According to Time Magazine the charge of selling a Senate seat is a very small piece of the evidence against Rod Blagojevich. According to the article:
"Evidence of misuse of political clout, fixed contracts and illegal campaign fundraising -- the basic staples of corruption in Illinois -- proved persuasive with the jury at influence peddler Tony Rezko's fraud trial. He was convicted and awaits sentencing.
That same evidence is now coming back to bite Blagojevich. This time around it could be even stronger because Rezko -- the political fundraiser who helped to bankroll the campaigns of both Blagojevich and Obama -- may take the stand to point the finger at the governor.
Rezko, for example, was on hand while Blagojevich talked to a campaign donor about putting him on the state payroll with the donor's $25,000 check on the table, according to testimony at Rezko's trial."
The idea of ending political corruption in the circus that is Chicago politics is wonderful, but I'm not sure it is realistic. I don't mean to be cynical about this, but the Chicago machine has been in power since the 1960's or before (I wasn't around enough 'before' to have any idea of what was going on!). The classic example is Major Daley coming up with the votes to elect John Kennedy president. Who knows what the alternative reality would have been. The only way Chicago and Illinois are going to be cleaned up is for the people of Illinois to vote out all parts of the political machine. That won't happen unless the people themselves get tired of being ruled by the machine. Political machines do not remain in power unless someone is benefitting from their presence. I have no idea who is gaining from this situation, but until that stops, the machine will rule.
I realize that Patrick Fitzgerald went public because a newspaper was threatening to run with the story, but I wonder what the consequences of this will be. The actual selling of a Senate seat was prevented and any role the incoming Presidential administration might have had in the transaction was stopped. I do, however, wonder what will be revealed about the contacts between Blagojevich and the incoming White House.
Just a side comment. The coarsening of the culture is a concern to me. There is language being used in offices now that would make a sailor blush. Evidently, the tapes that are going to be used as evidence against Blagojevich have a lot of 'salty' language. How are parents supposed to bring up responsible and respectable children when this is the example set forth by our elected officials? The morality and the language do not set a good example for anyone aspiring to public office.
Leave a comment