Was Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest politically motivated, or did he just fuck up?

[RiverStone]

:spank:

Based on what I have heard, he earned his arrest.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. He was already under investigation for corruption

following that grand Illinois tradition of having governors indicted and imprisoned (I can think of 4 in my lifetime.)

[Critters2]

2. Four? I can only think of three. Walker, Kerner, Ryan.

Who am I missing?

[undeterred]

5. Thompson was an asshole.

But that's not criminal.

[smoogatz]

3. Fucked up isn't quite the right word for it.

Or maybe "fucked up" is more a state of being in his case, as opposed to a one-off circumstance.

[RiverStone]

8. Actually both!

Verb or adjective, both F's apply.

[davsand]

4. Sadly, he was so crooked he screwed his pants on in the morning.

I have been on here for the last 6 months talking about the fact that Blag was headed for jail and now SUDDENLY this is somehow about his politics. I may vomit before this is over, I swear to Gawd.

Understand something here, Blag not only screwed the taxpayers of Illinois but he screwed his own party damn hard. There were several minority Dems from Illinois that were discussed publicly as possible replacements for Obama's Senate seat. EVERY FUCKING ONE is now "suspect" to voters because they are all wondering if this one or that one was bidding for that Senate seat. Today, Blag has NO friends in Illinois, and this situation has been brewing for TOO long.




Laura

[Greyhound]

10. Bingo, and thank you.

Completely unrelated, but your dancing cat is in perfect time with my recording of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald's version of "It don't mean a thing".

Good luck.
:hi:

[smoogatz]

34. Well said.

Blago belongs in jail.

[leftstreet]

6. We aren't insiders. We wouldn't know. n/t

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

7. his arrest, unequivocally NO. Timing really sucks, don't it :(

Fitz is a pretty straight shooter. I'm thinking the next stop for him is the Supreme Court.

[Raskolnik]

11. No, the timing really doesn't suck.

If he had been arrested just before the election, that timing would have sucked.

If he had been arrested after appointing Obama's replacement, that timing would have sucked.

This timing is actually as good for Democrats as could be hoped for, really.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

16. I'm thinking more along the lines...

...the arrest could have come at any time, including some time after Obama's inaguration. Prior to the inaguration, I agree with you.

[Raskolnik]

18. I disagree. Pre/post inauguration isn't really relevent, but pre/post

naming Obama's successor is.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

25. I don't think we disagree. I should have been more clear...

...name the successor next week and get arrested next fall. ;)

[Raskolnik]

27. I don't think we have a large disagreement either, but I do think

that any successor to Obama's seat that was named by Blago would be seriously damaged by his arrest. Particularly given that Blago was auctioning the seat off to the highest bidder, it would be difficult for a successor to remain free of that taint.

[petronius]

33. I think you're right - it really wouldn't matter how long the gap was between the appointment and

the arrest. It's unfair, but I'll bet a lot of innocent people are going to be put in the position of having to defend themselves as a result of this...

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

9. The few here defending him don't know who the fuck he is and haven't been paying attention

He tried to screw Obama over because Barack certianly wasn't going to PAY for him to pick his choice, but the collection of tinfoil hatters here think this is some sort of vast conspiracy again.

The true Rovian tactic would be for the appointment to be made, and then BOTH Blag and the Senate nominee get indicted.

[Raskolnik]

12. Why should people let facts get in the way of a knee-jerk response?

That wouldn't be nearly as much fun, would it?

[blondeatlast]

13. To the bones corrupt, monumentally stupid, and caught red-handed

all belong squarely to Blago.

[terrya]

14. He didn't fuck up...he's a completely corrupt scumbag.

And I should kick myself...we saw the signs in 2006. I could have voted for his primary opponent, Edwin Eisenrath. Hell, even Judy Baar Topinka looks good in hindsight.

[Raskolnik]

21. If Topinka hadn't brought in Birkett and taken a hard right turn, I would have voted for her over

Blago.

[leftofthedial]

15. he's a crook and that is the overwhelming issue. BUT...

all political investigations are by definition political.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. There's no reason it couldn't be both.

:shrug:

[Raskolnik]

19. There's no reason it *couldn't* be both, but there is plenty of reason it *isn't* both. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. Why do you say that?

[Raskolnik]

22. Because the history of the investigation, the nature of the corruption, the timing of the complaint,

and the fact that the investigation was headed by Fitzgerald all point to the fact that this was not a politically motivated investigation or arrest.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. But the Department of Justice is as corrupt as the Illinois Governor's office.

So I see no apparent reason to dismiss the possibility of political motivation.

[Raskolnik]

26. If you have reason to believe that Fitzgerald is corrupt, I'd like to hear it.

God knows there was an army of Republican operatives looking for something on him during the Plame investigation, but they didn't turn anything up. Do you have any evidence that a U.S. attorney that prosecuted (and convicted) a Republican former governor in Illinois and investigated high-level Bush administration officials is now in the bag for Repulicans? That just doesn't make sense.

[ColbertWatcher]

24. Both! Too many GOPers corruption have been ignored!

Blago fucked up and the reason why he was pursued was due to the political motivation of the DoJ.

[Raskolnik]

28. Was Fitzgerald politically motivated when he investigated, charged, and convicted

George Ryan(R)?

[Phred42]

29. BOTH - these things are NOT mutually exclusive

[Raskolnik]

30. How is this politically motivated? n/t

[Phred42]

31. wait.......

Besides this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4619794&mesg_id=4619794

this thing will expand over time

[Raskolnik]

32. Political ramifications are not the same as political motivations. n/t

[Junkdrawer]

35. Yesterday: "Illinois Governor Halts Business With Bank of America"....

Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said the state will suspend business with Bank of America Corp. until the lender restores credit to the shuttered Republic Windows & Doors company in Chicago where workers are staging a sit-in.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, spoke at a news conference today after meeting with employees who remained at the factory since Dec. 5, when it closed following the bank’s cancellation of its credit line. Illinois does “hundreds of millions of dollars” in business with the bank, he said. The Illinois Department of Labor will sue the manufacturer if Republic doesn’t respond to employee requests for vacation and severance pay, the governor said in a press release.

Commercial banks have restricted lending as ripples from the financial crisis that began on Wall Street widen into the broader economy. More than half a million U.S. jobs were lost in November and economists have drawn a direct link between the deepening recession and the seizure in credit markets which has so far resulted in $981 billion in writedowns and losses globally.

Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley will introduce an ordinance to block the state’s biggest county from doing business with Bank of America, he said in an interview.

....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ahDmj5UJtGd4&refer=home#

And let that be a lesson: Challenge a big bank, get a proctological exam...

[tammywammy]

36. Except that Bank of American caved in today and extended credit

[Junkdrawer]

37. PR repair: Extend the credit...discredit your attacker...

Blagojevich won't be giving BOA any more trouble...

[Phred42]

39. just PR Ryan stopped executing prisoners days before HE was indicted

[Douglas Carpenter]

38. not the worse acts of corruption, just the dumbest! Truly sad, a failed sociopath!

[jmg257]

40. Royaly. nt

[Tutonic]

41. Think Obama....first they take down Rezko--with the belief that he

would somehow drag Obama down. When Rezko had a life changing conversion and decided to do the right thing concerning Obama, he told the Feds that he'd start talking but that it wouldn't lead to Obama. He gave up Blagojevich. Now Blagojevich is giving up Jesse Jackson Jr. and Sr. The Feds will offer Jesse Jackson Sr. his son's freedom if he leads them to Obama. Our government is completely corrupt and unfortunately there is a cabal that is intent on destroying Obama. He'll need to watch his back 24/7.

[Two Americas]

42. not an either/or

This is so transparent, so obviously politically motivated, that it is stunning to watch people here salute and fall in line and attack anyone who is suspicious of the administration.

And of course the guy screwed up. What does that have to do with the price of beans?

The authoritarianism around here, and the willingness to trust the Bush administration and viciously attack and blame the political Left, are things that historians will need to sort out and explain in the future.

[KamaAina]

43. Yes.

He fscked up royally.

The timing of the arrest is what strikes me as politically motivated. They've been dogging Blago for quite some time now, and now they decide they just have to swoop in -- before the Electoral College has even met?