Who is sick of the hounding of Blagojevich?

[live love laugh]

I just heard that the FBI has "secretly" recorded conversations he has had trying to prove he made some quid pro quo deals. They have absolutely no proof of anything. This follows the attempts to tie Blagojevich to Rezko. There have been seeming empty allegations cast his way since he took office.

The way he is being treated reminds me very much of the way Clinton was hounded until they found something. I am sick of it as it appears to be nothing more than an attempt to smear a democrat since the republicon predecessor to Blagojevich was actually a convicted criminal. Republicans would like nothing more than to (a) smear a democrat for wrongdoing and (b) snatch another elected position from under our noses.

I hope people are seeing this the way I am but unfortunately, I know too many aren't.

[Radical Activist]

1. I'm sick of Blagojevich fucking up this state.

No one needs to try tying Rezko to Blagojevich. The fact that they're tied together is undeniable. If you think allegations are empty then you've got your head in the sand.

After 30 years of Republican Governors we get this asshat. The Republican Party destroyed itself in Illinois because it supported Ryan's corruption and defended him for too long. Democrats don't need to make the same mistake. We need to dump Blagojevich before he takes the entire Democratic Party down with him.

[live love laugh]

3. Where is your proof? You sound like the very people that are dogging him.

I am not here to defend him, I just don't like to see people being taken down without a concrete reason other than their political affiliation.

On edit:

P.S. How is he fucking up the state?

[Radical Activist]

6. He's being investigated by the same guy who put George Ryan in prison.

It isn't being done on a partisan basis. This isn't like a few partisan Republicans going on a whitewater style fishing expedition. This is an extensive federal investigation and those usually happen for a good reason. And I doubt there will be final proof and conviction known to the public for several more years.

I could write an essay on how he's fucking up the state from horrible mismanagement of state agencies, massive budget cuts to vital areas of government, and very little progress on any significant issue despite Democrats controlling all branches of state government.

[olkaz]

8. Proof? I don't know... seems to be have been frog-marched this morning...

They might know something?

[barb162]

15. The proof is in the wiretaps.

Pretty hard to say it's not your voice. He's fucking up the state by selling everything he does. Payoffs, pay to play, etc. How about SELLING the US Senate seat. The Chicago Tribune charges, trying to get an editorial writer fired, was pretty disgusting.

[barb162]

14. I hope Blag concedes and Pat Quinn takes over.

[mopinko]

2. i pretty much agree

i have had people that i respect tell me that the man is a little crazy. but i find it odd that this blue state has had 2 dem governors in my lifetime, and both were investigated to death. ryan, thompson, no sweat. now they want to pardon the son of a bitch.
dems hang for misdemeanors, and thugs get away with murder. and dems spin the rope.

[live love laugh]

4. It's funny that so much negativity appeared when he got the governorship. Prior to that

Blagojevich was not known for having the types of problems that he is being accused of having. It doesn't make sense that he would change that much simply by moving from one elected position to another. Again, he may have his faults, I know very little about him--but the incessant hounding is suspicious.

[mopinko]

5. his FIL was always a bit of an albatross, but

somehow he doesn't get dogged anywhere near the way blaggo does.

it did start about 10 minutes after he was elected. i don't suppose anyone even remembers dan walker, but he got the jimmy carter treatment, then he went to prison for something that all of ronald raygun's buddies did.
and does the name don seiglman ring a bell with anyone around here?


somehow this is something that we dems have to figure out. we want our guys to be squeaky clean, so when these lynch mobs form, we are always on it. but we are supposed to be the party of complex thought. we should be able to say, well, no one is perfect, and if we are stoking up the bonfire, how about we throw the fattest pigs in first.

i am right there with ya. it is crazy.

[Critters2]

12. That, or we could stop electing criminals. nt

[Critters2]

19. Selling a Senatorial seat is hardly a misdemeanor.

I can't believe you're defending it. Actually, I can.

[live love laugh]

23. Re: "selling a senatorial seat"...how much did he ask in payment for the seat? nt

[Critters2]

25. From Fitzgerald's news conference:

"The tapes reveal that Governor Blagojevich wanted a number of things in exchange for making the appointment to the Senate seat -- an appointment as secretary of health and human services or an ambassadorship, an appointment to a private foundation, a higher paying job for his wife or campaign contributions."

To reiterate: a higher paying job for his wife or campaign contributions.

He was trying to sell a Senatorial seat.

He tried to rescind a grant to Children's Memorial because the CEO wouldn't give him $50k.

This is acceptable to you?

[live love laugh]

28. Where did I say it was acceptable? I am trying to get information. I am at work

and trying to find out what happened--especially because I started this thread, what, three days ago. I got a call a work that he had been arrested and besides the few responses here, I had very little information. The more I know, the worse it seems.

[mopinko]

30. might check the date on my post.

i've got a crystal ball, but right now it is tied up keeping my 401 k above water.

[olkaz]

7. I'm sick of Blagojevich.

I absolutely cannot wait until he's gone. The more hounding the better.

[goodhue]

9. looks like feds maybe got some proof . . .

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16348.html

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was captured on tape saying that unless he received “something real good” for the appointment of a top adviser to Barack Obama to fill the president-elect’s Senate seat he would appoint himself, according to the criminal complaint.

“Unless I get something real good , s***, I’ll just send myself, you know what I’m saying,” Blagojevich said was taped saying on November 3rd, the day before Election Day.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, added that the Senate seat “is a f***ing valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

The complaint does not mention her name, but the description makes clear that Blagojevich is referring to Valerie Jarrett, a senior campaign adviser to Obama who has been tapped as a top White House aide.

And on November 7th, three days after the election, Blagojevich made clear what he wanted in exchange for appointing the Obama adviser to the Senate: the Department of Health and Human Services.

In a discussion with John Harris, his chief of staff, and another adviser that was taped by the FBI, the governor said if Obama picked him to serve as Secretary of HHS he would appoint “Senate Candidate 1.”

Harris responded that the “ask” had to “be reasonable and rather than. . .make it look like some sort of selfish grab for a quid pro quo.”

Blagojevich also tried to shake down a union in exchange for appointing a senator who was favorable to the union, prosecutors allege.

[benny05]

10. The charges constitute a long tail of corruption

But this is worse for our state because the Assembly cannot return until next year unless Blago reconvenes, which he won't do because he would be impeached.

If he had any decency, he would allow a blue ribbon panel make the decision to recommend Barack's successor, but then anyone on that panel would appear to be suspect.

He needs to resign.

Regarding the poster's comment, no, I think Blago should be accountable for his actions.

[Critters2]

11. We downstate are tired of getting screwed by this asshat.

Closing state parks he can't even find on a fucking map (because they're south of I-80), all the fucking around with which prison to close, playing with state funds like he owned 'em. And all the time the whiff of real corruption. This guy should be Ryan's roommate. The sooner the better.

[barb162]

16. I like that. They can commiserate in the same cell.

bwa.

[olkaz]

17. Not to mention arbitrarily moving the IDOT jobs out of Springfield

As political punishment.

I would like to buy Mr. Fitzgerald a Christmas present.

[barb162]

20. You and me both!

[Critters2]

21. The whole "which prison to close" drama was about political punishment.

This man is just evil.

[barb162]

18. Upstate a lot of us feel the exact same way.

I'm sorry I voted for him. I had high hopes for him as he ran as a reformer. Personally I don't know one person who thinks he is clean or running this state well.

[barb162]

13. I'm not. If he's guilty, and they do have wiretaps, then send him to jail.

Fitzgerald is squeaky clean.

[live love laugh]

22. Since when did it become a crime to negotiate and leverage? He is not asking for money.

Am I missing something here :shrug:

[olkaz]

24. Yeah, I think you're missing a lot, lol

I don't think Fitzgerald spoke in such extreme terms for his own health.

[barb162]

26. Yes you are missing something, Read the criminal complaint

It's pretty disgusting that he was trying to sell Obama's ex Senate seat to the highest bidder, among other things.

[Critters2]

27. He was asking for money.

That's what you're missing.

[Venceremos]

29. As others have said

he was asking for money, specifically:

A substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.

Placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year.

Promises of campaign funds — including cash up front.

A paid cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.

Blagojevich has run this state into the ground, this is not a witch hunt by any stretch. His nonsense has personally affected my friends and family. Just one example is my brother-in-law. He lost his state job merely because Blago decided to fire people who got hired during Jim Edgar's administration (Edgar was a Republican).

My BIL did not get the job through any sort of political appointment, he applied through normal procedures and got the job only because he was well qualified. He performed the job well and never once got a bad review. Not to mention he's been a Democrat since the 1970's. Many of his friends who lost their jobs for the same reason were also Dems.

So Blago's witch hunt of alleged Republican state employees ended up costing plenty of Democrats their jobs. And it's a violation of IL law to fire a state employee because of political affiliation, although Blago has so far been able to weasel his way out of trouble over this aspect of his administration.

[barb162]

31. Every major national TV channel was hounding him last night

CNN, MSNBC, ABC, etc. Did you see Keith Olbermann going after him last night? I didn't see one positive newscast on him last night. He is now a national laughingstock. :eyes:

[Critters2]

32. You were expecting something positive about Blago last night?

Who are you, his mother? :rofl:

[Lucky 13]

33. self-delete