Illinois proves once again that it is the most corrupt state in the union.

[Beardo]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-rod-blagojevich-1209,0,7997804.story

UPDATE: Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested by FBI agents on federal corruption charges Tuesday morning.

Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to Frank Bochte of the FBI. Both were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago.

In one charge related to the appointment of a senator to replace Barack Obama, prosecutors allege that Blagojevich sought appointment for himself as secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union, in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate.

Another charge alleges Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of him in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

Blagojevich and Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts, according to the charges.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement.

"They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."

Blagojevich is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan later today, according to Randall Samborn of the U.S. attorney's office.

Shoot this mother fucker at Obama's inauguration.   

[Howard Alan Treesong]

it's pretty impressively corrupt even by the embarassingly low standards of the CHICAGO MACHINE[/hannity]

[Beardo]

How awesome would it be to have a public hanging at Obamas inauguration? Hang this taco in front of everyone to set an example.

[TakingBackSunday]

Yeah this is pretty hysterical.  Guarantee the fucks at Fox try and blame this on Obama though.

[Beardo]

Yeah this is pretty hysterical.  Guarantee the fucks at Fox try and blame this on Obama though.

Obama may have not been in on it, but you cant deny that he knew/knows about corruption in Illinois.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Yeah, but the governor is on record as complaining that Obama wasn't playing ball. So it's kind of hard to tar him with this brush.

[Beardo]

Yeah, but the governor is on record as complaining that Obama wasn't playing ball. So it's kind of hard to tar him with this brush.

True.

[TakingBackSunday]

Soooo Rush is apparently already linking to two together, and earlier Fox had the two in a picture at the top of their website.

Jesus christ

[treythemovie]

Yeah this is pretty hysterical.  Guarantee the fucks at Fox try and blame this on Obama though.

Obama may have not been in on it, but you cant deny that he knew/knows about corruption in Illinois.

Anyone with half a brain knows about the corruption in Illinois.

[huckleberry]

This is all that Hannity talked about his entire radio program today...I am sure that Rush was the same.  Trying sooooooo hard to link Obama to this shit.  I sure as hell hope for our sakes that he isn't implicated in any fucking way.  This is the kind of shit that would give Rebpulicans enough ammunition to hold up anything that he tried to do his first year(s) in office.

[Eric P]

i read that Rahm turned the guy in.

he must not have heard his boss was involved

[siamesedreamer]

Hopenchange folks...

[Phoenix Dark]

i read that Rahm turned the guy in.

he must not have heard his boss was involved

not to mention the gov calling Obama a "motherfucker" for not wanting to pay him monies

[Cheebs]

Hopenchange folks...

since when did blago  talk about hope and change?

Obama had nothing to do with this.

[Brehvolution]

lol @ republicans

Has there been a more detestable group of people lately?

[Beardo]

lol @ republicans

Has there been a more detestable group of people lately?

Democrat Governors?

[Cheebs]

lol @ republicans

Has there been a more detestable group of people lately?

Democrat Governors?

what the fuck? Republican governors are some how less corrupt?  

[Beardo]

nah, at least they're entertaining

I could say the same thing about Rush and Hannity.

[Beardo]

lol @ republicans

Has there been a more detestable group of people lately?

Democrat Governors?

what the fuck? Republican governors are some how less corrupt? 

*Looks at todays new.

Yes, yes they are less corrupt.

[Brehvolution]

I retract that statement and replace it with this one.

Has there been a more detestable group of people given an open mic and a large following of sheep?

[huckleberry]

Its Democratic governors you ditto head.  Quit regurgitating every little bit of pundit bullshit you are fed.

[Cheebs]

lol @ republicans

Has there been a more detestable group of people lately?

Democrat Governors?

what the fuck? Republican governors are some how less corrupt? 

*Looks at todays new.

Yes, yes they are less corrupt.

jesus christ, you are a fucking idiot if you think blago' being the headline news today magically erases the endless corruption of republicans somehow.

[siamesedreamer]

I like how the office of the Obama administration-elect throws Axeldouche under the bus without batting an eye.

 

[Beardo]

I retract that statement and replace it with this one.

Has there been a more detestable group of people given an open mic and a large following of sheep?

Michael Moore?

jesus christ, you are a fucking idiot if you think blago' being the headline news today magically erases the endless corruption of republicans somehow.

Looking at the whole New York governor's debacle in addition this shit. 2008 has not been kind to democrat governors.

[Eric P]

does everything have to be broken down to your side vs mine?

can't we just say this guy's a douche?

[Brehvolution]

I retract that statement and replace it with this one.

Has there been a more detestable group of people given an open mic and a large following of sheep?

Michael Moore?

Right wing radio shows and Fox news.

[Cheebs]

I like how the office of the Obama administration-elect throws Axeldouche under the bus without batting an eye.

 

Douche? David Axelrod is a great guy, what's your problem today SD? You are normally pretty level headed in political threads.

[Brehvolution]

Has anyone pondered what Fox news is going to talk about when they stop getting their talking points from the Bush Administration?

[recursivelyenumerable]

I googled around to see wtf siamese was talking about and omg the comments here  

[Cheebs]

I googled around to see wtf siamese was talking about and omg the comments here  

Never read comments on political news stories. They are always full of wackos.

Still, I don't know why the hell sd felt the need to call him a douche. Axelrod is one of the few political campaign managers who is really seen as a nice and friendly guy, by both parties. No one seems to hate him. wtf was with calling him a douche? 

[recursivelyenumerable]

I'm impressed it didn't even take till the inauguration for Republicans to go completely insane

[Eric P]

i'm not.

[recursivelyenumerable]

ok, I'm not either, but it's still something to see

[Phoenix Dark]

We knew Obama was talking to the governor about the seat weeks ago, I don't see why Obama had to lie

unless 

[Eric P]

you don't say

[ch1nchilla]

I'm already tired of the Facebook statuses I'm seeing along the lines of "Great. Now we have Illinois corruption in the white house."

[siamesedreamer]

Axelrod is one of the few political campaign managers who is really seen as a nice and friendly guy, by both parties.

He's a smart guy. That's about it.

[Human Snorenado]

Axelrod is one of the few political campaign managers who is really seen as a nice and friendly guy, by both parties.

He's a smart guy. That's about it.

Yeah, stfu Cheebs.

[Phoenix Dark]

but axlerod is my friend!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

gtfo cheebs

[close]

[siamesedreamer]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16395.html

Looks like he wrote the playbook.

[Bocsius]

The right wing radio act is getting so old. I caught a few seconds of Mark Levin (on the way to the gym) and he was doing that same "link Obama to this" song and dance. I swear, if we have to go through 4 more years of this stupid and petty partisan bickering, I may never vote for a Republican again. We went through it with Clinton, went through it with Bush (payback at first, deserved afterwards), and it's starting all over again. Enough already. It accomplishes nothing. Let's have a detente, people. Intelligent discourse about policy, enough with the mudslinging. I'm sick of it.

 

[TakingBackSunday]

Jesus lord, I didn't even know you republifags could be this fucking dumb.

DEMOCRAT FUCKING SUCKS, IS IT OBAMA'S FAULT??

Fuck off with this shit, I'm sick and tired of this song and dance.

[Cheebs]

Axelrod is one of the few political campaign managers who is really seen as a nice and friendly guy, by both parties.

He's a smart guy. That's about it.

Explain to me how he is a douche though?

[Human Snorenado]

Axelrod is one of the few political campaign managers who is really seen as a nice and friendly guy, by both parties.

He's a smart guy. That's about it.

Explain to me how he is a douche though?

Cheebs, just stfu.  You're the political equivalent of an obnoxious PS3 fanthing.

[treythemovie]

Pinning this on Obama, really? It doesn't take a genius to realize Obama's relationship with the rest of Illinois' political corruption circle. Obama just tried his best to stay neutral and outside of the whole mess. If you become a reformer in Illinois you will be crushed immediatly. If you join the corruption circlejerk you will smear yourself forever. So the only other option is the route Obama took: turning a blind eye towards Illinois' corruption while at the same time staying the fuck away from it all. Though to be honest there is a good chance that Illinois' corrupters purposely let Obama stay out of the mess because they saw he had potential :/


Now to go back on topic: FUCK YOU BLAGO

[Beardo]

Beardo never ceases to amaze me.

Just doing my best.

[ToxicAdam]

To me, Louisiana wins the prize. Although, maybe they just get caught more ... whereas Illinois has it so embedded that it doesn't even go noticed.

You can tell that by the Governors comments (paraphrasing here), "Something so valuable must be worth something". Which is another way of saying, "I see guys getting PAID for a lot less around here". Almost institutional.

[Mandark]

I see your Louisiana and raise you Alaska.

[ToxicAdam]

I guess we are just revealing our biases.
 

[ToxicAdam]

Who is Beardo? Does he have a GAF account? I hate all these people that change their names ... I can't keep track anymore.

[Mandark]

Willco for token Republican.

[Beardo]

I'm not comfortable with Willco being a token Jew and a Republican.  I like my stereotypes simple and easy to digest.

Well you are a democrat so that makes sense. Would't want things to get too complicated.

[Mandark]

He could be the rich capitalist neoconservative person who believes in the development and protection of a Jewish nation Jew to my social democratic labor-left Jew.

[Mandark]

I'm not comfortable with Willco being a token Jew and a Republican.  I like my stereotypes simple and easy to digest.

Well you are a democrat so that makes sense. Would't want things to get too complicated.

I think it's absolutely brilliant to quote someone's self-deprecating quote and use it against them.  That's not hoisting them by their own petard, it's hoisting them by their own hoist.

But doesn't this example get it backwards?  Aren't liberals the ones who keep muddying things up with their moral relativism and love of academia, droning on about the plural causes of terrorism and institutional poverty, when it all comes down to common sense and simple, small town values?

When did you guys steal nuance?  I want it back.

[ToxicAdam]

Speaking of corruption, my favorite politician Jim Traficant (new avatar) is making his triumphant return soon. Hope he still has all his marbles.

[ToxicAdam]

God bless conspiracy nuts. They never sleep.

Bank of America along with 8 other banks got a share of about 300 Billion of the bailout money no strings attached.  They were supposed to lend that money out to help the ecconomy.  Instead these banks are not lending the money.  They are closing lines of credit all over the country and putting business like Republic Windows into bankruptcy.  Costing thousands if not millions of jobs.

The Feds could have indicted Blogojevich almost anytime over the last year, but they didn't.  The labor action at Republic Windows has been going on for the ten days or so,  and Blogojevich did the right thing in trying to help the little guy by theatening to boycott BoA unless they started to lend the bailout money.  Do you think Blogojevich woke up monday and just decided to boycott BoA?  No, he was planning this last week, and the word must have leaked out because he was indicted on Saturday, and arrested one day after annoucing the boycott.

Do you think the governors of New York, California, Ohio, or Florida, or the Mayors of New York City, Los Angles, Chicago, or Detroit will dare organize a boycott of a bank that isn't lending now?  No, the big banks that are getting a fee ride on our money, and that are pulling in credit (not expanding it) have made an example of Blogojevich.    Anyone who complains, or tries a boycott will be punished.

Blogojevich is a victim of the bank cartel!

[siamesedreamer]

This article says they met to discuss the seat:

http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=219212

[Cheebs]

Obama will not be connected to this regardless if he met with him or not. The mere fact Blago' called Obama a motherfucker and was pissed Obama wasn't going to give him anything in exchange for appointing who Obama wanted really makes it hard to try to tie Obama to this at all in the right-wing media. It just seems desperate to even try to talk about Obama when dealing with Blago.

It'd be like trying to somehow tie Hillary Clinton to the corruption of the Spitzer government.

[Cheebs]

On the other hand, if this was a Daley who got in trouble then yes I'd think Obama might be connected and want stuff to be looked into because the Obama's and the Daley's are very close. But Blago'? Nonsense.

[siamesedreamer]

Obama National Co-Chair involved:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ConductUnbecoming/Story?id=6431739&page=1


The weird thing is that Fitz said the tapes clear Obama from wrong doing. So why are they backtracking so much? Look at what Obama said yesterday:

I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.

Why would he correct himself mid-sentence?

My guess is that they knew what Blago was doing and don't want to be connected with not turning him in.