Illinois Gov. Removed

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) was arrested by Federal authorities at his Chicago home this morning for seeking bribes to fill Obama's vacant Senate seat. He was already under investigation for other crimes, but was dumb enough to expand his activities while under the Fed's eye.

Our previous governor is currently in prison for a complex driver's license scheme that unraveled after the deaths of 6 children in a fiery crash, traced to an illegal immigrant that paid $800 for his CDL (commercial driver's license); with the money ending up in his campaign fund.

I have firsthand knowledge of Blagojevich's corruption, when he ran for State's Attorney in the '90s. A handicapped man in my neighborhood was threatened and harassed for having the opponent's yard sign on display; another had a tree stump thrown through his windshield. These were done by local precinct workers and Teamster henchmen of the Democratic Party. No one was ever charged, these things happen to opponents of 'The Machine' every election cycle.

Those of us here from Illinois are invited to weigh in, and of course so is everyone else!

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Zelgadis 638]

I have little tolerance for corruption in public office. I care not what party they are with. Throw the bums out! Including both Rangel and Stevens. Well... Stevens has been voted out. Now that leaves Rangel.

ISF

[Ntq€310 1]

as a illinois citizen and native i first must say, ABOUT TIME! now that that's over let me give you my reasons.

This guy is crazy, i mean just look at all the charges http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/12/09/blagojevich_arrested_on_federal_corruption_charges.

What's just sad is that something like this will probably happen again. And unfortantly it will keep happening until the Democratic Machine is gone. And the State is in preety much a hole with no way to get out. The power up high can just put who ever they want in the smaller positions, while taking away the top will olny allow the next in line to take the job. While. While the rest of the state cant do it because of the power Chicago has in the State senate. So even if we do get a good governor they can bring him down.

Just look, He would be the 4th Convicted governor in 35 years! but there is one hope. And it's the governor himself, i mean he is so crazy he may bring down everything around him, and he can do it, he has so many state connections he can bring down the whole damn state. And trust me, if you read anything he's accused of, and even lived in this state you would know.

Besides that your not most unpopular governor in the U.S for nothing. but im just glad another one bit the dust on this, let's hope they get Emil now

[panthersimcity4 162]

I'm not shocked or suprised... after all he was a politician. What would shock me is if he was a philanthropist or something.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Its Chicago, is there a politician there that isnt corrupt?

[Ntq€310 1]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes Its Chicago, is there a politician there that isnt corrupt?

quote>

 

lol, good point But you cant forget springfield politics eathier. I almost whether if we should just ' Remake ' those area's persay.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: Ntq$310 But you cant forget springfield politics eathier. quote>

Did somebody say "Springfield Politics?"

[Nerd_Guy 4]

Once again, its about time!  All of us here are happy to see him go.  Maybe this state can get a decent governor for once...

[The_Hutt 11]

Political Darwinism at work. I mean, this guy knew he had Fitzgerald and his band of feds nipping at his heels yet was to arrogant to consider there might be wiretaps on his phones. Ridiculous.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: Barbarossa  But, I do think it is a stretch to equate the actions of the Teamsters and other workers with the Democratic Party... the Party would not condone their actions. Just because they are Dems does not mean the Party is complicit.

Barbarossa

quote>

I beg to differ, the Teamsters have been the source of muscle for the Party here since at least the '50s. They have been linked to many a corrupt Dem in this town including Hizzoner Daley (Jr and Sr). The National Committee may keep them at arm's length, but locally they are part-and-parcel of the entire evil mechanism. After all, someone's got to do the legbreaking. The union thugs helped to solidify Dem control into what we call 'The Machine'. The history of the connection goes back even into the 1930s, and was still evident in the '80s as the Mob used union boys to dry up financial support for Richie Daley's opponent, 'Fast Eddie' Vrdolyak.

Not to be difficult, my friend... but this is a subject a true Chicagoan knows very well. It is mostly a local phenomenon, as only NY and Louisiana have anything close to the criminal enterprise that politics have been here for about 100 years. The unions in general and the Teamsters in particular have been the 3rd point in a triangle of political corruption, the other two points are the Mob and the local Democratic Committee.

Former FBI agent William Roehmer's books, such as Accardo: The Genuine Godfather, lay it all out very well.

[Ntq€310 1]

this governor is just one of many in our history to be arrested, but hey more will come and more will go. But i will be intrested in what effects this will have, espically since blango has so many connections, he can bring down the house persay. But mantic is right, the machine has been supported by the teamsters extremly well, and it's because of that there what they are today. Besides that the whole cook county goverment is corrupt, to the point that there's really not much that can be done from the outside besides getting rid of the whole thing.

Now the question is how illinois republicans and democrats will use this, and will things change? probably not, if any past indications are, but this one is espically bad

[Hanson784 165]

I'm not that surprised, I saw this coming for a while. Things like this are quite common in Illinois, especially Chicago.

Now that this is national and international news I'm worried about how some people might use Illinois/ Chicago politics to try to portray Obama in a negative light. We'll see what happens and it should be interesting to see who else might be indicted.

[Ntq€310 1]

well to say on that from what i can tell and what the media is saying obama is not connected by person, though lets be honest he is also part of the machine, not like him or ryan or any others though.

but still this makes a good base for any claim others might have about him.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

The tapes are pretty clear that B.O. wasn't playing along, much to Blago's chagrin (lotta f words for the pres-elect). But one man who did come up is Rahm Emanuel, possibly as a go-between for an as-yet unnamed player. If it pans out, we could already have our first scandal before Obama even takes office.

Jesse Jackson Jr admitted to being 'Candidate #5', offering $500,000 which another unidentified player raised another $1 million. JJ Jr was quick to say he wasn't a target of the investigation, but that in no way means he is off the hook or that he has been cleared by the FBI. He's just doing damage control in hopes of salvaging a shot at the seat. He has long been rumored to be knee deep in the same crookery that goes on in this town every day. He probably wouldn't be where he is at without playing the game at least part-time. (It also sounds like suborning bribery, a crime unto itself.)

It is believed that Blago is ready to sing like a canary to the Feds for reduced time, but who could he possibly give them that they would want more than him? Or, to ask another way, who would be a real feather in the cap of someone looking to advance their Federal law enforcement career? Who would be the Holy Grail of Chicago political prosecution? Who was master of the game before most people ever heard of Blagojevich? The Puppetmaster himself, of course...Richie Daley!

Here's hoping!

[Ntq€310 1]

ohhh i like where your going with that! but there are others that i think need to be taken out, such as the leader of the state senate leader, or some of the politians around them. But you make the point everyone has been thinking, can this bring down the machine?! i hope so

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

But wait, there's more!

Ok, there will be a lot more, to be sure. But here's a link concerning Jesse Jr (or '3J') and the 'Gbay' auction. (Sorry, I can't link for some reason... the address is http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/ap_on_re_us/illinois_governor_jackson)

Rahm Emanuel was cornered by reporters, and very curtly refused to answer if he was the unnamed bagman referred to on the tapes. There are many of us around here who would dearly love to see him take a fall, he's made many enemies in this town.

John Kass' column from the Chicago Tribune will help paint the picture...(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-12-dec12,0,723256.column)

Another person now getting increased spotlight glare in all of this is State Rep. James DeLeo (D, of course). The mob watchers here like me know him as one of the men against whom Kenny 'Tokyo Joe' Eto was supposed to testify against in Operation Greylord. Eto was in hiding after a botched assassination attempt.

 They shot him 3 times in the back of the head and stuffed him into a car trunk, then went to have dinner. However, due to a faulty silencer, the bullets failed to penetrate his skull. While the hitmen were dining, Eto regained conciousness, let himself out of the car trunk, and walked 3 blocks to a pharmacy. There here announced himself, saying "I'm Ken Eto, I've been shot".

The hitmen paid the ultimate price for failure, and were later found in a car trunk themselves.

DeLeo walked with an acquittal, a rare case of the Feds having all the pieces but coming up with nothing. He's among the dirtiest of the dirty, an Illinois State Congressman with genuine blood on his hands who has miraculously stayed in office with lots of dirty help. If the Feds get something on him, they will move heaven and earth to put him in prison.

Yes, it's a twisted web that leads from dead hitmen to an Obama appointee. Welcome to Chicago politics!

Edit: To clear up factual discrepancies.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kasstuesdayblago12-16dec16,0,5311000.column (edit: still trying to figure out why I can't link!)

This link to John Kass' column in today's Tribune exposes a little more about the web of corruption involved in this story, and the connection between Blago's lawyer, the previously-mentioned Rep.'Big Jimmy' DeLeo, and a little known company named Lincoln Park Title.

Blago was supposed to decide whether or not to resign yesterday, while the State Attorney General went before the state Supreme Court to seek his removal and the legislature starts the ball rolling on impeachment proceedings.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: manticorefan still trying to figure out why I can't link!quote>

You can, you just gotta do it right.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Thanks, Duke. I didn't have this problem with an earlier version of FF, one would think that they would have fixed this problem before releasing FF3.0. It just goes to show you should not always update just because you can.

This just in:

Cop-turned mob lawyer-turned FBI informant Robert Cooley is ripping the lid off of this story with new details. The local ABC affiliate is reporting his allegations that the gov. used to be a bookie for the Mob, with his 'street tax' being collected by Bobby 'The Boxer' Abbianati. Bobby The Boxer is a ruthless legbreaker, as one is expected to be when you collect from criminals for other, more powerful criminals. Blago was allegedly a classic street bookie, taking action for all the usual sporting events. In order to take any action in this town, you need to have Outfit approval. If you don't pay, you pay: 'Joe Batters' Accardo bumped off his own son-in-law for not paying up. The Family comes before family.

Cooley is a very good source, his testimony helped put away over 2 dozen Syndicate-linked politicians in Operation Gambat in the late '80s. He warned the press about Blago years ago, but declined to have his name used, so they didn't go public. His primary warning? That Blago would sell each and every state position he had control over. Big Jimmy DeLeo is considered the shadow governor of Illinois, and is alleged to be deeply involved in various 'Gbay' auctions for Blago.

The Feds are also intensely interested in Patti Blagojevich; specifically several multi-million dollar real estate deals she made as a broker. She was also heard on the tapes, with her husband angling for a seat on whatever well-paying corporate board would have her. She can cuss as well or better than her husband.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Since this thread is kinda my baby, I might as well tend to it.

The state Supreme Court has declined to hear the Att'y general's case that the gov is 'unfit' to serve' due to his apparent failure to keep his criminal nature a secret. Governor-to-be Pat Quinn has now changed his mind again, and wants to be able to appoint a 'temporary Senator' the second he inherits the office.

A full 90% percent of the people polled want a special election to fill the seat, but the state Dems are terrified of losing this seat to the Repubs. The excuse is, that it would cost the state $30-$50 million to hold the election. Now they're suddenly worried about spending tax dollars! Perhaps they could auction off Blago's resignation to raise the funds.

The racial politics were never far from this, with several black politicians in the Chicago area (ahem, Danny Davis, and former Black Panther Bobby Rush) claiming that this seat 'belongs black', and they don't want it going to any white candidate from either party. Draw your own conclusions about this one, I cannot comment without at least appearing to race-bait.

Blago has decided he's going to fight the charges, and has hired the area's premier Mob attorney Ed Genson to claim the whole case is illegal.

[Easy Bakes 253]

how would a Republican ever win against the Chicago politico machine?

That would be like a Kennedy not wining in Massachusetts

 

[Ntq€310 1]

well let's be honest this does give them a chance. espically when people, even from chicago are getting tired of the machine. But good job in keep the thread updated mantic.

On the Booby Rush thing...... i dont want to being up anything but isnt it also racist to say something like that? saying the canidate must be black or no go...... isnt that like saying the person must be white?

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

LOL, 'Booby Rush'...lmfao! That's called lapsus calamus.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

A link to the story about Rahm Emanuel's connection to Blago.

Maybe there was more 'working together' than there should have been? If there was, will we get the entire story? 

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

I didn't quite know where to put this, because it's germain to other threads like the political one and, in a roundabout way, to the high speed rail thread as well. But it is here.

The pick of Rep Roy LaHood (R, IL) for Trans Sec'y was a surprise. LaHood is the chairman of an asphalt trade association, meaning a lot more freeways will likely be built at the expense of rail projects. It's also a very good way to communicate with Mob contractors on state projects, contractors who paid Blago for their jobs. There are quite a few 'R's here who act just like 'D's.

LaHood is also practically joined at the hip to Bill Cellini, who was recently indicted for attempting to extort money from the producer of Million Dollar Baby.

[Ntq€310 1]

that's not good..........

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Blago has decided to appoint Roland Burris to Obama's seat, in defiance of everyone. (link)

This is raising eyebrows, and it is unclear if the US Senate will accept Mr Burris in light of previous statements that any appointee would be tainted.

Edit: Senate Majority leader Harry Reid said this morning that the Senate will not seat any appointee from Blago, the statement was also signed by IL's other Senator, Dick Durbin. Burris is effectively dead in the water.

[Ntq€310 1]

I dont trust Roland that much anyway. But this is just a last ditch effort to save himself, and drum up support for himself with Illinois's most powerful minority. It isnt going to work much i think, but still this is just like ryan when he pardon those people.

In the mean time the Impeachment isnt going that far as They dont have enough evidence to really impeach him, aint it wonderful?

[TheSixCents 0]

The fact that anyone thinks he will be seated is comedic.