From the indictment of Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich (backstory):
“ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois). ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the “financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards. According to ROD BLAGOJEVICH, “the immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial pressure off of our family.” Later in the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that absent getting something back, ROD BLAGOJEVICH will not pick Senate Candidate 1. HARRIS re-stated ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s thoughts that they should ask the President-elect for something for ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s financial security as well as maintain his political viability.
Seriously? Jesus.
Here in Maryland its a scandal when a governor’s aide sends some stupid emails. Illinois is clearly playing pro ball when we’re in AAA of corruption.
Corruption? In Cook County Politics? Well, knock me over with a feather.
Hopefully Obama will make fighting corruption a priority, and not just a political tool like it was under Bush.
Because fighting corruption has been a hallmark of Obama’s career up to this point?
Actually with the corruption this obvious, you would think it’d be pretty easy for Obama to have a “Sista Souljah” moment by condemming Blagojevich. But if he ends up pardoning him…
Here in Illinois, we are starting to call ourselves the Louisiana of the North. Our last governor (Republican) is already in prison, and now it looks his successor (Democrat) may be about to join him. The nickel and diming of every little thing by the State of Illinois and Cook County is getting out of hand. 10% of my monthly cellphone bill is a State of Illinois tax – I don’t know what sort of cellular technology the state set up. I was under the impression US Cellular setup the cellphone towers. Starting in January, the parking meters in Chicago will quadruple – from 25 cents per hour to $1. That is gonna hurt small business that are not along an L line or bus route. And there is the matter of having the dumbest police chief in Jody Weiss. I love this city, and even the state as a whole, but the greed and incompetence of its elected officials is starting to extract too high a price.
“That was just my Nixon impression! Ha ha!”
Actually with the corruption this obvious, you would think it’d be pretty easy for Obama to have a “Sista Souljah” moment by condemming Blagojevich. But if he ends up pardoning him…
Already planting a new cornfield of strawmen….
And a new Culture of Corruption begins…stay tuned.
Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble?
Obama’s starting to look like the Typhoid Mary of political corruption…
J.
“Starting in January, the parking meters in Chicago will quadruple – from 25 cents per hour to $1. ”
To be fair, $.25 to park for an hour in a major city is insanely cheap.
You are not giving Spiro Agnew enough credit, dude.
“Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble?”
Serious trouble? Who with? A gaggle of dead-enders who believe Bush will be vindicated with the power of Mountain Dew and stateside deferred keyboarding?
Your POW / Potatoe ticket got whipped. Get over it, loser.
“Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble? ”
How about just about everyone he has nominated to his cabinet?
“To be fair, $.25 to park for an hour in a major city is insanely cheap.”
True – and if they increased it to 50 cents, people would not have thrown up their hands. But the greed exhibited by Daley and Co. at times knows no bounds. Keep in mind, Chicago bills itself as a City of Neighborhoods. Many of these neighborhoods have long-standing businesses, which depend on affordable streetside parking.
JT, the P.E. said they’d offer ‘only appreciation.’ How does that tie back to his administration again?
You’re obviously not from around here, Jay Tea. If you were, your statement would qualify as libel for being blatantly, maliciously and knowingly false and defamatory. And if you were from around here and said that, I’d hope you would get cleaned out and have to walk the streets wearing nothing but a barrel and shoulder straps.
But since you’re not from Illinois, it’s just that you’re an idiot conservative (but I repeat myself). So you’re off the hook for anything libelous (the maliciously and knowingly parts, that is). Stupidity is the best defense against malice.
Here’s the thing – Obama and Blagojevich don’t like each other. Never have. From the indictment affidavit, it looks more like Obama’s team tipped the feds off.
Here’s a partial list of other Dems in Illinois who hate Blagojevich (the R’s in Illinois are worthless):
House speaker Michael Madigan (not even on speaking terms)
Attorney General Lisa Madigan
Comptroller Dan Hynes
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Jan Schakowsky
Personally, I’d make a better Senator. And my offer to Blagojevich is this: Nothing.
Many of these neighborhoods have long-standing businesses, which depend on affordable streetside parking.
And those businesses also depend on available streetside parking. If the meter rates are too cheap, people hog the meter all day instead of parking in a lot. Rational pricing improves turnover.
Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble?
“Questions swirl,” right Mr. Tea?
JT, the P.E. said they’d offer ‘only appreciation.’ How does that tie back to his administration again?
B-b-b-but, REZKO!
Obviously our friends in the wingnut brigade from Limbaugh and Hannity down to small fry like JayTea and Farris will be trying to use this to make some kind of condemnation of Obama’s character.
Never mind that Blagojevich is on tape cussing Obama out because the president-elect refused to offer anything besides his hearty thanks in exchange for Blagojevich’s consideration of Obama’s preferred Senate replacement.
Also look for the wingnuts to hail US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (who formerly had been derided as a power-mad, out-of-control, headline grabbing partisan Prima Donna for prosecuting the noble Scooter Libby in the Plame outing, with Rush Limpballs nicknaming him “Fitzfong”) as a wonderful, ethical, no-nonsense muckraker whose party affiliation will probably henceforth be reported as (R) for purposes of FOX NEWS.
Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble?
By the way, Mr. Tea, under which of these headings are you placing Gov. Blagojevich?
Show your work.
It makes Jay Tea and his fellow dreamers rational brain hurt when they try to cut out that part where Blago HATES Obama for not playing ball. Him and his ilk
still want to play–but, but they both are from Illinois so they must be
buddies. It’s cute, and it makes me laugh. Actually it makes me laugh
that ALL pathetic republicans are getting hard because they are sooooo
desperate to link Obama to something—anything. Just smile and wave boys–smile and wave . . . .
Obama’s starting to look like the Typhoid Mary of political corruption…
… says the Bush supporter.
“Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble?”
Shut the fuck up, you lying piece of shit.
Blagojevich was pissed off at Obama for not playing along, so you are fucking wrong.
You really need to shut the fuck up, because you are full of shit, as usual.
… says the Bush supporter.
OW FTW
Oh noes! It looks like the Prosecutorial Malpractice guy dude person Patrick Fitzgerald took the lead in dropping the hammer on Blagojevich.
As for “Obama’s team” tipping the feds off, it appears that Rahmbo himself did the tipping.
That’s so Rahm.
From the indictment affidavit, it looks more like Obama’s team tipped the feds off.
Word on the street is it was Rahm His own self.
Mr. Tea? Could we have some more of that first-rate snark please?
Duros & Dr. Squid beat me to the Rahm tip-off, which will of course not be of the slightest interest to the wingnuts who will be all like “Well why didn’t Obama blow the whistle on Blagojevich?? Huh? Huh?!?!!1!”
Either that, or they be all like “Emmanuel’s a rat.”
If it was, indeed, Emanuel who dropped the dime on Gov Blag, then good for him. And considering all the opportunities Obama’s had to stand against corruption and “gone along to get along,” it’s nice to see he actually did so this time. Downright refreshing, in fact.
In fact, I kinda hope it was Emanuel who tipped off the feds, with Obama’s consent. That’d be a nice parallel with Sarah Palin, who took on the corrupt members of her own party in Alaska.
As I’ve always said, corruption is non-partisan — neither side holds a monopoly on it. And it’s the responsibility of each party to go after its own corrupt members with the greater zeal, more so than the members of the opposition.
But back to my point: I meant the “Typhoid Mary” thing quite literally. Obama seems to be a “carrier” of corruption without actually suffering from it himself. Hell, if I was a corrupt Democrat, I’d keep as much distance from Obama as possible, just by looking at the record of all the people who’ve been around him.
J.
Obama’s starting to look like the Typhoid Mary of political corruption…”
Whaaa? Jay tea, not only did you deliberately mischaracterize Obama’s relationship with Blagojevich your analogy doesn’t even make any sense.
Do you even know who Blagojevich or Typhoid Mary are?
Jay, thanks for naming one associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s that is not in serious trouble. Does it hurt stepping on your ears?
“That’d be a nice parallel with Sarah Palin, who took on the corrupt members of her own party in Alaska. ”
Spoken like a real McCain campaign press release. What does that mean, really? Which corrupt members did she “take on” and how exactly did she do that? What crimes were committed that she exposed? Who was removed from office, prosecuted, jailed? I am sure you have multiple, detailed sources that you will provide momentarily.
GLV, she was a member of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, serving as Ethics Supervisor. She discovered that a fellow commissioner (and head of the Alaska GOP) was corrupt, was stifled from going after him, so sh resigned and filed a complaint that led to him resigning both positions.
After that scalp, she went after Alaska’s Attorney General and was key in his being forced to resign, too.
Then, she went after the corrupt governor of Alaska, challenged him in a primary race while exposing his corruption, and took him down, too.
All Republicans.
Obama, on the other hand… is always shocked and dismayed when the folks he works with end up in trouble. He had no idea his minister was a raving racist paranoid whackjob. He didn’t know his sponsor, Bill Ayers, was a former terrorist. He was astonished that the guy who helped him raise money for his campaigns and buy his house was a crook. He had no clue that his governor was a huge crook.
Tell me again about how stellar judgment, will ya? I need a good laugh.
J.
Don’t make me go all Glenn Close on your ass.
Could someone point me to an associate, ally, patron, or friend of Obama’s who is NOT in serious trouble?
Mr. Tea, under which of these headings are you placing Gov. Blagojevich?
Show your work.
“If it was, indeed, Emanuel who dropped the dime on Gov Blag, then good for him.”
How many times do you have to be proven wrong before you stop going off half-cocked before you look at the facts before you attack Democrats?
“Then, she went after the corrupt governor of Alaska, challenged him in a primary race while exposing his corruption, and took him down, too.”
And then she broke the ethical guidelines. Don’t forget that!
Strowbridge, did you actually READ the report? The summary said she broke the rules, but the actual report exonerated her. It was like the summary was written by someone else entirely, who didn’t read the full report.
And yeah, I said “If it was, indeed, Emanuel who dropped the dime on Gov Blag, then good for him.” How the hell is that kind of conditional statement in any way “half-cocked?”
Man, sometimes you get so frothing, barking mad you make no sense.
No, that’s not fair. You usually make no sense. This time, you’re making negative sense, and that’s a hell of a trick.
J.
“Strowbridge, did you actually READ the report? The summary said she broke the rules, but the actual report exonerated her.”
Jay Tea, do you have a functioning brain cell?
She broke the ethics rules. How the fuck can she be exonerated?
Are we using different definitions of the word?
“How the hell is that kind of conditional statement in any way ‘half-cocked?’”
I’m sorry, I guess you didn’t say, “Obama’s starting to look like the Typhoid Mary of political corruption…” No wait, you did say that. You did go off half-cocked at the beginning of the thread before looking at the facts.
Now go fuck yourself.
Seriously, how the fuck can you be this fucking stupid?
“Tell me again about how stellar judgment, will ya?”
When did I say anything about stellar judgment? I’m trying to be somewhat civil here. I asked a question, you answered it. Thank you. You need to calm down or you’ll give yourself a coronary.
From the Branchflower Report, Page 8:
“Governor Palin’s firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch heads.”
Also, the recommendations section contains NOTHING that would cover Palin’s conduct in the whole sordid mess — which involved her family trying to take action against a bad cop who had directly threatened the lives of her immediate family. If that’s “corruption,” then you have a seriously fucked definition of the word.
Anyway, back to Governor Blag: the man is scum. It’s nice Obama was distancing himself from him, and if Emanuel helped bring him down, good for Emanuel. But it’s sad that Obama didn’t do more in the situation. Of course, Obama has never stood up to his Democratic leaders, so it’s no great surprise.
J.
Well, that’s certainly one way to look at it.
“Also, the recommendations section contains NOTHING…”
Jay Tea, you are a fucking retard. You making a claim makes it less likely that it is true.
She. Was. Found. Guilty. Of. Ethics. Violations.
Just because she wasn’t found guilty on everything she was investigated for, doesn’t mean she was magically exonerated.
“…which involved her family trying to take action against a bad cop who had directly threatened the lives of her immediate family.”
Interesting. You think he was a threat, yet those people who were planning to assassinate Obama was no threat because the gunman was a meth addict. Double standard?
“…so it’s no great surprise.”
It’s no great surprise you are attacking Obama over things you let slide under the Bush administration.
What. A. Mother. Fucking. IDIOT!!
Rod, thy name is now Blowjobevich. Get out of office, get out of our party, and GET OUT OF OUR LIVES.
And Jay, for everyone’s sake, shut the ever-loving FUCK up. Forever.
If I were a cop, I would certainly have the authority and power to pull people over for minor traffic violations, ticket them and maybe even arrest them. If I spent my work shift following my ex-wife’s new boyfriend and exercising my power and authority by issuing him traffic tickets and arresting him, well, then I’d be abusing my power just like Governor Palin. The word “stalker” seems quite fitting for her.
But it’s sad that Obama didn’t do more in the situation.
I’ll play.
Like what, Mr. Tea? What would Mr. Obama have done that would have earned your unrestrained approval?
Since I am from Chicago, none of this shit is shocking. This is a city where aldermen pick up 10K on the daily. No shit.
Blago is as dumb as any politician gets.
There is more coming, this is just the beginning. Though a shock to many, wait until the other stuff spills out.
Obama had nothing to do with Blago, thank god, but again Chicago politicians are corrupt as they come. Next one to go down is a man named DALEY.
Thank you. This may be the stupidest thing anyone has ever written. As if corruption is a disease you catch from proximity to someone whom, while not corrupt themselves, spreads corruption. This isn’t even guilt by association, this is guilt by proximity, congratulations on lowering the bar for idiotic right-wing attacks.
That you then go on to tout the purity of Sarah Palin is just delicious, delicious gravy. She fought corruption when it was beneficial to her and she participated in corruption when it was beneficial to her. Even if you set aside troopergate, and the $150,000 wardrobe, you’re still left trying to explain her house, built for free by contractors hired to build the Wasilla sports complex, and a gubernatorial per diem earned for living in her own home. I’m not going to lose sleep over her ethical weaknesses (particularly if she remains in the great northwest), but I will get a good laugh over anyone fool enough to laud her for her principles.
Obama seems to be a “carrier” of corruption without actually suffering from it himself.
I think you’re thinking of John McCain.
“Next one to go down is a man named DALEY.”
Are you on crack? That man is untouchable. Everyone knows he’s corrupt, but he’s so corrupt that nobody thinks it is unusual for him to be corrupt. It’s not unexpected, therefore, it is not worth investigating.
I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it’s the way it is.
“She fought corruption when it was beneficial to her and she participated in corruption when it was beneficial to her.”
Hell yeah. Those Republicans she went after were her political rivals. Those who didn’t support her run for the Governorship.
Tinkerbellian Logic–Regarding JT’s posts (and just about everything the GOP has done for the last 10 years)–Remember that scene in Peter Pan where Tinkerbell drinks the poison and if all the boys and girls who believe in fairies just clap hard enough, Tinkerbell will come back to life? Clap a little harder, JT, and maybe Obama will be corrupt and Palin a crusader. Clap really, really hard and maybe everything Bush screwed up will get better magically.
But back to my point: I meant the “Typhoid Mary” thing quite literally. Obama seems to be a “carrier” of corruption without actually suffering from it himself.
Jesus.
First of all, Jay Tea, if you meant the Typhoid Mary reference literally, why the fuck did you put carrier in quotes?
Second, what the fuck are you talking about? Do you know what literally actually means?
If you meant the reference literally that means you think political corruption can be passed between people exactly like an infection disease. Is that what you meant? Really? Seriously?
Please. Just tell me that you said you meant it literally just for the lolz or it’s opposite day at your preschool or something.
Because if you really meant it literally, I really don’t know what to say. It’s like the stupidest fucking thing I think I’ve ever read.
Thank you. This may be the stupidest thing anyone has ever written.
ROFLMAO. Crusty, you beat me too it. I hadn’t seen your comment until after I hit submit.
I think we can safely say that Jay Tea is literally the stupidest fucking person on the planet.
JT, for goodness sakes, don’t stop posting. The teeing off you inspire is one of the intertron’s great comedies, equalled perhaps only when Yankee Jay makes an appearance.
“He didn’t know his sponsor, Bill Ayers…”
Bill Ayers was never Barack Obama’s “sponsor.”
“He had no clue that his governor was a huge crook.”
And Obama was supposed to know this how? A person is supposed to know that their governor is a “huge crook” by the very fact that the latter is…their governor? Do you apply this logic to all of Blago’s constituents (in other words, all the citizens of Illinois) or just Barack Obama?
But then how can we take seriously a guy who slanders every one of Obama’s associates, allies, patrons and friends by basically implying that they ALL are “in trouble.”
Obama’s Intervention for Ethics Bill Indirectly Led to Case Against Governor
I am totally looking forward to eight years of shooting fish in the barrel.
My dear friend Jeanne Dresser, who was raised in Chicago, isn’t surprised…”It’s the Chicago Way,” she told me last night.
Well, Obama now has a golden opportunity to declare an end to the “Chicago Way.”
“I am totally looking forward to eight years of shooting fish in the barrel.”
They are so used to people taking Republican talking points as gospel, that I honestly think that they think that we are the crazy ones for not just accepting everything they say.
They are delusional, which was dangerous when they were in power, but is not kind of funny.
I missed this the first time around, but…
“Obama’s starting to look like the Typhoid Mary of political corruption…”
“But back to my point: I meant the ‘Typhoid Mary’ thing quite literally.”
You meant a simile literally?
You really have no fucking clue.
“Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous “Senate Candidate #5″ whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News.”
It all comes back to the birth certificate – give me a second here – if Barack Obama is literally Typhoid Mary, that would mean he is actually a 138 year old white woman. That precludes him from being our first African-American president. Truly a shock for many of us. But it gets worse – if Obama is literally Typhoid Mary, that means he was born in
IRELAND!! If we could only get his/her original birth certificate from 1869, we could proved this and revoke his presidency. JT is a GENIUS!!!
“But after the call from Mr. Obama, the Senate overrode the veto…”
They overrode the veto 110-3. All Obama’s involvement contributed was to get the legislation passed in September rather in November when the Illinois Senate was scheduled to convene.
Heck, a cynic might point out that by wanting the vote to be earlier, Obama prevented the bill from being expanded to include more than just statewide office holders. The amendments Blagovich wanted in the bill would have made the Ethic reform bill TOUGHER since it would have included state legislators and not just statewide officeholders.