Rod Blagojevich
Pay to Play?
It was a day of bombshell political news as Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, and his chief of staff were arrested and charged with federal criminal conspiracy and bribery charges. The complaint contains several abuse-of-office allegations, including a charge that Blagojevich tried to score money, power or both in return for appointing a senator replacement to President-elect Barack Obama's taste. Another charge involves editorial extortion at the Chicago Tribune. If the allegations are true, it is a sordid tale of political malfeasance.
Ref. ABC Nightline
Gov. Blagojevich had 4% approval rating
The good Gov. from Illinois was destined for failure (if not jail) as his approval rating before the scandal was 4 percent That's really, really terrible -- especially when Stu looked up other things that have approximately the same approval rating. Just how bad of a job was Gov. Blago doing for Illinois? Check out the things that are as popular as the dirtbag Gov.
Ref. Source 1
Rod Blagojevich is not alone! The legendary city of Al Capone is fraught with corruption: corrupt politicians, and corrupt practices. Why is that, exactly?
QUOTE |
Why Is Chicago So Corrupt? And how do you measure corruption, anyway? By Daniel Engber Posted Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008, at 2:04 PM ET On Tuesday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois was taken into federal custody on corruption charges, one of which entails attempting to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. In 2006, Daniel Engber explained why politicians in the Land of Lincoln are so corrupt. The article is reprinted below. Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan received a sentence of six and a half years in prison on Wednesday, after being convicted on charges of racketeering, mail fraud, filing false tax returns, and lying to investigators. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that in the last three decades, at least 79 local elected officials have been convicted of a crime, including three governors, one mayor, and a whopping 27 aldermen from the Windy City. What makes Chicago so corrupt? .... The most straightforward way to measure corruption is to check the number of convicted local officials. Between 1995 and 2004, 469 politicians from the federal district of Northern Illinois were found guilty of corruption. The only districts with higher tallies were central California (which includes L.A.), and southern Florida (which includes Miami). Eastern Louisiana (and New Orleans) rank somewhat further down the list. ... Public perception may be the most useful measure. If the inhabitants of a city view corruption as a given, they'll be more inclined to forgive politicians who have already been tainted by scandal, like Chicago's current mayor, Richard Daley. |
International Level: Ambassador / Political Participation: 595 59.5%
Blagojevich Legal Hurdle: A Crime, or Just Talk?
Tapes of Ill. governor discussing Senate pick may fall into a legal gray area
By David Johnston
"This town is full of people who call themselves ambassadors, and all they did was pay $200,000 or $300,000 to the Republican or Democratic Party," said Mr. Bennett, referring to a passage in the criminal complaint filed against the governor suggesting that Mr. Blagojevich was interested in an ambassadorial appointment in return for the Senate seat.
Ref. Source 6
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Illinois court rejects attempt to remove governor SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - With the Illinois Supreme Court rejecting an effort to oust Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a legislative panel considering impeachment prepared to examine whether he abused his power, despite challenges from the Democrat's lawyer. Attorney Ed Genson called the impeachment effort "Alice in Wonderland" and discounted federal wiretaps in which Blagojevich is heard talking about selling or trading Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. |
International Level: Ambassador / Political Participation: 595 59.5%
Listening to all the corruption that they have in the Chicago area and now even the Illinois governors office makes me very glad that I do not live in that state. I hope the citizen of Illinois get smart and gets rid of all these corrupt politicians.