All over the news right now....Governor Blagojevich was busted by the feds for trying to sell Senate seats or something!  Details are hella sketchy right now, but I'll let y'all know what's going on as the news rolls in. :o

Wow!  At least here in New York our politicians only get caught with hookers....

Okay, the news is saying that the Gov. and his deputy chief of staff were busted for bribery and mail fraud and some other things...I'm watching our affiliate for Fox news right now (the only one showing anything), so I don't know how true it is.

Here's a story from ABC:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=6545958

wow, that came out of left field. i'm kinda a political junkie, i like to think, but i heard nothing about this.

Wow. 

Wow!  At least here in New York our politicians only get caught with hookers....


Supposedly our state government (on all levels) is really corrupt, and it's probably true, considering the former governor is in prison for corruption. :D


wow, that came out of left field. i'm kinda a political junkie, i like to think, but i heard nothing about this.


The news is interviewing people downtown.  Everyone is wigging out about it because NO ONE expected it, although they're saying that the Feds have been watching him for awhile.  Ooh, they're talking about wiretaps and stuff.

Oh wow.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/illinois.govenor/index.html

Federal prosecutors say Blagojevich, Harris and others conspired to gain financial benefits in appointing President-elect Barack Obama's Senate replacement, according to the statement.

Blagojevich, Harris and others are also alleged to have withheld state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field. The statement says this was done to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members who were critical of Blagojevich.

Here is the criminal complaint. :o

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789434.pdf

Long read.  I'll wade through it right now and try to sum up.

Wow, indeed.


;D

The only thing that surprises me is that he got caught, or that they knew it was going on and did something about it.  This is the way things are done in cities, states, and the country.

The only thing that surprises me is that he got caught, or that they knew it was going on and did something about it.  This is the way things are done in cities, states, and the country.


I'm waiting for the press conference in about ten minutes.  The news is saying that the Feds have been watching him for at least three years.  I still haven't had a chance to read the full criminal complaint (really REALLY long and thar be some big wordz thrown in :D).

Apparently from everything that I've read and heard within the last couple of hours, he wasn't very discreet about what he was doing, and even as late as yesterday, he was very smug about the whole thing (I guess it was knowledge to him that the Feds were after him), like he didn't even give a crap and/or he didn't believe that he'd be busted.

Okay, the rumors are swirling on the news (press conference hasn't started yet) that there was an imminent deal in place to sell the Senate seat left vacant by President Obama.  It must have been getting ready to go through because the Feds moved quickly to arrest him TODAY, rather than wait and build a bigger case against him (like the other charges aren't big enough!).

Ugh, they're showing the Governor's speech yesterday about his being wiretapped.  He was very cocky about the whole thing. :P

Conference is on.  I'm typing this while watching, so it might be sort of weird and off.

The US Attorney is saying the main charge is the Governor trying to sell the Senate seat.

Saying that the Gov. and other people were shaking down contractors for tons of money or threatening to not let them do stuff in the state of Illinois.

Tapped his campaign offices.

(this was used as an example of his corruption, not an actual charge) Found that he said he was going to give Children's Memorial Hospital $8 million in exchange for $50,000 in campaign funds.  When it didn't happen, he was caught trying to pull back funding on the hospital.

Extortion against the Tribune.  Saying that anyone who talked smack about him should be fired or else they wouldn't get help in unloading Wrigley Field.

Looks like the BIGGEST charge is the Senate seat scandal.  Seems like the good Governor is fond of cussing in private too.  Pottymouth. :P ;D

Sounds like he was even thinking of getting the Senate seat himself so he wouldn't be impeached and so he could get all kinds of fundage and help his wife with her lobbyist shiz.  Also, so he could remake his image so he could run for President in 2016. :o

FBI agent is talking now.  He's pretty much saying that the people working on the case and listening to the wiretapping were disgusted and revolted by how corrupt the Illinois government is.  He also said that if it's not the most corrupt state in the union, then it's certainly one hell of a competitor.

Now it's question and answer time, and now I have to quit watching because Jason is begging to watch the Grinch.

Yeah, I was reading about this. Illinois state politics have always been horribly corrupt. Vote early and vote often!

The Goi does seem to have taken things to a new a level though, there haven't been many political offices sold since old man Kennedy bought the Presidency for his degenerate son.

Goi was in trouble a couple of years back if you remember, same sort of thing just not on such a grand scale.

Disgusting.  What a dirty crook!  And now, thanks to Gov. Blowjobevich the right-wing pundits have yet something else they can browbeat the Dems with.  Dick Morris is prolly going to make a case that Obama was in on it!
::)

Disgusting.  What a dirty crook!  And now, thanks to Gov. Blowjobevich the right-wing pundits have yet something else they can browbeat the Dems with.  Dick Morris is prolly going to make a case that Obama was in on it!
::)


He won't have much of one.  The Feds have already said that this has nothing to do with Obama, and that they were making that clear from the beginning so as not to have anyone think otherwise.

Won't stop people from believing what they want, though.  Just saw a conspiracy theory that OBAMA ordered it, even though they have the Governor on tape being a corrupt fool. :D

He's out on bail now, but they've confiscated his passport.

The Goi does seem to have taken things to a new a level though, there haven't been many political offices sold since old man Kennedy bought the Presidency for his degenerate son.



Oh let's not be so naive, ever hear of a guy name bush?




Apparently from everything that I've read and heard within the last couple of hours, he wasn't very discreet about what he was doing,


Probably didn't think he had to be.  More fool him

An Illinois politician arrested for corruption?  I am compoletely shocked.

Maybe Governor Blowjobovich can be OJ's cellmate.  :P

An Illinois politician arrested for corruption?  I am compoletely shocked.

Maybe Governor Blowjobovich can be OJ's cellmate.  :P


More like Ted Stevens' bunkmate!
::)

Oh let's not be so naive, ever hear of a guy name bush?


That one too.

Although I don't know if bought is the right word, stole more like.


Two Governors in a row. Good work.

You send one of yours to the White House, he sends one his to the Senate.  That's the Chicago way.

People would be surprised at the familial nature of the Congress of the United States.  The Kennedys and bushs are not an anomaly.  As a matter of fact there are families that have had, and continue to have, many more family and extended family members living off of the largesse of the electorate.  Names that many recognize Udall, Claiborne, Taft, Romney, Spector, Todd(Whitman), Baker, Carnahan, Mitchell, Saltonstall, Goldwater, just to name a few.

He tried to offer the senate seat to the arresting officer in exchange for the officer letting him out of the cuffs.  It's time for Blowjobevich to go for some psychiatric evaluation!
:D

I'm still waiting for Bobby Taft to get his.

But on the bright side...Ted Strictland will be our gov here again in 2010!

Rich Whitney for Governor of Illinois!  :D

Rich Whitney for Governor of Illinois!  :D


I need to get more sleep....I thought that said Rich WHITEY. :-\\

He won't have much of one.  The Feds have already said that this has nothing to do with Obama, and that they were making that clear from the beginning so as not to have anyone think otherwise.

Won't stop people from believing what they want, though.  Just saw a conspiracy theory that OBAMA ordered it, even though they have the Governor on tape being a corrupt fool. :D


The don't have to prove the case, they just have to link the names Blagojevich and Obama as guilt by association (imagined association will do in lieu of factual association).
::)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2M1zMaZPmI

And the RNC is out with a video linking Obama and Blagojevich.  ::)

On a more serious note, I believe that this business of the Illinois Attorney General asking the state Supreme Court to remove Blowjobovich from office to be folly.  I expect the court to reject this motion.

If they want to remove the Governor (and I can certainly understand why) then they need to do what the law provides... conduct an impeachment proceeding.

If the court were to remove every politician who is simply charged with a crime from office, the entire Illinois governmental system would come to a close.

Hey... On second thought....  ;D

On a more serious note, I believe that this business of the Illinois Attorney General asking the state Supreme Court to remove Blowjobovich from office to be folly.  I expect the court to reject this motion.

If they want to remove the Governor (and I can certainly understand why) then they need to do what the law provides... conduct an impeachment proceeding.

If the court were to remove every politician who is simply charged with a crime from office, the entire Illinois governmental system would come to a close.

Hey... On second thought....  ;D


Maybe Marty Scorsese will give Blagojehovaswitness a role when he makes his next great crime epic about the maaaaab in Chicaaaaaago!
:D

Maybe we SHOULD keep Guantanamo open. Just put our corrupted politicians over there.

Taft, Cheney, Russo, Stevens, and now the Illinois Govenor can join.

Their torture...they have to watch crappy movies, play crappy games, and listen to crappy music!