Completely Unnecessary

Below are my favorite moments from the criminal complaint against Blagojevich. Quotes are actual dialogue caught on the wiretap.

Each paragraph is from a different parts of the complaint, though they are in order - just saving on ellipses:

Fundraiser A also advised ROD BLAGOJEVICH that he will be meeting Lobbyist 2 to meet with an individual at Weiss Memorial Hospital. ROD BLAGOJEVICH states: “Yeah, now be real careful there. I mean, the FBI went to see [Lobbyist 2]. You understand?”

Whoops! Also the feds are listening to your phones.

During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife can be heard in the background telling ROD BLAGOJEVICH to tell Deputy Governor A “to hold up that fucking Cubs shit. . . fuck them.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked Deputy Governor A what he thinks of his wife’s idea. Deputy Governor A stated that there is a part of what ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife said that he “agree[s] with.” Deputy Governor A told ROD BLAGOJEVICH that Tribune Owner will say that he does not have anything to do with the editorials, “but I would tell him, look, if you want to get your Cubs thing done get rid of this Tribune.”

ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS to tell Tribune Financial Advisor that “everything is lined up, but before we go to the next level we need to have a discussion about what you guys are going to do about that newspaper.” HARRIS stated that he “won’t be so direct.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS “yeah, you know what you got to say.”

Looks like John P. McCormick, the Chicago Tribune’s Deputy Editorial Page Editor is the editor he really wanted fired.

In that conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Sports Consultant discussed the importance of getting the IFA transaction [ed. - the Wrigley deal for Zell] approved at the IFA’s December 2008 or January 2009 meeting, because ROD BLAGOJEVICH was contemplating leaving office in early January 2009 and ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s IFA appointees would still be in place to approve the IFA deal.

Hmm, perhaps to become a Senator? Or HHS Secretary?

ROD BLAGOJEVICH later stated, “I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I’m saying. And if I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself.” Later, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the Senate seat “is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

On November 4, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with Deputy Governor A. This was the same day as the United States Presidential election. With respect to the Senate seat, Deputy Governor A suggested putting together a list of things that ROD BLAGOJEVICH would accept in exchange for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH responded that the list “can’t be in writing.”

Go ahead and talk about it on the phone though - there’s a good idea.

Among the potential positions discussed were Secretary of Health and Human Services and various ambassadorships. Deputy Governor A noted that the cabinet position of Secretary of the Energy is “the one that makes the most money.”

I don’t know who he/she is, but I love Dep Governor A.

In regards to the Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated “I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for fuckin’ nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.”

ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he is “struggling” financially and does “not want to be Governor for the next two years.”

Later in the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that if he appoints Senate Candidate 4 to the Senate seat and, thereafter, it appears that ROD BLAGOJEVICH might get impeached, he could “count on [Senate Candidate 4], if things got hot, to give [the Senate seat] up and let me parachute over there.” HARRIS said, “you can count on [Senate Candidate 4] to do that.” Later in the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he knows that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the Senate seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them.”

ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A that “you gotta be careful how you express that and assume everybody’s listening, the whole world is listening. You hear me?”

In reality, only many divisions of federal law enforcement were listening.

Also on December 5, 2008, after publication of the Tribune article described above, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and three others discussed whether to move money out of the Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund to avoid having the money frozen and also considered the possibility of prepaying the money to ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s criminal defense attorney with an understanding that the attorney would donate the money back at a
later time if it was not needed.

In retrospect, that would have been a good idea.

In addition, in the course of the conversations over the last month, ROD BLAGOJEVICH has spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat, and has expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including frustration at being “stuck” as governor, a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor, and a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016, avoid impeachment by the Illinois legislature, make corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office, facilitate his wife’s employment as a lobbyist, and assist in generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office.

Oh megalomania, whose downfall can’t you cause?

Vaguely Related

• Will Blagojevich Take Others Down with Him?
• Patti Blagojevich Painted as Lady Macbeth

11:58: The take away lesson, I think, is that the governor should have set some time aside to watch The Wire. Because everyone knows you don’t talk about your criminal conspiracy on the phone. Or in the car.

11:55: So that’s over. The upshot is that the feds investigated Blago for years. In the last month or so they got wiretaps, and it’s the taps and bugs that did Blago in.

11:54: OMG reporters. Can you stop asking hypothetical questions that his office can’t possibly answer? This last one was like, “Can anyone taking the senate seat not have a cloud of taint over them?” Because obviously Fitzgerald’s opinion on that is relevant.

11:51: This is Andy Shaw’s one billionth question. Let the other kids have a go, Andy.

11:51: Blago talked about how appointing himself Senator would help him if he was indicted.

11:50: They’re searching the Friends of Blagojevich office.

11:49: Blago was looking for a job with Change to Win (SEIU).

11:47: Journalists are bound and determined to get Obama’s name into this. (That being said, please to god don’t let there be any connections between Rahm’s office and this nonsense.)

11:45: Right now, only conspiracy is charged. Though it appears that Fitz thinks more charges will be forthcoming as they track out what actual behaviors, bills, etc. resulted from the conspiracy.

11:39: Uh ho, looks like the governor’s wife was around and offered opinions on the Tribune thing, too.

11:38: And we’re back to asking what Fitzy thinks the legislature should do. SHUT UP ANDY SHAW.

11:37: Before the taps were placed, the Tribune got wind of it. The feds asked the Tribune not to run the story, and the Tribune agreed (the story ran last Friday instead).

11:35: The feds turned up at 6am to avoid the media and waking the kids.

11:34: One journo asks if Fitz has any advice for anyone who might take the senate seat. Fitzy clearly wants to say something (some sparkle in his eyes), but refrains…

11:33: Fitz makes the distinction between political horsetrading (legal) and trading for personal enrichment (illegal!)

11:32: Okay, the journos don’t have any real questions. The last lady basically asked if we could change the law about the governor appointing the senator.

11:31: What does this say about Durbin and Ryan? God, journalists - ask questions he might have a prayer of answering.

11:30: And now we’re discussing whether or not the Tribune might have considered firing editors. Fitz is great. He doesn’t have a speculative bone in his body.

11:28: Reporters asking silly questions like if Fitz thinks Blago should resign.

11:27: Fitz didn’t want to wait to make the charges ‘tidy’ because he hoped to stop worse things from happening in the interim.

11:22: They have Blago on tape offering to sell the senate seat ‘like a sports agent’.

11:21: Grant: “If [Illinois] isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor.”

11:19: Turing over to Rob Grant, the FBI Special Agent in charge of the investigation. Another ”new low for Illinois’ comment.

11:18: How did Blago not realize that he shouldn’t be talking about this stuff on the phone? He even apparently said it at one point, and then kept doing stuff on the phone… wtf?

11:17: ‘At the end of the day, the conduct we have before us is appalling.’

11:16: God, they have this bastard cold. Just the quotes that Fitz is reading out are enough to convict.

11:15: The governor appears to swear a LOT.

11:14: ‘The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.’

11:13: You know, we joke about Illinois corruption a lot - but this is actually really upsetting. Though the sadness is somewhat tempered by Fitzy’s deadpan delivery of the ‘bleeps’.

11:11: Feds tapped Blago’s phone, and caught him inquiring to see if he could get funding for Children’s Memorial Hospital back after money didn’t come in for him.

11:10: ‘”If they don’t perform, bleep em.” And bleep was not the word he used.’

11:09: The law was changing in 2009 to limit campaign contributions. Despite the obvious investigation, they ramped up the shakedowns.

11:08: “Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a very new low… a criminal corruption crime spree”

11:08: Fitzy!

11:07: Andy Shaw described the language in the complaint as ’salty’…

11:07: Chuck and Andy wrestle for the mic.

11:05: And the internal politics of what happens if Quinn becomes governor. Whether or not Madigan would move to impeach Blago, since Quinn getting a rush on 2010 would hurt Madigan’s daughter’s changes to be governor.

11:03: God, they appear to have him on tape saying, “I want to make money,” re: the Senate seat.

11:01: What I didn’t mention in the last post is that Blago also apparently tried to get the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune fired.

10:59: Feds didn’t go through a grand jury because Blago is alleged to have been trying to sell the Senate seat quite quickly - they believed it was imminent and had to move quickly.

10:58: Andy Shaw just managed to shove his face in the camera in front of Chuck Goudie.

Vaguely Related

• Will Blagojevich Take Others Down with Him?
• Patti Blagojevich Painted as Lady Macbeth

It’s a rainy day here in the Windy City, but perhaps rainier than most for Governor (and so-to-be-felon) Rod Blagojevich.

I think this text from my mother sums it up best:

Feds nabbed Blago this am. News conference at 11.

Among the pay-to-play allegations is that Blago may have also offered up a union-preferred candidate for Obama’s Senate seat in exchange for a (cheerfully unelected) spot in the Obama administration.

Oh Blago, is there nothing from which you won’t try to personally profit? How about lemonade stands in the Manor? Getting your kickback, Governor?

And this comes just a week after our last remaining Senator, Dick Durbin, asked President Bush for clemency on behalf of George Ryan, our previous (and officially felonious) governor.

Apparently being old gets you out of prison, even after ten years of widespread corruption and a complete lack of remorse for said activities. I’m sure all the old people in prison on lame drug charges, etc. will be very pleased.

Oh, you mean it only counts if you’re politically connected? Bummer.

Anyway, now no one knows what to do about Obama Senate seat because Blago still gets to appoint unless he resigns (ha!). Whether any of the people currently in the running want to be associated with this hot mess remains to be seen. Trying to run for reelection in two years with your name firmly attached to Blago? Might as well run for governor.

In schendenfreude news, the governor’s birthday is tomorrow.

In kind of tacky news, his kids were probably home when he was arrested. I agree that he might have hit the road if he knew the feds were coming, but wait til the kids go to school, Fitzy.

Update: We made the BBC’s News Hour! The presenter’s pronunciation of Blagojevich was amusing.

Update II: Fitzgerald’s press release is pretty damning. And the criminal complaint is up as well. [h/t Chicago Tribune]

Update III: In the press conference, Grant makes it clear that they went to the house early to avoid the media and waking the kids up.

Vaguely Related

• George Ryan’s Post-Blagojevich Hail Mary
• Will Blagojevich Take Others Down with Him?

God knows why my blogging has fallen off as of late. I suppose it’s because I have nothing I need to actively avoid; everything I don’t want to do these days is merely a question of benign neglect.

Anyway, silly things have been happening.

Tribune declared bankruptcy. It might have helped not to to take the company private and to, you know, put out a product that doesn’t blow chunks (and here I’m talking about the flagship, Chicago Tribune).

Speaking of things that make people sick, Burger King is running a pretty deplorable ad campaign. Entitled ‘Whopper Virgins’, the campaign has rounded up people from north of Chiang Mai, Thailand to taste test Whoppers versus Big Macs.

Personally, I think it’s the music that does it for me. The simple exoticism of it all is what makes it the most offensive. “Let’s give the barbarians Western things and see what they do with them!”

Less offensive if they were American Whopper virgins? I suppose, but the whole thing is just a bad idea (not to mention that the idea of finding an American who has missed out on this culinary treasure seems unlikely).

The MN recount has ended, though there is still the issue of the contested ballots and the possible addition of a number of the initially rejected ballots. The search for 133 ballots from U of M’s Dinkytown has apparently been abandoned, which is a bad thing for Franken. Franken’s people have him ahead, but we’ll see.

But maybe it’s not such a good thing if Franken wins. Nate Silver has some ideas about a Senate 58 versus 59 that I think are pretty compelling.

And, yeah, everyone’s all like, ‘That’s about enough Robert Mugabe!” But… we won’t do anything about it until far, far too late.

So let’s hope that Cubs sale goes well. So far, it’s a blast…

Vaguely Related

• Zimbabwe: Mugabe Retaliates in Plain Sight
• Zimbabwe: Mugabe in Plain Sight II

Green Party candidate Jeremy Karpen is facing off against three-term incumbent Maria Antonia ‘Toni’ Berrios in the 39th District for the Illinois House of Representatives.

For Green Party faithful, this is a no-brainier. As a life-long Democrat, however, I also believe Berrios needs to go.

Here’s the deal: She’s a good person and her heart’s in the right place, but she’s an installed representative - the nepotism of her father, Joe Berrios, earned her the seat - and she’s just not as effective as she ought to be.

Karpen has been endorsed by the Sun Times:

This Northwest Side district has been represented by Maria Antonia “Toni” Berrios since 2003, when her father, the Cook County Democratic chairman, installed her in the job. She’s inexperienced and not considered a productive legislator. We prefer Green candidate Jeremy Karpen, a therapist for troubled youth at a residential treatment center in Chicago. He strongly supports school finance reform and increased funding for mass transit and has some innovative ideas on campaign finance and electoral reform. [emphasis original]

I also wrote about the race for Gapers Block back in August.

In an ideal world, votes should always be for the candidate rather than the party - if the party hasn’t earned one’s loyalty with good candidates, voters should go elsewhere. In this case, I hope they flock to the Greens.

Put simply, Karpen deserves it; Berrios doesn’t.

[Disclosure: I am a friend of Karpen's and have been campaigning for him for the last couple days.]

Vaguely Related

• Jen Marshall’s Cook County Voting Tips
• Illinois and Chicago Voting Information - General Election 2008

I managed to read the announcement of a Grant Park rally on election night just before going to class today. I’m not usually much of a star-struck type (seeing Maxine McKew notwithstanding), but I was like, OMG!!!!! I am SO there!

It’s a bit embarrassing.

But in that tingly way.

Anyway - the election is just kind of saddening me at this point - what with the ‘terrorist’ chants, dead bears, Palin’s possible $150,000 wardrobe and the like.

It’s, like, time to vote already - let’s get on with it.

I suppose it’ll be interesting to see if Michelle Bachmann (R-MN6) loses her seat after the latest in a series of silly comments out of her.

And it was nice to see McCain supporters fight back against the racists in their midst (via Megan at Jezebel).

But, you know, Bush is still enacting annoying things like giving federal money to orgs that only hire people of one faith, despite that being totally against the rules.

And the media is focusing a lot on that Iraqi puppy, Rachet, and him going to his girl in MN. It’s a charming story, but the amount of money and press attention showered on a dog instead of, say, the Iraqi people or the troops is kind of depressing.

Well, that was useful. That got rid of some of the links in my browser. I swear some days that’s the only reason I blog - to clear out links that I’m too lazy to post to del.icio.us.

That’s how much you mean to me.

Oh, and since we’re soooo close - if you have a line on Obama tickets… yes, please!

Vaguely Related

• Palin Abuses Her Authority, McCain His Responsibility
• McCain Gets Lots Done Before Debate

[Editor's Note: Have tried to remove jinx factor...]

It’s a question that - I swear to god - didn’t occur to me until today.

With the race seemingly tightening up, it might be time to have a look.

In Illinois, the governor replaces the sitting Senator until the next Congressional election. This means that Rod Blagojevich (D) will fill Obama’s seat and that person will be up for re-election in 2010.

For those of you not from Illinois - here’s the political lay of the land:

Blagojevich essentially comes from the Chicago Machine, but has a weird relationship to it. He’s the son-in-law of Chicago boss Dick Mell, who put him in the governor’s office. Blago and Mell, however, more or less openly dislike each other.

Blagojevich’s other main problem is Illinois House Speaker and IL Democratic Party Leader Mike Madigan, who pretty much hates his guts. Madigan has done everything in his power to thwart Blagojevich over the last few years. Madigan’s daughter, Lisa Madigan, is the Attorney General and a likely candidate for governor in 2010.

Not that Blago has helped himself much. He’s almost certainly had some quite dirty dealings, and it most likely ‘Public Official A’ in Peter Fitzgerald’s most recent excursion into Illinois corruption. Between this and the Congressional gridlock he’s helped to create, Illinois voters are extremely pissed off.

Sure they returned him to office in 2006, but his opponent Judy Baar Topinka inspired a lot of nose-holding for downstate Republicans as well. The Green Party candidate got over 10% in that election, which is pretty unheard of for a third-party candidate in a gubernatorial election.

All caught up?

With this much hatred to spare, Blagojevich is likely to make a strategic appointment. He’s got enemies pretty much everywhere, but a couple of names stand out for consideration.

Lisa Madigan - she’s the Attorney General and well-liked. She’s likely to challenge him in 2010, so putting her in the Senate might keep her out the way. She’d have to choose between renewing her Senate seat or going for Blagojevich’s.

Any of the Chicago US House delegation - He’d get to make nice with the Machine, and appointing an African-American, like Davis, Rush or Jackson Jr., would give him support from the South Side in 2010.

Dan Hynes - Illinois Comptroller. Another likely candidate in 2010 - though one with less chance of beating Blagojevich in a primary. Would make Machine people happy though, and maybe get them off Blagojevich’s back.

Jim Oberweis - because it’s the only way Jim Oberweis is every going to get elected anything. Seriously, how freaking amazing would that be? I mean, aside from the reality of it.

Alan Keyes - is he still carpetbagging with us? He was Obama’s opponent in 2004, and… nah, can’t even write the end of that sentence seriously.

The Daily Herald also suggests Alexi Giannoulias, the State Treasurer, who Obama likes a lot. Bill Daley, the brother of Mayor Richard M. Daley. That seems over the top - I think people would be pretty up in arms about a Daley getting to the Senate without dead people voting for it or anything.

The DH also points out that Blagojevich could appoint himself and basically get the hell out of Illinois. The governor gig isn’t going so well, to be sure, but he’d be up again in 2010. I think once people picked their jaws up off the floor, they’d vote him straight out. Plus, the Democrats don’t need one of their senators dealing with corruption charges, which will almost certainly feature in Blago’s near future.

I’m not counting my chickens just yet, but it’s interesting to think about. And I know nothing about Arizona internal politics, so… yeah, who knows what happens if McCain wins?

God, you just know Jim Oberweis has thought about calling up Blago and offering his service.

Vaguely Related

• Will Blagojevich Take Others Down with Him?
• Patti Blagojevich Painted as Lady Macbeth

Oh, come on!

It’s hard to argue with this:

The Dodgers reached the National League Championship Series as the Cubs held to form, falling apart in October.

All y’all who don’t believe in The Curse, believe and weep. Sigh. That’s why I don’t even watch this shit anymore. (Well, that and it’s entirely not available where I live - the cricket will be on soon, though…)

For. God’s. Sake.

Vaguely Related

• Wind (and a little bit of media studies!)
• Will Blagojevich Take Others Down with Him?

[Ed note - sorry, this was supposed to publish late last night and failed somehow. The miracle of technology.]

I’m not a big fan of Chicago Tribune columnist, Dennis Byrne. (If you’re googling yourself again, Mr Byrne - welcome back.)

His column today [Sept 30], however, made me chuckle rather than foam. This - in all seriousness - is the opening line:

The American public on Monday stuck it to the “knowledgeable and sophisticated” elites who warned that without the $700 billion federal financial bailout plan all hell would break loose.

Um, the ‘elite’ leading the charge for the bailout was none other than Mr Byrne’s president, George W. Bush.

Bryne complains about the choice that we, American taxpayers, are being forced to make:

We who hesitate are lost. On top of that, the public was asked to pick its poison immediately, without congressional hearings, extensive public debate or any other accouterments of a democratic republic. The public was required to accept the edict. No look before you leap.

Now… of what does this remind me? The insistence that we accept at face value what we are told despite what appears to be a reckless investment of capital into a risky adventure that no one has taken the time to think through… What could it be?

But, credit to Mr Bryne for both calling out Bush as ‘elitist’ and then railing against Speaker Pelosi for:

…let[ting] loose with a nasty partisan attack totally inappropriate for the quality of the debate. You had to see it to believe it: There was rational debate on the House floor, indeed in a spirit of bipartisanship, and then she comes along blaming President George W. Bush for everything.

To be fair, I don’t disagree with some of his points - the bailout plan was rather rushed; hopefully there will be a better plan sometime this week.

But what I adore about Byrne’s column is it appears totally devoid of irony (at least when it’s not coming from the Left).

Now that’s something you have to see to believe.

Vaguely Related

• Wind (and a little bit of media studies!)
• Roland Burris - Ready to Serve in the Senate

Check your registration for Chicago residents and suburban Cook County residents online. Everyone else, call your county clerk - their number can be found here.

Chicago residents: if your status is ‘Inactive’ call 312.269.7936 to resolve the issue and be prepared to bring your driver’s license to the polling place.

Illinois registration continues through October 7th. You can download, print out and mail in your registration form here.

You can also register in person at various city, county and state offices - including the Secretary of State’s office if you’re renewing your license. Public schools and libraries also can provide these services.

To register in person, you need two forms of ID, one of which must have your current address. To register, by mail you will need your driver’s license or State ID card number. Failing that you need either the last four digits of your SSN and photo ID or a utility bill, check, etc. that shows your current address.

Grace Period Registration continues through October 21st. But you have to visit one of six Cook County offices. (Different in other areas, obviously…)

Early Voting - October 13-30 - There are fifty locations in Chicago (for Chicago residents) and forty-four in suburban Cook. You may vote at any of the locations, respectively. Early voting locations places are open 9-5, Monday through Saturday (including Columbus Day, 13 October). You must bring a state-issued ID to vote early.

Voting on Election Day: Tuesday, November 4 - Polls are open from 6am until 7pm. If you vote on election day, you must vote at your polling place. It listed on your voter card or you can check your polling place by checking your registration online (Chicago).

If you are in line at 7pm, you must be allowed to vote. Do not be turned away. If your workday spans the entirety of open polling times, your employer must give you two hours off to vote.

Various Chicago voting nonsense: if you have voted in your polling place before and are in the signature book (a white slip) - you are not required to show ID. It’s always a good thing to bring along in case of a canvas challenge, but - as a voter - you are allowed to speak to other voters and to question a judge who asks for ID from a voter in the book with a white slip.

While we’re talking about the book - this is the proper order of things at the polling place.

1. Your give your name and your application should be located in the book.
2. You sign your application.
3. It is checked against your signature in the book (white slips).
4. Your application is then removed, given to you and you exchange it for your ballot.

You should NOT be given your application before your signature is checked. You should NOT have to ‘check in’ with a partisan pollwatcher beforehand. Partisan pollwatchers should NOT be sitting at the table with election judges. (I’m looking at you, precinct in the Hamlin Park gym in 2004…)

And remember - no matter how much your precinct captain insists - you’re only allowed to vote once. One time.

Report any and all irregularities to the Board of Elections (312.269.7900/312-269-7867).

Vaguely Related

• Jeremy Karpen for IL 39th District State Representative
• Jen Marshall’s Cook County Voting Tips