allowed to make money in the city. Period.

The Governors who get caught either are incredibly greedy or try to do business in Chicago. Blago fits both descriptions.

Blago made his second biggest mistake staying in Chicago and not moving to the capitol when he made Governor. Then he held up funding for a Children's Hospital in the city. Who do you think has decades-long political ties to that hospital? It ain't Blago. Same thing with his threats to the Tribune.

Blago's biggest mistake is crossing Daley. Blago cut his teeth in Daley's office and is married to the daughter of a 30-year Chicago City Council power dog (and strong Daley ally) named Richard Mell. Richard Mell has not talked to Blago in years. So, you decide where Mell's loyalty lies.

Blago is just a fool. He's been under investigation for years and may or may not have gotten taken down anyway. But the selling of the Senate seat obviously made him a pretty easy takedown right now.

This event has been brought to us by Richie Daley. No doubt. That he perhaps managed to toss Jesse Jackson Jr under the bus is an extra bonus.

You do not mess with Daley.The contractors who pieced him off made the Tollways very dangerous in the last 6 years. Particularly for anyone without a Fastpass.

[JustRalph]

I am supposed to believe that this cesspool of political corruption which has existed in Chicago for a hundred years was just laying there and a bright young black man from Harvard slid into the muck and swam around in it for many years never personally viewing any corruption, never getting involved, never even aware of what was going on, never once actually getting the message of his preacher after listening to him for 20 years.

Then a few years back he was able to crawl from the Cesspool without any of the muck clinging to him, ascend the ladder to heaven in the Dem party and be annointed to deliver the country from the wrath of the "other" side of the politics? Then, when his Senate seat is up for auction by those in which he swam with, he knows nothing? He never heard anything? He doesn't have any condemnation? He obviously can't comment?

Character does count.........and you cannot pull yourself from that scummy pond and not have some of it cling to you........ I predict many many more scandals down the road......... it could be fun............

[rastajenk]

And, as many other commentators have pointed out, that, taken as a whole, for The One to have not known about Ayers' background, Wright's racist rantings, and Blago's total lack of integrity means that he is either pathetically stupid, completely inattentive, or totally disingenuous...none of the choices being particularly flattering to an incoming President.

[so.cal.fan]

I predict several new "high officials" in the Obama camp will be in Federal Court taking the "nickel".

[ArlJim78]

they should just start working on impeachment proceedings now, before he even takes the oath. that way the documents will be on his desk in the oval office as soon as he sits down for duty.

[Valuist]

Interesting in that one of the past governors who went to jail, Otto Kerner, was due to "race fixing". Not fixing races, but fixing racing dates in exchange for kickback money from the racing industry.

My sister has been saying for years that Blago was a crook. She was spot on. He's the worst of all of them.

[so.cal.fan]

arljim?????
now we don't want to do that!
We are going to have so much FUN posting this stuff for the next 4 years!
What will we talk about??????
Well, on second thought, maybe after 2 years! :D

[NJ Stinks]

I see everyone is dealing well with Barack Obama's solid victory last month.


:lol:

[thruncy]

I am supposed to believe that this cesspool of political corruption which has existed in Chicago for a hundred years was just laying there and a bright young black man from Harvard slid into the muck and swam around in it for many years never personally viewing any corruption, never getting involved, never even aware of what was going on, never once actually getting the message of his preacher after listening to him for 20 years.

Then a few years back he was able to crawl from the Cesspool without any of the muck clinging to him, ascend the ladder to heaven in the Dem party and be annointed to deliver the country from the wrath of the "other" side of the politics? Then, when his Senate seat is up for auction by those in which he swam with, he knows nothing? He never heard anything? He doesn't have any condemnation? He obviously can't comment?

Character does count.........and you cannot pull yourself from that scummy pond and not have some of it cling to you........ I predict many many more scandals down the road......... it could be fun............ A reporter once baited old man Daley...Paddy Bauler; (mob controlled 1st Ward Alderman) what kinda guy is he? Daley: "He's a nice guy."...Martin Luther King? "Oh! that guy. He's a real troublemaker." I learned early on in good ol' "Chi-town" that the voice from the sewer always beckons: "Let me drag you down here with me." Is there a Steve Bartman fan club? I wanna be President.