The early days of the Rod Blagojevich scandal have some definite similarities with the Eliot Spitzer scandal earlier this year. Caught red-handed by federal investigators, the press quickly cast these Democrats out as impossibly stupid, far too stupid to be acknowledged as Democrats. On Tuesday night’s All Things Considered on NPR, anchor Robert Siegel interviewed Laura Washington, a columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times (and a senior editor of the Chicago socialist rag In These Times). NPR highlighted her analysis that the local power elite was stunned by Blago’s stupidity:
SIEGEL: First, I know that Chicago journalists are accustomed to corruption stories, but many of the remarks attributed to the governor and evidently recorded are just breathtaking in their cynicism and their corruption. If I followed Chicago politics the way you do, would I be less astonished by all of these?
WASHINGTON: Just slightly less astonished. I think the thing that is taking everyone by surprise is the hubris. Even for Rob Blagojevich, who's been known to have - to be a pretty nervy politician, to think that, at this point, when you’re under investigation for as many months as he has - to think that you can say anything even in the least bit unseemly even in a closed room is a huge mistake, and I think people are really shocked by, frankly, the stupidity of it.
This might be a little to surprising to Sun-Times readers, who might have read the lady finishing a column on December 1 with the line "And while the joker may be wild, he's not stupid."
Washington professed to be completely unsurprised that the Governor was trying to horse-trade the seat for cash or career benefits. But when it came to Obama, NPR’s Chicago guest saw no significant association to ponder:
SIEGEL: I want you to tell us a little bit about what relationship - if any there was between Governor Blagojevich and President-elect Obama. There's a critical moment in the criminal information where Blagojevich is quoted at least to saying, the Obama team wants person number one to get the Senate seat, but all they'll give me is appreciation. And then he says, well, bleep them for that. So clearly, they're not helping him at all in this alleged scheme. But more generally than that, were they cool to one another? Were they political allies? How do you describe that relationship?
WASHINGTON: They had a very - I would think cordial relationship. After all, Blagojevich is the governor of Illinois. Barack Obama until the last two, three years was seen as a young upstart politician. But Barack Obama made a very definite decision when he decided to run for president to distance himself from Blagojevich. Blagojevich was not happy with that, and I think that, in fact, it would have been unlikely that Blagojevich would have chosen someone that Barack Obama liked because there was no love lost there.
The picture above comes from the PBS NewsHour, which included Washington on a Wednesday night panel discussion with liberal historian Michael Beschloss and local Lehrer contributor Elizabeth Brackett.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Great comparison link
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:03 ET by GregEGreat comparison link regarding the "joker." Amazing (well not really). First the joker isn't stupid, then when busted and Obama's name is in the frey, yes, joker is stupid. What a difference 13 days makes.
Axlerod, before gov busted: "I know Obama has spoken with the governor [Blagojevich]."
Obama, after gov busted: "I had not spoken with the governor."
Axlerod after Obama spoke on the subject: "I was wrong, Obama has not talked with the governor, I misspoke."
I see lots of jokers. All wild, all liberal, and all stupid.
First of all... I am over
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:05 ET by clubchamp6First of all... I am over here which way are you looking crazy eye...
Secondly the One was one of the three main people to get Blago elected in 2002...I would call that a close relationship.
Idiots all of them
On managing the truth...
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:11 ET by Gary HallThe MSM continues to utilize it's favorite two tools in dealing with presenting hisory:
1. An eraser
2. A make believe time machine
(;~> gary
What a contrast
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:25 ET by legacyrepublicanI can't help but note that the characteristics that got Gov. Blago his backing in the beginning, his "nervy" style, are the same characteristics that the liberals think make Sarah Palin a poor choice.
What a contrast!
Of course, Gov. Palin is honest and hard working, which makes her suspect. Had she had a twinge of double dealing in her hairdo like Blago, then they might have respected her.
Why him?Why now?
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:43 ET by superconSince when do Democrats throw one of their own under the bus for committing a crime...?William Jefferson is in just as much trouble as Hot Rod and no one called for him to step down.Cynthia McKinney assaults a cop and calls him racist and no one cared.Patrick Kennedy hits a cop car all drunk and high and not a word of criticism.
All of a sudden now Democrats want one of their own to resign or to have him impeached.Why...?
Let's be blunt.None of them care about what Blagojevich is accused of but only that it is connected to Obama.Democrats and the media want this story to die quickly and quietly.The trouble is is that Barack is connected to it and they hate to admit it.Are we all to believe that three people like Barack Obama,David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel who all have close ties to Blagojevich had no contact with the man who would appoint the replacement for the President elect's seat...? Oh puh-lease.
Don't tell me that a political team that controlled every aspect of their campaign so closely wasn't all over Blago like white on rice.That dog just won't hunt.
The Media Won't Crucify Their Savior
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:45 ET by kch50428Or his disciples. Rahm-bo should be getting whacked by the media until he departs. But it will never happen.
Further Down The Denial River....
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 17:59 ET by BeresfordInteresting how everyone on CNN's Late Edition today fell all over themselves to declare Obama and team totally innocent. Transcript excerpts below:
DAVID GERGEN: ...But to back up, Wolf, it does seem to me for starters, there's
absolutely no indications, no evidence that anybody around -- including
Barack Obama and including Barack Obama and including Rahm Emanuel has
done anything wrong here. There's nothing with that...
JAMES CARVILLE: .... And just to go back, I know -- you know, can vouch for Rahm
personally, I don't have any doubt in my mind that he didn't do
anything wrong. And if the governor said anything in private to hi, I
think Rahm would have snapped back vehemently to put it mildly....
...And by the way, no one needs to be cleared legally. No one in this, as the United
States attorney says, is in legal jeopardy whatsoever.
WOLF BLITZER: I think those are all excellent points.
When the D's have to open
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 18:27 ET by celatorWhen the D's have to open the crypt and let the forked- tongued Gergen and the cadaver-like Carville sing O's praises, you know that they are worried about Obama in this case.
All of which strongly suggests that the Blago case is bringing the sweats to the mighty O. This is O's first big test re how he handles himself under the hot lights. So far. He gets a big F-.
Evidently obama is an
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 18:18 ET by MidAmericaEvidently obama is an extreme introvert because he hasn't talked to anyone for years.
Mid America
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 18:21 ET by littlemissmuffinGreat comment!
"If we conservatives moved to those seven non-existent States, the government couldn’t find us and tax us to death!"
Well, one person who is stupid is Laura Washington.
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 18:42 ET by needleI presume that while Laura Washington may consider Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D!) to be wild but "he's not stupid," apparently she considers the hoi polloi in fly-over country to be stupid enough to buy her garbage about Obama being unaffected by business-as-usual Chicago “politics.”
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
McCain back to basics - screwing Republicans
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 19:03 ET by Jack BauerDon't read this if you're a Republican with high blood pressure and low boiling point.
t's back to business as usual for John McCain (D)Arizona.
And that business is screwing Republicans. Well, he is an expert.
Exactly right Jack... I
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 19:10 ET by bigtimerExactly right Jack...
I watched it live this morning.
Good ol' McC...what a guy.
I despise him...he just keeps throwing us under the bus...as he reaches across the aisle.
I wished he would just move to the side he keeps reaching for and working with...for years now..nothing like being stabbed in the back...while he's looking right at you.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
I despise him...he just
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 19:31 ET by NewsbusterbrownI despise him...he just keeps throwing us under the bus...as he reaches across the aisle.
That's why, even with Sarah Palin, we still had to hold our noses when we cast our votes for him, BT. Bob Dole and even Jerry Ford looked like Reagan compared to him.
“There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
Nbb... Exactly right when it
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 19:32 ET by bigtimerNbb...
Exactly right when it comes to the comparions with Dole and Ford.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Change of Name?
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 20:26 ET by littlemissmuffinChange of name to Benedict McCain???
I, too, had to hold my nose when I voted. Maybe in four years we won't have to do that again.
"If we conservatives moved to those seven non-existent States, the government couldn’t find us and tax us to death!"
This is really strange.
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 23:30 ET by pbthinkerWould anyone really think is was odd that Obama talked with the governor about his replacement? Personally, I wouldn't, under normal circumstances. Now, however, I want to know why all this denial about a meeting that no one would take a second look at.
It wouldn't surprise me if Rahm is into this up to his eyeballs. Does anyone think they might find a 18 minute gap in some of the FBI tapes?
The question is, will the truth about this come out before or after the inaguation? My guess is, since the media is still in cover-up mode, anything that's going to come out will be after it's President Obama.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.