I got an email last week from someone who told me I just had to watch Blagojevich’s press conference, and that he was just running rough shod over everyone and that “if Spitzer had 1/10 of this man’s political astuteness, he’d still be governor of NY and would be gearing up to run for re-election.” Here are the press conferences:
This morning, Rod went on GMA and had another one of his trademark performances, in which he revealed the following:
Illinois’ beleaguered Gov. Rod Blagojevich said today that when he was deciding who would take President Obama’s Senate seat he considered appointing talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.
Blagojevich made the revelation to Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America” on the day his impeachment trial is set to begin. That trial is expected to toss him out of office.
The governor said that Winfrey’s name came up as a potential successor to Obama in the Senate.
I think any comparison of Blago to Spitzer is inaccurate. Spitzer was horny and a hypocrite, while Blagojevich might possibly be insane. I was really harsh on Reid and the Senate Democrats for their bumbling of the Burris appointment, because they kept misunderestimating Blagojevich and seemed incapable of looking at the options from Blago’s perspective. Having said that, in retrospect, I can understand how those used to the “rational” behavior of Beltway insiders might have a hard time estimating the actions of a crazy man.
The Governor’s wife lost her job last week, putting his family under increasing financial pressure, and his lead counsel quit the case. Increasingly, Blago is looking like a man on the run, with no plan, no real hope, and just flying by the seat of the pants hoping to get through the day.
It is kind of crazy that this is a Governor.
Punchy
I’ve asked this before: what exactly does the Blaggo do if he’s not sent to the clink? What kind of job employer takes on this much baggage? Is he afforded some state pension for life, and is this enough to live on?
TheFountainHead
I almost hope they don’t impeach him. I mean, wouldn’t it be more interesting to keep him around and see what he does?
burnspbesq
I especially liked his assertion last Friday that the entire impeachment is simply a conspiracy by legislators who want to raise income and gasoline taxes. Delusional doesn’t even begin to describe it. And the rhetoric was a classic example of "factually correct, but misleading."
Illinois currently has one of the lowest state income taxes in the country (three percent). There is talk of raising it to four percent, or even five percent – which would be right around the median. Of course, Blago said his enemies want to raise taxes by 67 percent.
jibeaux
I don’t think Blago is employable, and off the top of my butt without consulting the Illinois statutes, I doubt impeachment and removal would result in a lifetime pension.
I’m thinking Flowbee infomercials.
amorphous
@Punchy: That’s easy. He’ll write a book. I’m not even joking.
jibeaux
For those of us not living in Illinois, sure.
ed
Come on, give it up for the guy. He’s gangsta! He’s Punk Rock!
sgwhiteinfla
I think in the end Blago is going to go out like this
zzyzx
I especially like his plan to not even bother to show up at the impeachment hearings to give a defense. I’m sure that will convince everyone of his innocence. "Sure I didn’t want to say any of this under oath, but I wouldn’t lie to a talk show host, would I?"
Will
How do you fight a man who has nothing to lose?
Or in the Daredevil spirit of things: "And I — I have shown him. that a man without hope is a man without fear."
TheFountainHead
@jibeaux: Well yeah, but the people who live in Illinois get to claim the Magikal Unidee Ponee, so it washes out.
John O
You might enjoy this take from an increasingly embarrassed and enraged IL resident.
The whole thing is craptacular.
greynoldsct00
My first thought exactly… especially when I saw him on NBC comparing himself to Nelson Mandella, MLK and Gandhi…
Incertus
This is why, given an option, it’s better not to tangle with truly crazy people, because they’ll go places you can’t even imagine, and make you think they’ll go even farther.
RememberNovember
IN: Blago Crazy
OUT: Tom Cruise Crazy
demimondian
@jibeaux: Blagalphabet as Agent Flowbee, PUMA of PUMAs, from No Quitter? Yeah, you know, I’m liking it.
Seriously, John — you were going on and on about this guy following a rational strategy before — and he was doing exactly that. When Spitzer went down quietly, he served the people of New York well, but himself poorly. (At least, in the short term.) Blago has served the people of Illinois very poorly, but has very rationally served his own interest. In the end, it won’t help him, perhaps, but, seriously…what did you expect?
kid bitzer
no, no, no, he will *not* write his autobiography.
*bill ayers* will write his autobiography.
Face
Well, mathematically, he’s dead on.
J.D. Rhoades
@sgwhiteinfla:
I’m thinking more like this….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gy-Cq75BWY
Fwiffo
The square of the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle might possibly be equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Andrew
What are the odds that Blago orders the Illinois National Guard to storm the legislature to stop the impeachment?
I’d say about 2-5.
dr. bloor
There’s nothing quite like watching a narcissistic personality disorder cracking under pressure–really ugly, but you can’t take your eyes off it.
demimondian
@dr. bloor: You’re thinking NPD? I’m thinking a broad asocial personality disorder with narcissistic subtype. He just doesn’t *care* about other people.
ksmiami
Sorry – but this really is a distraction from the important stuff… to my BJ comrades I say have at least $2000 in cash per person in your family and the passports ready in case it all goes to the shitter
greynoldsct00
Doesn’t that make him a sociopath?
demimondian
@Andrew: Dude, all I can say is "Good thing this guy’s not President — he’d find some small country to nuke, sure as shells."
burnspbesq
@Face:
True, but the rhetoric plays on the fact that when most people who aren’t tax professionals think about their own tax burdens, they tend not to parse it out into its various components. So when Blago says "they want to raise your taxes by 67 percent," Jack and Jody Middle-Income from Naperville think their aggregate tax burden (federal and state income taxes, FICA, and sales tax) is going to jump from roughly 45 percent to roughly 75 percent, instead of jumping to roughly 47 percent. And they quite unsurprisingly freak out.
At least, that’s what Blago hopes.
demimondian
@burnspbesq: Better than that, since State Income tax is deductible, (and anyone who pays 45% knows that), the actual burden is going to go from 45% to…45%. (Or maybe 46%.)
Quelle horreur!
dr. bloor
@demimondian:
Could be a sociopath with narcissistic features (redundant, I know), although if he’s a sociopath he’s not very good at it–way too much drama here. Whatever it is, it sure is entertaining.
NonyNony
@burnspbesq:
Yeah, Face already said it, but this isn’t insanity. It’s pretty accurate.
Now if he were saying that they wanted to raise the tax rate TO 67%, then he’d be guilty of either being nuts or intentionally lying to mischaracterize his opposition. But most politicians don’t bother to outright lie about stuff like this. They tell the truth, and then let the innumeracy of the public take over and turn those statistics into scary big numbers. Hell, most of our politicians seem to be pretty innumerate themselves, so they probably aren’t even realizing they’re being manipulative when they do it either.
(And is your state income tax rate REALLY 3%? Good lord – what are your property taxes like? Or your gas taxes? Or your sales tax? Even with Chicago in the mix, I wouldn’t think that would generate enough revenue to take care of business these days.)
blogenfreude
@demimondian: Another sociopath in the mold of GWB.
sgwhiteinfla
There is a question here that I gotta ask, what Republican was so inept that they couldn’t beat this clown TWICE? Damn, what does that say when you lose to someone who is totally and unequivically batshit crazy? I used to think Gore and Kerry were bad, but GWB ain’t got nothing on this cat.
bootlegger
Ten bucks says he becomes a hair model.
J Royce
Spitzer was horny and a hypocrite
John, your fruit-throwing performance joining the melee to remove Spitzer in a well-timed stagecrafted setup was unbelievable. We NEEDED Spitzer as a corporate bulldog against the financial looting that is still happening with no end in sight. I could give a fuck about his "horniness." What a short-sighted crock.
"Oh we got Trouble, in River City, That starts with T that rhymes with P and that stands for POOL!"
It is amazing how Conservative types chuckle at liberals for their efforts to reduce violent imagery in movies and video games and policy–but you swoon like biddies at the vapors of adults having sex. It is NOT your business what adults do in their sexual lives–yes I understand Spitzer’s stupid political hypocrisy but HOW THE HELL do you play ball in this benighted political environment?
So the Cons stole the treasury. We are heading into financial ruin. At least you will have your feelings of moral superiority to keep you warm. Good thing to know so many of you Cons are sinless and willing to say "Yes! I’ll throw that stone!"
burnspbesq
@sgwhiteinfla:
Remember, we’re talking about the Illinois Republican Party here – those wonderful folks who ran Alan Keyes against Obama in 2004.
gex
@burnspbesq: I agree the man is absurd, but pick a different argument. If you go from a 3% tax to a 5% tax that is a 67% increase. Not as in .03 + .67 but as in 1.67 * .03.
Anton Sirius
Bastard stole my idea.
John PM
@Andrew: #20
More important question: What are the odds that the Illinois National Guard will tell Blago to go f-ck himself? Inifinity to 1 in favor. It is more likely that soon to be governor Pat Quinn will have to order the Illinois State Police to forcibly remove Blago from the governor’s office.
The more likely scenario is that Blago is removed from office and then files suit in federal court to bar the removal because his Constitutional Rights have been violated. The District Court will tell him in so many words to take a hike; the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals will second the suggestion to take a hike, and the US Supreme Court, on the basis of Bush v. Gore, will reinstall Blago as governor of Illinois, because Scalia is pissed by the concept of President Obama.
gex
@RememberNovember: Speaking of Tom Cruise Crazy… Link
demimondian
@J Royce: Moar better trollz, pleez.
demimondian
@John PM: Don’t bet on it.
If Blago orders the National Guard out, it unties Obama’s hands. Remember that whole CinC thing? Yeah, well, that would be one of the times when it would actually apply. Obama would simply countermand the order; nobody would ignore anything.
Bordo
As someone who has lived in Illinois for almost 20 years, I’ve become inured to political corruption the likes of which would send the residents of other states screaming into the streets.
When the Republicans controlled the vast majority of state offices, they operated like the Sopranos, doling out favors to friends and supporters and chasing any sleazy little scheme that would get them more money and more power. Our last GOP governor, George Ryan, is serving 6 1/2 years in the federal pentitentiary for corruption.
Six years ago, the Democrats swept into office promising reform as they took over every single state post including the governorship. They, too, operate like the Sopranos. They’ve proven to be every bit as sleazy, greasy and dirty as their Republican rivals.
There are exceptions on both sides of the aisle –the Republican governor in the 1990s, Jim Edgar, was super clean and our Democratic lieutenant governor right now, Pat Quinn, is also above reproach– but there is something about politics in Illinois that just seem inherently dirty.
Blagojevich is not simply filthy dirty –a man who would withhold needed funds for a children’s hospital unless he was to receive a $50,000 campaign contribution from the hospital’s CEO– but he has delusions of grandeur that border on the hysterical. After comparing himself to a cowboy hero last week, he’s now mentioning himself in the same breath as Mandela, Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr.
BTW, this Oprah for Senate thing is absurd beyond all words. Winfrey is one of the most astute businesswomen in America, but also one with a penchant for secrecy. Anyone who works for her must sign a contract forbidding them from ever revealing any of her business dealings under penalty of a killer lawsuit. She would NEVER agree to put her personal financials under scrutiny just to be a U.S. Senator. She’s already more powerful.
This is just another example of Blago’s insanity. Yeah, he’s amusing as hell, but we need him out of office. Our state, like so many others, is in deep financial trouble. This looney asshole only complicates things further.
passerby
He’s batshit insane.
I like his gambit of naming a witness list comprised of high profile politicians: Emanuel, Jarret, Jax Jr. He’s not going down without a fight. Threatening to involve bigwigs indicates that, having nothing to lose, he’s gonna have mud all over everything and everyone before this is over, whether they’re involved or not.
The only leverage he has at this point is to threaten to reveal any and all skeletons in closets. He knows he’s a goner but he’s a scrapper. Wonder who he can take down with him.
So get the popcorn.
(Sorry Illinois)
Oh, and as someone mentioned upthread, he’ll prostitute himself out to the media/publishers and he’d better act right quick because he converts into a 15 minutes of fame type mode when this is over.
Zifnab
@J Royce:
He nailed corporate big-wigs with the same bullet he got tagged by himself. He delved into their personal lives and dragged up their affairs and their social habits as leverage against them in court.
And while it certainly worked, it was still hypocritical as all hell.
Could we use a man like Spitzer? Sure. But if he’s sticking his dick in the wrong set of holes, he’s just as vulnerable as the perps he busts. I’d rather have a corporate bulldog that knows how to keep his pants on or – at the least – doesn’t violate any state laws in his free time. So set Spitzer aside and keep looking. Patrick Fitzgerald seems to be doing a hell of a job as Special Prosecutor, and he doesn’t have any prostitute mistresses I could name.
Zifnab
And worth noting again, prostitution isn’t a "lifestyle choice" it is an actual state crime. We can argue the merits and flaws of the legal system, but Spitzer is just as guilty of a crime as he would have been if he’d been caught with a cigarette case full of joints or a stolen car stereo in the back of his trunk.
If we’re serious about that whole "nation of laws" thing, they have to apply to everyone equally. You need to get busted even if you’re doing really really good at your job.
tam1MI
No wonder he picked Roland "Giant Monument to Himself" Burris to be junior Senator from Illinois. He recognized a kindred soul. ;)
John PM
@sgwhiteinfla: #31
The Republican Party in Illinois is currently a joke. They were brought down by their greed, corruption and incompetence, as exemplified by George Ryan, Blago’s predecessor as governor and current guest of the federal government. Blago was the choice of the power brokers when he won his first term as governor in 2002, at which point a houseplant would have won as a Democrat. It was a foregone conclusion in 2002 that a Democrat would win that year, especially since the Republican nominee was named Jim Ryan (no relation to George Ryan, but the name definitely did not assist his run). In 2002, no one thought Blago was crazy, and he ran on a platform of cleaning up corruption.
Cut to 2006, and Blago’s opponent was Judy Barr Topinka, the Illinois State Treasurer. She was and is a nice enough woman, but the Republican Party in Illinois was in very bad shape and she suffered a lot of damage in the Republican primary. Blago had a huge fundraising advantage and spent her into the ground in order to win. However, if memory serves, Blago did not receive more than 50% of the vote. The Green Party candidate for governor did very well for a third-party candidate and skimmed off a lot of Democrats (such as myself) who could not vote for Blago but also could not bring themselves to vote for the Republican Party. In 2006, people were beginning to notice that Blago had power issues and that his anti-corruption stance was so much bullsh-t.
Here’s hoping that Obama’s presidency does not parallel the Blago administration; otherwise, we will be witness to crazy Obama locking himself in the Oval Office sometime in 2014.
passerby
@Bordo:
My home state, LA, suffers from the same types of corruption and can also lay claim to an imprisoned former governor, so you have my sympathies.
Oprah’s name probably came up as a joke during some late night meeting over martinis but, being the desperado he is, he’s looking to rope as many big names into his circus as possible. Oprah is Big Guns he better watch himself. Does he even have a lawyer at this point?
tam1MI
And exactly who is going to question them? Blago’s lawyer who just quit? He, himself, who has said he won’t bother to show up at the proceedings? Blago may be acting like a mud tornado at this point, but who’s going to believe the rantings of a clearly insane man?
jake 4 that 1
Step 1: Act like a loon.
Step 2: Claim to be a victim of the Lieberal Islamofascist Barack HUSSEIN Obama.
Step 3: Become the new WingTard poster child.
Step 4: PROFIT.
burnspbesq
@gex:
Dude … reading is fundamental. I conceded, all the way back at #3, that what he was saying was factually accurate. My point, on which I elaborated at #26, is that while factually accurate, the argument is intended to mislead. If you want to argue about whether the argument is likely to mislead, that’s a conversation we can have. But please don’t respond to an argument other than the argument I actually advanced.
Not to mention the basic absurdity of the claim that the reason why Blago is being impeached is to get him out of the way so those baaaaaaaaaaaaad tax-increasers can have their way with the fine people of Illinois. Surely you don’t believe that.
Bordo
One of Blago’s lawyers quit. It was a big one, too, Ed Genson, who helped R. Kelly beat his rap. But the guv still has two other attorneys laboring away. Genson was very outspoken about his resigning. He said something to the effect that he didn’t expect his clients to do everything he asked, but he did expect them to listen. He clearly thought Blago’s media dance was stupid and he walked.
One of the radio stations in Chicago, WLS-AM, has offered him an on-air job if he quits as governor. Again, this is farcical. They’d get a short-term ratings boost, maybe, but Rod the Mod’s voice does not match his luxurious head of hair. His voice is nasal and thin. Not a good broadcast tone at all.
burnspbesq
@Zifnab:
All true. But it’s equally true that whoever leaked the contents of the SARs is guilty of several Federal felonies, and that person or persons appear(s) to have skated.
John Cole
Get out of here with that bullshit. Eliot Spitzer eagerly, giddily, and with his career in mind prosecuted the daylights out of prostitution, all while engaging in it:
And Eliot Spitzer should be held accountable. I don’t think prostitution should be illegal, but it is, and Eliot Spitzer was fine feathering his cap with these prosecutions when it served his own political career, so he can just DIAF as far as I am concerned.
Hypocritical asshole.
And don’t come in here telling me I am in the wrong for calling him on it. He is the one who let you down, he is the one who let us down. Screw him.
Face
Schaumburg (burb of Chitown) has a sales tax of 10%. Redunkulous.
Cook County gas tax infamous for being outrageously high, too.
Laura W
Behar Baits Blago
Can’t wait for the non-stop clips of his performance this morn on The View.
Yum.
The Grand Panjandrum
He also did an interview with Amy Rohrbach(sp?) of MSNBC and compared himself to MLK, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela. He also has this predilection to seeing his life in terms of movies he’s seen. I don’t know if he’s crazy or has basketball-sized granite stones but he is entertaining.
I just wonder if he was getting jealous because Paterson was getting all the attention after completely bungling the selection of Clinton’s replacement. One thing is certain, Blago loves being the story. The man knows no shame.
Laura W
@The Grand Panjandrum: I missed the chance to link to a Chicago Trib piece in the edit window re. his stellar media blitz, but here’s my fave part. Apparently, he’s feeling a bit more Hollywoodish in his persona du jour selection:
(Ya think I could’ve remembered that I had a new chance to embed the link in a new comment? Blago for brains.)
serge
I think I need to shower again…he’s certifiable, nuts, wacko, out of his mind, crazier than a shit-house rat, and lest I forget, insane-in-the-membrane.
But, John, "misunderestimating…?"
John Cole
@serge: Serge, that was a joke. See here.
Laura W
@The Grand Panjandrum: Just realized the Amy R. movie star stuff might be in your video clip link.
I’m not very sharp today.
shortstop
Well, I think a case could be made for the…at least…irrationality of someone who wants to do hookers bareback, but I’ve always been a priss. And certainly that would be miniscule potatoes compared to Blago’s brand of crazy.
Anyway, it’s all funny until someone loses an eye. I don’t blame y’all for reaching for the popcorn, but this is really starting to piss us off here in Illinois. Get this batshit crazy mothereffer out of here already.
And yeah, people who used to speculate about Nixon calling in the Army might have been in tinfoil hat territory, but it’s not even remotely paranoid to assume at this point that Blago may have to be removed by state troopers. Fortunately, since just about the only time he’s gone to the office in years was to mug for the cameras the day after his arrest, "physical removal from office" will likely mean changing the locks and putting his stuff out on the curb in milk crates.
HMS Nerd
This dude is so awesome! I love the cowboy movie story – it’s like he’s writing the speech while od’ing on Clint Eastwood and Haagen Dazs :) Also, he’s got the weirdest way with words: re Oprah "She’s got a much larger bully-pulpit than other senators would." That sounds sorta dirty even. It does make sense though when everybody, even the Foxes, are predicting that Obama’s going to get some serious stuff done as long as he’s got the broad base of support. Celebrity is power in terms of keeping constituents on board with progress, which scares the GOP lawmakers from taking possibly "obstructionist" positions on main platform planks, on that everyone seems in agreement, check the feeds even, er…here: – http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama_s_personality_moves_u_s_agenda/
Tony J
Surely someone on his remaining team must, at any point over the last month, have told him that his hair makes him look like the bastard child of Donald Trump and Moe the Stooge. He could be coming out with the most well-reasoned arguments in the world, but all anyone watching his press-conferences is going to see is that endless fringe and think "This guy is clearly loopier than the Olympic logo".
FTW.
The Grand Panjandrum
@Laura W: I can only imagine what was going through Robach’s mind when conducting the interview. She’s convinced that Blago believes every word he says. Whew!
Don’t fret about remembering to embed video links due to a faulty memory. It only gets worse after 50. I am living proof of … ? OK, where was I?
Laura W
@The Grand Panjandrum: That is incredibly sweet of you to assume I’m not over 50.
Well, technically I’m not. Because months don’t count.
Besides, 50 is the new 49!
shortstop
His hair has looked exactly like that for 20 years. Like another political figure we can think of, he’s renowned for completely insulating himself and not listening to anyone who fails to tell him exactly what he wants to hear. But I’m thinking the burly guy with the electric clippers at the federal pen check-in point will be following his own artistic vision for Rod’s hair.
Face
Golf clap. Well done, buddy. Well done.
The Grand Panjandrum
@Laura W: I’ve been saying it for years!
The Moar You Know
What’s not to love about Blago? Her fear and obvious defensive posture? His obvious groping (wedding ring front and center). Her man’s drunken bemusement? The child’s look of vacant incomprehension?
What a slice of awesome this man is.
DFD
Blago is afforded a state pension for life unless he is convicted of a felony that was commissioned while he was acting as governor (e.g. selling a Senate seat).
Andrew
I hope that Burris hires Blago as his chief-of-staff after the trial. Harry Reid deserves to have this rubbed in his face for the next two years.
Tony J
WTF? You can just about get away with voting for that barnet when the only other option is a Republican in the Governorship. Fair enough, needs must and all that. But you’re telling me that in 2002 Illinois Democrats chose to run a man with lego for hair? They saw it hovering over his head like some sort of unidentified sex-aid and thought, this is the guy we want representing Illinois?
That’s it. You people are weird. 8-)
The Grand Panjandrum
Now if we could just get Blago to appear at his state senate trial. Now THAT would be some kind of awesome. Maybe we could get him to do his very best Jack Nicholson and scream, "You can’t handle the truth!"
Ah, what might have been.
DFD
As precedent, former Governor Ryan forfeited his pension benefits due to a felony conviction.
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/2006/index.html
http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2006/09/12/lisa-madigan-no-pension-for-ryan/
shortstop
Well, I’m not saying we’re not, but 2002 was a particularly weird election. Blago narrowly won the primary over Paul Vallas, Chicago schools superintendent, with an assist from a third candidate by the name of… Roland Burris. To this day, many insist that Burris entered the race as a spoiler at Blago’s behest.
Ash Can
There’s nothing I can add that the other IL folks here haven’t already covered. Strange times indeed for us Illinoisans — we’re busting our buttons over Obama, then Blagojevich acts out again and we’re embarrassed to tears. Fortunately, Blago’s antics have only a statewide impact, rather than afflicting the entire nation (freak-show nature of his fuckwittedness aside). And the entire nation now benefits from Obama’s smarts. Nevertheless, I’m waiting with bated breath for the state legislature to throw Blago’s sorry ass out of Springfield and slam the door behind him.
Adrienne
I know I’m a little late to this party, but it was I who sent the e-mail. But, it was before the GMA interviews, etc. I was speaking just on the strength of his ability to get up in front of the press, answer questions, stare down his opponents, and put forth his argument with a straight face, regardless of how ridiculous such argument may be. Unfortunately, in politics, this quality serves a purpose and is worth a whole helluva lot. He may seem delusional, yet his argument is coherent and not in the least bit irrational. He may be flying by the seat of his pants but he’s still flying pretty straight.
He’s not insane. Do you think he doesn’t KNOW all these things? He’s playing his cards, albeit its a shitty hand following a major bluff, because that’s all he has. Even you said previously that it is actually THE most rational thing he could do in his situation.
Also, I disagree that any comparisons here are inaccurate. Spitzer resigned due to personal shortcomings, which had nothing to do with his job, any hypocrisy aside – and I highly doubt that any efforts to impeach him would have gotten very far. Blago, on the other hand, is already being impeached for potentially illegal activity and corruption in direct connection with his job as Governor and they have his ass on tape. Yet, he’s appointed and got seated a Senator, after winning a two week game of chicken with Harry Reid and Senate Dems, with arguably less controversy than Patterson and is waging an all out war to hold on to the last thing he has. Sounds pretty damn rational to me. He’s making political moves that make sense, and I’d probably do the same thing in his shoes. That’s not the work of an insane man, just that of a cold, politically calculating man. As anyone who pays attention knows, there is a HUGE difference.
Bottom line: I stand by my claim. If Spitzer would have had the political astuteness/cojones/whatever you want to call it, that has allowed Blago to do the things he’s done, he would still be governor. What Blago is doing may not save himself, but I have NO doubt that the same type of chutzpah on Spitzer’s part would have saved his governorship.
Bordo
I’m not sure what "cards" Blago is playing. His fate will be decided by the Illinois Senate, so it’s not like he is playing to future jurors. And, even if he were, the guy’s approval rating here is like 8% or something similarly horrible. He’d have a hard time getting a jury to his liking.
Our former Republican governor, George Ryan, tried to paint himself as a heroic figure when he was up to his ears in corruption by commuting the death sentences of everyone on Death Row in Illinois. Now, this did occur after some egregious errors that put innocent men in line for lethal injection came to light, but few here thought Ryan’s actions were anything other than a shot at balancing the scales a little to his benefit.
What Blago gains by all this media exposure is beyond me. He looks, acts and sounds like a crazy man. And who would want to read a book about this small-time douche with an Elvis fetish? Christ, at least G. Gordon Liddy had a weird childhood to riff on when he published his biography. Blago’s got nuthin’.
passerby
@Laura W:
Hey, this could be the start of something big.
Laura W
@passerby: Hey, thanks!
I channeled a reaaaaaalllly gooooood one in the shower a bit ago. (Can’t beat running water for inspiration, huh?)
I’m gonna save it for this Sunday. I think that might be the correct timing.
;-)
Watching Gibbs’ Pres Con right now. I still can not get used to "The President" referring to Obama. I’m committed to working on it, though.
Edit: The first thing Gibbs does is apologize for the email outage at the WH. How freakin’ annoyed do you think those whiz kids are with that action? Non-action.
Tony J
I want a picture of Paul Vallas, and I want it to show him with hair like Fabio and a dead hermaphrodite in his grip.
Oh, ah! "I am the tool through which you can savage Illinois Democrats – all of them – if you pay me for my services."
If Bill Kristol can live on the Wingnut Welfare payroll, why not Blago? He’s got mileage yet, if he can convince the Right that they need a new shit-stirrer from the other side to play the Lieberman.
passerby
@shortstop:
Thank you shortstop, this is a very interesting tidbit.
Dr. Squid
Chicago itself takes about 13 cents/gallon in gas tax on top of the sales tax in Chicago and 57.6 cents/gallon in Illinois.
Sales tax where I live in Southern Illinois is something like 8.125%.
And yes, the tax rate really is 3% for income. I just mailed them in. I don’t know who had the idea that they should put the office for mailing in return way up in Galesburg, though.
passerby
@Adrienne:
"I was speaking just on the strength of his ability to get up in front of the press, answer questions, stare down his opponents, and put forth his argument with a straight face, regardless of how ridiculous such argument may be. Unfortunately, in politics, this quality serves a purpose and is worth a whole helluva lot. He may seem delusional, yet his argument is coherent and not in the least bit irrational. He may be flying by the seat of his pants but he’s still flying pretty straight."
As I was watching the clips, I noticed that he has a phenomenal ability to do this. Its almost scary to see such a smooth scoundrel in action.
shortstop
Hey, I’m just passing along the local lore. I gossip; you decide.
It’s ironic, by the way, that so many downstaters are now screeching about how Blago is a CHICAGO CHICAGO CHICAGO DEM. He is (sort of–he’s from here, anyway), but his support in the 2002 primary was strongest downstate, with Burris and Vallas (himself a very controversial figure) battling it out for Chicago and the collar counties.
demimondian
@passerby: That’s actually why I thought asocial personality disorder, not narcissist, BTW. He’s utterly untroubled by what other people think of his posing; if anything, he seems to be taking pride in playing out his hand as outrageously as possible. I’d expect a true narcissist to become a trifle deranged as his schemes crumbled.
passerby
@shortstop:
Since I’m loathe to give any politician the benefit of the doubt, I choose to conclude that Blago and Burris have been fist bumping since at least the turn of the century (and probably before that.)
Dr. Squid
The key for Governor Eyechart winning the primary that year was his batting eyes at downstaters. Downstate has a bit of a history of not trusting ethnic pols from Chicago, and in 1986 it led to Lyndon LaRouche’s nutballs winning the primary for Lite Gov and Secretary of State (Janice Hart over Aurelia Pucinski), which pretty much destroyed the Democratic Party in Illinois until 2002. Back then Illinois was more of a swing state, and Adlai Stevenson III and Big Jim Thompson were set for a rematch of the 1982 election which went to a recount. Because of the LaRouchites, Stevenson refused to run on the Democratic ticket, and Thompson won in a walk.
Since in 2002, all candidates were essentially ethnic pols from Chicago, the one who paid the best attention to downstate got the nod. In real time, they weren’t talking about Roland Burris being a stalking horse so Blagonkadonk could win, but in retrospect that might actually be the case.
Adrienne
I didn’t say that cards were good, just that he’s playing the hell out of the ones he has. He has the equivalent of 2Heart and 6spade and he’s bluffing, with no chips, but dammit he’s gonna keep checking til the river and pray for a miracle. That’s all he CAN do, but he’s doing it masterfully.
Exactly my point. I had to give him some props for that performance. At some points, I even found myself nodding in agreement! And *I* believe he’s guilty as sin!!! Which is what led me to think about Spitzer. If Spitzer would have stared it down like that, after being ‘busted’ for WAYYY lesser offenses, he could have beat it. If Blago had come up against anything less scandalous or there hadn’t been tapes and there hadn’t been a connection to Obama, which is causing Dems to repel him lest Blago dirty him up too fast, Blago’d beat this too. I’m sure of it.
zzyzx
@Face: Geez, King County (Seattle) has a 9% sales tax, but no income tax whatsoever.
passerby
@demimondian:
"…he seems to be taking pride in playing out his hand as outrageously as possible."
Yes, he’s basking in the attention and his narrative keeps getting zanier and zanier.
To me, these are the qualities make it hard to feel sorry for him but I do because
1) he’s got a tremendous amount of debt,
2) an insufficient and now unstable income stream
3) his political fuck up is probably criminal,
4) he’s shooting his mouth off all over the media and ramping up the drama when what he needs to do is shut up, sit down, and let his attorney speak for him and
5) the whole world is watching.
Clearly, the man has a ton uf mundane problems and additionally, there’s something not "normal" about his behavior that even lay people can recognize.
Are there any professionals reading here that would venture a "Frist" opinion as to a pathology for Blago’s possible personality disorder?
EriktheRed
And pretty fuckin’ sad that he’s mine.
mellowjohn
"I want a picture of Paul Vallas, and I want it to show him with hair like Fabio and a dead hermaphrodite in his grip."
paul vallas (for whom i voted in ’02) is bald and, as far as i know, quite straight.
btw, the sales tax in the city of chicago – with state, county, and city tax all added up – is 10.25%. it’s the highest in the country. WE’RE NUMBER ONE! WE’RE NUMBER ONE!
jake 4 that 1
Crazy 8s?
The Moar You Know
@jake 4 that 1: 52 card pickup.
shortstop
And do not even venture into discussion of our property taxes…
AnneLaurie
Come September, Blago and Joe the Plumber will be doing a hugely-advertised joint media tour in support of their upcoming wingnut-welfare talk radio show, "Blue Collar Guys Against Liberals & Other Pansies". Their first gig will be on Jay Leno. Howard Stern will have an orgasm so intense he may actually sustain a fatal aneurysm. Rush Limbaugh will be arrested after getting taped trying to have them both killed.
Janus Daniels
"… looking like a man on the run, with no plan, no real hope, and just flying by the seat of the pants hoping to get through the day.
It is kind of crazy that this is a Governor."
Or president?
Laura W
"Crazy like a crazy person."
The ever-accurate Jeffrey Toobin
jerry 101
He’s been my governor for years now, and I’ve gotten to know him quite well.
For all of you wondering about what his particular mental affliction is, well…
Whatever is wrong with George W. Bush is what’s wrong with Blagojevich.
George toes a more or less conservative line, but he’s really just in it for his own amusement. Rod toes a more or less liberal line, but he’s just in it for his own amusement.
What’s happening to Rod now is probably similar to what we would have seen if the US House had impeached Bush.
They are also both very good at playing electoral politics (or at least surrounding themselves with people who are good at electoral politics).
Actually, Rod is probably better, relatively speaking. Bush barely won re-election. Though Rod was well shy of 50% re-elect, he annihilated Judy Baar Topinka in what was supposed to be a very close race. He launched a broadside of campaign ads in the days following her winning the Republican nomination. Destroyed her reputation. "What’s She Thinking?"
jerry 101
whenever he gets out of jail, odds are about 10 to 1 that he flips to being a conservative wingnut.
He’s already searching for a radio gig. WLS (wingnut radio central in Chicago) is said to be thinking about biting.
Betcha he goes national less than a year after he gets out of prison.
Ex-democratic governor of Illinois turned fire-breathing republican hypocrite. The wingnut welfare agency will love it.