President-elect Barack Obama is a "motherfucker."
That's the word from no less an authority than Gov. Rod Blagojevich, speaking just after Obama's election last month.
That had to be long after he must have suspected that the feds were recording his conversations. Wonder what he was saying before he knew the feds had him wired?
The dailies described the language of our state's exec--and his wife Patti for that matter--as salty. No shit.
To really get the feel for his stunning story, you owe it to yourself to at least skim the federal complaint here [pdf].
The federal complaint said Blagojevich conspired with his chief of staff, John Harris, to sell the Senate vacancy created by Obama's election to the presidency. Blago saw the Senate seat as a valuable prize, or as he put in an intercepted conversation: "I've got this thing, and it's fuckin' golden, and uh, uh, and I'm not going to give it up for fuckin' nothing."
He said Obama's top choice as a replacement--Obama has said he didn't speak with Blago--is "not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them."
The governor comes off as bored and trapped in his job and as anxious as an entrepreneur to "monetize" his business during the Internet bust. He didn't want to "suck it up for two years" as our lowly, underpaid, unappreciated governor and give this "motherfucker [the President-elect his choice of ] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him."
Blago envisioned that selling the Senate seat could wrangle his wife Patti a high-paying corporate board post and could land him a lucrative job in a non-profit funded by millions from Obama friend Warren Buffett and possibly Buffett friend Bill Gates.
After all, the seat is "a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." He thought wistfully about being named an ambassador. He lusts to be named Secretary of Energy--"the one (cabinet post) that makes the most money." But Health and Human Services Secretary would be acceptable.
Still, he was grounded enough to realize these posts were beyond his grasp because of all the bad publicity he's had.
He had a fall-back position: The governor said if he couldn't get what he wanted he might just appoint himself to the Senate--and lord knows he may even do that while out on bond. "Unless I get something real good (from Obama's alleged choice), shit, I'll just send myself..."
And he wanted the Tribune--in exchange for assisting in the sale of Wrigley Field-- to fire editorial writers who called for him to be impeached. "Fire those fuckers," Blago urged.
The Blagojevich governorship seems to have been fueled by arrogance, an incredible sense of entitlement and a manic high with a cloak of invincibility.
Illinois and Chicago politics has a reputation for being rough and tumble. And we may lead the nation in political corruption, with George Ryan, Blago's immediate predecessor, serving time in a federal pen and praying for a pardon. (Could Blago have ruined George's chance for a pardon? Could the two end up in prison together? Would Blago be George's bitch? Inquiring minds want to know.)
Over the past 35 years two other former governors in my lifetime, Dan Walker and Otto Kerner, went to prison.
What is it about that job? Do we really get the leadership we deserve?
A friend of mine, who has fought corruption in prisons here, grew up in Wisconsin. The way she tells it, God lives in Wisconsin, vacations in Minnesota and never comes to Illinois. Maybe so.
Follow Howard Wolinsky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/journotwit
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
How greed got the best of Blago that his daughters were secondary for him ....Insensitive and extemely selfish !
"... God lives in Wisconsin, vacations in Minnesota and never comes to Illinois. " It's better than that. Go back to the Gov. Blowdryovitch home page. One of the other articles has over its headline a photo from The Guv's - ahem - swearing in. This photo finally gives conclusive proof that there is no God. If there were, the instant his hand touched the bible he would have been vaporized in a blue-white fireball of heavenly disapproval. There wouldn't have been enough left of him to vacuum up.
I thought I had a potty mouth.
This guy is pure comedy. Imagine him with some smeared on "Joker" lipstick, and a poison smoke pen!
"an incredible sense of entitlement and a manic high with a cloak of invincibility. " and then some.
Who the hell does Blago think he is? George Bush?????
Sounds more like Todd Palin
He sounds as if he a part of the mafia
Blogojevich represents the worst kind of politician and unfortunately, he represents the average politician in the USA regardless of party. If this doesn't depress the American people, it should at least make us very angry. I hope the dirty Democrats (and there are quite a few in Ohio as well) didn't think that Obama's victory meant that the next 4-8 years would represent a partisan privvy era for these crooks because they got it wrong. They got it all wrong. There's a new sheriff in town that will not be bought.
Fast forward to January 19, 2017 ...
Phone rings in the White House ...
ring ... ring ... ring ... ring ...
"Hello, this is President Obama ... Sorry I missed your call, but I am in New Orleans accepting the key to the reconstructed City from Mayor Shearer ... please leave a message of any length and I will get back to you as soon as I can."
BEEEEEEP!!!!!
"Yo President Obama ... this is Blago. I left youse quite a number of messages about the ... you know ... pardon deal. I tink I got about as much rehabilitation as I can from this Prison Establishment ting and I'm ready to do ... ah ... some a dem selfless good works ... I ah ... hears people talking about. I mean, eh, I am very sorry for trying to hock your Senate seat. I mean. dat Fitz is quite a sonofa ... I mean. He's good, very good ... how's da basta .. ah .. gentlemen enjoying being your AG? I new da guy woulda find a way into da slot ... da worm. And, about the past ... it's the past. You know? I mean, so I called you a mutha fuc ... I mean, come on it's Chicago for crissake ... people have been called worser! Listen, the guards giving me the eye ... just get back to me about the pardon ... the hair gel is crap here! ... You der? I tink YOU THERE!!
-CLICK-
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with