Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar


Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives


Previous Post: Impeachment thoughts and roundup
Next Post: Special election foiled by House Dems

Photo of the day

Posted in:

* From Gawker

In 1980, a vacationing Rod Blagojevich camped in front of Richard Nixon’s home, with a friend, until the pariah ex-president emerged and this picture was taken.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:40 am

Comments

  1. A Caption…

    Here son, this is the phone number of a good attorney I think you will need it someday.

    Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:44 am

  2. Man, good thing Nixon is dead or he would really be embarrassed by this photo.

    Comment by Joe in the Know Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:45 am

  3. I wonder if Nixon told lame tales of kids mistaking him for da first Mayor Daley?

    Comment by Michelle Flaherty Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:46 am

  4. Is that another jogging suit?

    Comment by 618er Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:48 am

  5. No, I think it went more like this… “Then I rolled down the window, and the girl asked, aren’t you Governor Reagan?” … “So I had Liddy shake her down, we got 2 quarters and a Milkyway.

    Comment by Heartless Libertarian Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:49 am

  6. “Don’t ever give up, kid,” wrote the former president who resigned rather than be voted out of office.

    The young man, Rod Blagojevich, absorbed details about history while often missing the meaning of the history he read, like Otto in “A Fish Called Wanda”.

    Blagojevich failed to note the irony of Nixon’s advise until the Illinois General Assembly voted 113-0 to form an impeachment committee.

    “Wait, Nixon did give up!?” Blagojevich thought to himself. “Why did he tell me not to quit?”

    Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:52 am

  7. …I Richard Nixon grant full and unconditional…

    Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 9:53 am

  8. My hero

    Comment by Just Because Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:00 am

  9. Nixon: Nice try with the hairdo, but I knew Elvis Presley; Elvis Presley was a friend of mine. Kid, you’re no Elvis Presley.

    Comment by Anon Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:06 am

  10. A tricky dick and a yound rod in one photo, sick…

    Comment by ex state employee Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:09 am

  11. our missteps in the past become the footprints our our future

    Comment by Hazardman Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:09 am

  12. Thank you Gawker! (and Rich)

    I remembered seeing that picture in Chicago magazine years ago, have been waiting for it to re-appear all week.

    Comment by carbon deforestation Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:14 am

  13. Birds of a feather flock together?

    Comment by downstate reader Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:24 am

  14. In 1980, a vacationing Rod Blagojevich camped in front of Richard Nixon’s home, with a friend, until the pariah ex-president emerged and this picture was taken.

    In 1982, Rod Blagojevich camped in front of Alderman Ed Vrydolyak home, with a basketball, until his sons emerged and included Rod in basketball games.

    In 1987, Rod Blagojevich camped in front of Alderman Richard Mell’s home, with movie tickets, until the alderman’s daughter emerged and let Rod date her.

    In 2009, as a pariah ex-governor, Rod Blagojevich bunked next to former governor George Ryan’s cell, until the pariah ex-governor emerged and a friendship was established.

    Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:24 am

  15. Don’t you think its unfair to the memory of Richard Nixon?

    Comment by Capitol Mean Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:27 am

  16. Birds of a feather flock together!

    Comment by Dan S, a Voter and Cubs Fan Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:30 am

  17. Commonsense, that’s a good one.

    Fascinating picture. The governor has made his own bed and a his day of reckoning is coming, but it’s heartbreaking to be reminded that he was just a goofy innocent kid at one time, like we all were.

    It’s sad to note that he didn’t take any wisdom from meeting a man who reached the heights, but whose unchecked indulgences of his darkside led to a colossal fall.

    Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:30 am

  18. The moment when I got the cherished note that has carried me through many a tough spot and I always keep in my wallet : “(Bleep)’em if they can’t take a joke”.

    Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:30 am

  19. Nixon apparently did not share with his young admirer what he had learned about the danger of surreptitious recordings.

    Comment by Jake from Elwood Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:37 am

  20. Both Blagojevich and Nixon maintained their distinctive coifs for decades.

    Comment by phocion Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:38 am

  21. and you know who was the friend? i get one year free subscription to the Capitol Fax Rich for answering this question. it was Michael Ascaridis who went on a trip to New York and waited for Nixon

    Comment by guest035 Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:50 am

  22. Well that helps put the nattering nabobs of negativism line in context.

    Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:58 am

  23. No offense to anyone and I agree that this is a funny photo, but coming from a daily photoshop user, you can tell this photo was manipulated. Take a good look at the pixel colors around his arms. :)

    Comment by photogirl Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 10:58 am

  24. Before there was Emil, there was Dick.

    Comment by Captain Flume Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 11:45 am

  25. One day, Mr. President I want to be just like you.

    Comment by Say WHAT? Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 11:48 am

  26. Heartless Libertarian, that was hilarious.

    Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 11:52 am

  27. So there is a picture of Rod with Nixon. Is there one with Rod and Elvis? Anyone?

    Comment by Edward Morgan Blake Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 12:12 pm

  28. yes there is a photo of Rod with Elvis

    http://htsblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/one-last-one-for-tonight-couple-of-rod.html

    Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 1:15 pm

  29. Well, we are not crooks. We’ve earned everything we’ve got.

    We made our mistakes, but in all of our years of public life we have never profited from public service.

    Comment by Boone Logan Square Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 2:02 pm

  30. i just heard that Rod keeps an apartment in DC… at the Watergate hotel/ condo complex.
    Is that true?
    If yes, add that to the list of his bizarre fascination/ fate/ destiny with Nixon.

    There are just too many strange angles for this made-for-TV-movie. What’s a writer to do?

    Comment by dupage progressive Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 2:25 pm

  31. dupage progressive: Blagojevich owns a condo in DC at the Waterford Complex, not the Watergate Hotel.

    That would have been surreal if true.

    Comment by Gabriel Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 2:31 pm

  32. Caption: Once the age of the personal computer dawned, it became a simple task to crop out of the photo the WWND (What Would Nixon Do?) bracelet that young Rod wore. By that time, however, the sentiment was engraved not just on a bracelet, but on Rod’s heart.”

    Comment by Steve Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 4:59 pm

  33. “Pardon me, Mr. President, I see a camera.”

    Comment by Independent Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 5:21 pm

  34. This is cool. Use a finger and block out Blago’s hair. It should occur to you, in an instant, that Blago is a clone of Alfred E. Neuman from MAD magazine. That’s right, Alfred with incredibly bad hair. You can imagine him saying, “What? Me worry?” and smirking!

    Comment by WFB Conservative Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 8:25 pm

  35. I am not a (bleep) crook.

    Comment by Mac Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 8:55 pm

Add a comment

Sorry, comments are closed at this time.

Previous Post: Impeachment thoughts and roundup
Next Post: Special election foiled by House Dems


Last 10 posts:

more Posts (Archives)

WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.

powered by WordPress.