Another for the Gubernatorial Hall of Shame
Jon Gallagher
A few weeks ago,
right after the election of Barack Obama, I got a phone call from a pollster. He
wanted to know if I had voted for Obama, and when I replied in the affirmative,
he asked if I would answer about 20 minutes worth of other questions.
Those questions
danced around, asking what my opinion was of certain state politicians. I
remember him asking if I had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of people like
Jesse Jackson Jr,, Jan Schakowsky, Dan Hynes, and
others.
The final questions
was “who do you think should be appointed to fill Barack Obama’s vacant seat in
the Senate?”
My response was, “It
doesn’t matter who I think ought to get it. It’ll go to whoever greases
Governor Blagojevich’s palm the most.”
I had no idea I was
psychic.
Let’s look at the
bright side of the arrest of Governor Rod Blagojevich.
First, the national
anchors are learning to pronounce both Blagojevich as well as “Illinois.” In
the past few hours, I’ve heard them slaughter both, but they’re learning. It’s
ILL-a-NOY, not ILL-a-Noise fercryinoutloud! Who cares
how they pronounce Blagojevich.
Second, it’s brought
the word “Impeach” and all its variations back into our language.
Third, I finally
learned how to spell Blagojevich without looking.
And finally, someone
found a creative way to get rid of the beleaguered governor without having to
wait till the next election in 2010.
About halfway through
Blagojevich’s first term, I wasn’t real happy with the way he was running
state. I didn’t like the fact that he kept calling state legislators back to
Springfield, costing the state thousands of dollars, just because no one could
agree on a budget. I didn’t like the fact that the Governor’s mansion in
Springfield wasn’t good enough for him; he had to live in Chicago and commute
(at taxpayers’ expense).
By the time his first
term was over, I had decided that I’d vote for almost anyone for Governor whose
name wasn’t Blagojevich.
Then the Republicans
went and put Judy Baar Topinka
up against him in the 2006 gubernatorial race.
I remember standing
in the voting booth wondering what to do. I didn’t want to cast my vote for an
idiot like Blagojevich, but I sure didn’t want to support the woman who kept
telling everyone that former Governor George Ryan was a “damn fine governor.” With
a sigh, and a wish that Jesse Ventura would move to Illinois, I punched the
button highlighting Blagojevich’s name and hoped that I wouldn’t regret it.
For the past couple
years, we got more of the same old same old. Blagojevich battled the
legislature tooth and nail over the budget. He cut state spending. I refused to
cut the gas tax, even after gas hit $4.00 a gallon. He closed state historical
sites like Carl Sandburg’s birthplace. He continued to commute to Springfield
from Chicago, using taxpayer money that could have been better spent on
programs and keeping some sites open.
Now the national
media seems to be making a big deal out of the fact that President-Elect
Obama’s senate seat was “for sale.” Some pundits are saying that Blagojevich
fancied himself as a sports agent, ready to hand the seat to the highest
bidder.
I’m not upset about
that. That’s just politics as usual here in Illinois. I’m not upset that he
gives jobs or contracts to his supporters. Again, that’s been going on for
years. It’s not right, but I’d be willing to guess that even Honest Abe handed
out a few patronage jobs in his day.
What does piss me
off, however, is the fact that he wanted to rescind eight million dollars in
funding to a Children’s hospital because the CEO of the hospital didn’t cough
up a 50 thousand dollar campaign contribution.
I’d really like to
hear Blagojevich explain to the parents of a child at that hospital why
services to that child wouldn’t be available because the CEO didn’t drop enough
coins in the governor’s pocket.
If that’s true, then
that’s just simply unforgivable.
12/11/08