UPDATE: I still hope it isn't him.
UPDATE #2: Thanks to Tammy for the link. That e-mail me sign is there for a reason.
UPDATE #3: I think this comment, below, sums up my feelings:
That's just the thing. Someone like Jackson should have known Blago was radioactive. Hell, I knew just from reading the blogs and I live on the East Coast. For someone in Ill. Democratic political circles not to know it is just as astounding as Blago's conduct.He should have kept his distance. Given the image of his father--rightly or wrongly--he should have stayed away from the dude. It sure seems like Valerie Jarrett knew the time...
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
I don't even know Jackson all like that, but I still hope it is not him. That would be tragic. Although, people are saying that what was suggested, might not be *illegal*, i.e. offering to raise campaign funds in exchange for the seat. But it stinks to high heaven.
I don't believe it's Jesse. I think he is being set up and he's an easy target given how forthright he has been in his desire to get the seat. It's a shame.
Even if this is true it will not hurt him much unless he is convicted. He may never get to the Senate but he has a house seat for life if Chicago is at all like Memphis. He is in the same good shape as a Ford here.
That's just the thing. Someone like Jackson should have known Blago was radioactive. Hell, I knew just from reading the blogs and I live on the East Coast. For someone in Ill. Democratic political circles not to know it is just as astounding as Blago's conduct.
Could Jesse Jackson Jr. have plausibly promised to raise a million bucks for the dude? I have no idea about Illinois politics.
I don't know what to think of #5. The guy must not be too bright or well informed to get into a deal with someone who was already under investigation by the feds and to be so brazen about it.
For now I'll go with Jackson being a bit of a noob who had a very very badly timed meeting. Him being #5 would almost be too brazen, and hell, he's not that well connected if someone didn't let him know that he should stay away.
Larry
Are you in Memphis? Thats my hometown. Which made it especially interesting for me to see Harold Ford Jr on Morning Joe this morning and NOBODY bring up his Uncle John who is OFF THE CHAINS!
I don't think JJ Jr did it for a lot of reasons but there is one that is the biggest. He aint got no $500,000 to pay for a Senate seat! Hell he might have WANTED to buy it but he wouldn't have been able to shell out that kinda dough. Now whether Blagojevich was lying about the offer or whether it was simply somebody else he was referring to, I just don't see JJ Jr having offered to pay for the seat. I also think he did a damn good job in that interview of being up front and talking in absolutes with out trying to give himself wiggle room. But I think he is going to be used as guilty by association against Obama until his name is fully cleared.
If they really decide to call a special election, Republicans could win that seat. Thanks a lot Governor!
If they really decide to call a special election, Republicans could win that seat. Thanks a lot Governor!
Theoretically they could, but who in the Illinois Republican party would be a legit candidate? I mean, they ran Alan Keyes last time, because Ryan got dumped from the ticket and no one else would step up. I'm not from Illinois, but my understanding is that the statewide Republican party isn't in the best of shape.
"According to the affidavit, Blagojevich threatened to appoint Senate Candidate #5 if President-elect Barack Obama refused to help get his wife on "paid corporate boards right now."
Blago talks like this kind of thing is the norm, which makes me think, is it just him? I mean is this kind of behavior the norm?
Forget the legalities for a moment. Obviously there's always been a lot of you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours in politics, but I feel like it's gotten so out of hand. So out of hand that you've got a healthy number of politicians who don't think they're doing anything wrong. Blago stated this whole affair was "just politics" or something to that effect. Maybe the nature of politics has him thinking this way. It's not wrong, or illegal, it's just the way things work.
That's firghtening.
Meh, its still early. the real crime here is Blagojevich's epic fail of a toupee
sgwhiteinfla, I was wondering that myself, but he and Scarborough seem rather tight, so I knew it wouldn't come out of Joe's mouth.
I don't know much about JJ Jr, I saw him on Crossfire with Sununu's son when they both came to Washington and their father's were the hosts. He seemed very sharp, thoughtful and civil.
Coates, I'm having an AWESOME trading day, I take a break click over to your blog and find this! The guy was just starting to gain some serious legitimacy....gees!
k1
Coates
As far as JJ Jr meeting with Blagojevich he HAD to if he wanted to get appointed to the Senate. The fact that he did so publicly and under media scrutiny to me helps support the thought that JJ Jr wasn't involved in any shadiness. Someone just made this analogy to me "You don't wave a flag in front of the bank you are robbing". So to me it would have made more sense to suspect JJ Jr if he had tried to sneak and meet with Blago. But considering the fact that not only everybody knew about it but it was discussed in major newspapers BEFORE any of this stuff came out yesterday suggests to me that JJ Jr is above board.
Of course nobody can be sure but I don't think him meeting with Blagojevich shows anything more than he wanted to present his case as to why the guy who gets to pick the next Senator from Illinois to pick him. And I think it would have been next to impossible for JJ Jr to make that case if he did not meet with the guy.
Everybody knew that Ted Stevens was under investigation but the Senators still attending meetings with him.
Why do you like him? The man has shown himself to be an incautious windbag on the national state. I'd hope it wasn't him because we need less politicians that are even minimally corrupt but the appreciation for him baffles me.
Ta-Nehisi, I don't know if SC5 was Jackson, but either way the idea that he didn't *know* Blago was a corrupt s.o.b. just isn't realistic. And by not realistic, I mean impossible. If he was trying to make a deal, it was because he either accepted the existing corruption even though it repulsed him, or he just didn't care. I'm not happy about it either, but we shouldn't pretend that the problem is Jackson's too naive.
sgwhiteinfla,
That was my thought. JJ would most definitely want consideration for the Senate seat (why not?) and he would have to meet with the governor. Everything we know right now is from the perspective of the governor, because he was the one being investigated and wiretapped. And from the sound of things, the governor seemed to think everyone who wanted the Senate seat was somehow a candidate for a shakedown. Whether anyone actually offered anything is unknown or is unknown to reporters.
I've read a lot of comments where people are saying none of this is unusual for Chicago. I wouldn't know. But I will say that the conversations this governor has been having are pretty appalling. The man is a total naricissist who intended to use all the power he has to set himself up financially. I think it is going to be a very long investigation.
Menelik, it's not a toup. I live a few blocks from the guy, he jogs down my street almost daily - it's real, and a typical Serbian mane. It may be the only real thing about the guy.
Here's a general question for anyone who knows the answer: the complaint shows that "Candidate 5" was someone that Obama did NOT want for the seat - he was against this candidate. I hadn't known of any personal or political animosity on Obama's part toward JJ Jr. I didn't think they were best buddies or anything, but I wouldn't have thought Obama would be against JJ for the Senate seat. Did I miss something?
Rep Jan Shshakowsky is on MSNBC right now with Andrea Mitchell saying she also had a conversation with Blago about whether he was going to consider her for the Senate seat. And nobody suspects her of any wrong doing. Again how could somebody try to get appointed to the seat with out being in contact with Blago?
Obama has said the Governer should resign by the way.
Oh, and I should add that I almost immediately thought "Candidate 5" was Emil Jones. I don't know that it fits, and it'd bum me out a bit, but it was my first answer to the "Who could offer a million bucks" question.
Furthermore, this illustration is brill: http://i33.tinypic.com/23wsocw.jpg
sgwhiteinfla and Liz -
The reason it points to JJ is because Blags also said he'd be meeting with "Candidate 5" in the next few days (from the conversation that was being tapes), and the only person he met with in that time frame was JJ Jr.
sgwhiteinfla
Candidate 5 did not offer 1 million dollars. He offered to raise the million in campaign contributions for the corupt idiot's next campaign. Every pol thinks they have the rolodex to do that.
And yes I am in Memphis, TN, midtown to be exact.
Offering to raise money for Blago's next campaign, when everyone in the world, except Blago seems to know that he is going to be indicted and go to jail, doesn't seem like a big risk. Send the guy 10 cartons of cigarettes and he can be elected cell-block ethics commissioner in his next campaign.
"Ta-Nehisi, I don't know if SC5 was Jackson, but either way the idea that he didn't *know* Blago was a corrupt s.o.b. just isn't realistic. And by not realistic, I mean impossible. If he was trying to make a deal, it was because he either accepted the existing corruption even though it repulsed him, or he just didn't care. I'm not happy about it either, but we shouldn't pretend that the problem is Jackson's too naive."
Please quote where I say that either Jackson didn't know Blago was corrupt or where I say the problem was that he was too naive. I think my post very clearly says he should have known better.
Evidently JJ Jr is going to be having a press conference real soon with his lawyer. Ill let yall know what he/they say
Folks, there is nothing wrong with JJJ meeting with the guy. Lets see JJJ's side of it before we convict
Damn, Tom, you got no idea what the competition's like inside. Not quite free-world expensive, but 10 cartons of smokes get you nowhere. :)
There is, indeed, nothing wrong with his meeting with the guy. He wanted to be Senator, what is he supposed to do, refuse to meet with the man making the appointment? If he offered money, that's another matter, but I think it says at least something that they're not prosecuting him. Probably you had a guy connected to JJ who made the offer, JJ didn't know, and they don't even have tape of the offer because if they did it'd be in the complaint, and it's not.
Triple J came out swinging but he didnt take any questions. He said unequivically he didn't engage in pay to play and that he is not the focus of any investigation. I thought it was a good look for him.
Also its about to go down on the floor of the House on C-SPAN. Things are getting heated.
Beth: awesome pic.
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ILLINOIS POLITICS 101:
Blago is the son-in-law of one Alderman Richard ‘Dick’ Mell(North Side Ethnic Dems), one of those Alderman that has been there for forever, and knows where all the bodies are buried.
Mell and his son-in-law have officially been on the outs for YEARS, beginning with a public feud about an illegal dump. Yes, they were fighting about an illegal dump.
Blago has very few allies in Springfield. He and The Speaker of the Illinois House - Michael Madigan (Southwest Side Ethnic Dems) - HATE each other. Madigan has done everything he could to stop anything that Blago wants to do. He does it because they don’t like each other personally, and because Madigan wants to block Blago, so that Madigan’s daughter- LISA- the current Attorney General (gotta love Illinois familial politics)- can run for Governor.
Lt. Governor Pat Quinn - a populist straight shooter - hasn’t spoken with Blago for OVER A YEAR.
State Senate President - Emil Jones - who is retiring - was Blago’s strongest ally in Springfield.
Blago’s wife - Patti - questions about her business contacts. (I'm being generous. She's a crook too - she learned it honestly - at her father's knee.)
Did Rahm drop the dime?
Who knows.
Candidate 1- probably Valerie Jarrett
For those who think that this is the reason Guitierrez dropped out, let me give you some more food for thought. Yesterday’s Chicago Tribune had a front page story about dear Luis making $420,000 from his real estate dealings in a very short amount of time. Don’t think that’s going away.
But, let’s remember: Blago has only been arrested. He hasn’t been indicted. And, I don’t see him resigning without indictment.