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First, George Will writes a feel-good column about Rod Blagojevich’s political future without once mentioning the burgeoning scandal over the guv’s nauseating eagerness to raise big money from state contractors, commission members and agency honchos.
He voted for Reagan twice, this son of a Serbian immigrant steelworker was the archetypal Reagan Democrat — and still picks his own political paths: He is at daggers drawn with Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, who wants casino gambling that the governor opposes. “It’s just too easy, all this found money,'’ Blagojevich says. When Daley asked him, “Don’t you want the money?'’ Blagojevich replied, “Frankly, no.'’
Then, the San Francisco Chronicle includes Blagojevich in a puff piece about future Democratic presidential contenders, using an issue that’s a no-brainer in Illinois:
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (pronounced bla-GOYA-vich). Son of a World War II prisoner of war, this former Golden Gloves boxer who grew up on Chicago’s West Side has a compelling up-by-the-bootstraps life story, a Midwestern constituency and an attractive young family. And among the grass roots, he’s viewed positively for extending the moratorium on death row executions established by his Republican predecessor, Gov. George Ryan, in 2000.
Giangreco certainly earned his pay last week.
posted by Rich Miller
Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 5:53 pm
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Out of town articles like this mean virtually nothing. Remember, George Ryan was hailed by the NYTimes and others. What matters more is the mounting evidence statewide about Blago’s corruption: Three Goudie stories on the tollway, Crain’s story today on sweetheart contract to Dem insider Myron Cherry and STL Post smack on Dem insider in line to get state money for Marion baseball park.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 6:52 pm
Rich, isn’t Carville on board helping the Governor with this stuff?
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 8:46 pm
Seriously doubt Giangreco or Carville have influence on Will.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 9:33 pm
giangreco’s group did rods direct mail when he ran last time for governor.
giangreco does not do pr work for the governor currently.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 9:39 pm
1) The Carville thing was just a Sneed rumor.
2) Will had to get that stuff from somewhere.
3) Giangreco is Rod’s campaign spokesman.
Comment by Rich Miller Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 9:56 pm
Giangreco is an extreme liberal and Will a solid conservative. I doubt they have a relationship. Will’s column could have been written by anyone with google or nexis.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 10:21 pm
lol
What does Will’s and Giangreco’s politics have to do with anything?
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 11:51 pm
Funny thing about the George Will story is the different headlines in the different papers
Townhall.com
A penchant for the flamboyant
www.tallahassee.com
Illinois governor Blagojevich picks his own political path
New York Post
THIS GOV MAKES NOISE
New Hampshire News
In Chicago, a political house divided
PittsburghLive.com
Chicago ‘reformer’ eyes White House
WashingtonPost.com
Illinois’s Ambitious Governor
Comment by RodReport.com Sunday, Feb 20, 05 @ 11:59 pm
I’m with the poster who said the column read like someone just had access to lexis and google and did no actual reporting.
To me, it didn’t read like anyone was even feeding him something good or bad about Blagojevich - just Will felt like updating Washington Post readers on the state of the state he’s from (he was born in Chambana and went to Northwestern, I believe).
You guys and your conspiracy theories.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 3:07 am
Politics is relevant because liberal politicos don’t often go to conservative columnists to “plant” columns. First, there usually isn’t a relationship between the two. Second, it carries a great risk of backfire.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 7:30 am
I would say that if you’re trying to establish your candidate as a fiscally conservative Reagan Republican, you’d go to a conservative columnist.
Either way, the line about Giangreco was meant to be a wisecrack.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 7:37 am
Social moderate/liberal, fiscal conservative. This is straight out of the Carter/Clinton playbook. And both of those presidents got decent press from some conservatives before they were elected, mostly as a nod to a “centrist, pragmatic” movement within the Democratic party to counter the liberal base.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 9:05 am
Big difference: Clinton is smart. He could talk policy endlessly. Nobody’s ever heard Rod talk a lick of policy, other than the top line sound bites.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 10:13 am
I think Will is making the rounds of Dem governors that are potential 08 candidates. He did one on Mark Warner of Virginia a few weeks back.
Comment by Dan Johnson-Weinberger Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 4:34 pm
The national press is simply throwing the line out into the lake, trying to bring in all the minnows at this point. Kerry is the the front runner with a major national network and organization and donor base. His 58 million votes gives him a big tailwind.
The party will likely look to an innovative governor to bring on board the ticket.
Comment by Blue State Monday, Feb 21, 05 @ 10:32 pm
Apparently no one has watched the DC spin game get played..People like Will and Carville sit around DC telling each other how important/smart they are and bumping into each other while telling Tim Russert how much they like the papaerback version of his book.
Then Carville says “let’s do lunch and speaking of lunch that RodBlagoof in IL reminds of ‘Bill’ in 1990….”
And Will says “hmmm next time I have a brain freeze and need some trash to fill the column I’ll use that.”
Then Carville sends RodBlagoof
the name of CA biz guy or MD pollsters who needs a no bid contract and ….
Then Karl Rove calls will and says RodBlagoof is no good, go for Sen. Petey’s choice ….
SPIN is IN!
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 22, 05 @ 9:07 am
I love the comparison of Rod to Clinton.
Clinton, whatever his other faults may or may not have been, is and was VERY hard working and tenancious and Clinton is VERY SMART.
Also Clinton kept a team and did take care of people even some questionable ones.
NOBODY trusts Rod anymore not after what he did to Mell and the 33rd ward and Dominic Longo let alone all his and Bradley and Lon’s lies to Frank Watson and Mike Madigan.
Rod is NOT smart, NOT hardworking
He had Mell do all the HEAVY LIFTING behind the scenes. All he had to do was look good and talk.
The Will articls cleary IS good but articles come and go.
Do you really think Will or conservatives (except wierdo Tom Roeser) will stay with Rod–look at the Leader website or the conservatives salivatin to get Rauschenberger or OMalley in the ring with him. Rod is for abortion and gay rights, and the video games thing is an attempt to get the red color people but he was one of the biggest gun control guys (even the Dems south of I-80 are pro gun) he has not raised income tax BUT he has raised every fee for Truckers, Tolls, SOS, etc.
A tax is a tax
The idea the conservatives will go with Rod is absurd
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 22, 05 @ 12:04 pm
Rod will become a conservative a liberal
pro-Mell, anti-Mell
HE BELIEVES IN NOTHING
THERE IS NO SUBSTANCE OR VALUES
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 24, 05 @ 4:14 pm
tickling frayed wrinkles?Franklinizations:boomerangs retired Japanized shrimp
Comment by jack brown bookmakers sports gambling Tuesday, May 30, 06 @ 8:10 pm