The Blagojevich Trial: Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft
by Joel B. PollakThe infamous Tammany Hall boss George Washington Plunkitt distinguished between “honest graft” and “dishonest graft.” Dishonest graft, he said, meant actual theft from the treasury, or shaking down criminals for bribes. Honest graft, on the other hand, simply meant taking advantage of private deals that arose in the course of public office. “I might sum up the whole thing by sayin’: I seen my opportunities and I took ‘em,” he said.
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich starts his federal trial today. And the Illinois Democrats who clung to his coattails for years are desperate to pretend they don’t know him. Back in 2003, Rep. Jan Schakowsky proclaimed of Blago: “He really is very smart. I don’t laugh at the idea [of his running for President] at all.” She added that when he walked into a room, “there was this crackle of electricity. Everyone wanted to touch him.”
That electricity prompted Rep. Schakowsky to donate $28,000 to Blago’s campaigns for governor. Her husband, convicted felon and political strategist Robert Creamer, made $541,000 helping Blago get elected in 2002. She lobbied him heavily in November 2008 in the hope that he would appoint her to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama, and is thought to be “Senate Candidate 3” in the original criminal complaint.
Now she is trying to laugh it off, nervously telling the Politico that the trial will be a “soap opera.” She and other Illinois Democrats are trying to pretend that even though Blago’s alleged crimes involved prominent figures in federal, state, and local government, he was a lone wolf. But they are nervous, because the connections are there. (Is it just a coincidence that President Obama chose last weekend, of all others, to visit Chicago?)
The story they are all sticking to is that Blago is a special case–and he has done his best to prove them right. Rather than laying low, he has used every camera and open mic to denounce the federal prosecutor and the allies who abandoned him. Yet selling the Senate seat–the “f***ing valuable thing,” to quote Blago–was what Plunkitt would have recognized as “honest graft.” It is the rule in Chicago, not the exception.
David Axelrod said it himself in an article he penned for the Chicago Tribune in August 2005. Back then, he was advising both Obama and Mayor Richard Daley, and defended Daley against allegations of corruption. Trading favors for votes, Axelrod said, was not a scourge, but a better way of doing business. Political grease made government “a well-oiled machine,” he wrote, elevating corruption from a problem to a philosophy.
Blago has claimed, repeatedly, that he will be vindicated. He may be right, in one sense: he will be brought down for “honest graft,” not the “dishonest” kind. Along the way, the public will get a close-up view of how Axelrod’s “well-oiled machine”–now exported to Washington, DC–really works. And people are more curious now than ever, because in the midst of a budget crisis at every level, we are aware of the true costs of corruption.
Tammany Hall fell when it could no longer pay the mortgage on its lavish headquarters. In the same way, today’s political bosses are up against the financial reality of massive public debt and underfunded pensions. They know the federal spending can only last so long; they’re just taking their opportunities, like Blago and Plunkett did–and like the White House hoped Joe Sestak and Andrew Romanoff would. November brings a different kind of opportunity–an opportunity for voters to bring about real reform. It is a chance that may not come again.
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55 Comments
"I didn't steal M & M's, as they were W & W's" (I didn't know they were upside down)
Hanging out with OILY Obama doesn't reflect too good either….We have "The Father of Lies" in the same picture with the "Son of Lies".
All confusion is of the devil, who's days are numbered shortly.
The way Blago has been acting the last few months, I think they'll let him go because
of insanity!!
"Trading favors for votes, Axelrod said, was not a scourge, but a better way of doing business. "…
The criminal mind of the administration!! It was there from the beginning, yet the air-head dems STILL refused to believe that the 'ONE' would be anything other than their Messiah!!!
lol…I have to say, that picture looks like Howdy Doody and Alfred E. Newman…Who, me worry!!….
I'm buying stock in the company that makes handcuffs,after nov 2nd I have a feeling we''ll be seeing the sparkle on many wrist.
"Everyone wanted to touch him", meanwhile he was touching everything but the third rail!
I might even invest in the taser company for those who refuse to leave the WH willingly.
Obama and his henchmen must be sweating bullets right about now. We all know Obama and his crew were involved in some way to sell (his) seat in the Senate, and this is why Blago is so dangerous, he's libel to tell the truth. Obama has too many lies floating around out there. I hope they can start investigations on all of this and get people under oath. Then we'll see what Barry's been up to.
We'll see that Obama has tried to influence elections by bribes and who runs for elections, also illegal.
Blago and Daley exchanged the same small circle of employees which not set up camp in Washington.
Don't be surprised if Blago commits suicide "Chicago Style" . He'll shoot himself TWICE behind the left ear THEN throw himself into the Chicago River. The M.E. will "rule it a suicide" and CASE CLOSED!'
Business as usual.
How much you want to bet that the Blago trial somehow gets postponed until after November?
This coming up now, with the seemingly daily revelations about the Obama Regime offering jobs to manipulate primary elections is most inconvenient to "teh Won".
“Everybody lies about sex.” Have you noticed the new tact of the statist in regards to Sestak and Romanoff, “nothing to see here, this is how politics are done, everybody does it!” Laws are for the other people! …you and I!
If the GOP gets control of one or both of the houses of Congress, they will have subpoena power, and if they have any guts at all, stuff like this WILL be investigated. The Dems won't be able to hide stuff like this, or Charlie Rangel or Chris "Countrywide" Dodd under the rug.
The stench circles the White House.
Much like the Sestak "investigation," White House Counsel Greg Craig "investigated" the involvement of the Obama Transition Team and found that there was nothing to worry about.
Yet, Valerie Jarrett had conversations with Tom Balanoff at SEIU that clearly showed they KNEW what Blago was doing. Yet Jarrett didn't notify the feds? Sounds like a crime to me.
And Axelrod claimed that Obama had spoken to Blago about the appointment…but later said he didn't. And Rahm was in Africa when things blew up at the White House. I can't imagine why. Non-refundable tickets I suppose.
Will Blaggo become Obama's Vince Foster? I hope Blags goes mideval at this trial.
Or he's buried in concrete, Hoffa style, under a stadium somewhere.
I'm sure by know obama's thugs have paid blago a visit and he has been paid off to keep quiet about the connections between what was said between the two.
I understand there could be some interesting audio with harry reid puking up racist comments to blado on who to not select to replace the "O". Let's see if that gets any legs.
Or New York Mob style, like the Gambino's – take him to the Gemini Club – shoot him, dismember him and put him out with the A.M. trash pick-up…
Let's see if I got this straight now,…………
Romanoff in Colorado and Sestak in Pennsylvania, Clinton and Obama in the White House,………..all
having been a party to the same thing that Blago in Illinois is going on trial for,……….
Let us hope that,…………
What the Land of Lincoln giveth,………… the Land of Lincoln shall taketh.
Good post!
Ignorance of the law is not an excuse… Even if he claims ignorance, he's still guilty. I think he'll be guilty of something, but he's going to bring everyone down with him.
maybe slickwilly can straighten " it " all out.
Exactly. Obama was trying to get Valerie Jarret this seat, and given his proclivities in offering people jobs to get out of the way of whatever "teh Won" was wanting to happen, there is no question they didn't offer Blago something.
Apparently Blago wanted more than they were offering. After all, a Senate seat is "f'ing valuable" (paraphrasing Blago).
Seriously, only the incredibly naive (or a mainstream journalist) could possibly believe that Obama, having rolled around in the corrupt Chicago machine for years could the the ONLY one of them to come out clean.
All I can say, is that if I were Blago's life insurance company, I'd be canceling his policy.
People who endanger the Chicago Machine have ways of showing up dead in bizarre ways.
This is another strong possibility. "Stay silent, don't spill the goods on Obama or Daley, and Obama will pardon you at the end of his term, or else, remember what happened to Jimmy Hoffa?"
That quote should be plastered all over national ads for the GOP come election time.
The reason we're where we are in the first place is that the GOP lacks guts. Do you really believe things are going to change if they get back into power? I wouldn't hold my breath.
I think thats why Blago is trying to stay out in the publics view,he wants as much attention as possible,you won't see him going down any dark allies,if you think this guy will take one for the gipper your dead wrong,this guys a coward and would sell his own children to save his life,and he can't get into the witness protection program because the guys he has dirt on are running the program now,what a dilema.
Yes I think things are going to change,people are getting involved like never before and WE THE PEOPLE are going to hold the next batch of elected officals feet to the fire,you make a pledge to do something we will hold you to it.Whats the alternative? Dig a hole and jump in? I'm sorry but thats not what WE AMERICANS DO.
Now come on. Chicago is THEIR own personal kingdom. If they want to do things that way, then you have a right to move to another state where they're not in control… oh. Never mind.
that depends on what the definition of "it" is!
I pray that you're right, but their track record hasn't been too good. Until we purge the Progressives out of the GOP, we're still going to go down the road to serfdom, just at a lower gear. We need to stop, and put it in reverse, and that requires courage. With a few exceptions, I see nothing to encourage me.
Years from now, one of the First Daughters will write the sequel – Schemes From My Father.
Crooks hang out with crooks…The whole Administration is dirty Chicago politics
Ya know, I had already thought about that. I was wondering if he'd even make it to trial.
I swear, every picture I see of him, he has his nose up in the air. *shaking head*
Unfortunately seen this act first hand. No one ever thinks they are going to get caught, and when they do they begin to go into preservation mode. Its kind of like when your parents caught you with that first piece of contraband, you pick your finger up and point to anyone in the room and say "he did it!" Now. Let's review the facts. Blago's phones were recorded for a long time, he was talking to President-Elect Obama and his staff about selling a Senate seat, those recordings are on computers that were "stolen" from councils office. The fed recording is in safe hands and its chain of custody is solid so long as Obama is President and the case in the courts, even after if they work the system properly. Obama is vacationing in Chicago, how often have any of you decided to vacation in Chicago? Long story short. This ends one of two ways and my calendar tells me in two shakes and a wink we've got elections to win. After we win them let us not get bogged down in all of the criminal behavior of the Obama administration, if we impeach him we only end up with a worse choice, let's try to remind the winners why we voted for them, and what we want them to accomplish. Defund the Death Panels, protect our nation, support the space program, a simpler tax system, more state control of basically everything, etc. . . . It can be done, we've done it in the past we can do it again!
[...] The Blagojevich Trial: Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft [...]
Did'nt Obama say "I will place my throne in the North and I shall be like the MOST HIGH" ?
I hope Blago is wearing his bulletproof vest at all times.
They end up swimming with da fishes…
…in cement booties….
And then they will charge his estate for polluting the river and revoke his carbon credits….
That's my bet. Blago has been too cute, too coy and too public. He knows the fix is in.
It reminds me of Harlem Nights, when Della Reese was explaining to the mob boss:
"I'm an honest ho. My girls are honest hos."
They are honest corrupt politicians. Their buddies are all honest corrupt politicians.
Blago's trial will be a test of the court's veracity in the Chicago area. IMO, the trial will be a ruse of just going through the motions for the benefit of the press. Why?…Because just like the Hawaiian birth certificate stall and cover up, the Obama/Blago stall and fix are a done deal in Chicago!
More deals being made. That's why Obama was in Chicago.
yet we fight on,be encourage,these criminals will reap everything they sow,that you can take to the bank.
They are going through the jury selection process today…. someone better check and see if any horses are missing heads when they finally select the jury for this trial. Someone may be looking for where these jury members sleep.
As long as the people of Illinois, and Chicago in particular, keep enabling the corruption by reelecting Daly, Obama, Schakowski, and all of the rest of the criminal garbage, they deserve what they get. A pox on all of them. Build a wall around the cess pool and don't let anybody out until they get over themselves.
You know, I never thought of that, and I think you're right!!
It makes sense….
He needs a helmet too. Head shots are dangerous things.
It is a wonder that he doesn't drown when it rains.
I love the picture shown here! The arrogant stance of the most corrupt, inept, marxist president this country has ever had the misfortune to be "ruled" by! May God help us as we rid ourselves of the marxist tyranny that is Obama!
That made me Lol!
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