SC governor was caught using campaign funds/state funds illegally, and

[SoCalDem]

he paid a fine..resigned and will now probably become a congressman.

He will marry (has already married?) his foreign mistress (former mistress?)

What will be her immigration status? Will she "move to the front of the line"?

Louisiana senator admits to (after being caught) frequenting prostitutes, and is overwhelmingly re-elected...and continues to put himself forward as a "morality-barometer".

and yet Illinois (Chicago, in particular) has a snickery reputation for "corruption", when they DO prosecute and IMPRISON their political ne'er-do-wells.

They do not seem to go the "pay a fine" and all is forgiven route like the overtly "religious" states seem to always do.

[Angry Dragon]

1. republican morals are just fluid

[sadbear]

2. IOKIYAR is not a joke.

It's fucking real.

[tabbycat31]

3. oh I hope the Colbert family kicks his ass

[frazzled]

4. You bring up an interesting point

I have lived in Chicago twice in my life: for six years, beginning in the mid 1970s, for graduate school; and then again now, since 2004. Both those periods have been filled with colorful news of corruption and prosecutions, a real mainstay of the local press.

But as I lived in three other cities and states between those times (all, by the way, blue as well), I often found myself asking why the news media there were so disinterested in the details and machinations of their governments and politicians. I felt certain "stuff" was going on that could have been investigated. My conclusion has been that, despite the fact that I freely admit there has been too much pay to play and more subtle forms of corruption, Illinois is simply more interested in investigating, publicizing, and prosecuting these deficiencies. It's like a blood sport here. One might say it is a form of entertainment.

Now, I don't want to say that there is not a real problem, and a real need to investigate and prosecute. There have been some bad traditions here, especially during the long Daley dynasties. But I also feel that Chicago and Illinois have earned a worse reputation (despite the Adlai Stevensons, Abner Mikvas, Dick Durbins and other upstanding politicians we have produced, including Obama) simply because they are more attentive to these things, and more willing to go after them.

[SoCalDem]

5. For many years Chicago had a robust newspaper rivalry

The two newspapers spent a LOT of time reporting on and exposing political stories. We lived across the lake from Chicago (from 70-77 in Michigan City, IN), and political corruption was always in the news.