From the Illinois Policy Institute…
Blago’s Last Frontier?
Just when you thought Rod Blagojevich had hit every media format on earth—the Today Show, Jon Stewart, Esquire magazine, and the national Sunday talk shows—he shows up in international animated specials. This short but dramatic take on the Blago saga is definitely worth a watch—although we don’t think they really quite captured the essence of his hair.
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Ill. Policy Incident: Life Gets Cartoony”
From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…
ST. CHARLES – State Senator Randy Hultgren, Republican candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 14th District, today outlined his positive vision for reviving the economy and putting Americans back to work. Speaking to more than fifty people at a luncheon hosted by the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, Hultgren discussed the current economic climate; Washington’s failure to address the issues confronting American employers and workers; and his economic priorities.
“All across the 14th District, people are worried about the future. Many of our friends, neighbors and family members are experiencing the effects of unemployment as a result of the alarming jobless rate in our district that has consistently exceeded the State and National averages, and, many of those who do have jobs are underemployed. Our homes are worth less than when we bought them, and when we go to the store or the mall, we’re not spending as much as we used to because we don’t know what tomorrow holds.
“Unfortunately, our elected officials in Washington are making things worse. Last year, Congress passed a massive stimulus telling us it would keep unemployment below 8 percent; now, economists predict that 9.5 percent national unemployment is here to stay through at least next year. This year, they passed a huge, expensive health care bill that imposes new, burdensome regulations on our small business owners, while failing to address the high costs of health care.
“What Congress is talking about doing is just as bad or worse than what they have actually done. The atmosphere of uncertainty created by out-of-touch politicians and Washington bureaucrats means that business owners don’t know what new rules and regulations may be forced upon them tomorrow, so they are unwilling to expand, invest or hire new workers.
“What Washington needs to do instead – and what I would do if elected – is to cut taxes, reduce spending, and reform the way our government works. Congress also needs to address its role in creating the housing bubble that led to the current economic crisis. Even though a financial regulation “reform” bill was recently signed into law, it did nothing to reform the big government sponsored enterprises – Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae – that backed nearly 97 percent of all U.S. mortgages.
“But most of all, Congress needs to remember who they work for: their constituents. As an elected official, I have always listened, always been respectful to everyone, always kept an open door, and never hid from my constituents, because they’re the people I work for. As a State Senator, I have 200,000 employers I am grateful to report to; hopefully, after November, I’ll have the honor of serving 700,000 employers across this district.”
http://hultgrenforcongress.com/
From the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee of Illinois…
Recently, Illinois has been breaking records—and not in a good way. The state’s debt and bill backlogs are higher than ever, and Illinois’ Democrat leaders are pushing for a tax increase as the way to address Illinois’ fiscal woes.
Sam McCann says, “enough is enough.” A small business owner with a 17-year record of creating jobs, Sam wants to take his experience and leadership to Springfield. He believes that creating jobs and attracting employers is the only way to rebuild the economy and get people back to work in Illinois.
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Meet Sam McCann, Let’s repair and rebuild Illinois”
From the Ratowitz for Congress campaign (5th District)…
U.S. Congressional Candidate, David Ratowitz (IL-5) marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a series of articles exploring the role of government in the Katrina disaster and recovery. In this article, Ratowitz shines light on the role of patronage in the levee failures that caused the flooding of New Orleans.
Chicago, IL, June 24, 2010– Long time transparency and pro-liberty advocate Candidate for U.S. Congress from Illinois’ 5th Congressional District, David Ratowitz marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a series of articles based on his personal experience with the disaster and recovery process.
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David Ratowitz Articulates the Relationship Between Patronage and the Hurricane Katrina Disaster”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Robert Blagojevich, brother of disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, is celebrating today because the feds have dropped all charges against him and will not be re-trying him net year.
As to the ex-gov, Judge Zagel says that his re-trial should begin in the first week of January, 2011.
No news if the father and son team of lawyers will continue to represent the deposed governor. The Adamses continue to say they are Blagojevich’s friends, but Judge Zagel has given the pair until October to decide i they will continue as a part of Blagojevich’s legal team.
-By Warner Todd Huston
Fox News has a report of the odd way that Illinois Democrat Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias referred to fellow Democrats campaign appearance at a downstate agricultural forum.
“I have (known) plenty of Democrats that are complete bozos- that’s just the reality of it,” Giannoulias told the crowd.
While it is odd to see such a high profile Democrat candidate saying such a thing, I find nothing at all wrong with what he said. He’s right in context. There are a lot of Democrats that are “bozos.” He’s right that there are a lot of fine Republicans.
In fact, the concurrent reverse is true, too. There are a lot of “bozo” Republicans and a lot of nice Democrats, too.
Still, it is interesting that a guy in the middle of such a tight race was heard saying such a thing.
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Ill. Dem. Senate Candidate Calls Fellow Dems ‘Bozos’”
From the Ratowitz for Congress campaign (5th District)…
U.S. Congressional Candidate, David Ratowitz (IL-5) marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by discussing the failures of government in hurricane recovery and economic stimulus through the example of FEMA trailers.
Chicago, IL, June 24, 2010– Long time transparency and pro-liberty advocate Candidate for U.S. Congress from Illinois’ 5th Congressional District, David Ratowitz marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a series of articles based on his personal experience with the disaster and recovery process.
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(5th Distict) David Ratowitz discusses government waste, FEMA trailers and the current stimulus bill”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Last week a shocking video of a townhall of sorts held by Chicago, Illinois area Congressman Melissa Bean (D, 8th District) was released that seemed to show that she’d hired a couple of thugs to intimidate attendees from asking her questions that she didn’t want to answer.
The video kicked up a bit of controversy on both sides of the aisle. Conservatives pointed out that Rep. Bean was not only avoiding questions from her constituents, but sending her thugs to discourage those questions. Liberals said that the video was heavily edited and that the thugs were really merely “security guards” hired by the library, not Bean’s thugs.
But the liberal’s protest that these guys were “just” security guards hired by the library that was hosting the meeting does not explain why these guys walked over to the audience members to tower over them as they attempted to ask the Congressman a question. If these guys were not hired by Bean and if they were just there to assure that the townhall went without violence, they would more likely not have been interested in what participants were saying but only should they have gotten out of hand. None of the videos, not the admittedly edited one, nor the uncut one, shows anyone getting out of hand. No one attending this meeting was in need of the intervention of library “security” agents.
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Rep. Melissa Bean’s Jackbooted… Librarians?”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Must be nice to be a boss at the Cook County Board of Review. While there are 436,000 appeals for property tax appraisals sitting in its offices, the bosses of the Cook County Board of Review took a day off in the middle of the week to attend a fundraiser for Cook County Democratic Chairman Joe Berrios. And they invited their employees to join them.
It’s all fun and games working for government, we all know.
A dozen Board of Review employees and many of those lawyers and tax attorneys that make their living dealing with the Board attended the golf outing fund raiser for Berrios.
But who cares about work when there’s fundraising to be done?
Govt Officials Take Day Off To Raise Campaign Cash for Bosses”
From the office of Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica…
The federal government has declared Cook County a disaster area due to the flooding that occurred in late July.
Those of us in the bipartisan contingent of local elected officials who fought for this declaration were pleased when it came last week. Thank you to all the residents, businesses, municipalities and townships that helped distribute and gather the data collection forms which helped us in our effort to garner this declaration.
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How to apply for Federal Flood Disaster Assistance”
From the Institute for Truth in Accounting
US Chamber of Commerce Looks for Solutions to Looming States’ Pension Crises
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation and the U.S. Chamber’s Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits division co-sponsored an event on July 30th underscoring growing budgetary pressures state and local governments are experiencing. The current economic downturn is underscoring the increasing retirement cost included in government budgets, due to increased pension benefits.
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Truth in Accounting: Illinois’ Budget Study Completed”
Update on Right Nation 2010
Right Nation 2010, the largest political event in the Midwest, has announced a number of additions to its participant lineup.
These participants join a growing and impressive lineup of national speakers, including conservative icon Glenn Beck, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, economic experts Stephen Moore and John Fund, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, Congressman Aaron Schock, and Tea Party leader Herman Cain. Also featured are candidates and elected officials from throughout the Midwest.
To learn more about this unprecedented event go to www.RightNation2010.com.
About Right Nation 2010: Right Nation 2010 is a joint venture of Republican, conservative, libertarian, free market, and Tea Party independent organizations and individuals, facilitated by the 75 year-old United Republican Fund.
From the Ratowitz for Congress campaign (5th District)…
U.S. Congressional Candidate, David Ratowitz (IL-5) marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a series of articles based on his experience during the storm and the long recovery.
Chicago, IL, June 24, 2010– Long time transparency and pro-liberty advocate Candidate for U.S. Congress from Illinois’ 5th Congressional District, David Ratowitz marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a series of articles based on his personal experience with the disaster and recovery process.
(5th District) David Ratowitz marks the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Did Quinn Fire Ethics Investigator to Help Chief of Staff?
Illinois Governor, Pat “the Accidental Governor” Quinn, has had a steady stream of campaign staffers quitting his campaign of late but this one is a bit different. Quinn’s chief of staff resigned Monday under a cloud of possible ethics violations.
Jerry Stermer, 67, is under an ethics probe for using his government sponsored email account to send campaign solicitations. Government officials are not allowed to use their government offices and other facilities for elections campaigns.
Stermer leaves a $150,000-a-year job and was Quinn’s highest paid staffer.
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Quinn Loses Another Campaign Staffer, This Time His Chief of Staff”
From the office of Congressman Peter Roskam (R, ILL)…
As you may know, House Republicans recently rolled out a series of innovative tools for Americans to interact with their government and provide feedback on the issues facing our country today. These efforts, AmericaSpeakingOut.com and YouCut, are examples of the type of transparent and responsive leadership House Republicans will provide if we take back the majority in November.
I’ve had the privilege of serving on the forefront of this effort as the Vice Chairman and Job Creation Policy Director for AmericaSpeakingOut.com. Recently, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Rep. Aaron Schock, and I met with several organizations representing a range of businesses nationwide, organizations like the National Association of Manufacturers and National Federation of Independent Businesses. The purpose of this meeting was to hear suggestions directly from businesses responsible for creating jobs, generating growth, and restoring our economy to prosperity.
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Roskam Seeks Increased Transparency in the House”
” The big win, from my perspective, is health care.”
-Rep. Phil Hare, August 17, on his major accomplishments in Congress this year.
Thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act………………..
Our national deficit will continue to grow. Just a month after the bill passed the Congressional Budget Office announced it would actually cost $115 billion more than previously thought, bringing the total cost to more than $1 trillion.
Higher taxes will be imposed on small businesses. While politicians like Rep. Hare claim to be fighting for small business, the real business owners, like those represented by the non-partisan National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), were not so easily fooled. “The fundamental mission of our organization is to promote and protect the rights of small businesses and the self-employed to own, operate and grow their business and this health care law directly undermines this core value,” wrote the NFIB president in a statement following the vote. The NFIB joined the 20 other states in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the bill.
More people will lose jobs. In a study published several months before the vote, the non-partisan Illinois Policy Institute predicted the bill would cost Illinois 169,000 jobs. Newly added provisions in the bill are expected to significantly increase this number. Major employers in the17th district like Caterpillar and John Deere will see their costs rise by $100 million and $150 million respectively, in the first year alone. Why would any company hire workers when their costs are increasing by hundreds of millions of dollars? They won’t.
Our quality of care will decrease. Rep. Hare assured the 8 in 10 Americans happy with their health care they would be able to keep their current plans. However, according to the Associated Press, the Obama Administration itself, “estimates that many employers will be forced to make changes to their health plans under the new law. In just three years, a majority of workers-51 percent-will be in plans subject to new federal requirements.” In addition, the Obama Administration has acknowledged that “health insurance plans that are now offered by small businesses probably will not survive the transition to a regulated marketplace.”
Our cost of care will increase. Obamacare imposes billions of dollars in annual fees and taxes on drug manufacturers, prescription drug importers, and health insurance plans. Moreover, the bill establishes new taxes on certain retail sales by manufacturers and importers of medical devices. According to The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) these fees and taxes, “would generally be passed through to health consumers in the form of higher drug and device prices and higher insurance premiums.
Seniors will see major cuts in Medicare. The most drastic cuts ($132 billion), will be made to the popular Medicare Advantage program. Additionally, Medicare payments for home health care will be reduced by $40 billion and payments to certain hospitals will be cut by $22 billion.
-By Warner Todd Huston
Disgraced Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois is at it again. In an interview with ABC News, Blago tried to, and clumsily at that, allude to the fact that federal prosecutors were pressuring him to out President Obama as a part of the gov’s Senate seat for Payola scam.
Blago told ABC News, “when they had me in custody they were very clear about how they wanted me to cooperate and talk about people in higher places.” He went on to say that there aren’t “a lot of positions higher than governor” naturally leading to the assumption that he meant the president was under scrutiny. But when pressed if he meant the president, Blago wouldn’t go that far.
But this would be a new found reticence because back in 2009 Blago was more than happy to tell anyone that would listen that the Feds wanted him to rat on Obama.
On a video made at a book signing party at Columbia College, Blago was heard seen saying the following:
(Caution, language warning)
“…part of what they wanted was sh*t on Obama. They lock you up. They do this shock and awe bullsh*t. They arrest everybody ok, and then they sit you down and say ‘you are a nice guy. We want to work with you. What can you tell us about Obama.'”
Once again we see the mental gymnastics of the troubled Rod Blagojevich. Clearly in his mind he is an innocent pawn in a conspiracy to topple a president. I’m sure he sees himself as the hero that saved Obama’s presidency.
Blao’s conviction on one count of lying to the feds was a close call. Only two jurors refused to agree with the rest on one of the more damaging counts, that of racketeering — and they even agreed that he was guilty on that charge until the last day of deliberations after which they abruptly changed their minds.
Blago will likely serve time on the one conviction but this isn’t the end of the court’s efforts because judge Zagel has said he still plans to schedule a retrial on the other counts.
Maybe this interview is Blago’s thinly disguised warning to President Obama that he could still spill the beans if Obama allows the Justice Department to retry him? Is Blago trying to blackmail Obama here?
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Blago Again Says Feds Were Really After Obama”
-By Warner Todd Huston
As a sign that all is not well in Pat Quinn’s race for his first full term as governor, news arrives that Quinn has fired his PR firm. Seventy some days before an election and “Accidental” Governor Quinn fires his public relations firm? Apparently so.
AKPD Media (the firm started by Obama advisor David Axerod) put out a press release on the parting of ways. “We and the Quinn campaign agreed that our divergent approaches to disciplined, professional communications are incompatible. We wish Pat well,” the firm said.
AKPD is certainly a powerful agency in Illinois and knows the state well. Still, it seems that Quinn has been battling the firm internally for the last few months.
Quinn has hired another firm to carry on with the rest of the campaign. Joe Slade White, a D.C.-based outfit, will be handling the rest of Quinn’s campaign… barring another falling out, of course.
This once again shows that Pat Quinn is not a very disciplined candidate. Alreaday he’s lost the services of three spokesmen and media folks. Bob Reed, Elizabeth Austin and Marlena Jentz all quit Quinn’s employ this year.
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Gov. Quinn Fires His PR Firm”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The 22nd State Senate District is being badly served by its incumbent Democrat Mike Noland. Several of the campaign fliers that Noland has sent out to his constituents are filled with half truths and untruths and one of his emailed campaign solicitations was listed as being sent from his taxpayer-funded offices in Springfield and Elgin, a violation of campaign finance laws.
In one flier, Noland claimed he “affected change” in three major areas – creating jobs, achieving ethics reform and fighting for tax relief.
Noland claimed he created jobs by being the chief sponsor of a microloan program for small businesses. But that fact is the bill he sponsored, while it did pass, had all the microloan language stripped from it before passage. As it happens Noland didn’t create a single opportunity as he claimed. His bill was materially altered making his flier claim an outright lie.
The same flier also claims that Noland got “$40 million and 500 jobs for Harper College.” But this is a half truth. While the state did include the $40 million in its future projects, the fact is no $40 has been allocated and the “future projects” plans are not assured to ever be funded. This project may never be funded at all so Noland’s claims are premature at the very least.
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State Senator Noland Misleads With Untrue Campaign Mailings”
-By Dan Prof
You know how I know I’ve been in Illinois politics too long?
The comedy troupe of Sam Adam Sr. and Jr. was starting to make some sense to me.
For example, during his post-verdict floor show, Sam Adam Sr. said that US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald thinks Illinois is a banana republic.
Isn’t it?
A banana republic is marked by a politically unstable government ruled by a small and corrupt elite who use the power of the state to collude with favored monopolies in order to line their pockets.
If the fruit fits…
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Dan Proft: Adam Antics Won’t Change Blago’s Fate”
From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…
We Ask America released results that showed we’ve expanded our lead in the polls among registered voters!
Furthermore, we’re now leading by double digits among the crucial voting bloc of independents, who have rapidly recognized that Congressman Bill Foster has been nothing more than a rubber stamp for policies that grow jobs nowhere else but Washington.
With only 74 days to go before election day, we’re well on our way to restoring accountability in Congress.
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Hultgren for Congress (14th District): We’ve Expanded Our Lead In The Polls!”
A note from the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee of Illinois…
During the past year, Illinois’ debt and bill backlogs have continued to climb, even as state spending continues virtually unchecked. The state’s Democrat leaders response is to push for tax increases and increased borrowing as a way to solve Illinois’ fiscal problems. As a small business owner, Adam Baumgartner knows that increasing taxes and revenue gimmicks are not the way for Illinois to rebuild its economy.
The owner of six businesses employing more than 50 people, Springfield needs Adam’s job-creating skills and commonsense approach to management. As Director of the Peotone Chamber of Commerce, he understands the impact burdensome taxes and fees have on the state’s business community—and, as a result, the state’s economy.
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Meet Adam Baumgartner, GOP Candidate for the State Senate (40th District)”
-By Warner Todd Huston
With the recent result of the latest trial and conviction of former Illinois Governor Democrat Rod Blagojevich, it is interesting to take a little tour of all the Illinois Governors that were indicted at one time or another. Some of them even served time.
It appears that the number of indicted Illinois Democrats beats the Republicans by one with four Democrats indicted to the Republican’s three. On the other hand, the ones jailed is top heavy with Democrats with two Democrats jailed to only one Republican jailed. And one more Democrat will be serving time once Blagojevich’s trials are all done and over making it three to one.
As you read this list, folks, remember that THIS is the state where President Barack Obama learned his politics.
Here is the list…
Joel A. Matteson (1853 – 1857)
Party: Democrat
Charge: Embezzling
Verdict: Not convicted
Len Small (1921 – 1929)
Party: Republican
Charge: Embezzling $2 million when he was State Treasurer
Verdict: Acquitted (but jury tampering is suspected as 4 of the jurors ended up with new state jobs)
William Stratton (1953 – 1961)
Party: Republican
Charge: Cheating on Taxes by using political contributions for personal expenses
Verdict: Acquitted
Otto Kerner (1961 – 1968)
Party: Democrat
Charge: Bribery, perjury, bag man for racetrack industry
Verdict: Convicted, sentenced to 3 years, served 7 months
Dan Walker (1973 – 1977)
Party: Democrat
Charge: Bank fraud and perjury
Verdict: Guilty, sentenced to 7 years, served 17 months
George Ryan (1999 – 2003)
Party: Republican
Charge: Conspiracy, racketeering
Verdict: Guilty, sentenced to 6 1/2 years. Still serving.
Rod Blagojevich (2004 – 2009)
Party: Democrat
Charge: Extortion, lying to the feds, selling a U.S. Senate seat
Verdict: Guilty so far on one count of lying to the feds, re-trial being scheduled.
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A Tour of Illinois’ Criminal Governors”
From Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica…
While the County Board is out enjoying the last few weeks of summer — issues facing taxpayers and our citizens continue to mount.
That’s why I want to make sure you are aware of the following important issues facing the county board in the coming weeks.
I also invite you to watch my brief video update:
Tony Peraica
Cook County Commissioner
www.commissionerperaica.com/
From Dan Proft for the Heartland Institute…
Programming Note: Join Bruce Wolf and me every Saturday from 12noon-2pm on WLS-AM 890 (wlsam.com) for our perspicacious perspectives on the pressing issues of the day.
Teacher Quality Focus of ‘Rhee-form’ for DC Schools
Washington, DC public schools have an acute problem with juvenile delinquency.
Trouble is, the problem isn’t with the students but rather the supposed grown-ups in charge of the Washington Teachers Union (WTU).
Once thought to be an unlikely laboratory for school reform, the District’s success with school vouchers, begrudgingly recognized even by the Obama administration, its high incidence of children attending charter schools (35 percent) and its outspoken Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee have made Washington, DC a bellwether for K-12 reform.
But none of these gains have come without incident. And the latest battle between Rhee and the WTU over the firing of bad teachers is no exception.
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Teacher Quality Focus of ‘Rhee-form’ for DC Schools”
From Adam Andrzejewski, For the Good of Illinois…
Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is invoked in an iconic comic superhero named Super Abe, which will live at the center of the Illinois political counter-narrative. Super Abe is an exciting symbolic champion and defender of limited, accountable and transparent government on behalf of the people of Illinois.
Stan Lee, creator of such comics as Spiderman, Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk once said, “People have always wanted heroes and always will. Unfortunately, sometimes the time isn’t right for us, because our leaders don’t seem to be heroes.”
It’s time for fresh thinking and new ideas that invite every Illinoisan to be a part of their government. At present, many of our leaders seem to be anything but heroes—some even go on to officially earn the title of villain. We need something unique to reach more Illinoisans more effectively. Super Abe is a dynamic new approach we believe will reach Illinoisans that may not have otherwise considered being a part of the democratic process.
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A legend has returned; the super hero revealed”
From the Hayes for Congress campaign (2nd District)…
CHICAGO, IL- With yesterday’s verdict of Rod Blagojevich being found guilty on count 24 (providing false statements to the law enforcement/FBI), it’s time to bring Jesse Jackson Jr. to the stand.
During trial proceedings Rod’s brother, Robert Blagojevich, testified that fundraiser Raghu Nayak had offered to raise $6 million for Rod Blagojevich if Rod named Jackson to the empty Senate seat.
Simply put, just because Jackson did not succeed in attaining the seat, does that mean he should not answer for his actions?
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Hayes Calls on Fitzgerald to Begin Investigations into Jackson, Jr.”
From the Ratowitz fo Congress campaign (5th District)…
U.S. Congressional Candidate, David Ratowitz (IL-5) reacts to Blagojevich corruption verdict: “Jury has put ball in voters’ court”.
Chicago, IL, June 24, 2010– Long time transparency and pro-liberty advocate Candidate for U.S. Congress from Illinois’ 5th Congressional District, David Ratowitz expresses disappointment in the Blagojevich verdict, claims jury “threw the ball back into the voters’ court”.
“Like many Illinoisans, I am disappointed with the jury’s verdict in the Blagojevich trial. Many people had hoped the Blagojevich jury would do the hard work of cleansing Illinois politics of scandal and corruption, but they have declined to do so, instead they have put the responsibility for cleaning up politics back where it belongs: with the voters”, said Ratowitz this evening from his Chicago office.
Ratowitz, 5th District: Blagojevich jury hung on 27 counts, convicts on one count.”
From the Patlak for Cook County Board of Review campaign…
Today we are rolling out our third “Tax Facts” video for your review. The first two have been met with interest by Cook County taxpayers far and wide who find the information provided to be empowering. The first two Tax Facts videos are now posted in our Education Center at www.ElectPatlak.com. You can ask your own question about property taxes by clicking on “Ask Dan”.
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Dan Patlak’s Campaign For Cook County Board Of Review”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The long awaited verdict in the trial of former Democratic Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich and his brother is finally at hand — at least a little. Blagojevich has been accused of trying to sell for personal gain his influence to appoint a senator to replace Barack Obama when he resigned the seat to become president.
Over the last week or so the jury revealed through a long parade of written questions to the judge that they were hopelessly deadlocked on most of the counts that the pair were facing. At one point the jury admitted that they could only agree on two of the 24 counts. Worse, they hadn’t even looked at the 11 wire fraud counts.
The fact is, though, that only two of the counts really mattered. The 2nd Count, racketeering and conspiracy, carries a 20 year maximum sentence, and the 24th Count, Lying to the feds, which carries a 5 year maximum sentence.
The jury never did come to much agreement on this case as it happens. But they did convict ex-Governor Blagojevich on one of the counts.
At about 4:30 the jury delivered their verdict on the only count they agreed upon. Count 24, lying to the feds. The jury agreed that Rod Blagojevich is guilty on this count. After that verdict was delivered the jury was dismissed for the day.
This means that Rod Blagojevich is likely to serve at least 6 months in federal jail. No news on the counts that the ex-governor’s brother faces.
Judge Zagel has announced, however, that he’s declaring a mistrial on the rest of the 23 counts. He is rescheduling a re-trial.
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The Verdict for Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich and Brother is IN”
