by Frank James
Native Chicagoan Scott Simon, the National Public Radio host, has a piece in The Wall Street Journal that will strike a chord with many. Of all the tawdry behavior alleged against Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the most damning is this -- he tried to shakedown a children's hospital.
The criminal complaint against Blagojevich includes transcripts of recorded conversations in which he allegedly threatened to withdraw $8 million of state funding for Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago if its chief executive officer didn't raise $50,000 for the governor's campaign committee.
What manner of man would do this? Blagojevich is a father himself of young daughters. One might think that would provide one with a level of compassion for that particular hospital's patients and sympathy for the institution's mission, not that one needs to be a parent to have such feelings.
As Simon writes in the piece in which he explains that taking care of oneself or one's kin is a well accepted practice among many participants in Chicago politics:
A Chicago alderman once complained to me about modern reform hiring laws -- the line was so good, I borrowed it, unembellished, for a novel -- "What's this world coming to when a guy can get a job for a stranger more easily than he can for his brother in law?"
But even those who live by this kind of code are appalled by the allegations against Mr. Blagojevich. Reaping reward for appointing someone to the senate is not unprecedented, or even unethical. I am confident that if Gov. Blagojevich had appointed Valerie Jarrett, Mr. Obama's reported favorite, to the seat, the people in his administration would consider that they owed the governor some sort of favor, and would have resurfaced a highway, or invited him to a White House dinner with Angelina Jolie. But unsubtly putting a senate seat up for personal auction, as if it were a piece of family jewelry, is arrogance that makes even hardened pols shudder.
Yet that's not even the item that angers me most. Among U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's bill of particulars is the charge that Gov. Blagojevich sought to rescind a state payment of $8 million to Children's Memorial Hospital if their CEO failed to organize a $50,000 contribution to the governor.
Many shameless politicians would send free turkeys to a children's hospital. The publicity is good, and it might help them sleep at night. But this governor was willing to stint on their care if a hospital official didn't oblige him with cash.
That's the part of the criminal complaint that really has many of us shaking our heads. How could you even think of doing this to the most vulnerable in society, extremely sick children?
Comments
This very true- But it will not stir up the public like Obama's team asking Bago to pick from a list for Senator or Senator Dick Durbin asking for former Gov Ryans release from jail.
Posted by: Inky | December 13, 2008 10:45 AM
On another blog I was reading they were talking about the Obama inauguration post cards you can sell...this was written about Blago:
Besides state pardons, the governor of Illinois is selling a doll-sized version of himself. Depending how much money you stuff in its ear, it either calls you a cheap mommy-humper or appoints you US Senator. The doll is is called, “Bribe Me Blaggo”. Available at all retails stores now!
Posted by: lochnessmonster | December 13, 2008 12:01 PM
I also found the Children's Hospital appalling. But you have to understand power, greed and love for $$. It is a tunnel vision mantra. I am very sorry to say that all of this goes to the top of the cake. This will all come out, and Biden will be the President. Sorry it is a gut feeling.
Posted by: R. Pfeifer | December 13, 2008 12:40 PM
Ahhh the democrats, always "for the children"
Posted by: Terry | December 13, 2008 12:56 PM
We will soon find just how depraved Rod Blagojevich's acts were and I think even hard core Chicagoens will be surprised...there was an investigation back in Aug., 2007 that involved Rezko, Frawley, Alsammarae and Blago that was just swept under the rug and that involved $650 million U.S dollars stolen and the possibilty of training Iraqi police to use ak-47's here in Illinois...please read the attached;
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/499796,CST-NWS-rezko07.article
Posted by: Bessie | December 13, 2008 2:21 PM
Like other Governors elected with SEIU support, Blago handed over employees' (yes, theirs, not his) representation rights to SEIU as pay back. No wonder he felt comfortable asking them for a job as payback for appointing Obama's choice as Senator. Likely too, this would have strengthened SEIU's ability to get the law changed to get election-free union certification of more and more employees. What a deal.
Posted by: WIn-Win-WIn, Almost | December 13, 2008 3:31 PM
Well, duh.
That CMH one just jumped over the podium at Fitzgerald's Tuesday press conference.
Still in all , Rod may have a defensible case.
All the "tuff talk", crude, intimidating language to puff up an impression of "masculinity", maybe that is allhe is guilty of.
Or, at worst, coprolalia, that compulsion he has which is shared with another potty mouth in the news.
If Rod had stuck to monologues with a Dictaphone, as Nixon used to do, rather than having a live captive audience in the form of a staffer present, there wouldn't be a "conspiracy" would there?
However, if they acted on Rod's "talk dirty to me" fantasies, and someone was intimidated into some act or paying $$$, then we have a different case.
Posted by: ornery | December 13, 2008 4:56 PM
No, Terry, that's "Fower Tha Childrunnnn!"
No matter what they want to do, it's Fower Tha Childrunnnn! and no one dares challenge it, because no one wants to be labeled as anti-child today, no matter how harebrained the scheme might be.
Posted by: DaveB | December 13, 2008 8:59 PM
I'M SADDEN AT HOW THIS WORLD HAS BECOME, AND I READ SOME COMMENTS AND SOME OF YOU ARE SO QUIK TO WANT TO PLACE BLAME ON OBAMA INSTEAD OF WHERE IT SHOULD BE. WE ARE GROWN PEOPLE HERE. NO ONE TELLS US TO DO ANYTHING BUT OUR OWN MINES, AND AS SURE AS WE DO WRONG WE WILL GET CAUGHT IN LONG OR SHORT TIME. THE ROB NEW WHAT HE WAS DOING WAS WRONG, HE KNOWS RIGHT FROM WRONG IF HE DIDN'T HE WOULDN'T BE CALLING FOR PREACHER, AND THINGS TODAY. IF OBAMA HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS ARE ANYONE ELSE THEY ARE GOING TO GET CAUGHT TO, AND I VOTED FOR MR. OBAMA.
Posted by: len | December 14, 2008 7:13 AM
TheObamamaniacs need to pipe down. Blago and Obama and every damned national politician are ALL THE SAME--it's just in the packaging.
This arrest, this 'investigation' this 'fake outrage' by national public radio stars (c'mon scott--you work with Ann Gerols and Cokie Roberts) is just so disgusting. How many first tier children's hospitals are there in Appalachia, or Southern Illinois for that matter. Give me a break.
Blago is a PIKER compared to the folks NPR let off the hook the past 20 years:
Ollie North, Ron Reagan, George Bush (for genocide in central america); KBR, Halliburton, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Shrub, Wolfowitz, Rummy.
good grief. Illinois' kids have health care. Which is why Blago is being tainted as anti kid health care.
Posted by: somebody throw a shoe at the MIC embedded media, please | December 15, 2008 6:21 AM
The governors actions just prove why lawyers reputations are one step lower than used car salesmen. What in the world makes some of our government officials thing they are going to outsmart everyone and escape the long arm of the law?. This would be a classic case for the tv show dumbest criminals.
Posted by: Paul | December 15, 2008 8:02 AM