Yesterday former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich left home in a typical display of narcissism for a lengthy stay with the federal corrections system, convicted of corruption in office. John Kass explains how it all happened:
Corruption isn’t the reason Blagojevich is going. The reason he’s going is that he violated the rules. Despite his eager charm and ability to quote Kipling, he wasn’t smart enough to follow the well-lit path known as the Chicago Way.
He was brought into politics by his father-in-law, Ald. Richard Mell, 33rd, the North Side ward boss. Mell spoke for him with serious men in and around politics, and Blagojevich was made governor. There was talk of Rod becoming president one day.
And then Blagojevich’s hubris got him. He fought publicly with Mell, alleging Mell was using influence over a landfill in Will County. There are two things that smart Chicago politicians never do in Illinois:
They never raise their voices about landfills. And they don’t fight with the guy who brought them to the dance.
Mell fired back, saying that the FBI should investigate his son-in-law for selling jobs. But even before the FBI could jump, it was over. Nobody in politics trusted Blagojevich from then on. Without Mell’s protection — and that of Mell’s friends like House Speaker Michael Madigan — all that was left was to pick the bones clean.
We already have laws prohibiting corruption in office but, clearly, those are no deterrent. After all of the trials and convictions for corruption it simply beggars credulity that these were just the few bad apples in the barrel. The problem is not just the apples but the barrel.
Term limits could help. Populist measures like recall, initiative, and referendum could help. What would really help would be an aversion to electing the sons, daughters, sons-in-law, nephews, and nieces of elected officials to office. What would really help is an end to viewing government as a device for securing sinecures and doling out rewards to friends and punishments to enemies.
That will take more than legal reform.
Given the number of governors that have been mired in corruption charges, the personal reasons involving Blago’s family life don’t feel like they are putting the finger on the real problem. (In this I include the MSI scandal in Edgar’s relatively clean administration; the Governor was not indicted but state officials were convicted )
I wonder if the problem is that the state is large enough and heterogenous enough that it requires a more robust system of patronage to get elected and govern. The level of unionization means few jobs, and even those jobs may not be as attractive as those in the Chicago system.
And my take on Blago’s election is that he won due to corruption in the Republican party, plus Blago was the only Democrat to mount a downstate campaign; the other Democrats ignored it and that was the margin.
I think there’s something to that, PD. I might add that I have always thought that abolishing the spoils system was an error. Open, institutionalized, legal corruption beats the knickers off of illegal, hidden corruption every time. We haven’t gotten rid of the spoils system—we’ve just driven it underground.
Families are a big problem. The corruption problem would be ameliorated by gummint’s abandoning the propaganda and favoritism shown families. We would be better served by orphans than nephews.
I know! We need government with even more power! Surely that will solve the problem. After all, we wouldn’t want the country to become like Chad. Right?
[insert rolling eyes icon here]
After all, we wouldn’t want the country to become like Chad. Right?
Tee-he-he. Ridiculous hyperbole is such an easy target, eh?
In large cities like Chicago and some states, the corruption is more open, and the players are less sophisticated. In polite society, there is still corruption, but the game is played differently.
In polite society, one does not exchange actual cash. One purchases a politicians worthless books. Politicians are able to get a seat in restaurants without a wait, and somehow, they are comped for all or part of a meal. One’s children seem able to get into the best schools. Politicians seem to be brilliant with land and stock investments. In polite society, one does not dirty one’s hands.
The game is universal, and it is always being played. In Chicago and Illinois, the crooks tend to be less greedy. In cities and states “with no” corruption, the crooks tend to be more greedy. Blago was “selling” the seat for a pittance.
Anyone who thinks their politicians are honest is a fool. You are a sap, sucker, mark, etc. You are being played.
“For the Boojum was a Snark,you see.”
Eunuchs. We need eunuchs.
Granted, that would slow applications for civil service just a wee bit.
The Eunuchs were not much better than today’s ruling elites.
But they did have higher singing voices.
And that is bad why?
Thanks for the chuckle Michael.
Very good post, Dave!