USVI-On-Line

Geez! I'm sure you all heard about our wonderful Governor. It's getting to be embarrassing to live in Illinois! I just feel so sad. My kids are growing up thinking that politics = criminals. Guess in Illinois it's true.

I'm begining to think they are all crooks & criminals...just some get caight and others don't.

Jeez what is it about Governors?
If your IL misery needs some company, just think about NJ McGreevey and NY Spitzer...
Must even be some others out there about whom you can say "what were they thinking???"

I have just read that about the governors in Illinois. Not to believe that such things happen in the same city. Something in the air? Or an infectious germ in the Governor’s house?

Linne

I'm from Detroit, where the mayor is now in prison. What is it they always say: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I have worked with a lot of great politicians who have truly made me believe that maybe they're not all bad. But there are some people that are in it for the wrong reasons. Of course all that does is makes people feel less warm and fuzzy about the democratic process.

linne wrote: Or an infectious germ in the Governor’s house?

Linne

Ha! Yes, Linne, it's a "corruption germ"! LOL!

Chicago has pretty much been politically corrupt since the 1800s. It's really the only major U.S. city that still does business this way.

I am struggling to find a way to explain how things work there to someone who is neither a political scientist or a native English speaker, but I want you to understand how these things happened. This article might help you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_ ... of_Chicago

Just a note: They say that Barack Obama is not involved in machine politics and that's why he and the governor don't get along. He is known to align himself with the non-machine faction of the Democratic party there. He certainly is looking like he didn't play along in what I have heard from the wire tap tapes, but I would guess it's hard to do political business in Chicago without being corrupt. I just really hope and pray he is not.

I am a huge fan of David Gergen and I think he said it best in reference to the Il Gov.

"I have a hard time pronouncing his name. I just call him the idiot"

That is saying something from the normally softspoken very fair minded Gergen.

Lulu76 wrote:Chicago has pretty much been politically corrupt since the 1800s. It's really the only major U.S. city that still does business this way.

I am struggling to find a way to explain how things work there to someone who is neither a political scientist or a native English speaker, but I want you to understand how these things happened. This article might help you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_ ... of_Chicago

Just a note: They say that Barack Obama is not involved in machine politics and that's why he and the governor don't get along. He is known to align himself with the non-machine faction of the Democratic party there. He certainly is looking like he didn't play along in what I have heard from the wire tap tapes, but I would guess it's hard to do political business in Chicago without being corrupt. I just really hope and pray he is not.

I do this at my own peril...but i just can't let it go (I have NO interest in going down this road).

BUT - to say that BO is not part & parcel of the Chicago Political Machine is laughable. Nobody makes the meteoric rise through Chicago politics and ascends to the Presidency without associating themselves with "The Machine".

That is NOT to say that BO has any culpability here whatsoever. Please don't misunderstand my point.

A good article on exactly that point..

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/po ... f=politics

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The city of Chicago and Cook County are infamous for political corruption. It’s how they do things.

I am from downstate Illinois and the rest of the state is pretty resentful of Chicago because with its huge population the city dictates what happens to the rest of us.

Blago has been plagued with controversy for years, even in his first term. Many of us have thought of him as a criminal for a long time. But a lot of Chicago politicians get away with a lot of garbage, and Blago remained governor when over 77% of Chicago voters decided to reelect him.

We joked about who would replace him when he finally went to jail, but I wasn’t sure it would ever happen.

A lot of people have been calling this a sad day for Illinois. But it was a rather happy day for many of us because Blago is finally being held accountable for his crimes. His crime spree is coming to and end, and for that I am thrilled.

Saltydog wrote:hey it is about time another state takes over ......
Connecticut has had it share of A$$holes as governors

Oh, you are preachin' to the choir...John Rowland, our Republican Gov. prior to Rell, just got out of prison I believe. No state or party is immuned!

I think Rell has largely been pretty good...She's getting killed around here now because she actually had the cajones a few weeks ago to stand up and say that there would be budget cuts in 2009 and beyond - and there will be nothing we can do about it. Isn't that a novel idea? In bad economic times...a legislator who says we need to CURB spending, not increase it!

My biggest issue with this state is that, nobody can ever tell us where the $25 million a month the State receives in Casino revenues goes. It's a big mystery.

soxfan22 wrote: I do this at my own peril...but i just can't let it go (I have NO interest in going down this road).

BUT - to say that BO is not part & parcel of the Chicago Political Machine is laughable. Nobody makes the meteoric rise through Chicago politics and ascends to the Presidency without associating themselves with "The Machine".

That is NOT to say that BO has any culpability here whatsoever. Please don't misunderstand my point.

Just to clarify, I don't think anyone can get elected or make such a quick rise to fame in Chicago politics with the The Machine. You can't. John F. Kennedy probably wouldn't have been president if Joe Kennedy weren't working with the Daleys 40-some years ago. I just don't know how involved Obama is. I would say like any good politician, he knows that sometimes you have to play both sides of the coin.

I am sure through the course of this investigation, if there was any wrongdoing on the behalf of the president-elect, it will become apparent. I do not believe he had any knowledge that the Governor was trying to sell his Senate seat (which, by the way, is not exclusive to Chicago-style politics. Most people just aren't nearly as zealous about it as Blogojevich.)

It's unfortunate. I felt like we as a nation were finally trying to put the election past us and move on and deal with the crumbling economy, astronomical unemployment rates and other issues. I just hope we can stay focused on that and not let this sidebar distract us from becoming a better nation.