I’m So Glad Bruce Dold Thinks so Independently
ArchPundit
[youtube]t9oppZnuk80[/youtube]
Elitist….those with book learnin’. Nothing like the an Editorial Board Editor who is a man of the people.
June 2008
Mark has a Point
Mark Johnson wonders what Morgenthaller knew about Rezko’s training biz:
With yesterday’s announcement that Tony Rezko is guilty of 16 counts in his corruption trial, it is time for Jill Morgenthaler to start answering questions. Morgenthaler, candidate for IL-06, was a senior advisor to the Blagojevich administration and was the one who helped find a location for Rezko’s company to train Iraqi police forces.
The Chicago Sun Times wrote:
“As Frawley [Rezko’s buisness partner] sought to revive the contract in spring 2006, Blagojevich’s chief of staff, John Harris, directed the state’s homeland security adviser, Jill Morgenthaler, to find "a military site for the training of Iraqi police forces,” Morgenthaler wrote in an April 26, 2006, e-mail. She wrote the letter in June 2006 offering the Savanna site.” (Chicago Sun Times, August 7, 2007)
So the tough question for Morgenthaler is…….
How much did Morgenthaler know about Frawley and Rezko and the contract when she was doing Blagojevich’s bidding?
The answer is probably not much. Blagojevich tended to keep the politics to himself and tell people to do stuff. It’s still legitimate to ask.
What’s Most Baffling About the IL GOP?
Blagojevich brings them together….
They still cannot beat the idiot Governor we have. Or even push effectively for impeachment.
While some were looking toward 2010, Republicans have a more immediate fight on their hands in November now that Barack Obama has secured the Democratic nomination for president. His emergence this week is expected to draw more Democrats to the polls to vote for the junior senator from Illinois.
Despite the likelihood of what he called a "favorite son effect," Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna said Democrats have a tough record to defend.
"People come to me — particularly reporters — saying, geez isn’t it hard, Senator Obama’s going to be on the top of the ticket here in Illinois," McKenna said. "I say to them, it gives us both the opportunity and the responsibility to say to people, ‘What does Democratic leadership mean?’"
Brady said Obama’s liberal political stance could also be a weak point.
"There’s a great number of people in this state who do not agree with what Barack Obama believes in," Brady said.
And you guys keep losing to him and the Democrats. Which in general is a good thing to me, but the reality is the GOP has a Democratic Governor who should be impeached and are headed towards losses…again.
And the people making the case the strongest aren’t the Republicans, but the press, Chambers:
But in political circles, Rezko was well known — even in 2003, when Blagojevich took office — as a prolific fundraiser. He raised gobs and gobs of money for pols like Blagojevich and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois. He understood how to get people with money into the same room, and how to get those people to hand their money over to the pol of his choice. In doing so, Rezko ingratiated himself to those pols.
Rezko raised an estimated $1.4 million for Blagojevich’s campaign fund, according to an FBI agent who testified at Rezko’s trial.
When Blagojevich took office as governor after campaigning on a promise to clean up state government in the wake of Gov. George Ryan’s scandal-tarred administration, he handed control over much of state government directly to Rezko, according to numerous witnesses who testified at Rezko’s trial.
The governor’s patronage chief had breakfast with Rezko on Monday mornings to talk about job openings that Rezko might wish to fill. The governor’s chief of staff reportedly cleared key decisions with Rezko. Rezko hand-picked some state agency directors. He attended the governor’s high-level meetings. He even sat in the room when Susan Lichtenstein interviewed to be the governor’s chief legal counsel.
The notion that Blagojevich yielded to Rezko because he was sincerely determined to include “new people” who “understand business” in the administration of state government — rather than because Rezko packed $1.4 million into his campaign fund — is nothing short of absurd.
The governor’s word is mud. There is almost nothing he can do to salvage that. Admitting his past mistakes won’t help, partly because he is so thoroughly trapped by those old mistakes…
No one believes the man. There’s a good reason for that. He’s a lying sack of crap.
And Democrats themselves…
The Governor’s need to surround himself with sycophants unwilling to question the misguided wisdom of his strategies, coupled with individuals all too willing to play that role, have done untold damage not just to the Administration, but more importantly, to our fine state.
There were a few who tried to fix things and they eventually left and gave up. I’m thinking in particular about an effort to reach out to bloggers and the netroots that died with the staff member moving on. It was one of the best exchanges with the typical political institutions and bloggers. It didn’t last. Now the sycophants are even leaving.
The attacks on Fritchey were shameless
I will say one thing–Dan Hynes needs to step it up and do more than issue policy positions and warnings about the fiscal state of Illinois. He’s talented, smart, but too averse to making a splash. His role should be to lead the Party in pushing Blagojevich to the side, but he’s still missing in action too often. While I think Hynes likes to be a workhorse and not a showhorse, sometimes the workhorse has to be a showhorse and this is one of those times.
Vinny Will Not Be Nearly as Fun as Collins
But probably a much better choice even if it was Collins who withdrew.
My only concern is Kerr didn’t pick him, but Del Negro always played smart.
You Realize, If He Gets the Damn Olympics…
He’ll be sticking around for at least two more terms…
And no, that’s not a good thing. Well, except for when he tries to speak—as a blogger, nothing is better on a slow day than a Daley meltdown.
Novackula Claims Pelosi is Pushing Rahm for Senate
Given Rahm says it isn’t so and Novack claims Pelosi will back Hoyer as her eventual replacement, we can take this bit of bullshit as exactly that. Nancy Pelosi is one year younger than Hoyer so how this would all work out is a bit baffling.
Now, the Sun-Times has some great columnists in Lynn Sweet and Carol Marin amongst many, but they keep publishing this asshole no matter that he is always wrong. Always.
All his column is anymore is a bunch of crap presumably made up like a Sports Talk Show where people think it would be great to trade Carlos Zambrano for Michael Cuddyer. It appears Novackula sits in his coffin and just makes up stupid shit. and gets paid for it. Great work if you can get it.
Still Figuring it Out
Count 16 Extortion of the Movie Company–Not Guilty
Count 17 Guilty
Count 18 Not Guilty
Count 19 Not Guilty
Count 20 Guilty
Taken from Cap Fax (cannot link right now)
Count 16: The attempted extortion of Tom Rosenberg at Capri Capital.
The next group involves the alleged aiding and abetting of bribery:
Count 17: A payment made by Pekin to Rezko associate Joseph Aramanda.
Count 18: An agreement that Levine would take a cut of a finder’s fee from investment firm LLR Partners.
Count 19: An agreement that Pekin would share a finder’s fee from investment firm Stockwell Capital.
Count 20: The solicitation of a payment to trial witness Chuck Hannon by JER Partners.
It’s hard to remember the full details, but I think 18 and 19 were more dependent upon Levine’s testimony than the others. But 4 of the Not Guilties are bribery charges.
It’s not good for Blagojevich, but it certainly isn’t a complete knockout–however, I would assume that Rezko flips states evidence after this.
12 of 15 Wire and Mail Fraud, 2 Bribery and both Money Laundering
I’m still sorting out which bribery ones were included, though it looks like it might be the more closely tied to Levine charges. I cannot be sure.
16 Guilties 8 Not Guilties
Raw number finally