Blagojevich 2.0

Believe it or not, I think there's more to be said about the shenanigans of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. First of all, let's talk about the reaction of other political officials to Blagojevich's alleged desire to "sell" the Senate seat. They reminded me of Claude Raines in Casablanca. As his Captain Renault was shutting down Rick's café, he cried out, "I'm shocked, shocked to find out that gambling is going on here." And then a croupier handed Renault the winnings that he made from gambling earlier. Of course, he wasn't really shocked. And I wonder just how shocked all of those Democrats and Republicans really were about Blagojevich when they expressed their outrage.

We regular citizens should have been shocked just as we are every time corruption rears its ugly head. But I think politicians are so used to being surrounded by it that they take it all in stride. Oh sure, maybe they were shocked by the boldness of Blagojevich. They are used to things being more subtle. People don't usually just come out and say they want a bribe. And I think it was this lack of subtlety rather than the idea of trading a Senate seat for favors that threw them for a loop.

But is the way Senate seats are usually given to people by governors really any more moral?

When a governor chooses someone to replace a Senator, nobody really expects him or her to pick the most qualified person for the job. If governors always did this, then very often Democrats would choose Republicans and vice versa. And how often does that happen? So, this system of governors choosing someone has always been flawed.

"Not as flawed as actually selling it for money," you say? Hold on a second. From the moment that Caroline Kennedy's name was mentioned as a possible replacement for Hillary Clinton, what one quality did all of the experts mention? Her experience at riding a pony? Her, uh, great oratory skill? No, it was her fund-raising ability. They all talked about how she would be able to raise millions and millions of dollars. That would include millions of dollars for the 2010 re-election campaign of Governor Paterson -- the same man who has the ability to appoint her.

Yet I didn't hear one of the news experts or fellow politicians say that there was anything wrong with that. Nobody said they were "shocked." It was shocking that Blagojevich wanted six-figure jobs for him and his wife in exchange for a Senate seat, but it would be okay with everyone if Paterson appointed someone who would, in effect, give him millions of dollars.

Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against Caroline Kennedy. I'm from the generation that, because of who she is and what she has gone through, would love to see her in the Senate. If she wants to be President, that would probably be okay with me, too. I just think it's weird that there is this double standard. What Blagojevich did is so shocking that Prosecutor Fitzgerald said it could make "Abraham Lincoln turn over in his grave." But the idea of Governor Paterson giving Caroline the Seat because of her zillion-dollar fund raising ability wouldn't even make Honest Abe blink?

There's yet another wrinkle in the Blagojevich thing. Immediately after Governor Blagojevich picked Roland Burris to be the new Senator, the self-righteous Senate said they couldn't seat him because he was "tainted" by Blago. However, soon after he was picked, the media reported that a possible compromise was being discussed. The Senators would let Burris be Senator for the rest of this term if he promised he wouldn't run for re-election in 2010. So he wasn't tainted enough to keep him from being Senator if it suited their political purposes. Some of the most respected members of the Senate were willing to make a deal involving a Senate seat. And nobody seemed outraged.

I'm shocked, shocked that such hypocrisy goes on in the Senate.

So what can be done to stop this kind of thing? Every state should stop allowing governors to appoint Senators and use a special election instead. That way, we would never have to worry if a governor were choosing a Senator for the wrong reasons. The right to make bad decisions like that should be left to us voters.

Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from "Sesame Street" to "Family Ties" to "Home Improvement" to "Frasier." He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. He can be reached at [e-mail]. Check out his website at lloydgarver.com and his podcasts on iTunes.

Comments

[DrPaulProteus]

FREE BLAGOJEVICH
The "honest" corrupt politician

[BarryS]

This indignation is as phoney as a $3 bill. NOT ONE congressman has submitted a constitutional amendment to call for an election of a open seat for the senate. This is the easiest way to deal with it universally. Why would any politician give up this patronage? Talk talk talk. All politicians [especially those in office] hate elections. There is always that small change that the electorate will wise up and dump them.

[ESerafina42]

THANK. YOU. She would also be "paying" for the seat, just with other people's money, not her own. (She's notoriously stingy when it comes to giving her OWN money, or her vote, to the party.)

In a way, it seems to me that it's the opposite of Blagojevich, with people like Uncle Ted (who doesn't even LIVE in the state) twisting Paterson's arm, and with this whole fund-raising thing OFFERING money to the governor, rather than the governor demanding it.

Regardless of her ability to raise money (none of which would come from me or anyone else I've talked to), if she's as articulate and interested in the affairs of New York State (as opposed to NYC) as she's shown herself to be so far, she'll get kicked out in 2010 and that will be one fewer Democratic seat in the Senate, which would be a bad thing, in my opinion.

[mytwosense]

I'm still shocked Blago won the governor vote in the first place. Wages of (Illinois voter) sin were to be expected, no?

[steamboat]

Stop it ! Caroline never shook-down a Children's Hospital for donations, otherwise no funds would go there. Caroline never put a senate seat up to the highest-bidder.

[jsgaetano]

Well neither did Burris, but his problem is allowing himself to be appointed by somebody who did.

[phasechange]

Too much about the Blagojevich situation doesn't add up. Why is Fitzgerald given so much credibility? It's been well documented that US Attorneys have been improperly politicized by Carl Rove and company; at best he's a Republican with an evident political agenda. These charges against Blagojevich throw the Senate, and incoming Obama administration into turmoil and raised the spectre of a special election. Why was Fitzgerald so quick to move yet he needs more time to bring his evidence before a grand jury, which is reputed to be ready to "indict a ham sandwich"? Cui bono?

While Blagojevich may not be perfectly clean, it looks like there may be other reasons why Obama and company don't like him and they're letting the Republicans do their dirty work for them.

[jsgaetano]

Nobody in Illinois likes Blago. His approval ratings were in Bush territory even BEFORE his arrest.

[meko]

Nobody called Fitzgerald Rovian when he was going after Scooter Libby. He might have jumped the gun a bit in both trials. But I understand the desire to stop future criminal action.

[bernie12]

Blago is only going down because he verbalized his intentions on a phone tap. If he just sat there and waited for the politicians to come to him with all sort of "qualifications" for the position, he'd still be sitting pretty, he'd get "paid back" for the appointment and no shock would be expressed. it would all be legal and respectable.

The seat in NY has become a commodity with a dollar value attached. But we use respectable words like power and influence to describe what is essentially bribery.

It matters not that Caroline would be a progressive senator. Do "progressives" realize it is anything but "progressive" to pose that Caroline should win because she has the money and influence to buy off the governor or the state who will also "benefit" ? this is not progressive. this is totally Blago territory. but, you know, legal.

[glorialovelace]

As far as I can see, the attempt to shove Caroline into that Senate seat is simply a rerun of the Blago stuff -- but with a more genteel, better dressed cast of characters.

Should Paterson appoint her despite the extremely bad showing she has made so far, perhaps a special investigation would be in order.

[AnnfromCA]

Moreover, to be considered for a position as senator simply because you wrote one letter in a primary and parlayed the family name on behalf of someone?

That's definitely pay-to-play stuff.

[WilliePilgrim]

Once over the jarring shock of it, I'm beggining to wonder if Blagojevich by the standards of the modern political arena is guilty of anything except being caught on tape saying the F word. If being ruthless in soliciting campaign funding, the universally acknowledged lifeblood of any politicians aspirations, is a crime, surely every politician would be sharing a cell in a federal penn..or as is more likely, a cot at a club fed.
If he goes down, I'll be surprised if he goes down alone and even more surprised if those who don't go down with him aren't in turn connected to others...""tlle little fleas that do us tease and so ad Infinitum."

[jsgaetano]

You would have to admit that shaking down a children's hospital is pretty corrupt. I hope.

[Keith52]

There are legal ways to raise money and illegal ways. There is fundraising for your own selfish needs and fundraising for good causes and to help other politicians with similar viewpoints get elected. Blagojavich represented in his actions the most selfish cynical and illegal aspects of this entire argument.

[gregk991]

Caroline Kennedy possesses many qualities that make her well suited to join the U.S. Senate. One of those qualities is the ability to raise campaign funds for progressive politicians. How can we pursue a progressive agenda if we don't have progressive lawmakers in power? All these people hating on Caroline Kennedy need to get over it. I hope she gets the appointment. When she is up for re-election then New Yorkers can judge her performance. On balance I am sure she will be an asset to the Democratic party through her ability to help raise funds in tightly contested races at the national, state, and local levels. That is part of being an effective politician. She has the intellect and stature to hit the ground running in the Senate. Her ability to help other progressive politicians get elected should not be overlooked.

Blago's crime is that he is too brazen. A direct quid pro quo is offensive on so many levels. No one wants to see the level of national political discourse sink to that level. We have laws in place to make sure it doesn't. Personal gain can be a residual benefit of political decisions but not the main goal or purpose. I suspect Blago know this but just didn't care.

[ESerafina42]

I don't hate her - I wish her a long, happy, PRIVATE life, unless she actually wants to learn something about New York State (the rest of it, not just the tiny corner of it in which she lives), and maybe get a coach to help her with her, um, you know, verbal tics and, like, things like that and THEN, RUN for office.

[Ira7]

They're different issues. No one is really questioning Burris's qualificat­ions--it's the cloud of corruption surrounding Blog and whether given the circumstances, he should have at least abrogated his role in the selection

And no one is questioning anyone's rights to question Kennedy's qualifications. This seems to be taking the course it SHOULD take--people either want her or say she lacks the qualifications--a totally proper political discourse, with nothing really fishy going on.

I understand the tendency to try and make analogies between the two situations because of the timing, but I don't see the connection. They're apples and oranges,

[bud812]

Blago is a breath of fresh air hes welcome to come govern my state anytime atleast hes up front in his tretchery unlike the rest of the chicken hawks in Washington! They are all crooks just look at the bailout ,when in life have you ever failed so horribly and then been rewarded for it with your neighbors money?

[jsgaetano]

That's the main thing- Republicans are very organized and professional about their crime and fraud. They don't call the GOP the "Bush Crime Family" for nothing.

But when Democrats engage in this kind of activity, they don't get far. They aren't slick organized fraudsters like the Republicans. The Goopers have over 100 years of this kind of behavior. When it comes to getting away with treason, Republicans beat everyone else out just on experience alone.

[EdCoughlin]

She's unqualified because making it through Harvard and writing lauded books on constitutional law is easy? I would say she's far more qualified in many ways then Hillary was when she took the seat (and her sole major accomplishment was marrying Bill Clinton, other then that she was a lawyer of no particular distinction who had the dubious honor of working extensively with Walmart). I mean who is the brilliant pick that is more qualified then a well respected member of the legal profession with experience in education reform? It's not nominating Roger Clinton or one of those....other Kennedys (the kind that spend times in jail, rehab or both), she is clearly quite qualified above and beyond simply her name recognition.

And if you think that not being eloquent under pressure should disqualify someone from being a senator you really should watch CSPAN once in a while. Half the senate would have a hard time passing a community college class on public speaking.

Again though, Hillary won the seat on name recognition with far less in qualifications, its not like Caroline is campaigning solely on her husband's accomplishments.