Thursday, December 11, 2008

Once I ran to you, now I'll run from you

Obama: Dude, you did not!
Daley: I did!
Obama: You taped an "impeach me" sign on his back?
Daley: Hee hee hee.
Obama: Dude, that is some funny shit.
Daley: Right?
Blagojevich: Hey guys, what's so funny?
Obama: Oh, nothing.
Daley: Yeah, you'll find out soon enough.



If you’re not still hibernating following the election, you’ve no doubt noticed that the media is speculating on whether the Blagojevich scandal will taint Obama. Everywhere you look, it’s “Can Obama Escape the Taint of Blagojevich?” and “Will Blagojevich Taint Obama?” and even, dear god, “The Tainting of the President Elect.”

I haven’t heard this much talk about taint since Britney forgot what underwear was.

Having been a close observer of Chicago politics for many years before moving to LA, it’s amusing to me to see the talking heads from out of town try to speculate on the relationship between Obama and Blago. For one thing, the same people who, before the election, went apoplectic at the suggestion that Senator Ted Stevens’s corruption might somehow be a reflection on Governor Palin’s ethics, are now very willing to suggest that the mere fact that Senator Obama worked in the same state as Governor Blagojevich is proof of an impending criminal indictment.

For another thing, Blago is on tape calling Obama a motherfucker. Not to put too fine a point on it, but in Chicagoese, that’s what you call people who aren’t playing fucking ball. For further proof, let’s take a look at Blago’s reaction when a consultant suggested that he should man up and appoint the person (Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett) that Obama was pushing for: “Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.”

Obviously the governor…wait a minute, he’s not done: “They're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them.”

Okay. I don’t know about you, but that response kinda suggests to me that Obama definitely was not smelling what the Blago was cooking.

But I don’t expect the speculation to end anytime soon, even though dreamy US Attorney Patrick “Untouchable” Fitzgerald suggested it should not even begin when he said “there's no reference in the complaint to any conversation involving the president-elect or indicating that the president-elect was aware of it,” and that the complaint “makes no allegations about the president-elect whatsoever,” and that the press shouldn’t “cast aspersions on people for being named or being discussed.”

But hey, let’s not listen to Fitzgerald. He’s only the guy who brought down Scooter Libby. Okay, W brought him back up again, but still. Fitzgerald also had a hand in bringing down Illinois’ previous governor, Republican George Ryan, who is still in jail for several pay-to-play schemes, including one in which companies bribed officials to give commercial truck driving licenses to dangerously unqualified individuals and/or illegal immigrants, including one who directly caused the death of six children in a highway accident. Don’t worry about Ryan, though, because he’s also in line for a pardon from W.

Ryan chose the non-Ted-Stevens route and decided to leave office before he was brought down. Before he left, he declared a much-needed moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois after it was discovered that there might be more innocent men on death row than guilty ones. It was likely a desperate career move to resuscitate his image and to NOT be remembered as the worst governor in the history of Illinois.

Seeing as how Blagojevich not only tried to sell a Senate seat to the highest bidder, but also to strong-arm the Chicago Trib into firing editorial page critics (did he not think the newspaper might, um, take the story to the press?), and shakedown an organization advocating health care for poor children, I don’t think Ryan has anything to worry about.

7 comments:

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

I promise to never mess with President Obama's taint.

SkylersDad said...

Who was it that said never pick a fight with people who buy their ink by the barrel?

RandyLuvsPaiste said...

Obama's Chief Of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, was the one who tipped off Fitzgerald. Why isn't Obama getting credit for stopping the corruption?

Joe said...

You should've seen Daley in the first press appearance he did after the arrest. Boy, did he look shaken. Blago's chief of staff who got arrested, John Harris, is a Daley clout monkey who had high ranking jobs in the police department and at O'Hare airport.

Daley's wondering when his time will come.

vikkitikkitavi said...

Dr.MVM: Please just don't ever speak of it again.

SkyDad: I don't know, but it should've been Bill Clinton.

Randy: Rahmbo says he was not the tipster. He had some part in it, though.

Bubs: Harris got a good friend of mine fired once merely for having the wrong political connections. No one is happier than me at seeing that motherfucker taken down. Except maybe my friend.

And it's going to take more than a Senate seat sale, a little blackmail and a few sick children to take down a Daley, my friend. Nothing sticks to the Daleys. The entire family is Teflon.

Johnny Yen said...

Everybody around here has been like "He tried to shake down Children's Memorial Hospital!? Does it get any lower?"

Blago's press secretary has been a regular at the restaurant for years, even before he was in his current job (He was a reporter for the Sun-Times). I feel sorry for him. When I was a teacher, and he was a reporter for the Sun-Times he came out to speak to my class. He's a really nice guy. The last time he was in, a few weeks ago, a couple of us were talking to him about it all (this was when it was just the Rezko stuff, etc.) and you could tell it was a strain. I imagine he's looking for another job right now.

Moderator said...

No one in Illinois has wanted to stand within 10 feet of Blago for a few years now. The idea that someone as smart as Obama might have been tied to Blago this late in the game is ridiculous. Blago has been political cancer in Illinois at least for a couple years now.