On Chicagosphere I asked whether the Chicago Sun-Times union truly understands the endgame faced by their paper and journalism in general, calling out the Chicago Reader’s Michael Miner along the way for suggesting that columnists be forced to ditch commentary in favor of strict news analysis. There’s nothing I find more tiresome than yet another reporter throwing the rest of the world under the bus for the failings of their own field.
You could use the same words to describe a lot of politicians, especially in this Land of Lincoln we’ve got going here. But I’m pretty sure Rod Blagojevich is batshit bonkers. Here are the rules to follow for other willing politicos to bring out their own inner, batshit Blagos.
If you want to succeed in American politics these days, there are three rules you should probably never break: don’t disappoint Oprah; don’t pick a podunk running mate; and don’t screw the news media. Someone should tell that to official Illinois state idiot, Rod Blagojevich.
Clout Gate. I’m coining the term here and now. I can’t think of any better reason than clout to explain why an Illinois governor elected on an anti-corruption platform and ending up under long-term federal investigation would think he could get away with disgraceful deeds the likes of which got Rod Blagojevich arrested in his jogging suit by the F.B.I. on Tuesday morning.
I swear I almost did a spit-take with my coffee when I read it: an editorial in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune suggesting that the Illinois constitution be rewritten to allow for the recall of Governor Rod Blagojevich. The paper didn’t mince words:
‘Having endured the Blagojevich era, we believe voters never should have to endure another one like it.’ And here I thought it was just me.
So the CTA announced Doomsday once again, and not just one Doomsday, but two of them. What luck for Chicagoland transit riders who might miss the elimination of three dozen CTA bus routes in November! Now they’ll be able to enjoy the evaporation of the rest of the system on January 6. What do we have to blame? The unbridled hubris of Rod Blagojevich. And his penis.
Now I’ve heard a lot of creative funding schemes before, but I’ve sure never heard of a state lending money to its cities’ transit systems to keep them running, much less yanking the same money back later. Well, unless that state is run by Governor Rod Blagojevich.
So are we all supposed to get on our knees and thank Governor Blagojevich for riding in at the last minute and potentially saving us innocent Chicagoans from ‘CTA Doomsday?’ Especially since he helped create the Illinois public transit funding emergency in the first place?