“I’ve got this thing, and it’s (expletive) golden. And I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I’m not going to do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there.” – Governor Rod Blagojevich on Obama’s Senate seat
Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich, the part-time Elvis impersonator and full-time buffoon, seems to have bought himself some time. The Chicago jury in his corruption trial is deadlocked on whether or not to convict him on all but one count. Obviously a “jury of his peers,” the same people who elected him Governor are well represented on the jury. They sound pretty smart; when they were pronounced “a hung jury” on 23 counts, the men responded, “Well, thank you, Judge.”
Remember Governor Blagojevich? He’s the ex-Illinois governor who reminds me of a lookout for a seedy massage parlor. He has that static, jet-black helmet of hair that makes Donald Trump appear windswept. Blago can always get work as a model for one of those “before” pictures you see on the wall at Supercuts.
If the Feds have to let Blago go free, they should make his hair stand trial separately.
Let’s review. When Obama got himself hired to intern as president, his Senate seat became available and Blago tried to sell it off. The seat had real value, since it was only slightly used by Obama to occasionally vote “present.” And, Cleopatra-like, he was usually carried into the Senate chamber on the shoulders of Big Labor.
In essence, what Blago did to fill Obama’s vacated seat was to call up people and say, “Hey, would you like to be a Senator? If so, how much is it worth to you?” Blago put the Senate seat on e-Bay — and Chicago-style politics on display to the nation.
Sadly, this shameful event did nothing to tarnish the image of Chicago politicians. Apparently most people, including some of the “hung” ones on the jury, pretty much expected this. Three former Illinois governors, two Democrats and one Republican, have gone to jail in the last 35 years. A fourth went to trial but was acquitted of tax-evasion charges.
Throw in the fraud conviction of the late Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL), mix with some lightweight, petty operatives like Roland Burris (who replaced Obama) and pocket-thug Rahm Emanuel, and one has to question Obama’s ethics given his proximity to all that corruption.
Obama was a big supporter of Blago for Governor. It defies logic that Obama, nursed by and a product of the Democratic machine, is somehow above it all. Once the machine is supporting them, members of the ruling political class operate above the law while unevenly applying that law to the rest of us lowly citizens — especially those who oppose the “chosen ones.” The Democratic ruling class recruits promising neophytes like Obama who show a talent for being self-righteous and above it all. They know if they dutifully play along, they will be rewarded by becoming a cog in the machine.
Over time, they get the keys to Corruptopia long enough to make themselves rich one day. They presume that the voters are dumb and the media will protect them as long as they espouse liberal ideals. If the offensive lines of the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers had protected Brett Favre as well as the media protect corrupt Democrat politicians, he could have played another 30 years.
Obama has brought to Washington the Chicago style of using government to intimidate his opponents. The Obama administration threatened the AMA and the drug companies to force their support of ObamaCare. They offered jobs to candidates in exchange for not running against “favored” politicians. They brought a dubious lawsuit against Goldman Sachs just as they rammed their “financial reform” bill through Congress. Seeing BP as vulnerable, they took control of the $20 billion shakedown fund from this private sector company. Most troubling is the manner in which this administration uses the U.S. Treasury as an open checkbook to pay back teachers and other unions for their support.
I put nothing past this administration. Watch what it does, not what it says. Like I always say, a statement by a politician is like a compliment from a hooker: it is meaningless, and in the end you get screwed.
Ron Hart is a syndicated op-ed humorist, author and TV/radio commentator. Email Ron@RonaldHart.com or visit RonaldHart.com.