Blago Gets 14 Years

So long Milorod.  Maybe you and George Ryan can share a cell.

Blago Guilty 17 Times

Image via Wikipedia

Former Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich (D-IL), will become the fourth Illinois governor to see the inside of a prison cell.  In my lifetime there have been 6 Governors of Illinois.  3 have been sent to prison.

I think my favorite synopsis of the Blago trials is this article in the Tribune where jurors describe the former governor as likable but guilty.  He is charismatic, I will agree to that.

Blago Escapes With Single Conviction

When your entire defense takes about a day and calls no witnesses on your behalf, you would think the odds are stacked against you. Especially when you consider that you are being prosecuted by the guy who sent the last Illinois governor to prison, who took down the last governor of New York with leaks of a prostitution ring and who also convicted the former Vice President's chief of staff.  You pretty much have no chance.  Enter Rod Blagojevich.

On the flip side, if you can't convict a guy that presents no defense then you really ought to call it quits.  Patrick Fitzgerald, the once untouchable U.S. Attorney, really wasted a lot of time and money on this one.

If there is any silver lining in this whole thing, and I speak as a resident of Illinois, it rid the state of Gov. Blagojevich for good.  He'll never again be in charge and nearly all of us are thankful for that.  He was unpopular, corrupt and put the state in a terrible mess financially.  But with the lone conviction, he'll probably do no prison time and we'll all be forced to see his smiling face on teevee for quite some time. 

Blago Trial Highlights The Worst of Illinois Political Financing

Ali Ata, a Rezko associate and the former head of the Illinois Finance Authority, has testified again that he was named to his post after giving campaign contributions to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

This isn't anything new in Illinois. What this trial isn't doing is demonstrating this has been going on for a long, long time. It didn't begin with George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich.  And considering the current state of campaign finance reform in Illinois, it's not going to stop any time soon.

So we face a $13 billion deficit in a state where pay to play is the name of the game.  Could it be possible for Illinois to the this country's first failed state?

*Update:

Looking through some state data, Illinois has the second highest budget deficit in the nation.  California has the highest.  Seeing how Illinois has the fifth largest population in the country it's worth comparing notable states and their budget woes.  Florida and Pennsylvania, the fourth and sixth largest respectively, both have a $6 billion deficit, less than half of Illinois.  Actually you could combine the two together and still wouldn't equal Illinois' deficit.  The biggest difference?  Florida and Pennsylvania's last two governors haven't went to prison have they?

Time To Impeach

Illinois House Panel recommends impeachment. Vote could come tomorrow.

I've never been a fan of impeachment. I would rather see a recall law than an impeachment. I think the nation got a taste of just how silly impeachment is during the Clinton saga. Even during Bush's two terms I never once supported impeachment. My reasoning is because impeachment plays politics while a recall law gives power to the voters. But in this instance the only option available to the people of Illinois is impeachment. And I've never seen anyone more fitting for impeachment than Rod Blagojevich.

Disgusting But Legal

The point of the whole Roland Burris spectacle is that it didn’t need to happen. There isn’t much Harry Reid or any other Democrat can do to stop Burris from taking his seat in the U.S. Senate. This is all the fault of Blagojevich. Had he resigned the day he was arrested like any decent human being that is concerned with the world would have done, none of this would be going on. Instead Blago thinks himself above the law. He always has. He wants to show people he’s still in charge, and that above all else, he’s innocent until proven guilty. He’s scum and as egotistical as any God-created human has ever been. Eventually he will be impeached and removed from office but until then look for him to keep reminding us that he’s still governor. What a jerk. He’s so proud. It’s amazing his head hasn’t exploded from the constant flow of vanity gushing towards it.

The Circus Goes To Washington

And it's not allowed in.

Total Failure

How is this man still governor of my home state?

I don't know much about Roland Burris. I was in grade school and junior high during Burris' hey day in Illinois politics and I suppose I've never heard anything bad about the guy. Despite what many have said about Burris' past and clean record, there is no way he can be a man of character and honesty. Anyone who accepts an appointment from Blago, no, anyone who accepts a phone call from Blago is not a person of any moral standing whatsoever.

Blagojevich still in office and head of the fifth largest state in the Union is a complete failure of the Illinois Democratic Party. There is no fathomable explanation as to why Democratic leaders have not already forced him out. This is total failure and a complete embarrassment. No excuses people, this is politics at its worst.

Resign You Lousy Pathetic Crook

I don't know if I have ever seen such arrogance in my life.

Hot Rod Blagojevich finally speaks but takes no questions:

"I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath," he said. "And I'm not going to quit a job that people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob."

There is not a doubt in my mind he is guilty of all he's been accused and then some. He's the total epitome of slime ball politics. Resign you idiot and let us move on. I don't know if I've ever hated anyone as much as I hate him.

57 Minutes

The impeachment hearings on Gov. Blagojevich met for a total of 57 minutes today before adjorning until tomorrow.

I told ya nothing's gonna happen with this General Assembly.

The Joke That Is Illinois

Is there anything more embarrassing than to have your morally and criminally corrupt governor refuse to resign even after being arrested? Yeah sure the General Assembly is meeting today to figure out what to do with him but why did it take almost a full week to call a session together? There isn't a legislator or senator in Illinois that is more than 4 hours away from the capital. The day after his arrest the General Assembly should have been in Springfield forcing this idiot to resign. Instead they wait nearly a week and still probably won't do anything today. It's embarrassing, but worse it's politics that used to be reserved for third world countries and instead it's right here in the Land of Lincoln.