dagblog - Comments for "UGLY - Rod Blagojevich is a creep"

It's a damn good thing

Deutsch Photo — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:31:11 +0000

In reply to UGLY - Rod Blagojevich is a creep

It's a damn good thing (though not surprising) that the President-Elect refused to give anything to Blago other than "appreciation" if his favored candidate were appointed to the Senate.

I love this guy! Good show,

DF — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:37:54 +0000

In reply to For full details, I recommend

I love this guy! Good show, sir!

Jim Ryan is the former

Orlando — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:24:00 +0000

In reply to UGLY - Rod Blagojevich is a creep

Jim Ryan is the former Republican Illinois Attorney General who ran against Blagojevich for governor in 2002. George Ryan is the former governor and current prison inmate.

When I lived in Illinois, my impression of Jim Ryan was that he was an ultra-reactionary conservative type. Before he got into politics he was a successful prosecutor. My impression of Rod Blagojevich was that he was an attractive, articulate liberal with a pretty young family who had ambitions that probably stretched beyond Illinois. His father-in-law is an old Chicago ward guy, Alderman Dick Mell. I used to wonder how somebody as seemlingly progressive and clean as Blagojevich could marry into a family that stank of old-style Chicago politics and all the baggage associated with it.

I also used to think that if Blagojevich could overcome his name and keep rising in politics, he might have a pretty good shot at the White House some day. Blech.

Thank goodness another Illinois politician with a gorgeous family and funny name beat him to it.

P.S. From Talking Points Memo:

A key tidbit from the DOJ statement on Gov. Blagojevich's attempt "to sell or trade" Obama's vacant senate seat: Blago thought the Obama team was "not willing to give me anything except appreciation" for tapping their preferred candidate. "[Expletive] them," Blago is reported to have said.

For full details, I recommend

Michael Wolraich — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:17:00 +0000

In reply to UGLY - Rod Blagojevich is a creep

For full details, I recommend TPM Muckraker's story. Here are some Blago quotes from that story:

"if . . . they're not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it." Later that day, speaking to Advisor A, Blagojevich said: "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain." He added later that the seat "is a [expletive] valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing."

"I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there."

Blagojevich said he knew that the President-elect wanted Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them."

Blagojevich said his decision about the open Senate seat will be based on three criteria in the following order of importance: "our legal situation, our personal situation, my political situation. This decision, like every other one, needs to be based upon that. Legal. Personal. Political."

Blagojevich allegedly told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that if Senate Candidate 5 is going to be chosen, "some of this stuff's gotta start happening now . . . right now . . . and we gotta see it." Blagojevich continued, "You gotta be careful how you express that and assume everybody's listening, the whole world is listening. You hear me?

In a November 4 phone call, Blagojevich allegedly told Harris that he should say to Tribune Financial Advisor, Cubs Chairman and Tribune Owner, "our recommendation is fire all those [expletive] people, get 'em the [expletive] out of there and get us some editorial support."

Harris told Blagojevich that according to Tribune Financial Advisor, there would be "certain corporate reorganizations and budget cuts coming and, reading between the lines, he's going after that section." Blagojevich allegedly responded. "Oh. That's fantastic." After further discussion, Blagojevich said, "Wow. Okay, keep our fingers crossed. You're the man. Good job, John."