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| Home Front: Politix |
| The Blagojevich Cornucopia |
| 2008-12-12 |
| Jonah Goldberg There are so many things to love about the Rod Blagojevich scandal it’s hard to know where to begin. . . . For starters, the folks at the Chicago Tribune are Christmas Pony Happy because Blago tried to strong-arm the Trib’s owners to fire members of the editorial board. Instead, Trib editors will get to have a big tailgate party outside Blago’s cell window. Newspaper people love that sort of thing. For the more historically minded, it’s a time for nostalgia. The past comes alive as Chicago’s grand tradition of corruption is sustained for another generation. As the Chicago Tribune once wrote, “corruption has been as much a part of the landscape as corn, soybeans and skyscrapers.” . . . For partisans, there’s the schadenfreude that comes with watching the Democrats — self-proclaimed anti-corruption zealots in recent years — explain why Blagojevich shouldn’t be lumped in with Congressmen Charlie Rangel (cut himself sweetheart deals), William Jefferson ($90,000 in his freezer) and Tim Mahoney (tried to bribe an aide he was sleeping with not to sue him — and you thought romance was dead) as part of a new Democratic “culture of corruption” storyline. There’s the enormous I-should-have-had-a-V8! moment as the mainstream press collectively thwacks itself in the forehead, realizing it blew it again. . . . Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — himself the son of a shakedown artist — is alleged to have offered (through a minion) a half-million bucks for Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. Jackson replaced former Rep. Mel Reynolds, who went to jail for getting jiggy with a 16-year-old campaign staffer and stayed in jail because of various fraud convictions. Reynolds, in turn, was the “reformer” who had replaced Rep. Gus Savage, the thug-congressman who groped a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire while on a “fact-finding” trip. Savage held off Reynolds’ attempts to replace him for several years by claiming Reynolds was financed by “racist Jews.” Man, what isn’t there to love about Chicago politics? It would be premature, not to mention un-festive, to discard any of these delicious immoral morsels from this cornucopia of corrupt crapulence. . . . But, there is a nice moral to the story here. For the last several years, we’ve heard a lot about “new politics.” We are going to start fresh and put aside the old politics and the old ways. So far, it looks like Obama did nothing wrong, and I hope that remains the case. But it’s worth remembering that there really isn’t any such thing as a “new politics.” Politics is eternal because human nature is unchanging. Even Barack Obama, hero-saint light-worker Jedi Knight Messiah that he is, came from a political culture that would not be unrecognizable to Caligula. Hopefully, Obama will take away from this the humility that comes with realizing we are all — even The One — built from the crooked timber of humanity. Hence the genius of the Founders who built a government that took our imperfection into account. As James Madison said, If men were bleeping angels ... |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #21 Gerald R. Ford also worked as a fashion model for Cosmopolitan and Look magazines in the 1940's. You can see a 'sample' here. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2008-12-12 21:47 |
| #20 I've also nailed more than a few reporters, but does the press make a big deal of it? Nooo! |
| Posted by: Billie Joe Clinton 2008-12-12 21:27 |
| #19 managed to nail 2 reporters from 150 yards with a 3 wood. And if that's not sports greatness, what is? ;-) |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-12-12 20:03 |
| #18 I read an interesting comment about SanFranNan in the SF Chronicle. Seems there are some SF types (the few conservatives left out there, mostly curmudgeons who have refused to be driven out by the leftie insanity) who absolutely HATE Pelosi and strongly decry her association with SF. They refer to her as "the Baltimore Bitch" since she "carpetbagged" her way across the country from one corrupt liberal state to another. |
| Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-12-12 19:49 |
| #17 Slightly off topic, but here it is: Ford's supposed klutziness was a media invention. He tripped once or twice on camera and the media made a big deal over it. |
| Posted by: mom 2008-12-12 19:20 |
| #16 Also most importantly, Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-12-12 18:57 |
| #15 devolving upon someone who could not walk and chew gum at the same time. Ford was probably the best athlete ever to occupy the office. The Press was in it's heyday during his tenure. But yes, he played football (with helmet) All-American Centre, Boxer and Boxing Coach, took up golf late in life but managed to nail 2 reporters from 150 yards with a 3 wood. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-12-12 18:56 |
| #14 It might be worth remembering that Nixon's primary criteria in selecting Ford was the job security he thought he would drive from the general fear of the Presidency devolving upon someone who could not walk and chew gum at the same time. He was wrong. And Ford was a good, if not great, President. He will get much more credit for the distasteful pardon from history than he did from his ungrateful contemporaries. Events have the most startling capacity to draw greatness from the ordinary. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-12-12 18:02 |
| #13 The 25th amendment allows a president to fill a vacancy in the office of vice-president with the concurrence of a majority of both houses of Congress. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-12-12 17:40 |
| #12 Voila -- we got Hillary! heh heh heh! Yeah, you funny too! Good one! |
| Posted by: Last Breath Farm Resident 2008-12-12 16:27 |
| #11 25th amendment gives power of appointing a new vice president to the president. That is how Gerald Ford became VP to Nixon.... "When Spiro Agnew resigned the office of Vice President of the United States late in 1973, after pleading no contest to a charge of income tax evasion, President Nixon was empowered by the 25th Amendment to appoint a new vice president." Biden becomes president, he can appoints new VP. Some answer that Article 2 of the Constitution gives the appointment power. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-12-12 15:16 |
| #10 I sort of think that Woozle Elmeter is right. I would suspect that it might Supreme Court decision followed by a constitutional amendment to nail it down. Short of a coup I do see any way that the Clintons to assume the office. That option makes no Constutional sense. |
| Posted by: Kelly 2008-12-12 14:55 |
| #9 It's easy, Biden becomes president, by the constitution. He then appoints Hillary as VP (he can do that) then, he has health problems and resigns. Voila -- we got Hillary! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-12-12 14:50 |
| #8 Yeeeouch! |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-12-12 14:26 |
| #7 SanFranNan could have an unexpected accident. Ya never know. Nah. She's so full of preservatives she could outlast Lenin's corpse. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-12-12 14:13 |
| #6 a good prereq. for martial law, only for a little while tho |
| Posted by: end time 2008-12-12 12:43 |
| #5 Well, of course, Biden. Then Pelooser. But Billary have StretchFace in their targets as she was one of the prime entities in the Dummo faction elevating the Bambalooza from obscurity up to lead pony. So, Biden may have health issues reoccur, but SanFranNan could have an unexpected accident. Ya never know. |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-12-12 11:29 |
| #4 I have a feeling that Hillary and her band of Machiavellian schemers have had this type of thing in their contingency plans. If you cannot get the prize through the front door, go around through the back door. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-12-12 11:26 |
| #3 If Obama goes down (which I do not belive will be the case) who would become President? Biden or Pelosi? My prediction.... Biden resigns due to.....ill health, Rahm and Axel covered with cooties, under indictment, The One asks Clinton to step up, her staff already in place. The One resigns and there you have it. Clinton redux. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-12 11:10 |
| #2 We should not be blaming The One. Al Capone was a pretty good guy. He liked kids, wimin, Lucky Strikes, a cold glass a beer. He just surrounded himself with..... well, so many criminals. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-12 11:00 |
| #1 Kind of off topic but had an interesting discussion with my brother last night and he posed a chilling question. If Obama goes down (which I do not belive will be the case) who would become President? Biden or Pelosi? Is there an answer or would this create a Constitional Crisis? If the outcome was not so grave it might be kind of fun to watch. |
| Posted by: Kelly 2008-12-12 11:00 |