Starrfall on 9/12/2008 at 23:56
Let's talk about politics again!
Basically, the governor of Illinois has sole power to fill vacant Senate seats. Of which there currently is one. THIS Illinois governor decided that he damn well wasn't filling that seat unless he got something out of it and fuck anyone who tries to shortchange him! (Including former occupant of the seat, but more on that below.) He also tried to extort the Chicago Tribune and Bank of America and probably all kinds of other things because he kinda sounds like a douchebag.
So enter everyone's favorite prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, who
means business. He gets the FBI to wake up Blagojevich at 6am this morning and arrests him.
(
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/1209081rod1.html=) Smoking Gun has the complaint. Here are some of the better quotes from today.
Quote Posted by Illinois governor
I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying. And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself.
Quote Posted by the smoking gun
During a wiretapped November 10 call, a frustrated and financially strapped Blagojevich referred to Obama as a "motherfucker" and said that he would not appoint an ally of the President-elect to the Senate vacancy if "I don't get anything." Referring to Obama, Blagojevich exclaimed, "Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him." In a November 11 conversation, Blagojevich remarked that he knew Obama wanted Valerie Jarrett, a longtime confidante, to succeed him, "but they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them."
Quote Posted by New York Times
In an earlier recorded conversation, prosecutors say, Mr. Blagojevich said he was approached by an associate of “Candidate 5” with an offer of $500,000 in exchange for the Senate seat.
Quote Posted by New York Times
The governor, he said, was woken at 6 a.m. with a telephone call from the F.B.I., telling him that two agents were waiting outside with a warrant for his arrest, and that he should quietly open his door and let them in, to avoid waking his sleeping children. Mr. Blagojevich's first response was, “Is this a joke?” Mr. Grant said.
Fringe on 10/12/2008 at 01:16
Man, if you're gonna get busted, at least take the Spitzer route and have it be for prostitution.
I guarantee you Spitzer enjoyed his crime more.
BEAR on 10/12/2008 at 02:08
Yeah, this guy sounds like a grade A asshole. It of course calls into the question of what to they expect when a governor can appoint anyone to the senate. I guess that doesn't happen often, but in this election it was going to happen at least once no matter who got in.
june gloom on 11/12/2008 at 01:52
Chicago politics at its finest!
Thief13x on 11/12/2008 at 05:57
fuck him... and Fuck her... and FUCK YOU...
yeah, nice
Hier on 11/12/2008 at 19:42
It's funny: here in Canada we are/were going through a mini "constitutional crisis", with the opposition parties banding together to boot out the sitting Prime Minister. A lot of people are crying foul at that, screaming that it's undemocratic, etc. But this incident in Illinois comes up at a great time as a perfect reminder for why it's a good idea to have a mechanism in place to remove a leader should the situation demand it.
As I understand it Blagojevich is still the Governor of Illinois. He is still free to pick anyone he chooses, including himself, for the Senate seat. There is almost no mechanism for removing him until he is convicted of a crime, which could take years.
Queue on 11/12/2008 at 22:39
Whenever these scandals come around, I always find myself wishing: "Please be a Republican, please be a Republican."
And of course...
...damn Democrats anyway
BEAR on 11/12/2008 at 22:42
I'll admit, I'm somewhat the same way, but being an asshole knows no party affiliation. He's such a colossal motherfucker it amazes me he made it this far, how was this not spotted sooner? At what point did he seem like a good candidate? Did he do anything good at any point?
Ghostly Apparition on 12/12/2008 at 01:22
This pretty much came about because Obama knew how corrupt the governor was and worked to get the state senate to enact anti-corruption legislation which is to take effect on Jan 1.
(
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/politics/10chicago.html?_r=2&ref=us)
It seems the president elect is already working to clean things up, but that won't stop the republicans from trying to make something out of it.
Tocky on 12/12/2008 at 04:06
Blago might well try to feed the republicans what they want to hear if he thinks it can get him leniency. The more rabid will swallow and broadcast any innuendo mileage they can squeeze from it.
