It’s must see stuff…

So sounds bad, right? But nothing will come of it. Here’s why…

Technically, Burris never did raise any money for Blago, and talking about it isn’t illegal. Unethical? Sure. But an ethics violation is the political equivalent of being told to go sit in the corner for 30 minutes. So my guess is that all he’ll get is a slap on the wrist.

However, just for a personal standpoint…the fact that Burris didn’t bring this phone conversation up before today is just dumb and he doesn’t deserve to be a Senator because of it.

By the way, this is the type of hard hitting interviewing we need to see more of. Matthews isn’t here taking partisan swipes. He’s trying to get to the truth. And good for Burris for showing up, but Matthews wasn’t lobbing softballs at him and everybody else in cable news should take note.

That’s the word out today and it sounds fairly damning for Jackson because how would folks come to Blago and promise this if it wasn’t backed up by Jesse Jr.?

From Chicago Sun Times:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed to President Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The overture came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say.

Besides the $5 million to be raised by Jackson, the proposal also included another $1 million for Blagojevich’s campaign fund that would come from Indian donors, sources say.

And here’s how it went down…

The first came from Rajinder Bedi, a state employee who acted as a conduit to the Indian community for Blagojevich, sources say. Bedi met with the governor’s brother, Robert, to tell him that a longtime fund-raiser and wealthy health care businessman, Raghuveer Nayak, would help organize fund-raising within the Indian community and that Jackson would raise money as well.

Then, at an Oct. 31 planning luncheon at the India House restaurant in Schaumburg, Nayak delivered a similar message to Robert Blagojevich, the Sun-Times has learned. Nayak allegedly identified himself to the Blagojevich camp as a representative of Jackson, sources say.

Again, doesn’t bode well for Jackson. Because he has definitely had contact with Nayak and even if he didn’t do anything wrong, Nayak can say he did.

Ugh, what a mess.

More as it develops…

WTF?

Obviously I don’t take part in jingoistic, populism often, but this just strikes me as just plain unamerican.

From NY Times:

In a sentimental gesture from a no-nonsense kind of guy, Jory Spears lifted his camera phone on Friday in a somber salute to this city’s beloved Sears Tower.

“The Sears Tower has some really big shoulders, it works hard and it can stand the Chicago winter — kind of like me,” said Mr. Spears, 52, a native Chicagoan who is among the many unhappy with the imminent renaming of the 110-story skyscraper, the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, to Willis Tower.

Many here say the purchase of the naming rights to the building by Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance brokerage, announced Thursday, is just the latest snub in a sad collection of architectural indignities.

I mean, seriously, can’t Chicago get the name protected since it’s part of American history. It shouldn’t be treated like a sports stadium sponsorship.

Thoughts?

It’s pretty simple.

He lied and he should resign.

The end.

Roland “I am the Senator” Burris

Today, the Illinois House of Representatives voted 114-1 to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich.  Meanwhile, the state’s Supreme Court declined to order Secretary of State, Jesse White, to sign the certificate by which appointed Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama’s Senate seat, but also ruled that the appointment document was valid without the Secretary of State’s signature.  White then reiterated that he would not sign the Governor’s certificate of appointment as a matter of principle.

Apparently clutching at this last remaining straw, Senator Dick Durbin said later in the day that the Senate still would not accept Burris without White’s precious signature.  But White, who complained the other day that the Senate was making him the “fall guy,” announced that he was sending his own separate document to the Senate stating that Burris’s appointment document is “true and accurate.”  And Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan declared that White was no longer an obstacle to Burris being seated, which was up to the Senate.  Perhaps confused by all this, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday evening that various Senate functionaries had to advise “the Senate Leadership as we consider a way forward.”

Reid and Durbin could use some good advice.  According to Politico.com, some Democrats are angry at the botching of the Burris affair and are blaming Reid, Durbin and Obama.

Maybe White’s separate certification will so obviously overcome grounds for Senate resistance that the issue will be gone by Saturday morning.  Still, what Reid and Durbin tried to do earlier today, after learning of the impeachment vote, was to put the issue into a holding pattern to see: (1) if the impeachment vote leads to enough pressure on Blago to get him to resign; (fat chance); or (2) how fast the Illinois Senate moves toward a conviction and removal from office (beats me).  If it looks as if Blago is going to be out and Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is going to be in quickly enough to head off further distracting theatrics involving Burris, Reid, Durbin and company may figure that they can stall long enough for Quinn to decide the matter.

But here’s the thing.  Will Quinn, who’ll immediately be looking to boost himself for election to a full term as Governor, really want to appoint someone other than Burris?  If he appoints, say, Lisa Madigan or Tammy Duckworth, both of whom are reported to be among the favorites but neither of whom is black, he will be feeding himself into a buzz saw, as Illinois’ large African-American constituency rallies around Burris as the legitimate appointee.

If he tries to dodge that bullet by appointing another African-American, unless Burris collapses and withdraws (not likely for a man who’s shown such spunk), Quinn will be setting up a black-on-black legal and political battle for which he’ll get no kudos from black voters.  In either case, a prolonged court contest over who is the rightful senator will ensue, keeping the national spotlight on the Blagojemess, as Barack Obama tries to move his program ahead.  In the end, the courts will almost certainly decide that Burris’ appointment is the valid one.

So the only course available to Governor Quinn that wouldn’t make him enemies, wouldn’t cast a shadow over Obama’s honeymoon period, and wouldn’t result in an ultimate defeat would be to appoint Roland Burris again!

And that means Burris is in like Flynn.

 

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The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1913 to require the election of Senators by the people, not by state legislatures, also requires governors to “issue writs of elections” when Senate vacancies occur. It then adds this proviso: “Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.”

According to Geoghegan, “the proviso simply allows the governor to make a temporary appointment until there is a special election at such time and place that the legislature determines.” It does not cancel the requirement to “issue writs of elections.”

“Yet the current practice in virtually every state flips the proviso to override the main clause,” Geoghegan notes, a practice that “frustrates the whole democratic thrust of the amendment.”

Geoghegan points out that the Supreme Court has never ruled definitively on this practice, even though its been going on for decades. He says the only precedent comes from a decision by a federal appeals panel (Valenti v. Rockefeller) upholding the Governor of New York’s decision to fill the vacancy created by Robert F. Kennedy’s murder. That decision rested on the fact that Kennedy’s death in June 1968 did not leave enough time to hold a primary prior to an election in November of that year.

This is fascinating. If Geoghegan is right, someone might be able to challenge the constitutionality of Rod Blagojevich’s appointment of Roland Burris (or any other gubernatorial appointment). Any thoughts on this from all the Constitutional scholars out there?

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Durbin, Burris and Reid enjoy a chuckle together

Wow, that was fast! One minute Harry Reid and Dick Durbin are vowing never to seat anyone appointed to the Senate by Hot Rod Blagojevich and turning the appointee away in the rain. The next, we’re all chums (”Rod who?”).

After several days in which only attacks on Hamas in Gaza by the entire Israeli Army could compete with the saga of Roland “I am the Senator” Burris for media attention, Reid caved. He didn’t blink or wink; he just collapsed and invited Burris to join him for a cozy schmooze.

Of course, there are still several “conditions” Burris must meet to get his seat. One is to get the signature of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White on his credential, as was supposedly required by the Senate rules. (One wag likened this to getting a note from the principal.) That got a lot easier when White, himself, being no fool, declared that his signature was merely “ceremonial” and “not required” for the Senate to seat Burris, and that he was not about to be made the “fall guy.”

A second condition is that Burris must testify to the Illinois Legislature’s impeachment committee about the circumstances of Blago’s offering him the appointment, presumably so Burris can swear there was no hanky panky involved. Burris testifies Thursday. Consider the condition fulfilled.

Finally, Reid still insists that the Senate Rules Committee will have to look into the appointment and recommend action to the entire Senate, which would then vote to seat Burris — or not. This gives Harry a bit of time to let the issue sink from public view and also allows him to force Republicans to vote, yes, along with Democrats, thereby diluting future partisan charges of caving to Blago-mail.

Meanwhile, Senators Diane Feinstein and Patrick Leahy broke ranks with the Majority Leader early to say they supported seating Burris, thus opening a potential flood. The Congressional Black Caucus voted unanimously to urge the Senate to seat him. President-elect Obama said it was a Senate matter but he thinks Burris is a fine fellow. According to Burris, Jimmy Carter phoned in an endorsement while in Washington for a photo op. And several sources reported that Obama urged a quick “amicable resolution” of the Burris mess when he met with Reid on Monday.

No wonder. Here we have Obama arriving in Washington to rev up his economic plan and finalize his top appointments, and the new Congress with its lop-sided Democratic majorities convening for the first time to great expectations, but CNN, MSNBC and Fox News had wall-to-wall, day-long coverage of the Burris drama. To use the old cliché, Burris was sucking up all the oxygen.

So, it is now clear, Burris is the Senator, or soon will be, and Blago has outfoxed everyone. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald reportedly went public early — before he could obtain a grand jury indictment — with his charges against Blago in order to head off a corrupt appointment to fill the President-elect’s Senate seat. Yet, all the Illinois pols — Pat Quinn, the various Madigans, Boss Daley, Durbin, White, et al. – the Democratic Senate Majority headed by Reid, and Obama himself, along with his highly touted transition team, “Rahmbo” and the rest, have managed to muff the play and let Blago make the appointment anyway. It’s not a corrupt appointment, now, to be sure, but it’s a big Blago win. I suspect this will not be the last we hear of Hot Rod.

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Roland “I am the Senator” Burris after Senate turned him away

I’m starting to like this Burris guy. OK, so he’s Rod Blagojevich’s personal choice to fill Obama’s vacant Senate seat, which is a very, very bad way to start a Senate career.  Still, he’s showing himself to be smart, cool, dignified, and capable of marching right up to Harry Reid and all the rest to claim his seat.

 

Few pols have that kind of genuine moxie. Oh, sure, they talk about strength and courage and what not, but put a little pressure on them — say, the pressure of the whole national Democratic Party leadership — and not many wouldn’t fold. But Chicago’s Roland Burris seems positively eager for a fight.

 

A major factor in the way Harry Reid, Dick Durbin and others have backed themselves into their present corner is the sense they seem to have that no African-American — especially not one chosen by Blago — will win election to a full term in 2010, handing the seat to the GOP. (And of course, the reason both the Senate and Illinois Democratic leaders backed away from their initial call to strip Blago of the appointment power and set a special election was that the GOP might win the special.) But Burris is proving himself to be one tough cookie. He’s shrewd, yet disarmingly smooth; sharp, while exuding a kind of grandfatherly kindness; combative while giving one and all a nice smile.

 

Of course, Republicans will do their best to tie him to Blago, whatever happens to the Blagovernor, and he’ll have a lot of explaining to do to voters who believe Blago is more crooked than the average Illinois governor. But Democrats in Illinois could do a lot worse than having Burris, as an incumbent, running for the seat two years from now.

 

In any case, Burris is going to win this fight. Reid and company don’t have a legal leg to stand on. Their hope of winning lay with scaring Blago and any prospective appointee off, and they failed at that. So they might as well welcome the guy and make the best of it.

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I’m still not sure why this guy is trying to force his way into the Senate on the back of Blago, but he had to see this one coming.

From CNN:

Robert Baxter says Erickson rejected Burris’ appointment because it does not conform with Rule 2 of the Standing rules of the Senate, which specifically says that the secretary of state must sign the certificate of election along with the governor. The Illinois secretary of state has not signed Burris’ certificate of appointment — only Blagojevich has.

CNN’s Susan Roesgen reports that Burris has filed a motion, a “writ of mandamus,” with the Illinois Supreme Court to force the Illinois secretary of state to sign the certificate. There court has not yet issued a ruling on the issue.

Again, I return to the logic of this. It only hurts Burris and helps Blago. Why would Burris do this?

More as it develops…

Harry Reid and Could-Be Senator Roland Burris

As Rod “I am the Governor” Blagojevich’s pick to fill Barack Obama’s Senate seat, Roland Burris, vowed to fight for the office, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin went on Sunday talk shows and declared again that they have the authority to refuse to seat Burris and still plan to exclude him.

 

After drawing a line in the sand, however, Reid immediately invited Burris to ignore it, indicating that while the appointment by Blagojevich was tainted, Burris was a fine fellow and Reid might be willing to negotiate a solution to the problem. Reid is now scheduled to meet with Burris on Wednesday.

 

Of course, Reid may be just acting polite to avoid giving the bum’s rush to an African-American about whom no one seems to have anything bad to say. Black ministers and community leaders in Chicago are rallying behind Burris, and he’s also getting some key editorial support.  And although Reid denies it, he’s clearly been embarrassed by a claim from the Blago camp that he urged the Governor not to appoint any of several leading Black Illinois elected officials, supposedly because they wouldn’t be able to hold the seat for the Democrats in 2010.  Perhaps most significantly, there seems to be a growing consensus of opinion, cutting across partisan and ideological lines, that the Senate lacks the authority to exclude Burris and would be unwise or unfair to try to do so.

 

Reid is working to buy time. When Burris shows up on Tuesday, he’ll likely be given some acknowledgement — perhaps even accepted as a “Senator-elect” — with the issue of his credentials referred to the Rules Committee for study. With a little luck, the Illinois Legislature will impeach Blagojevich and remove him from office as early as next week before the Committee completes its “study.”

 

Trouble is that even a quick impeachment wouldn’t change the question of whether the Senate must recognize Burris’s appointment by Blago when he was still Governor. One way out would be to persuade Lt. Governor Pat Quinn to appoint Burris again after taking over as Governor, thus saving face for Reid, making no concession on the Senate’s ultimate authority, and dodging a potentially ugly race-tinged fight. For his part, Burris might be persuaded to agree not to run for a full Senate term in 2010.

 

It’s hard to see a “compromise” like this flying. After putting himself out on a limb by accepting Blago’s appointment, why should Burris agree to give up the office in two years, when his legal case is probably a winner. Why should Pat Quinn appoint him anyway? Why would all the other Illinois pols who want the appointment for themselves fall in line? And how can anyone be confident that Blago will be out of office anytime soon?

 

Nope. The Blagojemess is just going to continue to get messier.

 

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

In Delaware, Joseph Biden is ascending to the Vice Presidency, and in an example of horse-trading so transparent that it apparently doesn’t even warrant comment, twisted the arm of the governor to appoint his senior aide to the seat with the more-or-less express intent of keeping it warm for his son in 2010. The appointee, Ted Kaufman, has never received a single vote and has never held elected or even public office and, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t even have any noteworthy experience in the private sector. He was appointed over other potential candidates like the sitting Lieutenant Governor, the sitting Secretary of State, a sitting state supreme court justice, and, presumably, every other previous or sitting elected official in the state of Delaware.

In New York, of course, it seemed very likely, at least until she botched her entrance into the field, that Governor Patterson, at least in part on direction from the Obama campaign, would appoint Caroline Kennedy. Kennedy has done some good work in her life, but again has eschewed public accountability, and I think precisely nobody denies that the #1 qualification which puts her into such strong contention is her recent role as being one of the President elect’s top surrogates and fundraisers. Again, it’s not that Governor Patterson has no options, but rather no imagination. The other two names being widely floated for the seat are Andrew Cuomo and, yes, Bill Clinton. Which would be mind-blowing considering he would be holding the seat of the lady who was only put into the seat for being married to him (though at least she got elected and thus deserved it). In any case, who says the American aristocracy is dead? I’m still holding out hope that Patterson does the right thing and nominates somebody not on the basis of horsetrading and favor-rewarding, but rather looks to an actual prominent public servant in New York who deserves the ascension (unlike, say, in Delaware, where that was apparently not even a consideration). In any case, the decision right now is who needs to be pleased, the Obama camp, the Clinton camp, or Patterson’s 2010 reelection camp. The people of New York are so far running a distant fourth.

In Colorado, Senator Ken Salazar is vacating to be Obama’s Secretary of the Interior. Yesterday, Governor Bill Ritter announced that his appointment to fill the seat to term will be…Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet.

And a collective “who?” echoes throughout the rocky mountains.

However, the liberal netroots know what’s going on. As David Sirota writes here, there is only one area in which Ritter excels: he is the most well connected candidate to the big money donors in Colorado and beyond:

Considering his lack of legislative record, lack of experience in any elected or statewide office, and considerable ties to the biggest of big money, it’s logical to be concerned about how a Senator Bennet will vote on issues. Off the top of my head, I’m wondering, for instance, whether someone with this kind of resume is going to be in favor of tougher financial industry regulations?*
[...]
Colorado has no dearth of very, very qualified people to be U.S. Senator. More specifically, we have a lot of people who have worked very hard passing good public policy and building the grassroots of the Democratic Party for years here. Looking at this bench, and then selecting a person with almost none of those qualities confirms that what gets rewarded in politics today is not legislative accomplishments nor even political ones – what counts is money, inside connections, Ivy League pedigree and a Beltway-padded resume.

And then you have Illinois.

There, the controversial but innocent-until-proven-guilty governor apparantly rethought his standards and decided to go after a candidate who was the least offensive and most obviously squeaky clean and qualified candidate for the office possible. The Illinois legislature punted on holding a special election, despite their protestations that they wanted a fair process (when what they really mean is one in which they get to have their thumbs on the scales), so rather than leave Illinois with only one Senate vote for the foreseeable future, the governor went with a known public servant, a man who has made a career out of seeking public approval, a man with some pretty germane qualifications considering the context (a former Attorney General (i.e. anti-corruption crusader) and former Comptroller (i.e. bank regulator)), a man who would be the sole African-American in the Senate, and a man who, despite the most intense public scrutiny spotlight in America right now, precisely nobody can level a real accusation against. In other words, the man, given the circumstances, most qualified for the job.

So, four Senate vacancies. In one, literally a staffer is appointed to keep the seat warm for the Senator’s son. In another, it’s an ongoing battle of which high-profile election surrogate to reward for their loyalty. In the third, the trumping consideration was apparently in favor of the guy most connected to big money, at the expense of qualifications or experience. And in the fourth, the guy nominated was an unimpeachable public servant undeniably qualified for the job.

Now, the question:

Guess which one doesn’t get seated?

Cross-posted at The Crossed Pond

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald

In asking a court to give him a 90-day extension of time to present an indictment of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Blago’s now ex-chief of staff, John Harris, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald revealed some details that may point to a much wider and deeper probe of corruption in Illinois politics.

We learned from Fitzgerald’s filing that the “investigation was initiated in approximately 2003, and involves multiple potential defendants.”

We also learned that the investigation involved a non-specified number of court-approved telephone intercepts and that through only “the most recent set of…intercepts” some “thousands of phone calls were intercepted between late-October 2008 and early-December 2008.” The document is silent on how many phone calls may have been tapped going back to “approximately 2003.”

And not surprisingly, we learned that “multiple witnesses have come forward in recent weeks to discuss their knowledge of criminal activity in relation to the ongoing investigation.”

Based on what we know about past Illinois politics, (including the fact that Blago’s immediate predecessor as Governor is now in a federal pen), “Fitzmas” may come to Chicago and Springfield around late March, and everyone who’s been naughty had better watch out.

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

Blago with Roland Burris (center) and Rep. Bobby Rush (right)

At today’s presser, the Blagovernor announced his choice of former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama’s Senate seat, and then Rep. Bobby Rush gave Burris a big thumbs up.

The Rush endorsement was, I think, the most important news.  Rush (the guy to whom Obama lost a House race a while back) represents a big chunk of Chicago’s African-American population.  In a direct appeal to allow the appointment to go forward, so that the Senate will have at least one Black member, Rush said: “I would ask you not to hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer. Separate, if you will, the appointee from the appointer. Roland Burris is worthy.” Rush promised to push acceptance of Burris in the Congressional Black Caucus and the Senate.

Meanwhile, the Senate Democratic Majority issued this statement: “Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus.” Barack Obama quickly agreed that the Senate Democrats “cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat.”

That’s all well and good, but the Senate’s unwillingness to make it absolutely clear in advance that no one appointed by Blago would be seated, period, left the Blagovernor this opening to name a guy it might become touchy to refuse. In any case, if the Senate does refuse to seat Burris, he and can go to court and stands a fair chance of winning. A protracted battle would leave one half of Illinois’ Senate representation in limbo for at least many months.

The Illinois Secretary of State also jumped into the fray, saying he would not “co-sign” the certification of Burris’s appointment. It’s not clear what the effect of this might be except to give the Senate a hook to hang their refusal on and launch another lawsuit.

Not surprisingly, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn renewed his call for Blago’s impeachment, but the impeachment row may yet turn out to be a hard one to hoe.

Blago, Burris and Rush all made a point of asking people to judge Burris on his own merits, separately from their opinions about Blagojevich, and by all accounts, Burris, 71, has had a long career in public service free of controversy. This, combined with Rush’s appeal to seat a man who would be the one and only African-American among 100 Senators, could prove to be an argument that carries weight with millions of African-Americans in Illinois. If so, Blagojevich might win himself some support from a key constituency and throw another obstacle in the way of the move to impeach him.

We’ll soon find out. In any case, the Illinois Legislature should be ashamed of its failure to pass a bill stripping Blago of his appointment power when it had the chance.

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

Soon-to-be Senator Roland Burris?

Rod “I am the Governor” Blagojevich is calling every one’s bluff.  Blago is set later today to appoint former Illinois Attorney General and Comptroller Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama’s Senate seat.

Back on December 9, I made the obvious point that the only “absolutely certain” way to prevent Blago from making this appointment was this: “the Senate leadership of both parties should announce that they will recommend against seating any such replacement — no matter who it might be — and as many Senators as are willing to do so should publicly join in their leaders’ declaration.”

The Democratic Caucus did make an unnecessarily vague statement along those lines, but Reid and company didn’t follow through, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Burris is willing to accept the appointment.  And while it shouldn’t matter, the fact that Burris is African-American does matter.  Since Obama resigned, the Senate once again does not have a single African-American member.  Blago can wield that fact as a weapon against anyone who opposes the appointment.  Since the Senate did not make it 100% clear that no one appointed by him would be accepted, Blago will do his best to cast any move to refuse to seat Burris as a slap at black people.  At the very least, this will give him an argument to make to the state’s sizable African-American community, a crucial constituency as the federal criminal case against Blago and impeachment proceedings in the Illinois Legislature unfold.  While Obama could help mobilize African-Americans against the appointment, any action on his part would draw him more deeply back into the Blagojemess when he has more important things to do.

Incredibly, another thing did not happen to block the Blagovernor’s appointment — even with the passage of three weeks since Blago’s arrest.  The Legislature did not even try to strip the Governor of his power to appoint.  It’s true that Blago could have vetoed any such bill or simply let it die at year’s end, but passage of a bill would have further tainted a Blago appointment and made it harder for him to find a compliant appointee.  But the Legislature failed to act because the Democratic leadership, after giving the matter a bit of thought, decided they did not want to risk a special election in which a favored Democrat might not win.  Lieutenant Governor Quinn prefers to oust Blago and make the appointment himself.  Attorney General Lisa Madigan would like to get the appointment for herself, and her Dad, the powerful leader of the Illinois House, would prefer to make a deal than let the voters of Illinois decide.

So, nothing has been done except to launch an impeachment inquiry looks increasingly pretty lame.  Blagojevich said he was going to fight “to my last breath.”  He obviously meant it.  His message to his adversaries seems to be characteristic of him: @#!8%! off!

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

In case you missed the Blagovernor’s presser today, check it out. Out went the Elvis impersonation and the whole black leather jacket-KGB look. Blago showed up in his most elegant dark suit with spiffy power tie, and quoting Kipling poetry (no less) declared that he’s gonna fight, fight, and then fight some more “to my last breath.”

So there won’t be any easy fix, with Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn stepping up to hand-pick a new Senator from among those ready to play, if not pay. The Democrat-controlled Legislature still won’t pass a bill calling a special election, lest the state’s voters go crazy and elect someone not annointed by the Party elite. Obama will continue to lie as low as possible to avoid contamination from the whole mess. Illinois may not have two Senators again until the statehouse pols can figure out how to impeach Blago without U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s help. (Plus, you have to wonder if their hearts are really in it, since Blago probably knows a thing or two about other people’s skeletons.) For that matter, Illinois may have to muddle through without what you’d call a government for quote a while, as the pols duke it out.

As for the Kipling thing, maybe Blago would have chosen somone else to quote if he remembered this from the English writer who traveled to many places besides the Kyber Pass, “I have struck a city – a real city – and they call it Chicago… I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages.”

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

“Hell no, I won’t go” was Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s answer to calls by Barack Obama, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois State Legislature, various Madigans, and almost everyone else who lives in Illinois that he resign. Instead, Blago hired a hot-shot criminal lawyer who told the legislators convening in Springfield to get the impeachment ball rolling that he would fight the charges, fight impeachment, and generally tell everyone to [expletive] off. For reasons that escape this New Yorker, some Chicago pols seems genuinely flummoxed by Rod’s failure to fold, as if they expected him to give up his one really valuable asset — his office — in exchange for their appreciation when all this started because, well, you know.

Meanwhile, the phalanx of high-level Democrats who last week called on the Illinois Legislature to swiftly expunge Blago’s Senate appointment power in favor of a prompt special election have all backed off that silly good government idea, apparently because they figured out that whichever Democrat they personally favored might not win a special election. Or worse, OMG, a Republican might even win!

An election ruled out, to step up the pressure on Blago to resign, the state’s Attorney General Lisa Madigan — who is herself a leading prospect for either the Senate seat or the Governor’s slot, whichever comes first — asked the Illinois Supreme Court to rule Blago unfit to serve, relying on a statute designed to replace comatose governors, and toss him out. Unless the fix is in on the Supreme Court (always a possibility, I suppose), the judges are probably having a good laugh over it.

So Lisa’s pop, Michael Madigan, the kingpin of the Illinois House, gathered his troops Monday to begin the impeachment process. No sooner did they start than they hit a big, apparently unanticipated snag — to wit, the need for evidence of Blago’s misconduct. Lacking any of their own, they asked U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, for some of his. Fitzgerald told them to write him a letter and he’d see what he could see (I loved that response). 

Madigan the Elder is reported to be less than keen anyway on tossing Blago, only to have Quinn get the Governor’s office, because Quinn would then have both the power to appoint the Senator and a leg up on Madigan the Younger running for a full term as Governor. Pop may just as soon let the whole thing drag out in the hopes something good will happen, like getting a better look at other people’s cards or a deal coming his way.

Get this: the crafty Governor is rumored to be interested in offering his support for a special election to fill the Senate seat in exchange for something (perhaps the leeway to remain as Governor and fight the charges). His willingness to sign a bill is crucial, since the law enables him effectively to kill a special election bill simply by sitting on it. In the meantime, of course, Blago still has the power to fill the Senate seat!

As if all this were not enough, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. revealed that he has been dropping dimes to the Feds on his fellow office holders for the past five years. This may help him with folks who wonder about all that stuff on tape involving “Senate Candidate 5″ (or not). It does seem, though, that it will also give him a bit of a reputation among his colleagues as a rat. This would not be a hindrance to his future career, if Illinois politics were to be suddenly and totally reformed. I wouldn’t bet money on his getting the Senate seat, if and when it is ever filled.

Finally, even as the press has reported that Obama chief of staff-designate Rahm Emanuel appears 21 times on prosecutor Fitzgerald’s tapes, Obama has back-tracked on his earlier promise to investigate thoroughly and disclose everything. While he has a plausible excuse — Fitzgerald asked him not to talk about it right now — the potential for this Chicago mess to disrupt and distract his new administration is not going away. Suspicion and cynicism is growing in a press corps that likes Obama immensely but does not like being stonewalled on a matter of this magnitude until some time late on Christmas Eve.

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman, for example, who has been more than fair to Obama for the past year, is troubled by the foot-dragging and by the fact that Emanuel has retained a lawyer to help him deal with the Feds: 

Still, however justifiable the silence and caution, Emanuel (and, by extension, Obama) could pay a price for both as the Chicago mess simmers on. Emanuel already has blown up at members of the Chicago press corps—a newspaper reporter and a cameraman. Obama’s transition team, eager to show its openness and focus on naming cabinet nominees, has been forced to spend day after day dealing with the Blago story. There’s too much focus on Emanuel, whose naturally abrasive personality clashes with his boss’s cool demeanor. 

And Republicans are now piling on Emanuel—and are likely to continue to do so. At this point, there seems little doubt that Emanuel will survive, and will take his place on Jan. 20 as chief of staff in the Oval Office. But he is already a bigger story than is good for either him or his boss—and delay, however legally justified, just makes it bigger. 

The man has a point.

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

MSNBC has more…

So the idea that he would have gone to Blagojevich for a pay to play type scheme this time around is a bit far fetched, don’t you think?

More as it develops.

The Obama camp has managed to violate almost every tenet of crisis communications – starting with Rule No. 1: Get all the information out quickly, accurately and fully.

It’s imperative that reporters don’t learn something from a third party that you could have told them. And, in the era of nonstop news, “quickly” means within 24 hours. Any longer, and reporters begin to get frustrated (they’re under pressure from their editors) and feel that you’re stonewalling them. And why would you stonewall unless you were hiding something?

Powers points out that the Obama team’s innocence in the matter is readily apparent and they had no need to procrastinate with details or shift communication methods so awkwardly. Powers details how inconsistent answers and a poorly managed approach have turned what should have been a one or two day news story into a week-long headache.

Undoubtedly, the Obama team could have handled the Blago matter with more finesse. But I think they were caught off guard by a media that has already switched from covering the young, inspiring candidate to covering a sitting president. Obama can no longer expect much benefit of the doubt. He’s not challenging power. He is power.

Given what we know about Obama, I doubt he will let his team make these kinds of communication mistakes again. The playing field has changed. Team Obama now has to change with it.

Former Illinois Governor George H. Ryan (above) is the Republican who preceded Democrat Rod Blagojevich in the Springfield state house and may soon be joined by Blagojevich at the nearest Federal Big House.  Ryan, who served one term as Governor from 1999 to 2003, was convicted in 2006 for his role in the widespread illegal sale of government licenses, contracts and leases by state employees during his service as Secretary of State (1991-1999).  At least 76 former aides, lobbyists and others have been convicted in this scandal, which led Ryan not to seek reelection in 2002, opening the way for Blagojevich.  Ryan now resides in a prison camp at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Over the past few days, remarkably wide agreement has emerged among reporters, pundits and bloggers, from left to right, to the effect that Governor Rod Blagovich’s alleged misconduct is so out of the ordinary as to make you wonder if he’s “nuts” or “delusional.”

The sad truth is that Blagogate is just another example of conduct that is all too commonplace among politicians of both parties.  Although not so unusual, it is far more more dramatic than most corruption cases, because it involves the Senate seat of the man who was just elected President, and because the FBI actually bugged the Governor’s office and has him on tape, complete with [bleeping] expletives. The last time we had such vivid and shocking evidence of crude venality in high places was in Abscam, when we could watch one Congressman after another meet with a supposed “Arab sheik” and sell their offices for cash.

This kind of thing is certainly “the Chicago way” but it may not be too much of a stretch to look at it as “the American way.”  One insightful, smart take on this comes from veteran Democratic pollster and consultant, Doug Schoen, who writes:

To be sure, what has appeared in the news has been shocking for those who are somewhat removed from the world of politics. But while what Blagojevich did is undeniably beyond the pale, it is frankly much more common in the political world than anyone has been willing to acknowledge.

But this time, we have it on tape:

Yes, the wiretaps reveal clear and unambiguous evidence that Blagojevich hoped to get something in exchange for the appointment. But this kind of horse trading, in my experience, goes on all the time. It usually isn’t articulated as bluntly as it apparently has here, though–and there usually aren’t as many wiretaps marshaled as evidence.

While Governor Ryan’s blazing the trail for Governor Blagojevich should be proof enough that Rod is no innovator, I thought it would be fun to look at some other cases in the recent past, which include these in the great state of Illinois (remember, these are only the guys who got caught):

Former Governor Daniel Walker was convicted in 1987 of wrongdoing in connection with the savings and loan scandals and sentenced to a federal penitentiary.

Governor Otto Kerner, who served from 1961-68, was convicted of bribery, conspiracy, income-tax evasion, mail fraud and perjury.

Secretary of State Paul Powell was found with $800,000 in cash in a shoe box in his hotel room, but was never convicted. He died in 1970.

State Treasurer Jerry Cosentino was convicted on check kiting charges in 1992.

And of course, wheeler dealer Tony Rezko was convicted earlier this year 16 federal felony corruption charges.

Ah, but special kudos are due the Chicago Board of Aldermen for what may be a record-setting conviction rate for a single public office!  Consider: 

Alderman Arenda Troutman was arrested and charged with bribery in 2007.

Alderman Percy Giles was sentenced to three years in prison for racketeering, extortion, among other things, in 2000.

Alderman Lawrence S. Bloom was sentenced to six months in 1999 for filing a false tax return (what a boy scout!).

Alderman Jesse J. Evans got 41 months in prison in 1997 for racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, attempted extortion, mail fraud, influence peddling, filing false tax returns, and obstruction of justice (now that’s what I call a record!).

Alderman Virgil E. Jones Jr. drew 2 1/2 years in prison for extortion in 1999.

Alderman Joseph A. Martinez pleaded guilty in 1998 to putting “ghosts” on the payroll and sentenced to five months in prison.

Alderman Ambrosio Medrano pleaded guilty to extortion in 1996 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Alderman Allan J. Streeter pleaded guilty to extortion and filing false income tax returns and was sentenced to prison in 1998.  (What’s with all these pleas? Are there no real men ready to take the weight left in the Windy City?)

Alderman Fred B. Roti was sentenced to 48 months in 1993 for racketeering, conspiracy, and bribery, among other things. 

Phew!  Not to outdone by their colleagues at City Hall, Illinois state legislators have been doing their part:

In 1992, State Representative James DeLeo was caught in the “Operation Greylord” investigation of corruption in Cook County, indicted by a federal grand jury for taking bribes, negotiated a guilty plea, and got probation.

In 1997, State Representative Joe Kotlarz was convicted and sentenced to jail for theft and conspiracy for pocketing in about $200,000 for a sale of state land to a company he once served as legal counsel.

In 1999, State Senator Bruce A. Farley got 18 months in prison for mail fraud.

And State Senator John A. D’Arco Jr. served time in prison for bribery and extortion. 

OK, I admit I’m beating up pretty hard on Chicago, so here’s a recap of some of the greatest hits of American political corruption over the past three decades.  Let’s start with some governors:

Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton (1976-1979) lost his reelection bid after exposure of a bribery scandal. Before leaving office, he issued a large number of pardons to convicted felons, apparently in exchange for bribes.

Rhode Island Governor Edward D. DiPrete (1985-91) pleaded guilty to bribery, extortion and racketeering.

Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel was convicted of mail fraud and racketeering in 1977.

Arkansas Governor James Guy Tucker, Jr. was convicted of fraud cnspiracy in 1996.

Then there was Vice President Spiro Agnew who resigned his office to face corruption charges involving his years as Maryland Governor. He was convicted in 1973.

Alabama Governor Don Siegelman was found guilty of bribery, mail fraud and obstruction of justice in 2006 and sentenced to 88 months.

Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards was convicted of extortion in 2000.

Connecticut Governor John Rowland resigned in 2004 due to a corruption ivestigation. Later, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and tax fraud and served 10 months in a federal prison.

Last but not least, who can forget New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey who resigned from office in 2007 under a cloud for appointing his alleged male-sex partner as the sate’s homeland security director. (Jim really had to Pay to Play.) 

Yet, year after year, Congress remains home to a mother lode of illegal dealings involving money (not to mention all sorts of sexual hi jinks!). 

The Abscam boys are still, IMHO, recent history’s kings of Capitol Hill corruption. In this 1980 FBI sting, fake ‘Arabs’ tried to bribe 31 Congressmen.  A mere six were convicted, but many others were tainted. 

New Jersey Senator Harrison “Pete” Williams led the pack, being convicted on nine counts of bribery and conspiracy and became the first U.S. Senator to go to prison in 80 years.  Five members of the House were also convicted — John Jenrette of South Carolina, Richard Kelly of Florida, Raymond Lederer of Pennsylvania, Michael Myers of Pennsylvania, and Frank Thompson of New Jersey.  (The Feds also bagged a New Jersey state senator and members of the Philadelphia city council along the way.)

Bronx Rep. Mario Biaggi was convicted in 1988 on 15 felony counts of obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gratuities.

Speaker of the House Jim Wright of Texas, no less, resigned in 1989 after an investigation into improper receipt of $145,000 in gifts.

Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, an Illinois (there I go again) big shot, was caught up in the great Congressional Post Office Scandal of the early 1990s, was convicted of heading a conspiracy to launder Post Office money through stamps and postal vouchers, and got 18 months in the slammer.

Rep. Buz Lukens of Ohio was convicted in 1995 on five counts of bribery and cnspiracy and served a year in prison.

Rep. Edward Mezvinsky of Iowa pleaded guilty in 2001 to 31 charges of bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud.

Rep. Jim Traficant of Ohio was found guilty in 2002 on 10 felony counts of financial corruption, sentenced to eight years in prison, and expelled from the House.

House Majority Leader Tom Delay of Texas, after years of ethics probes and reprimands, finally got his in 2005.  He was indicted and later resigned from the House.

Rep. Duke Cunningham of California pleaded guilty in 2005 to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail and wire fraud, and tax evasion and was sentenced to more than eight years.

Rep. William J. Jefferson of Louisiana — he of the $90,000 in cash stashed in his freezer — was indicted in 2007 on 16 charges of corruption for accepting bribes and defeated for reelection last month.

Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, without whom no list is complete, at 85 with 40 years in the Senate, was snared in a sweeping federal probe of political corruption in his state and convicted last October on seven counts of bribery and tax evasion. 

I have to add one more, a case that is still working its way through the system, because it’s becoming a personal favorite:

Massachusetts State Senator Diane Wilkerson, a rising star in her state’s politics, resigned a few weeks ago after being indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of alleged corruption. Wilkerson is accused of taking over $23,000 in bribes.  The FBI has video and audio recordings of many of these alleged acts, including a video tape of Wilkerson stuffing bribe money into her bra.

So, what was that about Blagojevich’s conduct being so over the top that he must be crazy?

(Visit me at The Purple Center)

And by the way, just the fact that I now don’t need to check my spelling when I type Blagojevich means that I’m focusing on this crazy sack of hammers too much and should probably find better things to talk about.

Moving on…