THE MAD MADIGANS AND THE HATERS' HYPOCRISY

Blago & Speaker Madigan Share a Hug, Aug 27, 2008 (Sun Times)Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan couldn't have been more excited than on that cold December morning in 2008 when he heard then-Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested by the Feds. After all, it was about time the Governor was stopped from taking the silver lining out of the Madigans' pockets. Today's Sun Times report proves the point.

MADIGAN TO BLAGO: YOU STOPPED BY PAY TO PLAY SO YOU DON'T GET TO STAY

Even though no formal charges had been filed against Blags, the mere allegation he was trying to sell the vacant Obama Senate seat was enough to cause Speaker Madigan to lick his chops - he wanted Illinois' CEO gone for years! So, on Decrember 15, 2008, just six days after Blagojevich was arrested, Speaker Madigan formed an impeachment commission within the House to get Blago out of the Governor's seat. "It is my intention to appoint a special committee to begin immediately an investigation into the governor's conduct in office and to undertake the preparatory work that is a prerequisite to an impeachment proceeding in the Illinois House," Madigan said.

Just three days earlier, Speaker Madigan's daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, asked the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich disabled for office. "We think it is very clear he is incapable of serving. We want to make sure the people of Illinois have a governor who can legitimately fulfill the duties of that office."

MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL POLITICS

Granted, almost everybody despised our helmet-headed Governor who dressed for success every day in his nylon jogging suit from the '90's. But really, why-oh-why were the Madigans so hard-up on tossing Blago?  Maybe after all these years of Blago not allowing the Madigans' pockets to be lined, the icing on the cake was when Blago did not appoint Lisa to the Senate seat.August 12, 2005 (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

We know one of Rahm Emanuel's picks for the Senate seat was Attorney General Madigan. Remember Obama's self-reporting - that Emanuel had "about four" conversations with John Harris, Blago's Chief of Staff, about who Obama considered to be "highly qualitfied" for his position: Comptroller Dan Hynes, Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Cheryle Jackson.

According to the Sun Times (article here):

Twenty-eight of the 59 Illinois state senators who voted early this year to remove Blagojevich as governor had gone to him with recommendations for state jobs, promotions, transfers or appointments to state boards, a database of patronage hires kept by Blagojevich aides shows.

In the House, 53 of the 114 state representatives who voted to impeach Blagojevich were listed as earlier having sought personnel moves from the governor.

Most of those who made hiring requests were Democrats, according to the records, which cover the period from 2003 to 2005.

Among them: Blagojevich's political nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan. In that period, the records show the powerful Southwest Side Democrat sought 98 jobs, raises or appointments and got 33 of them.

In all, the Madigan-sponsored candidates contributed more than $84,000 to the speaker's political funds and another $40,236 to his daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, state records show.

In response to the article, Speaker Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, "$80,000 for a campaign organization that raises several million dollars every year, that certainly is not a significant number anyone would notice."

Exactly my point! Blagojevich only granted 1/3 of Madigan's requests. Had he granted more, the Madigan Duo would have received more campaign contributions! Brown's statement goes to the heart of the problem: the Madigan's campaign contributions were insignificant compared to what they could have been had Blagojevich granted their requests.

The hypocrisy of it all is just shocking. All this talk about Jesse Jackson, Jr. allegedly possibly having emissaries who maybe kinda tried to apparently attempt to raise money for his Senate appointment. And then there is on-the-books quid-pro-quo behavior taking place by Lisa Madigan, who also desired Senate appointment, and her daddy, the man who led the way for Blago to get tossed from office.

Look, politics is just another form of business. I get it: if you give me money for my campaign, I will get you a job. Honestly, I do not really care, so long as everyone who does their job does it well. Most importantly, if you are going to play the game, especially the Chicago way, be sure to call a spade a spade.

(PS: I want to make it clear that I have absolutely no personal issue with any of these Chicago politicians. I met with AG Madigan a couple of times on legislative issues on expungement and sealing laws. She was very interested in my positions, I found her to be extremely competent and likeable. I also met several times with Governor Blagojevich on the issue of pardons. He was also generous with his time, even though he didn't do as promised: clear that pile of 2500+ pardon petitions from his desk.)

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Tamara Discusses Roland Burris on Fox News "Live Desk"

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"KEY DEMOCRAT" WANTS BURRIS TO RE-VISIT IMPEACHMENT COMMITTEE - WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!

"Key Democrat" Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) wants Senator Roland Burris to come back to the Impeachment Committee to explain his "absolutely misleading" testimony he previously gave in January 2009 regarding contact (or lack thereof) with Gov. Blagojevich and his people.  Article here. IL State Rep. Jack D. Franks (D-Woodstock) 

What could possibly be the point?  The IMPEACHMENT Committee accomplished their goal: they voted to impeach Gov. Blagojevich and he was subsequently impeached!  

The IL Democrats continue to look silly.  Let me remind you of something: Gov. Blagojevich LEGALLY APPOINTED Roland Burris because the Democrats failed to put a special election bill on the Governor's desk.  Remember, the IL House had THREE WEEKS to do so...from the time Blagojevich was arrested until the time he appointed Burris...which was just a few days before President-elect Obama was to be sworn in. 

BUT the Democrats did not put the special election bill on the Governor's desk because they were too busy "meeting" or whatever the heck they were doing.  (Nevermind their excuse that because they believed the Governor really wouldn't have signed it they didn't present the bill at all.)

I mean, really, Mr. Franks.  What is the point of bringing Senator Burris back to the Committee? What is the goal?

If Burris violated the law and committed the criminal offense of PERJURY, let the authorities investigate the case and Feds charge him.  The Democrats need to focus on IL's greater problems instead of "meeting" to cross-examine Burris, especially if they think he cannot be trusted in the first place.

One more thing: Burris was before the Committee once before and the Committee had the opportunity to question him about his conversations with numerous people.  Why didn't Durkin ask the questions? Maybe Burris left out certain information (and I'm not saying that was ethical on his part) BUT the Committee also failed to inquire into great detail.  

Word to the Democrats: the GOP loves that you are fighting within your own party.  They can't wait for you to kill your own guy so that they can put one of their own in your dead man's seat.   

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GOV. BLAGOJEVICH APPOINTS: LEGISLATURE'S STALL IS PARTIALLY TO BLAME

*** Governor Blagojevich is not the only elected-official harming our state! *** (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

On December 9, IL Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested for allegedly creating a pay-to-play scandal and also for attempting to sell the vacant Senate seat, left behind by President-elect Obama. Immediately after his arrest, Gov. Blagojevich stated he would be open to the IL legislature's passage of a bill for a special election to fill the seat. But, the bill never came...

Instead of attempting to pass this bill, and get a special-election going, our local politicians were busy initiating an impeachment proceeding against the Governor and going on a media tour, discussing the case with anyone who would listen. So, after three weeks passed, Gov. Blagojevich made the appointment to Roland Burris - a 71-year old, retired IL Attorney General.

Now, everyone's upset. But, really, it's not the Governor who is single-handedly adversely affecting our state.

Fitzgerald's arrest of Blagojevich on December 9 cost our state an immense amount of money. IL State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias said: "The legal problems surrounding Gov. Rod Blagojevich have already cost the state more than $20 million. The state was forced to delay its plan to borrow $1.4 billion last Thursday as a result of the governor’s arrest and missed the chance to sell short-term bonds at reduced interest rates. News of the governor’s legal situation, a rating downgrade and market volatility drove up the interest rate by several percentage points on the bonds sold today." Had Fitzgerald waited until after Thursday, December 11, just two days later, we would not have lost so much money.

As a side note, Treasurer Giannoulis said all the way back in February, 2008: “Last year, there was a compete lack of leadership.  We see (U.S. Sen.) BARACK OBAMA, who’s traveling the country and he’s uniting people regardless of background and party. And here, we have a guy who is dividing his own party. … He’s the anti-Obama.”  Obviously, political disgust (and public) of our Governor has existed for a long time.  Why weren't impeachment proceedings initiated long before the alleged Senate-seat scandal?  (By the way, Alexi Giannoulias is one of the most respected politicians in our state.  He has a great future ahead of him. I hope he runs for Governor!) IL State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias

Now, because of the failure to impeach the Governor months, if not years, ago, and the failure to submit a special-election bill to the Governor for the Senate-seat when time was of the essence, the Governor was in a position where he had to appoint a senator. Without the appointment, we would be without a seat in the Senate. And next week, the Democrats need the seat filled for a vote on an economic stimulus package. What was he supposed to do? Leave us under-represented in Washington?

Of course, many will say the best decision would have been and continues to be that he step down and allow Lt. Governor Pat Quinn to take his place. I think Pat Quinn is fully qualified; I've met him several times and he is quite passionate about his work and extraordinarily genuine. Problem is, everyone knew Blagojevich planned to fight for his innocence and would not step-down.  As a result of his expected defiance, our elected officials should taken preemptive measures more quickly.

I think we should start to question the strategies behind everyone, not just the Governor. Why did Fitzgerald have to make the arrest on that day? Why couldn't he wait? And why does he now need 90 more days to prepare the indictment? Why didn't the IL Legislature present a special-election bill to the Governor? They had 3 weeks to do so and yet they failed...now they want to fight the appointment of Roland Burris but it may be too late...

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CONGRESSMAN JESSE JACKSON, JR. MAY BE CANDIDATE #5, BUT HE AIN'T STUPID!

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has confirmed that he is "Senate Candidate #5" - the Congressman whom Gov. Blagojevich was considering to appoint as Barack Obama’s replacement in the U.S. Senate under the pay-to-play belief the Governor would get at least $1 million from Jackson in campaign contributions for the spot.

We Learn from Our Parents' Mistakes

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and his son, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.As the son of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. learned the game of politics at a very early age. Scandal, rumors, negative press, and even books (Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson) have surrounded Rev. Jackson (and his entire family) for years.

There is the old adage, "Like father like son." But in this case, (if you do believe the rumors and scandals of Rev. Jackson to be true), Jesse Jr. is hardly like his father.

Jesse Jr. has watched his father's triumphs and tragedies. He has received his father's advice and he has objected to his father's actions. Remember when Rev. Jackson wrote a column in the Sun-Times accusing Obama of having ''virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country.'?  This caused a huge frenzy, and immediately Jesse Jr. repudiated his father in a Letter to the Editor.

That's not to say that Jesse Jr. doesn't love his father.  It just seems that Jesse Jr. has watched enough to know that he must keep his distance if he wants to achieve his own political goals.  (If you do a Google image search, you will find but a handful of pictures of the two together out of the hundreds of them individually.)

Jesse Jr. has had the advantage (not disadvantage) of watching his father's mistakes and successes.  He reached the U.S. House through his own hard work and determination, but also with a knowledge of what NOT to do, given his father's journey.  Jesse knows better than to walk into a mine field.

Congressman Jackson Knew What Was Up

Everyone knew that Gov. Blagojevich was selling the seat.  And even if everyone didn't know, Jesse Jr. surely knew.  It was obvious.  All of the candidates had to have known.  Blagojevich didn't appoint someone immediately; instead, he was waiting for the final bidder, on the final day, before making the appointment.

Now, combine Jesse Jr.'s finely tuned understanding of politics, as mentioned above, and Jesse Jr.'s (alleged) knowledge the seat was for sale.  (Don't forget to add to the mix a little bit of knowledge that the Feds have been investigating Blagojevich for years.) There is NO WAY Jesse Jr. (or his advisors) walked into our Governor's office to negotiate any kind of pay-to-play deal with the Governor. 

Jesse Jr. has huge political aspirations and he has publicly shared his desire for the Senate appointment.  He also knows Gov. Blagojevich is pretty much hated by all politicians and lobbyists.  He knows there is tension between his father and the Governor.  (It was Rev. Jackson who brought Gov. Blagojevich with him to negotiate the release of 3 American soliders from Yugoslavia in 1999.)  The relationship between the two has since become strained.

I seriously doubt Jesse Jr., either directly or indirectly through his lieutenants, would attempt to pay Gov. Blagojevich for the seat.  It doesn't make sense.  It would be too obvious. Obama, Jackson, BlagojevichInstead, my speculation is that Jesse Jr. spoke to the Governor about paying for the seat (per the Gov.'s demands) and he immediately disclosed this information to the Feds.  Jr.'s meeting came one day before Gov. Blagojevich was arrested.  Jesse Jr. was not arrested with him in a conspiracy-type charge.  I think Jesse Jr. provided the clincher for the Feds to move in and make the arrest. 

I'm just speculating; however, I do know Rev. Jackson and Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. well enough to say with 99% certainty that there is no way Jesse Jr. got his hands dirty in Gov. Blagojevich's mess. NO WAY. Instead, I think it may be Congressman Jackson who we should thank for putting an end to this rigamarole by going to the Feds.

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MR. OBAMA, ARE YOU *SURE* YOU HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO GOV. BLAGOJEVICH ABOUT THE SENATE APPOINTMENT??

Gov. Blagojevich, President-elect Obama, Chicago's Mayor Daley

I'm going to keep this short-and-sweet since there are a million theories and opinions already out there surrounding Gov. Blagojevich's arrest.  Just some food for thought...

On November 23, 2008, Obama's senior political strategist/advisor, David Axelrod, was interviewed by Fox News Chicago. When asked if Obama had expressed a "preference" in the Senate appointment to Gov. Blagojevich, Axelrod says: "I know he has talked to the Governor...there are a whole range of names, many of which have surfaced...and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them..." Watch the interview for yourself here.

Hmmm, that is interesting because today, after Blagojevich's arrest, President-elect Obama told the press, "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening."

Of course, Axelrod now retracts that statement and says he was "mistaken" and Obama's "Transition Team" states that Axelrod "misspoke." Whatever.  What's wrong with Obama admitting that he spoke to the Governor about who he thinks are the best candidates for appointment?  Is that a crime?  Seriously, I don't know.  Is it a crime?

Obama endorsed Blagojevich in his 2002 and 2005 campaigns.  And both Obama and Blagojevich received fundraising money from Tony Rezko, who has since been convicted for bribery, amongst other charges. 

Obama has pulled away from all of the people who helped him to get to where he is today: our next President.  The list goes on but names worth noting are: Blagojevich, Rezko, Rev. Jerimiah Wright, Bill Ayers, etc.  I guess that's what Obama needed to do to win the race.  But, at the end of the day, he's still connected to all of these people...no matter how much he denies it or how quickly people retract what they've said in the past...

(John H. White/Sun-Times) Ayers & Obama Obama & Rev. Jerimiah Wright

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