Tuesday, December 9, 2008
News Governor Arrested This Morning
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 8:43 AM
Not our governor—don't be silly. (Although we might have been treated to that headline had Dino won.) No, the governor of Illinois. Which means that Illinois' previous governor is is currently in jail and the state's current governor is federal custody. Sweet!
Gov. Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested at their homes this morning in a probe involving the governor’s quest to fill Sen. Barack Obama’s Senate seat. The charges also include alleged attempts by the governor to influence the Tribune editorial board.
The governor threatened that if the Tribune didn’t support the governor, he wouldn’t approve the sale of Wrigley Field....The governor is also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for official actions—both in the past and recently in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect Jan. 1. Blagojevich, 51, and Harris, 46, both of Chicago, are each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.
Oh, I miss Illinois—yes, my home state's politicians are hopelessly corrupt. And so are the city of Chicago's politicians. (Except Barack Obama!) But there are two upsides to corruption: first, corruption is entertaining. Just read that lede, above, again. Apparently the morally bankrupt governor attempted to blackmail the actually bankrupt Tribune company into supporting his choice to fill Barack Obama's US Senate seat. That'll give the Obama conspiracy theorists something to chew on besides Obama's totally faked birth certificate. Second, corruption is efficient. If the Alaskan Way Viaduct were in Chicago—to use a local example—it would've been torn down and replaced within two years of the earthquake that damaged it. Demolition and construction contracts would've been steered towards the mayor's cronies, and the governor's cronies, driving up the expense of the project, and several dozen people would've gone to jail with a year of the new road opening. But the citizens of Chicago and Illinois would have their new road and an entertaining political scandal as a bonus.
And, yes, the new road would've cost a lot more than it should've, a lot more than it would've in some corruption-free alternate universe. But think of corruption as a sort of efficiency tax, the price you should be happy to pay for a "rush" job. And whatever costs were added to the project in Chicago would be less than the costs that have been added by the delay, indecision, and cowardice that permeates the decision making "process" in Seattle and Washington state.
In related news: another new viaduct plan has been placed on the table—this one's a "hybrid," a word selected, without a doubt, for it's environmentally friendly buzz. It's a tunnel and a surface street—everybody wins! But first, let's re-study all the options in light of this new option, convene several dozens "stakeholder" meetings, hold a series of public hearings to gather community input, then a competition to come up with a design, and then another advisory vote, and then....
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1
I'll comment on this post because it's longer and more coherent than the near-simulpost. As someone who grew up in Illinois, all I can say is Hallelujah! We thought we were trading up to get George Ryan out of office (and begin the endlessly long trial to actually put him in jail), and instead we got someone ten times worse. Blago is the opposite of efficiency in corruption, he is a mindless black hole sucking resources into as small a space as possible and destroying them.
Corruption in Illinois is not a function of one party or another, as we've seen in the past dozen years. I've been waiting since this guy's first term to see him get indicted, and it was very happy news to wake up to this morning!
Corruption in Illinois is not a function of one party or another, as we've seen in the past dozen years. I've been waiting since this guy's first term to see him get indicted, and it was very happy news to wake up to this morning!
2
As someone living in IL, I would like to thank the soon-to-be-former governor for the months of entertainment this will provide.
3
Dan,
It's funny, just before I opened up Slog, I wrote this to friends in Chicago:
"Gents,
I’m certain you’ve heard about this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/pol…
I’m not about to blast away at Obama’s associations but his meteoric rise was in some way attributed to Chicago & Illinois politics for better or for worse. Whether it was Rezko, Blagojevich or even his mentor Emil Jones (who’s merely an insider not under investigation), Obama may not have gotten to where he is without them and some incredible luck (2004 Republican US Senate candidate, Jack Ryan’s divorce revelations by the Chicago Tribune which is curiously bankrupt. Morally too?). Look, I still wish him (Obama) the best and his transition is going relatively smoothly but this is just plain weird.
Man, first Ryan now Blagojevich. Recent Illinois governors both Republican and Democrat have had bad track records."
I agree with you Dan (I'm from Chicago too). It's cynical but to some degree, corruptive politics works. After all, Chicago is known as the "city that works". Quite frankly, under Daley it has prospered.
It's funny, just before I opened up Slog, I wrote this to friends in Chicago:
"Gents,
I’m certain you’ve heard about this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/pol…
I’m not about to blast away at Obama’s associations but his meteoric rise was in some way attributed to Chicago & Illinois politics for better or for worse. Whether it was Rezko, Blagojevich or even his mentor Emil Jones (who’s merely an insider not under investigation), Obama may not have gotten to where he is without them and some incredible luck (2004 Republican US Senate candidate, Jack Ryan’s divorce revelations by the Chicago Tribune which is curiously bankrupt. Morally too?). Look, I still wish him (Obama) the best and his transition is going relatively smoothly but this is just plain weird.
Man, first Ryan now Blagojevich. Recent Illinois governors both Republican and Democrat have had bad track records."
I agree with you Dan (I'm from Chicago too). It's cynical but to some degree, corruptive politics works. After all, Chicago is known as the "city that works". Quite frankly, under Daley it has prospered.
5
I think you are describing Daley more than Blago. Daley’s form of corruption gets things done. Blago’s has been extremely destructive to our state (e.g., he slashed the Illinois Arts Council funding because it is headed by the wife of Michael Madigan, his political enemy/rival).
Over Thanksgiving my family was enjoying the irony of Blago was saying the Bush should commute George Ryan’s sentence. I’m sure some part of him though it could be him someday….
Over Thanksgiving my family was enjoying the irony of Blago was saying the Bush should commute George Ryan’s sentence. I’m sure some part of him though it could be him someday….
7
Sigh. I miss Chicago politics, and efficiency. Remember when Daley totally bulldozed a whole airport overnight just because he didn't like it, which forced all those private jet flying whiners out to some distant exurb airport? That was a laugh and a half. I also miss the comparatively cheaper, larger apartments.
But I always remind myself that when I moved here my allergies mysteriously went away (not as much pollution as Chicago), they have excellent farmer's markets here, an amateur porn festival (yeah that's me kissing Dan's ass), and I can drive an hour east or west and be in the middle of beautiful mountains (in Chicago you drive an hour in any direction and you're still in the city...drive three hours in any direction and you're still not anywhere nice). I guess it balances out.
But I always remind myself that when I moved here my allergies mysteriously went away (not as much pollution as Chicago), they have excellent farmer's markets here, an amateur porn festival (yeah that's me kissing Dan's ass), and I can drive an hour east or west and be in the middle of beautiful mountains (in Chicago you drive an hour in any direction and you're still in the city...drive three hours in any direction and you're still not anywhere nice). I guess it balances out.
8
Blagojevich is especially famous outside Chicago for the fact that he refuses to live in Springfield, or send his kids to school there, or acknowledge that anything outside Chicago exists in Illinois. Those private planes he flies down in every day to conduct business at the capitol are certainly the products of some contractual pandering, but efficient? Not so much.
9
Sounds like a technicality to me. He was collecting campaign funds which politicians do for all kinds of things they support every day. I guess he could not do this for appointing a Senator. But still all politicians do this legally every day based on all sorts of things they do and support. I don’t think this is the same as the politicians that take money (bribes) such as the one in San Diego. This politician is taking more flack for his criticism of Obama.
10
I've often wished we could have a little corruption in Seattle. It makes government more responsive and gets things done faster.
I once asked a city council member at a community forum (I forget who it was) why we seemed to have so little civic corruption in this town. He replied it was due to the separation of powers between the mayor and the city council, that no one person had enough power to dispense meaningful patronage. He described it as more akin to a university president and faculty than a typical town management structure.
I once asked a city council member at a community forum (I forget who it was) why we seemed to have so little civic corruption in this town. He replied it was due to the separation of powers between the mayor and the city council, that no one person had enough power to dispense meaningful patronage. He described it as more akin to a university president and faculty than a typical town management structure.
11
It's about time they did something about Blagojevich. I thought they'd wait to arrest him until after his term as Governor was up though.
We don't always like to admit it, but Chicagoans have this weird sense of pride when it comes to our corruption.
We don't always like to admit it, but Chicagoans have this weird sense of pride when it comes to our corruption.
12
@9. Uh, no. He is not taking more flak for his criticism of Obama. I could care less about that, relative to all the unethical and ineffective bullshit we've had to put up with for the past six years. Virtually everyone in Illinois hates him (only 10% want him re-elected, approval rating has been 4-13% in the past months).
13
it's funny, Dan, when it's your 'side' that's corrupt it's entertaining! when it's the other 'side' its horrible and must be stopped and so on and so on...
I'm a libertarian lefty myself, but that attitude is just pure bullshit, next time some right wing hack you hate is guilty of serious corruption, like selling his office, like say, Ted Stevens, I'll look forward to your finding it entertaining and not going after him at all on this issue (like you didn't go after the Illinois governor at all in this post).
if any group wants to occupy the high ground, which you so clearly think you do, then you'd best be consistent in holding those on your 'side' just as seriously accountable as those you oppose. I think that's quite beyond you, however,
I'm a libertarian lefty myself, but that attitude is just pure bullshit, next time some right wing hack you hate is guilty of serious corruption, like selling his office, like say, Ted Stevens, I'll look forward to your finding it entertaining and not going after him at all on this issue (like you didn't go after the Illinois governor at all in this post).
if any group wants to occupy the high ground, which you so clearly think you do, then you'd best be consistent in holding those on your 'side' just as seriously accountable as those you oppose. I think that's quite beyond you, however,
16
as far as the "added cost of corruption".... I think having the viaduct replacement (or whatever would happen) would have been cheaper than all the delays, elections and re-planning, plus higher costs we'll be paying for whatever is forced upon us.
17
Yeah, it's just fantastic - meanwhile my already monsterous Chicago property taxes keep going up and we have the highest sales tax in the country all to pay for this "entertainment." Given the choice I would rather get the premium cable package and keep the left over cash.
18
@10 - actually, it's because we're the city that was involved in Abscam.
Yeah, us.
that's why electeds act so clean here - they literally had the feds come down on them hard and force regulations on what they do.
Yeah, us.
that's why electeds act so clean here - they literally had the feds come down on them hard and force regulations on what they do.
19
I'm from Alaska and this scandal makes me very happy. I've been feeling like there was no healthy competition for most corrupt state government.
We will win, mind you, but at least others are trying. Golf clap for Illinois.
We will win, mind you, but at least others are trying. Golf clap for Illinois.
20
But here in Seattle we have talk about our Feeeeeeeeeelings before we can do anything. Then we have to make sure everyone likes our plan or at least if they don't that we can get them some sort of concession (or perhaps lovely hallmark card?). Then we have to study it. And then study it again. Then make sure everyone is still happy.
Oh their not happy? Let's talk about our feeeeeeeeeeeelings again.
Oh their not happy? Let's talk about our feeeeeeeeeeeelings again.
21
@19, Don't worry, we in Illinois have had many, many decades to become as corrupt as we are today, with many periods of refinement along the way. For Alaska to be so corrupt at such tender years suggests a true virtuosity that will only mature with time. And at least you all can pay for your most basic infrastructure needs, even so! My hat is off to you.
22
Not so much. Most of that gets paid for by the feds.
And at least you all can pay for your most basic infrastructure needs, even so!
Not so much. Most of that gets paid for by the feds.
23
So wait, Blago, on December 8th, comes out saying the state of Illinois isn't going to do business with Bank of America because they haven't held up their end of the bailout, and the very next day comes the culmination of a months-long investigation in the form of an arrest that knocks his previous very very valid point off all the news feeds?
I'm not typically big into conspiracy theories, but...
I'm not typically big into conspiracy theories, but...
24
Hilarious. And true.
As a lifetime Chicago area resident... we know our politicians are at least a little corrupt going in to the game. But there is a line of "too corrupt". Daley? No doubt that man is more than minorly corrupt. But he gets things done. So we don't mind.
Wherever that line of "too corrupt" may be on whatever day depending on how hard the wind is blowing.... Blago crossed it long ago and we were all pretty much waiting for this to happen. We've just got egg on our faces because it happened while he was in office and he did such a fantastic job of screwing himself royally. We may produce good president elects, but we suck at picking a governor.
As a lifetime Chicago area resident... we know our politicians are at least a little corrupt going in to the game. But there is a line of "too corrupt". Daley? No doubt that man is more than minorly corrupt. But he gets things done. So we don't mind.
Wherever that line of "too corrupt" may be on whatever day depending on how hard the wind is blowing.... Blago crossed it long ago and we were all pretty much waiting for this to happen. We've just got egg on our faces because it happened while he was in office and he did such a fantastic job of screwing himself royally. We may produce good president elects, but we suck at picking a governor.
25
I see what you're saying, but this is corruption with no real (practical) upside. Blagojevich wasn't ransoming the seat for a bill he wanted passed or a contract to improve the city or anything remotely constructive. He was asking for cold, hard cash.
Plus, Blagojevich manages to oust, or at the very least run a close second, to Sarah Palin for dumbest governor in the union. He actually mentioned -on the phone- that he suspected his phone was being tapped and then went on to commit a crime...over the phone. Honestly, that level of stupidity is a letdown. Is a little deviousness too much to ask from a crooked civil servant?
Plus, Blagojevich manages to oust, or at the very least run a close second, to Sarah Palin for dumbest governor in the union. He actually mentioned -on the phone- that he suspected his phone was being tapped and then went on to commit a crime...over the phone. Honestly, that level of stupidity is a letdown. Is a little deviousness too much to ask from a crooked civil servant?
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