Word: blagojevichization
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Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested this week on the basis of a 76-page report detailing alleged corruption that included plans to auction off former Sen. Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder. Blagojevich has been recorded on tape spilling priceless gems that will contribute notably to Illinois’s heritage of thoroughly corrupt politics at all levels of government. Indeed, when all his deeds have finally been brought out, his tenure will no doubt stand as a milestone in the long and noble tradition of corrupt Illinoisans...
...Blagojevich is prosecuted, he’ll be the fourth Illinois governor to face corruption charges, and maybe even the fourth to serve a prison sentence as a result. This proud legacy can be traced back at least to that great patriarch of corruption, Gov. Len Small (1921-29), who was let off on charges of embezzling $600,000 from the state after he offered his jurors cushy state jobs. Such a grand inheritance of corruption can scarcely be rivaled in any other state, from sea to shining sea, and it’s important not to overlook the good...
...governor sole responsibility for appointing a new senator when one steps down. And few states can boast such a formidable Democratic Party machine, which undoubtedly makes things easier for those on the blue side of the spectrum to take some real American liberties with their position. We thank Gov. Blagojevich, his wife, and his advisers for contributing to a splendid heritage, one of which all Illinoisans may feel justly proud...
What's a little Senate seat bribery between friends? Sure, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is accused of trying to profit from the sale of President-elect Obama's newly vacant Senate seat. And he may have allegedly tried to force the newly bankrupt Tribune Co. to fire editorial staff members who were critical of him. And it's possible he traded favors for campaign contributions. But this is Illinois; as Robert Grant, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago field office, told the press at the announcement of the indictment, "if it isn't the most corrupt...
Reach as far back into Illinois history as you like and your hands will likely come out dirty. Blagojevich is the sixth Illinois governor to be subjected to arrest or indictment - seventh if you count Joel Aldrich Matteson (governor from 1853-1857), who tried to cash $200,000 of stolen government scrip he "found" in a shoebox. Matteson pulled a "how-did-that-get-there?" excuse and escaped indictment by promising to pay it back. (Oddly, this isn't Illinois's only shoebox-full-of-money scandal; after former secretary of state Paul Powell's death in 1970, a search...