Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Senate seat going once, going twice.....


I had lunch at Maggiano's (a fine Italian restaurant here in my fair city) today, and I stuffed my face with some nice crisp chicken parmesan. Why? Because I got caught up in this Corruptgo hype and all the sleaziness going on in that city. And, for a brief moment, I thought that my Broad Street run would be safe. After all I thought, when the U.S. Attorney stopped digging into all the slime that surrounded Corruptgo politics, they would be sure to find a certain skinny black man with a Muslim name at the bottom of it all. You Negroes would have to start canceling those hotel rooms you booked in D.C. for the inauguration. At least that was the frame of mind I was in.


And can you blame me? I mean there was Jessie Jr. (Forget Donovan McNabb, this is the new #5 from Corruptgo) doing his best Richard Nixon I am not a crook imitation for the press. There was the screaming heads from the right, circling the waters and hoping for some Obama blood (Hell the guy is at a 75% approval rating right now, and he hasn't even taken office yet. You know that these folks are just itching to take him down by any means necessary ).There was the talking heads all over the cable news shows going on and on about the crooked Governor with the bad haircut. So if I had a momentary lapse in sanity please forgive me, for a minute there it just felt like the election season all over again.


But I have said this here before and I will repeat it: Barack Hussein Obama strikes me as an individual that is driven more by a need to be great than to be rich. So that, for now, seems to be his saving grace. Still, the guy is from Corruptgo, and to come through that sewer without even the smell of shit on him would be damn near impossible. I still think Antoin "Tony" Rezko might have some singing to do to the feds. I just don't know if the tune he sings will have some verses with the letter O in it.


"I reject and denounce pay to play politics and have no involvement whatsoever in any wrong doing,... I did not initiate or authorize anyone, at anytime, to promise anything to governor Blagojevich on my behalf. I never sent a message or an emissary to the governor to make an offer, or plea my case, or to propose a deal about a US Senate seat.." ~Jessie Jackson, Jr.~



I repeat: I did not lust after that actress Lark Voorhies.....




58 comments:

rikyrah said...

FN,

did you read my replies in the post below on:

Obama's rise in Illinois and the pitfalls he avoided...

Illinois Politics 101

Obama is smart as hell. He's rode the thin edge the entire time he was in Illinois. Not easy to do.

earlgrey said...

I lusted after Lark Voorhies and I have nothing to be ashamed of! Now lusting after that tall gangly girl eek!

Anonymous said...

No person gets into a position of even being able to run for president without a little schmootz on his chin...

I'm guessing (hoping?), Obama was able to avoid the worst of it.

I'm sure the wingnuts are praying this scandal will take the wind out of his sails...god forbid he might actually get something good goin' in that oval office.

lord knows, it's been more than a lifetime since anyone at that address has been any good at presidentin'...

J said...

The right is DETERMINED to pin this on Obama. I was listening to Hannity this evening and he was going nuts trying to say that Obama knew about this using the phrase "what did he know and when did he know it". They are going to keep prying and probing until they make something "stick".

The Republicans will be calling for a Special Counsel to be assigned by 2010 to investigate Obama.

They will probably even accuse him of a few murders to boot (like they did Clinton in the 90s)

Tammy said...

This shit is straight out of the novels I like to dream about writing. I'm amazed that anyone thought they could actually sell a Senate seat and actually get away with it.

And I'll be honest, Obama is really growing on me. I'm a Democrat first, so it was a given I was going to support Obama when Hillary lost but it was true I was supporting her first too.

That said, the 'O-man' is growing on me too the more I listen to the man. Count me as one of the disappointed if the right makes something stick or, worse, if what he appears to be [a person who wants to be great more than rich - I agree] ends up not being quite true. And I don't think I'll be alone in that.

TrueBlue said...

Like anyone who's sought the presidency since WW2, Obama isn't motivated by money, but by power. The question will be how he uses it.

field negro said...

"Like anyone who's sought the presidency since WW2, Obama isn't motivated by money, but by power. The question will be how he uses it."

That's a great quote grinder.

Tammy, have some O-Aid my child :)
But I feel ya, I hope he stays clean too.

rikyrah, I know you are up on your politics; and, like me, you are amzaed at the political smarts of his O ness. But I really think that these folks are quite rabid in their pursuit of him. So for his sake...

La♥audiobooks said...

Field, you should watch what you eat... going to fancy pansy restaurants, you're supposed to be in training.. You are not getting out of the run with all this wishful blogging, get used to it. (yo playin slick again)

Michelle Obama will be the first black First Lady, and those anti obama croonies are not going to get in the way!

Anonymous said...

Field said: "I stuffed my face with some nice crisp chicken Parmesan."

I bet they left the skin on and hammered it from the meat side. I'll have to try that.

I too enjoyed reading rikrah's comments.

It turns out that even if Obama knew his old seat was being auctioned off and did not report it, he would still not be doing anything illegal. Strange stuff. I hope rikrah is correct that Obama is not tainted by Chicago politics or at least lucky, not a good time for a scandal.

szpork

rikyrah said...

They can deny it all they want..

RAHM dropped the dime on Blago.

That's what he's there for. Pay those 'denials' no mind. Rahm wasn't having any of it.

field negro said...

rikyrah, why would Emanuel do that?
Did Obama's girl, Jarrett have a chance with Blago?

BTW,I think she would be a good Senator.

"Field, you should watch what you eat... going to fancy pansy restaurants, you're supposed to be in training.. You are not getting out of the run with all this wishful blogging, get used to it. (yo playin slick again)"

LOL!

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hey FieldNegro,

If Jesse Sr. is lying....he knows he is going down like O.J. because white people have waited all this man's adult life to NAIL him for doing anything and anything that is even a little bit shady...

We will see if he is completely exonerated...

For his sake, I hope he is....

Anonymous said...

The right doesn't get it that these guys hate each other here's Blogo discussing O's unwillingness to quid pro quo him : p.63
ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another
consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it
up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his
senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put
“[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a
fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.”
Called his O-ness a mofo too. Guess Hannity and rush must do this all the time huh ?

Anonymous said...

Off topic, Field, but did you hear that News & Notes is being canceled effective March 20th. I am so sick for Farai but she has a tremendous attitude - I know that she will kick total and complete ass in a bigger and brighter forum, but I expect to hear you a time or two more before they shutter the shop.

Christopher Chambers said...

Field, per News & Notes--
Can we be frank about the disease, and not go 'round about symptoms? We're plain dummer, so why listen to NPR? We're a nation of Rickey Bobbies, Lil'Jons, Gossip Girls, Video Vixens, Sarah Palins, Real Housewives, Plaxicos, Limbaugh Dittoheads, teenagers, et al. So what's Farai's target dem amount to now--5 people? When folk get their news, "analysis" and investigative reporting from John Stewart/Stephen Colbert, Sean Hannity and Tom Joyner, is there any reason to have an NPR? For too long we've pandered and lowered the river. Perhaps the infrastructure we need to revive is between our ears...

Minnie said...

I watched a portion of Hannity last night and he was relentless. He even brought up Rezko again. Huckabee tried to defend Obama by saying "cut him some slack, he has too much on his plate to be concerned with the Senate seat."
Hannity of course jumped right in with "No, no, no, slack!" He tried to laugh it off but even Huckabee was taken aback by that reaction.

I'm not worried about Obama's involvement in this mess. Jesse, Jr. on the other hand...

field negro said...

Abel Pharmboy, I feel bad for News & Notes. I have something up on it on my sidebar. Those clowns at NPR are my HN & HHNOTD.

Christopher, you are right, why even bother to try and educate this population of lost souls? It's a hopeless cause.

rikyrah said...

rikyrah, why would Emanuel do that?

Because that's Rahm's job, FN.

Rahm is the Enforcer.

From everything I've heard about him, I doubt I would like him in person. But, that is what makes him perfect for the COS position. Rahm is from the Chicago School. He's not letting anyone fuck shit up for the President-Elect.

Blago was going down anyway. This was a way to take him out, and make it about stuff that didn't relate to PEBO at all.

Did Obama's girl, Jarrett have a chance with Blago?

No. Not really.

Folks think that Blago was grandstanding. That nobody could be this stupid or crazy. I'm telling you - he IS this stupid and crazy. You have a public feud with your father-in-law where the final words are 'Fuck you'. -in print.

Blago had no allies.

King Richard II had to choose a side, and he's chosen, when all is said and done, to go with the Southside Ethnic Dems- after all, he is one.

Rahm dropped the dime.

But, Michael Madigan wasn't far behind. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those tapes is Blago trying to shakedown Madigan for his little girl.

BTW,I think she would be a good Senator

I don't think she'd be a bad Senator, but I doubt her electability.

tjwash said...

Look at it this way Field - it's about time some Democrats got in the news. It has been mostly creepy Republicans for 7 years bogarting all of the juicy stories.

The more I read up on it, the more I see Obama has no involvement in this scandal, other than the fact that it's the senate seat that he vacated.

On the other hand, Blagojevich WAS working so closely and complicity with Obama in this scandal that he called him a "motherfucker" several times, and repeatedly said to "fuck him," so I may be wrong.

Question: Which is most corrupt: 1) Nigeria 2) Alaska 3) Illinois 4) all the above?

Yeah. A guy from California talking shit about corrupt government, and stupendously idiotic governors. The bright side for us here on the left coast, is that the rest of the country has actually stopped pointing this way, and sneering down their collective noses in derision at us.

For a little while at least.

rainywalker said...

Field,
Have you considered that he might be stark raving insane?

Chris said...

YOU ATE AT AN ITALIAN CHAIN IN PHL?! My heart sinks.

browngrl77 said...

mmmm....,Maggianos I was just down there for lunch last month .....(had jury duty).....hold up aren't you supposed to be running on broad street? All I can say is don't try that ish on south broad ...and you "know" why I say that LOL !!!

Anonymous said...

Off topic: I went to The Free Slave and he had this on his side bar and I got to thinking about it.

"The change identified by Mr. Obama’s run to be the head of state of the most vicious, European-settler political state in human history is not in any way a true alteration of national policy. Mr. Obama has made his intentions well known that he intends to stand by the United States and all of its racist, imperialist and certainly colonialist institutions. Before the reader contests this accusation consider the following:

• Is the new Obama administration planning to honour the territorial integrity of Indian Country and the nearly 400 U.S./Indigenous nation-to-nation treaties all other previous federal administrations commonly ignored?
• Is the Obama administration willing to finally address issues of Indigenous genocide such as the forced sterilisations of Aboriginal women in the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico uncovered by the Senator Church Committee Hearings of the 1970’s?
• Will the Obama government officially apologise to the American Aboriginal for territorial disenfranchisement and genocide?
• Will the Obama government return Hawaii to its ancestral owners?
• Will the Obama government return Puerto Rico to the Taino Nation?
• Will the Obama government return Guam to the Chamorro Nation?
• Will the Obama government address American African Reparations?
• Will the Obama government address the problem of institutional White racism as suggested by the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders?
• Will the Obama government officially apologise for African slavery?"

There has been some murmuring that since we have elected a "black" President that we have ended "white" guilt. But look at TheFreeSlave's list. We could go all the way and erase it all.

So why not go all the way back to the founding of the country and enforce all of the treaties, and calculate all of the the reparations, including the 40 acres and the mule and figure out what it would all add up to and to whom it should go. Just think, it could be job creation for many geneologists, researchers, professors, lawyers and accountants and all of the above on tribal councils and so many, many more. Then since the government is paying out money as fast as it can, actually MAKE those payments and consider it economic stimulation to other sections of our populace and it would erase "white" guilt.

That is until you remember people like Taneka Talley and Jdimytai Damour....

Anonymous said...

From Wikipedia: "Obama and Ayers first met in 1995[14] when Ayers and Dohrn hosted a small gathering at their home in the Hyde Park section of Chicago, the neighborhood in which the Obamas lived,[5] at which then-state Senator Alice J. Palmer introduced Barack Obama to the group as her chosen successor for the 1996 Democratic primary"

Just what would a "terrorist" Democratic Senator and a couple of "terrorist" professors and lawyers want of the young Barack Hussain Obama?

Everyone made such a big deal about Sen. Obama meeting with "terrorists" when the person making the introduction was one of the current Senators (You know the one not convicted for corruption.) I am surprised that we have not heard more from the conspiracy nuts of the corrupt deals made then. SMH still.

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hey Field Negro!

Sorry to hear that News and Notes was cancelled.

I heard that there HAS TO BE a certain audience size for these shows to continue. Apparently, the numbers weren't there.

If black bloggers want these shows to stay on the air, WE MUST support them consistently....not just every now and then! Networks look at audience size to weigh everything.

I am partly to blame since I didn't support the show often...I only tuned in for three shows.

More bloggers need to start AND KEEP their blog talk shows interesting so that they can show that they have solidified a consistent audience and PERHAPS another show like News and Notes will emerge in the future....

field negro said...

"Question: Which is most corrupt: 1) Nigeria 2) Alaska 3) Illinois 4) all the above?

You left out number 5 & 6. Philadelphia, and Louisiana.
Two places where I learned my politics. Now throw Jamaica into the mix and you understand my cynical political make-up :)Nothing surprises me!

Blackwomen..you make some great points. I would love to follow up on that with you some time. Still, from what I heard, the did have the numbers. It's my understanding that the HN & HHN at NPR lied about that.

browngrl77, I did not plan on a SOUTH Broad run,I am not crazy. :)

Anonymous said...

Why does someone discriminate black? I don't think love is just belongs to white. I'm a black and but my hubby is white. We met at i n t e r r a c i a l romancing . c o m which tell us love is color blind. Our love proved this. I hope each one will not discriminate blacks.

Anonymous said...

yow fieldman, when i read "which is most corrupt.." i automatically started thinking bout yard ... lo and behold yuh dropped it in there...dunno when the last time you been back here or how yuh get your info, but wih definitely top that list

Constructive Feedback said...

Filled Kneegrow:

Did you notice that in this cover story you never mentioned the word "Democrat" a single time? In the story of Cao in New Orleans you made great fanfare that he was a Republican.

Did anyone ever give you details about the "Democraticity" of Illinois and Chicago?
http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2008/11/democraticity-of-illinois-and-chicago.html


[quote]Obama is smart as hell. He's rode the thin edge the entire time he was in Illinois. Not easy to do.[/quote]

Rikyrah - I like you girl. I really do. Unfortunately you seem to get caught up into party, politics and the individual (Obama) while seemingly missing the key reason WHY you are advocating as you are.

Chicagoland is dominated by your favored party. Where the rubber hits the road - THE SCHOOL SYSTEM with 80% minority kids IS FAILING TO EDUCATE THEM. This is but one of the failings of your city and the Democratic Political machine that is failing the people there.

For some reason the "Field Negros" are more interested in a national ideological take over in the pretext that such a victory will bring forth positive results for the masses of the disenfranchised, poor and organized labor. Oddly enough where this ideology and party are the strongest....these same groups catch the most hell!!!

All of you need to take a step back and be honest with yourselves. What are you ACTUALLY working for?

There is little that I can see that by scaling what we see in Chicago to the NATIONAL level that HOPE AND positive CHANGE will come forth to all America.

Anonymous said...

@Lady-Cracker:

I'm glad to see that there's still some folks willing to keep Obama's feet to the fire regarding Policy (Check the Black Agenda Report for some serious analysis). I admit that it's hard to look at Obama and his beautiful black family without misting up a bit, but hopefully we can penetrate his "reality distortion field" before long because our children are dying.

and let me add this to the list
* Will Obama do anything to halt the Palistinian Holocaust that is currently being purpetrated by Isreal?

Sorry to hear about News and Notes. It was a bit Bourgeois to me but I still listened on occasion. Could this be some of the fallout from the new "postracial" America? With Obama headed to the white house, the need for programming aimed specifically at African Americans may be seen as unnecessary. Or maybe it's a case of "last hired, first fired"

Anonymous said...

rikyrah,

Rahm is the "Jewish LBJ" -- and he's known to be quite the charmer in person. It's the old personality offensive (It's surprising how many times LBJ uses "I love you" on those old tapes -- and he's the guy who had a congressman in his office bleeding from his steel boots).

Rahm is an Elite Asshole, but I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that he had been saving a card or two to get Blag indicted.

If it wasn't Rahm who learned about it, I'm sure he gave some advice to the person who dropped the dime.

Anonymous said...

It seems to be that Obama's wife keeps him fairly honest.

Julia said...

Re: News & Notes
Express your disappointment here. I did. And it's hardly fair for them to measure listership if they're going to broadcast it at the lousiest time of day so that it competes with prime time/dinner/homework, etc. (at least, that's what they do in saint louie)
http://www.npr.org/contact/

TrueBlue said...

In this country, my local/state corruption rankings would be:

1. Alaska and Louisiana (tie)
3. Chicago
4. Philly, Detroit, and Baltimore (tie)
7. New York City
8. Florida, Arizona and Utah (tie)
10. Boston

My apologies to others not mentioned.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TrueBlue said...

By the way, of all those who've commented so far about the workings of Chicago politics, I think rikyrah is most in touch with the corrupt sewer that I know and love so well. In particular, I think rikyrah is spot on in his reading Rahm Emanuel, his role, and his motives.

There are so many great stories of Chicago corruption, and so many stock characters, all of whom are present in this one. There is the blatant idiot thief. There is the Lakefront Liberal. There is the crusading prosecutor. There is the Chicago Tribune. And there is even a Daley in the middle, insulated by a couple of layers of expendables.

rikyrah, what's your all-time favorite Chicago story? I have two of them. One is when the Illinois secretary of state, Paul Powell, whose name was in bold black letters on bright orange taxicab licenses, died and they found $800,000 in a shoebox in his closet. In today's money, that'd be $3 million or $4 million, more than enough to have bought a senator.

The other is when the Pope visited Chicago, and in the middle of his speech, then-mayor Jane "Piece of Work" Byrne turned to an aide and said, with reference to a high-ranking figure in her administration, "Dump him." That was the Sporanos before the Sopranos were cool.

earlgrey said...

RE: News and Notes.

Very sad to hear about that. I usually have NPR or WRTI on during dinner with the family or in the evening. I love to hear a different perspective to a lot of what is on the rest of the day on NPR. I like my kids to hear it too.

Will be writing a note to NPR...

Anonymous said...

I agree with the pundits criticizing Fitzgerald's timing. Its seems to actually help the Obama Camp. All they have to nab this guy are conversations. They are incriminating but had he waited a while longer, he would have had the real juicy stuff like an actual pay day and a corrupt newly appointed Senator. So a worse situation was halted to Obama's advantage. If this was a Rahm job it was a really good one.

Apparently this governor has been at odds with the Obama camp throughout the whole election season, with no role assigned to him whatsoever. So it seems plausible that some with in wanted to get rid of him and they got him before he embarrassed them big time.

TrueBlue said...

I agree with the pundits criticizing Fitzgerald's timing. Its seems to actually help the Obama Camp. All they have to nab this guy is phone conversations. They are incriminating but had he waited a while longer, he would have had the real juicy stuff like an actual pay day and a corrupt newly appointed Senator.

This is pure speculation on my part, but I suspect Fitzgerald (who, by the way, I really like -- a prototypical crusading Illinois prosecutor) acted now for two reasons.

First, the case was "ripe." You've got to remember that there is an internal rhythm to these things. The Chicago Tribune reported that Fitzgerald has been working on this for quite a while, and that they'd even spiked some stories at his request.

Second, if Fitzgerald had waited, then Blogo would've been able to appoint a senator. I don't think Fitzgerald wanted to risk having the seat actually sold.

Anonymous said...

Shame on you Field for disparaging NPR's courageous and painful decision to drop "News and Notes". I challenge you to poll the number of (African-American) people who actually listen to NPR on a regular basis.
Americans find the crime-ridden, gangster-worship, singin' and dancin' elements of our culture boring and unprofitable.
And, finally, the "N" in NPR represents "National", i.e., all of us here in this United States.
Thank you.

"Flash"

Anonymous said...

Hey Counselor, an astute commenter at my crib and the final pgh of the NYT article today notes that Black folk still have Michel Martin's Tell Me More at NPR (still ONE show - wow!).

Moreover, the HN and HHNOTD note that Morning Edition and ATC carry a greater Black audience - well no kidding, those shows have a greater audience in all demographics because of when they are broadcast. Idiots!

The general interest "Day to Day" has nearly two million weekly listeners, a fraction of the nearly 13 million weekly listeners for "Morning Edition." "News & Notes" looks at current affairs from an African-American perspective. Mr. Haarsager said ending that program "is not what I’d like to do," but he added that NPR has a much larger African-American audience for "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," and also serves the audience with "Tell Me More." [source - NYT]

Christopher said...

According to the FBI affidavit in the case, emissaries for "Senate Candidate 5," AKA, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., offered Blagojevich up to $1 million dollars for the vacated US Senate seat once held by President-elect Barack Obama.

Describing the offer in an October 31 conversation recorded by the FBI, Blagojevich said:

"We were approached 'pay to play'. That you know, he'd raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him [Senate Candidate 5] a senator."

Jesse, Jesse, baby boy, didn't your daddy teach better than this?

Anonymous said...

ANON 12:56,
Plenty black folks listene to NPR. Perhaps you don't, and perhaps the people in your circle do not. I realize that my individual listening is small, but I do know a lot of "us" who really wish to be and remain informed. Perhaps you should switch your circle of friends, and get with some more folks who wish to be informed.

I, too, am greatly disappointed by NPR to cancel the one show that really addressed some of our concerns, and I think NPR should really be ashamed of itself for allowing the program to go the way of the wind. I've been a listening of NPR for twenty-five years. (The station is only about thirty years old.) As a university professor, I use the station as a teaching tool in my class. With budget cuts and the worsening economy, however, I do recognize and understand that old mantra more now than in the past: Last hired, first fired.

Anonymous said...

ANON 12:56,
Plenty black folks listene to NPR. Perhaps you don't, and perhaps the people in your circle do not. I realize that my individual listening is small, but I do know a lot of "us" who really wish to be and remain informed. Perhaps you should switch your circle of friends, and get with some more folks who wish to be informed.

I, too, am greatly disappointed by NPR to cancel the one show that really addressed some of our concerns, and I think NPR should really be ashamed of itself for allowing the program to go the way of the wind. I've been a listening of NPR for twenty-five years. (The station is only about thirty years old.) As a university professor, I use the station as a teaching tool in my class. With budget cuts and the worsening economy, however, I do recognize and understand that old mantra more now than in the past: Last hired, first fired.

Anonymous said...

Excuse all of the typos and infractions in my double posts (above). I see them, so no need for anyone to point them out. (Phat fingers!)

AbdulAlim said...

"Still, the guy is from Corruptgo, and to come through that sewer without even the smell of shit on him would be damn near impossible..."

Ah EXCUSE ME field...last time I checked Philly politics ain't no haven of virtue either. I know it's convienient right now to dump on Chi-town but let's keep it real ok...

Anonymous said...

"Second, if Fitzgerald had waited, then Blogo would've been able to appoint a senator. I don't think Fitzgerald wanted to risk having the seat actually sold."

Indeed, the case was "ripe". It would have been alot more with slightly more time.
His timing is very helpful for the democrats. It would be a nightmare scenario if the Gov. actually appointed the Senator and the story broke. That Senator would have been forced to resign. Just picture the whole circus around that.

Obama has faced major crises on the domestic and foreign front most Presidents face in a year and he is not even President yet.

TrueBlue said...

His timing is very helpful for the democrats. It would be a nightmare scenario if the Gov. actually appointed the Senator and the story broke. That Senator would have been forced to resign. Just picture the whole circus around that.

His timing might be helpful for the Democrats, but what really counts in my book is that it's helpful for the country. I'm glad he didn't wait until the senator had actually been appointed, because it would have been MUCH messier to undo a corrupt appointment than to prevent it from happening to begin with.

Had this been a Republican governor contemplating the corrupt appointment of a Republican senator, and had the prosecutor been a Democratic appointee, I'd have wanted the prosecutor to act just as Fitzgerald acted in this case.

At some point, I think people ought to step back and ask what's best for the country. What's best for the country is not to allow the sale of a U.S. Senate seat to actually be executed. It seems that they've got Blogo's hide nailed to the wall with the wiretaps, so I don't think there was any need to stand back and allow the appointment to be made.

At this moment, I really think the legitimacy of the federal government is critical. We're in a genuine economic crisis, and we need to have a government whose integrity we can trust. So, like I say, from where I sit I think Fitzgerald has done the right thing, in the right way, with the right timing. We're fortunate to have public servants of that caliber. It's refreshing.

Mrs. C said...

Jumping in on this a bit late, but I hadda address Christopher Chambers on his inclusion of Jon Stewart in his list of questionable journalistic authority: Satire holds up the clearest mirror on a society, and Stewart holds it especially steadily.

Not to mention beforetimes that it takes keen intellect to "get" both humor and satire...Lumping THE DAILY SHOW in with GOSSIP GIRLS and Stewart in with hannity is just missing the point.

On other matters: I hear Providence, RI is a pretty stinky town, right up there w/ Chi-town, Philly and the grating state of Louisiana.

And, finally, go on over and sign the petition at NPR; what'll it cost you? 37 seconds? And could keep a fine voice broadcasting.

Anonymous said...

When national or broad-based news/information programming isolates itself in a cultural/political niche,it inevitably loses its appeal to the broader audience; becoming almost irrelevant and certainly unprofitable.
Let's email and petition NPR to keep the in-depth programs like: All Things Considered; Talk of the Nation; Morning/Weekend Edition. And, BTW, pleading with white folks, notwithstanding, - where are the Oprah Winfreys; the Russell Simmonses; the celebrity athletes and rap artists; where is Johnson Publishing?

Anonymous said...

Jesse Jackson, Jr. seems pretty honest, I just hope Daddy Jackson didn't do anything.

Anonymous said...

Rikyra:

Native Illinoisian here- born and raised just south of Chicago.

I have read several of your posts and you nailed it on several things.

I honestly wonder how Obama emerged from our state with very little of the Illinois political sewer stench on him.

In truth, he is a master politician. He is to politics what a drunk Russsian is to chess.

Anonymous said...

this a lot more complicated than people believe. if the justice dept. had waited till after jan.19,2009 what recourse would the candidates have who were trying for the senate seat. if they didn't bargain with the governor they would loose out on the seat. if they did bargain with the governor they get caught up in the sting. they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. another factor is the racial group of the holder of that illinois seat. illinois has sent a black senator to washington for the last 20 years. the timing of this action may allow this oddity to be corrected. the seat now will go to general election. with a number of black candidates running, the vote may split allowing illinois to send a more traditional person to the senate.

rikyrah said...

rikyrah, what's your all-time favorite Chicago story? I have two of them. One is when the Illinois secretary of state, Paul Powell, whose name was in bold black letters on bright orange taxicab licenses, died and they found $800,000 in a shoebox in his closet. In today's money, that'd be $3 million or $4 million, more than enough to have bought a senator.


This is my favorite.

They had no clue.

It wasn't the government that discovered it.

Or even his wife.


It was THE CLEANING WOMAN.

THE CLEANING WOMAN.

I still think that story is hilarious.

TrueBlue said...

God, I didn't remember that detail. When you think of it, 800 grand really isn't all that much when it comes to this sort of thing, but in a shoebox in the closet, well, you can't help wondering how much was stuffed inside of the walls.

p.s.: If I were the cleaning lady, I wouldn't have told a soul.

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field negro said...

Okay anon. 11:03pm, WE GET IT!

I tought this bad boy was spam proof? :)

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