Illinois Governor Blagojevich Arrested On Corruption Charges
In a stunning blow to Democratic Party claims to represent a reversal of years of Republican corruption, Illinois Governor Blagojevich has been arrested this morning. Charges include attempts by the Governor to trade an appointment to President-Elect Obama’s Senate seat for Blagojevich’s own appointment in the Obama administration or an appointment to a lucrative union position.
This event serves also to highlight Illinois’ famously corrupt Democratic Party political machine, where personal favors are traded for political action in scenes reminiscent Tamany Hall. During the 2006 and 2008 elections, Democrats reveled in pointing fingers at Republican corruption from Mississippi to California to Alaska. But with Blagojevich coming after the William Jefferson bibery scandal in Louisiana, Democrats may nee to tend to their own garden.
Naturally, the old “the Republicans are corrupt too!” subject-shifting dodge is already prominent among Democrat-leaning bloggers. Don’t expect a sudden outbreak of self-criticism from the left.
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Thank God our idiot governor is on his way out!
What is it about Illinois? First our former governor, Republican George Ryan, goes to jail, now our present Democratic one too?
Probably a spreading culture of corruption, one that goes well beyond Chicago and spreads even into the rural parts of the state.
Also, I followed your link and I fail to see how Josh Marshall is “subject-shifting”, apart from joking about how Blago and Ryan could share a prison cell.
In addition, I notice you said, “This event serves also to highlight Illinois’ famously corrupt Democratic Party” and “This event serves also to highlight Illinois’ famously corrupt Democratic Party” and “But with Blagojevich coming after the William Jefferson bibery scandal in Louisiana, Democrats may nee to tend to their own garden”
Which makes it seem like you’re focusing rather exclusively on Democrats, even though corruption tends to be bipartisan. Perhaps a bit of “subject-shifting” yourself?
I would only be guilty of subject-shifting if, for example, I were to respond to a post critical of Ted Stevens by saying, “but William Jefferson is worse!”
Anyway, I cannot by definition be guilty of subject shifting when I am the author of the post and, therefore, am the one selecting the subject for that post in the first place.
Take your gotcha games somewhere else, Tom. You were a great commenter before you left, but since you returned there has been a lot of bitter hyperpartisanship and anger from you. I don’t know how that flip happened, but it is very unfortunate. You used to show a greater capacity to argue from your ideological commitments without descending to the kind of resentful cheekiness that prevails now.
What I suspect you mean, Jason, is that I’m not as moderate as I once was.
I might also add, you didn’t used to be this bitter and controlling before I left.
Which it looks like I’ll have to do again.
Your choice, Tom. We can’t beg you to stay and we can’t respond to complaints that are vague and diffuse and that don’t even include productive suggestions anyway.
To the extent that I am “bitter and controlling”, well, I’m trying to be less so than I concede having been in recent months (even though I would highlight Paulbots and BDS-bots as serious irritants on anyone given long-term exposure). You can give it a chance, or not, at your discretion. Or you can stomp away in a huff.
If you want a productive suggestion, how about criticizing the substance of the post rather than criticizing the individual themselves?
Or not comparing people to a “five year old”, as you did with an earlier post of mine?
Or not complaining that people are “changing the subject”, when what they’re usually trying to do is give a broader view of a given situation?
IMO – about time. Democrat’s corruption has been widely ignored and passed over – especially by the MSM since at least the 2006 elections.
But with this many Democrats in office – even the MSM cannot continue to ignore it.
what’s all this talk about calling for Blagojevich to “resign?” … “throw him in prison” sounds a lot more fitting
it gives me chills to see how calm and collected he continues to act
The two statements
and
don’t seem to be using the same definition of the term.
Either you could be subject shifting here, as Tom states, or the Dem bloggers you mentioned could not be. You can’t have it both ways.
It’s not either or, it’s both and.