68 Comments - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:51 am: This bit of news won’t last long except for the political pundits whose only life is setting in front of a computer.It wasn’t even the headline story in some of the papers.You saw how many people followed the trial.I think you are going to start seeing some real issues appearing and the main one being a long list of problems this state has and who will be blamed.Both canidates have skeletons in their closet so it is going to be hard to play the scum card for either one of them. - Ex-Newfie - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:06 am: The Chicago Trib. has a long list of comments from political leaders on it’s later afternoon website yesterday, leading with the Governor. I don’t know if he was speaking off the cuff or if someone wrote his response but I think it’s going to come back to bite him, if Fitzgerald has his way with him. - Beowulf - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:09 am: I look for the obvious: Judy Barr Topinka being assailed by Blagojevich for her close relationship to convicted felon George Ryan. I am a Republican who did not vote for Judy because I had my concerns about her close dealings with Ryan and Kjellander. The old saying, “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas” kept popping into my head. Only if Blagojevich can show a clear conflict of interest on the part of Judy while she acted in the capacity of Treasurer of Illinois will he be able to mortally wound her. I expect Rod’s political commercials to air that photo of Judy kissing George Ryan on the cheek at a party over and over again between now and November. - Observer-2-all - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:14 am: I agree with ‘Downstate’ - people just do not care because, unfortunately, we expect our politicians to be corrupt. Amazingly, they just keep justifying our expectations. I, like Beowulf, am a Republican who did not vote for JBT for this very reason. However, I am surprised to see Blago jump on this so quickly as he has serious issues on this front as well. Coming from the Quad-Cities, I at least have the option of moving to Iowa - and rid myself of this toilet we call Illinois-politics. - Jeff Trigg - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:16 am: Impact on the Governor’s race? Lower voter turn-out. And we’ll still have a Governor that supports a pension system where George Ryan can pay in $234,926.28 over 36 years and in three years get $566,660 out. - Cassandra - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:16 am: I think the Ryan trial will be a distant memory in November; if Blago keeps bringing it up, JBT can talk in detail about the pending investigations of his administration.She can present herself as the less ethically challenged of the two at this point. However, many are predicting that Pres. Bush’s great current unpopularity, stemming from Iraq and other problems, will affect midterm races across the country. It is possible that the Ryan verdict and national anti-Bush malaise combined will be more than JBT,or any Illinois statewide Republican candidate, could reasonably overcome. Anger at Bush is likely to be more emotionally potent in the poll booth than concerns about state finances particularly for the undecideds. The Ryan verdict adds to the overall picture. This will be a challenge for her campaign strategists. - Beowulf - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:19 am: Of all of the Illinois citizen’s opinions on the guilty verdict, the one that I wanted to hear from more than any other’s was that of John Kass. Mr. Kass had been as tenacious as Patrick Fitzgerald when it came to placing the names George Ryan, James Duff, and Mayor Dailey beside the statement “Unacceptable in Illinois”. Two down and one to go. - OneMan - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:32 am: I think this ends up helping Meeks. Judy and Rod will try and paint each other, with some success, with the George Ryan brush. It isn’t going to be just Judy this sticks to, don’t kid yourself it doesn’t take an ad master to find a way to get this to stick to Rod too. So all Meeks has to do is sit back and watch the Judy and Rod’s negatives go up. It also provides meeks with a ’second front’ besides school funding to run on. - southernilrepub - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:52 am: Cross was right when he said its all a wash. What could set Judy apart and maybe help her some it to come out and call for the removal of certain old guard figures. Sure that sounds like the mantra of the Oberweis fans, but they have a point now with the conviction of Ryan. She is going to need to swing some of these people. Because now it looks as if they may stay home with the FTN still pushing their filth every week. Blago I think comes out the big loser because everyone in the state sees him as the new face of corruption. One of the commentators on WGN said it best yesterday, “Blagojevich has reinvented the pay-to-play political game.” Had Brady been the nominee he would have had a clear advantage on the public usage of time issue. To respond to OneMan, Meeks will still be lucky to get beyond the 5% mark even while the scandal is still fresh. - Ill ind - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:59 am: I don’t believe it will have much effect at all. George Ryan was tried and convicted in the minds of Illinois voters years ago. The ‘official’ verdict being handed down changes few opinions. Even if he was aquitted, most people still would belive he was a crooked pol. Sure both Judy and Rod will try and tie each other to the corruption issue, but the only result of that as Jeff Trigg pointed out above will be that voter turnout will be lower. Perhaps if Meeks runs a good campaign he can benefit. Ill Ind - The original Bill - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:02 am: southernilrepub, Noone, except you and other wishful Rod haters sees the governor as the “new face of corruption”. I hope that Rod uses the Polka video along with some clips of Tristano’s perp walk and maybe a little footage of Abramoff,KJ, and the “Abraham Lincoln” Hotel. Oh and by the way, how is Lee Daniels doing? - the Patriot - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:07 am: It is a wash. Judy may have ties, but the most likely of the two as of today to be indicted is Blago. It is going to be hard for him to connect George to Judy. All she has to say is she doesn’t recall Federal agents sweeping into agencies under her direction in the last 3 years. Rod can’t say the same. Bush won’t affect IL races. He is a non factor here and his numbers have been low for a while. The issue is whether democrats can come up with solutions. Bush is bad doesn’t get votes. I think we covered that in 04. Lucky for IL D’s the republican party can mount no serious challenges. In IL it will be all about the democrats. The mansion and both houses are theirs to lose. - ZC - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:28 am: On net, it slightly helps Blago - but only slightly. I doubt people really care that much about the trial, but the Aug. 4 sentencing date should help work to keep the subject fresh in people’s minds as the election approaches. Maybe this event will have more resonance among conservative base Republicans; I cannot pretend to know that group, but I doubt this is going to turn the liberals en masse against Judy. It makes it more difficult for Judy to get a clean shot at Rod on corruption issues, because he has the obvious rejoinder - “if you’re suddently so concerned about corruption, where were you during the George Ryan years?” It’s not so much it makes Judy look corrupt, but it makes her look insincere and calculating, like corruption is just her flavor-of-the-month. And if she claims she didn’t know, then she looks somewhat clueless and politically inept. Any way, Rod had a good day yesterday, but there’s a lot more work to be done. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:58 am: Hurts Rod much more. He’s in the feds’ crosshairs. That trumps dancing a polka. - Reddbyrd - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:06 am: Funniest line…”It’s a Wash” I believe that came from, RoboCross. The “Wash” will be AccordianGal going through the rinse cycle righ before the flush. TTFN - Cesane - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:10 am: The biggest fish for the Feds would be Mayor Daley. That would have the most impact on changing the culture of corruption. It was foolish of voters to elect Ryan who we all knew was under investigation. After yesterday, it would be even more foolish for us to elect either Daley or Blago again. - Budget Watcher - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:18 am: Unfortunately for the current Governor, there’s already a guilty plea that names him as Public Official A in a systematic pay-to-play shakedown. The Topinka campaign will play this up big time, along with the other investigations currently underway. Given the public’s renewed awareness of public corruption, an indictment isn’t necessary to cast some serious doubt about him and his advisors. The current administration has some serious trust issues and could be hurt by the these convictions. On the other hand, Topinka also will be linked whenever possible to the Ryan administration, mostly as someone who was passively complict, but certainly as an associate to the Ryan group. This will seriously erode her trust with the electorate. In the end, the ethical problems of both candidates make it hard for either to capitalize from the Ryan conviction. I would expect Topinka to really hammer at the trust issues with Blagojevich taking random shots intended to undermine her credibility with voters. I still give the edge to the Governor right now, but then again, I don’t have any idea what further charges will be coming in the next six months. - Sound Reasoning - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:59 am: I’m confused, how is it that Topinka is hurt by George Ryan getting convicted? Topinka never worked under Ryan while he was Secretary of State nor did she work under him while he was Governor of Illinois. Yes, she was an elected official during George Ryan’s tenure as SOS and Governor but then again so was Blago. Topinka’s name never came up in any investigation of Ryan nor was she a part of any of the probe into Ryan’s dealings. Just because Topinka was a separately elected official at the same time Ryan served as Governor shouldn’t reflected negatively upon her. Yes, she has had her picture taken with Ryan while he was Governor but then again she has also had her picture taken with Blago, Thompson, and Edgar to name some other Governors. In Topinka’s entire career as an elected official there has been a total of one investigation into her official dealings and that had to do with an accusation by one of her former employees. This investigation was conducted 3 years ago and to this date nothing has come of it. How can a person serving as Treasurer be held accountable for the actions of the Governor? How can the Treasurer know what is happening within the confines of the governor’s office as some has suggested that ‘she should have known’? Now let’s look at similarities between Ryan and Blago. They both have had numerous investigations into the various offices under their control. Blago’s investigations are still numerous and ongoing and being conducted by the same investigators that are bringing down Ryan. Every time a close associate or agency under Blago is investigated he denies ever knowing anything about the wrongdoings and tries to distance himself from the person even though he is in charge of that person/agency. This is the same tactic that Ryan used for so many years until it all caught up to him. It seems that Blago and Ryan have studied the same tactics of self defense: deny, fain ignorance, and blame others. It appears to me that there are many more similarities between Ryan and our current Governor than there are between Ryan and Topinka. But what do I know I’m just an uninformed taxpayer that isn’t employed by the state so I don’t have to defend anyone to keep my job. - Goodbye Napoleon - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 10:09 am: Budget Watcher is right. Raising the bar for the media’s, and the voter’s, expectations of Blagos ethics was part of what has contributed to his own slide. He should use the pictures of Judy and Ryan, but be careful not to say much more or he will burn himself again. - Random thoughts - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 10:27 am: If only Poshard would have won back in 98, we wouldn’t have been witnesses to all this. In retrospect, Ryan losing the governor’s race would have been the best thing for the GOP. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 10:37 am: The incumbant has problems: He promised reform, got a voter mandate to reform, but broke his promise. He raised $2400 an hour as governor, making his massive war chest an issue, not a plus. As the incumbant he deals with political deals daily, there is something scummy in most deals. Gubernatorial corruption is a major issue, and he’s the governor. He is named as “Public Official A” in one of five federal investigations. He is the new headliner for any corruption piece. He is up for re-election this year, not Daley. The Challenger has problems: She is a leader from a party that produced the current ex-governor felon. That being said, I’d rather be Topinka. We have seen repeatedly that voters choose women in similar situations. They are viewed as outsiders, even one with 12 years statewide experience. Women candidates can have it both ways, be a leader, but be seen as more cooperative, sensitive and deferring, so that their decisions are not held against them as strongly as if she were a he. Topinka benefits from this. But then there are the negatives too. Since we hold different standards for women, when Topinka dances or kisses, pinheads use any disgraced partners as political fodder. They read into these dances and kisses not the social gesture we demand of women, but some kind of partnership. This kind of thinking is wrong in many ways. We expect this from troglydites like Oberweis. Ask Madigan about Blagojevich’s snide public sexist remarks while claiming to be the “woman’s candidate”. These bozos should not set the standard. What is expecially disgraceful is how badly Blagojevich set himself up. He had a mandate and a General Assembly to pass reforms. His failure speaks louder than words. If he just did what he was elected, and expected to do, he would be politically innoculated right now. For this alone, he should be hounded out of office. - gojbt - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 10:51 am: “Sound Reasoning” said it best. - L.T. Reader - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 11:14 am: Rich, This is really a personal note to you. I’ve been a long time reader of Capitol Fax. I have found it to be one of the most informing and therefore important things I read to keep informed politically. I really enjoyed the 4-18-06 column. I learned a lot of history about Ryan and Kankakee from one who had a close view. Please continue to do what you do. Many of us look forward and rely on your publication. You’ve proven yourself over the years Thanks for your efforts and your diligence. L.T. Reader - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 11:38 am: It’s a two way street.If JBT is tainted by this for being an elected official and associating with Ryan while Ryan was governor then probably three quarters of the politicans holding state offices on both sides are.Jones is one of the state’s biggest Democrats was a very close friend of GR.Do you good Democrats think Jones or Madigan should go. - Dem Voting R - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 11:49 am: To ‘Sound Reasoning’ thank you for your lucid and pointed - rather than dogmatic - response to those who think that Topinka was in any way connected to the behind-the-scenes doings of the Ryan administration while he was SOS. Thanks also to ‘Vanilla’ who brings us something besides name-calling, and something akin to analysis. I voted for Blago cause I thought he’d clean up government. He didn’t. Instead, he has only managed to make raising money an even heavier burden on those who might wish to serve. I’m not on anyone else’s payroll, but I have seen Topinka talk about Why she’s running for Governor. She sees is as her duty. She brings to this race a sense of dedication. She also brings realism (which may or may not appeal to voters - who wants to hear that the State is broke?) Both candidates now have a chance before them. Do they use this to smear their opponent? Or do they use the voter’s outrage (for it is there) to change the way we do the people’s business? That is what I’ll be listening for in the coming months - not whether someone danced with someone or whether someone knew someone who once was mentioned in a newspaper expose. Let’s proceed with a debate that might, actually, give credit to the people of Illinois. Or am I just totally unreaslistic yet again? Hey, a fella can dream, can’t he? - chris robling - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:03 pm: first, as mike z. of the ill. g.o.p. has astutely pointed out, rod and george are two of the very few people who share the alternate appellation, “public official ‘a.’” rod made reform his fulcrum, to run a campaign against geo. ryan while facing jim ryan on the ballot. than rod made pay-to-play the centerpiece of his admin. so much that the feds are now conducting four separate investigations of rod. so rod has foregone the reform mantle and has subpeoanas, either knee-deep or waist-deep, to explain. not good for rod. judy, on the other hand, instituted comprehensive reforms in the treasurer’s office ten years before rod’s phony reform bill. for instance, her treas. office i.g. is working away, keeping the treasurer’s work transparent and above board. quite unlike rod — and george. george’s conviction means two issues will dominate the fall: real reform and rod’s profligacy. both help judy. neither helps rod. this does not mean that judy will win, or that rod has lost, or any other such grand prediction. it means that if judy grabs reform hard, and does a lot with it, and sticks to her balance-the-books to prevent rod’s b.k. plank, then she will be in the ballpark playing a game the voters want to see. if this makes judy that much more committed to comprehensive reform, then she benefits from the opportunity. and there is little rod can do to benefit from this. his best step is to avoid being hurt by it. those subpeoanas make that hard. other developments may make that impossible. one other thing: why don’t people use their real names on this? - Scott Fawell's Cellmate - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:08 pm: The Ryan trial included mountains of evidence and witness testimony, and Rich has mentioned that folks here often seemed to lose interest in the daily particulars of the trial. So now that the jury has returned its verdict, its important to go back and revisit this evidence that convinced these regular folks that the conduct was illegal. For example, during testimony on November 23, 2005, the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented witness testimony from a Secretary of State’s Office employee who stated under oath that he got his SOS job through his longtime friend Topinka and SOS superiors explicitly instructed him to perform political work on taxpayer time, and, when he did so and broke the law, he was rewarded with promotions and raises. The SJ-R reported the questioning in its story the next day(http://www.sj-r.com/extras/ryan/72077.asp): “[P]rosecution witness Glenn Good, who served as the manager of various state properties under Ryan while Ryan was secretary of state and later governor, testified that he was a longtime political activist and got his job in the secretary of state’s office through state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka. He said that after Topinka recommended him, Ryan aide Rich Juliano met with him and said: “We’re going to be offering you a job in physical services (managing buildings) in Chicago - you understand that this is also going to require political work.” Good testified that was fine with him because he had been doing political work since he was 11 years old and enjoyed doing it. He said he ended up being in charge of organization in three west suburban townships for Ryan and candidates supported by Ryan. “Did you do some of your political work during the day at work?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel R. Levin asked Good. “Yes,” Good said. “Did you get promotions and raises for your political work?” Levin asked. “Yes,” Good said. Good was still answering questions from Levin when the clock struck 12:30 p.m. and Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer sent the jury home to get a running start on the Thanksgiving weekend. Good is to return to the witness stand when the trial resumes on Monday.” [end of story] The Daily Herald covered the story from the polticial angle, rather than the trial beat; see http://www.dailyherald.com/special/georgeryantrial/ryanstory.asp?id=125177. So in response to Sound Reasoning at 9:59, who stated, “I’m confused, how is it that Topinka is hurt by George Ryan getting convicted ?… Topinka’s name never came up in any investigation of Ryan nor was she a part of any of the probe into Ryan’s dealings.” Sorry, but Topinka’s name did come up in the investigation and prosecution of George Ryan and she was a part of the probe into Ryan’s dealings. Again, I don’t work for the Governor. I don’t work for the State. I am not Brad Tusk, Pete Giangreco or other folks on the payroll. I’m just a guy who put in “George Ryan,” “Topinka” and “trial” in Google and presented the above sampling of the material that shows Judy Barr Topinka was and is a member of the same corruption club as George Ryan. Does this fact that Topinka is connected to corruption mean that Blagojevich is not similarly corrupt ? I don’t know. But I do know the evidence presented at the Ryan trial and elsewhere takes reform away from both candidates, and makes them talk about what they would or continue to do on job creation and retention, education, health care and other issues that effect every Illinoisian every day. - the Patriot - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:17 pm: My question is can this affect the AG race and the 2010 Governor Race. Considering Lisa Madigan pranced up and down the state hammering Jim Ryan’s incompetence as AG for not prosecuting George. The republicans need to play that footage for two reasons. If the AG should have went after George in August of 02, she could have in Jan of 03 when getting into office. I am unaware of any charges filed by her against George. Second, what kind of credibility does she have when Blago gets indicted and she did nothing after hammering Jim Ryan for the same failures. If you are going to tie Judy to George you have to tie Lisa to Rod, after all she is the only state official with the authority to do anything about it. - zatoichi - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:17 pm: How does any of this hurt JBT? Has she been factually connected to any of the issues that have hit Ryan? Has she been called “Public Offical Anything” in any legal document? Just because she was in office while Ryan was Governor does not imply that she was involved with anything that he was accused of. Many other people were in the same spot. They just do not happen to be running for governor. Got pictures of Ryan and JBT together? Great, just like the thousands of pictures of political friends and foes taken at local events. Has she changed her mind over the years? Record says yes and probably every other elected official has changed their mind/vote on topics very important to specific groups. Polka, accordian, and other stuff are entertainments for when you are working the crowd. I’d rather see some of that than a stick in the mud who simply rambles on about policy statements with no memorable personality. Does this hurt Rod? Yeah probably. He is in office so the comparison to any other Governor is simply too easy for any cub reporter. Campaigning as a reformer and then getting tagged with similar pay to play scenarios as Ryan is also too easy to let slide by. The ongoing corruption investigations quickly jump to a “here we go again” conclusion emphasized by the “I am fighting in Springfield even though I am not really there” insincerity. Will voters really care? Not likely. Either you like one of these people or you do not. Neither one really grabs you. If Illinois politics is supposed to ethically challenged, what is new? - HANKSTER - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:39 pm: Patriot: I got news for you, if the race becomes ryan and topinka against blagojevich and madigan the dems can stop campaigning and declare victory now. Even with your overwhelming political biases you should see that. - Little Egypt - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:44 pm: OK so JBT asked GRyan for some jobs. Do you think that other elected officials have NOT done this? Each and everyone of them has, regardless of their political party, and they will cross party lines to do so. So does that make her guilty of anything? Come on folks. Produce the facts or stop trying to place her in the same category as GRyan. Ryan and Blago are buddies and perhaps future cellmates. They are cut from the same cloth. Ryan had an excuse. He came out of the old way of doing politics and didn’t see the changes as they were occuring. What’s Blago’s excuse? - Frank J. - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 12:50 pm: Little Egypt…Ryan was not charged with or convicted of giving out state jobs. The closest charge that came to that was racketeering or extortion and that is because he took bribes. There is nothing illegal, maybe unethical, but not illegal about giving out jobs in its purest form. - The Spectator - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 1:47 pm: It looks to me like Dan Webb’s defense of Ryan was worth exactly what he was paid. - dumb ol' country boy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 1:57 pm: OKay enough of the bullsh%^…Anyone that has been around politics knows that all politicians help each other, no matter what their affiliation is. Gosh, Rich, spinning on both sides is terrible on here, just because I donate money, time etc.. to a specific politician, doesn’t mean I’m in his pocket or vise versa. News flash, anyone can write and get a autographed pics of any gov, pres, senator etc… It’s no big deal, most people who do have them, use them to impress the people who do not have a clue. So what I am hearing on here is that because Judy was Tres. while George was Gov., and they are the same party, she’s guilty by association??? Well look out Hines and Madigan once the Gov gets his indictment, and it’s coming. According to these standards, they will be guilty and unelectable as well. Sound pretty stupid huh??? I get a kick out of computer hacks out here spinning for one party or another…Just tell the truth, thats whats wrong with our goverment today. Watch what you Dems say today, it could come back to bite you in the rear end tomorrow. Remember Fitzgerald is 3 for 3 now !!!! - Sound Reasoning - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 2:31 pm: To Scott Fawell’s Cellmate – I guess I have to stand corrected then. I should have stated that Topinka name was never mentioned in an adverse manner within the confines of the Ryan probe. Topinka’s name was mentioned by a person during the course of Ryan’s trial and this fact was missed by me as I was looking for adverse mentions of her name. Mr. Glenn Good testified that Topinka helped him get a state job, that’s it - nothing more nothing less. Now that is damning evidence. She recommended a person for a state job and the last time I checked there is absolutely nothing illegal or even unethical about that at all. Mr. Good even went on to say that he didn’t know even if Topinka ever called Mr. Udstuen or not. The fact of the matter is this doesn’t mean she was part of the probe into the Ryan dealings. Topinka was never investigated as part of this probe, period. I guess her great fault in all of this is that she recommended a person for a state job. Everything that happened after Mr. Glenn was hired, and that was part of the probe, only had to do with officials within the Secretary of State’s office. - Who's next - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 2:32 pm: I think the interesting thing about the conviction has more to do with what they were convicted of, these offenses for the most part are not high level crimes one would expect. If they can be brought down on these types of charges the level of any acceptable grey area is long gone. We are entering an era of almost zero tolerance and the Mayor and current Gov should be shaking in their boots. Any investigation could end up a career ender. - The original Bill - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 2:37 pm: It is really funny how all of the Rod haters can only whine and pine for the day when this mythical indictment comes down. There will be no indictment because there was no crime committed on the part of the Governor. Let’s summarize: Rod was named as Public offricial A by a convicted fellon who said he heard someone else tell someone else a lie about the governor….triple hearsay by a criminal trying to save his own behind. This was after that paragon of truth and virtue, Dickie Mell made untrue accusations about one of the governor’s staff people during a family feud started when the governor refused to be influenced by his family ties and did what he felt was in the state’s best interest. I feel sorry for Mrs. Mell and Patti and the children and I wish that they would make up but I would hardly make rash allegations based on the word of Mell who, by the way, re-canted his accusations after being sued. That pretty much wraps it up.So lie away bloggers. No one is or will be paying any attention to you. You will all still whining about “official A” when Rod is in the White House (or EOB). - leigh - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 2:53 pm: Rod in the White House? You have got to be kidding, I doubt he even gets a second turn. My deepest hope is that Illinois voters will have finally grown sick and tired of corruption and the raiding of pensions and will start demanding some accountability. My fear is even fewer people will vote. - Tom Gordon - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 2:56 pm: Who’s Next: I agree with you, well said. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:03 pm: original Bill, you almost had me on your side for a minute, but you sort of lost your credibility at the end there. Talk of Rod in the White House is presently just as absurd a fantasy as the predictions of him going to the big house are prematurely overconfident. - Rick - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:04 pm: Really, there’s been commenting on here that’s not well thought out? SHOCKING I SAY!! - THE Hankster - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:05 pm: Leigh…you think JBT is that much needed “independent” voice for reform? She is as entrenched in the culture as much, if not more, than anyone else. A real step that can be taken is to put in some sort of campaign donation limits in the state. - Barnaby - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:21 pm: The reason Glenn Poshard lost in 1998 to George Ryan was because many liberal Democrats found out Poshard was Pro-Life and did not go to the polls. Chicago and suburban women ditched Glenn. - Prospect - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:23 pm: The best thing that could happen to the GOP is that Blagoevich is re-elected and continues his corruption resulting in Indictments for the next 4 years. ROD in the White House?? What a sick Joke. - B Hicks - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:27 pm: Judy’s done! End of story. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 3:55 pm: “Rick,” I was referring to comments that were “not well thought out” in the MSM, not here. - ZC - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 4:24 pm: There are three separate threads here as I see them: 1) The question of how corrupt Rod is. Fair enough concern, but it’s got no bearing directly on Judy’s ethics. 2) The question whether Judy knew about Ryan’s worst escapades (the license-for-bribes, the crooked lease deals, etc.) I’ll keep an open mind on this. I haven’t seen the proof and I could go either way here. 3) The question whether Judy knew that campaign work on political time was going on in Ryan’s office. As to that I say … come on, people. Of course she knew. Probably over half of Springfield knew. Judy’s own recomendees to GR went straight into this business, as Scott Falwell’s cellmate points out. That’s not to single her out for criticism, then. But it’s not to whitewash her either. I can’t but help noticing for all these cries about everybody-does-it, but has _any_ Democrat in Springfield gotten busted for staff political work on taxpayer dollars? Ryan has, Lee Daniels is going to be, but I haven’t seen a single prosecution of Madigan or Rod or any of the other Dems. To my knowledge; I could be wrong here. But can anybody think of one, on anything like the same scale? There are aspects of this corruption scandal in Springfield that have a distinctly Republican hue, and Judy is no reformer. She has been in the thick of it for years. - Goodbye Napoleon - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 4:34 pm: I think that Rod is clearly safe and he doesn’t have to worry about his personal fate, but his re-election could be in big trouble if C Kelly gets dragged into court. The words “fund-raising scheme” might be used in a possible indictment. - dumb ol' country boy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 4:49 pm: Original Bill: My case in point, spin spin spin ZC. I can agree with some of your ideas you, but gee wizzzzz hold ALL politicans to the same standards. Every elected official should have their feet held to the fire. Correct me if I am wrong Rich but wasn’t their a M. Madigan inquiry reference campaigning on state time, about the same time as JBT’s inquiry ?? I believe so !!! - dumb ol' country boy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 4:55 pm: Here is your answer, I believe the articel states both parties were looked at from the 2002 election. www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2005/01/20/State/Michael.Madigan.Investigation.Ends-836690.shtml?norewrite200604181752&sourcedomain=www.dailyvidette.com - leigh - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 5:42 pm: For the record, I don’t think JBT is the answer either. I wonder what it will take to get a smart and honest politician to run for governor in this state. I would take JBT over Rod because he already had his chance. - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:13 pm: Do you think that this corruption investigation in Chicago is confined just to city offices.If so you have been on the yellow brick road to long.Every election except this past primary including state canidates used city employees some on state time.When the feds start shaking the tree its hard telling how many bad apples will hit the ground and some will be at state level.Now that they are ready on this new one they have another squad of agents coming in to help.This is going to be more fun than GR trial and conviction. - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:19 pm: So for the bu-bu my posting should of read city employees on city time. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:13 pm: Sound Reasoning — Sorry, Fawell’s got you on this one. In addition to being mentioned in the trial, Topinka’s name showed up on Scott Fawell’s “List”: State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka: 8 jobs, 2 license plates and 1 lease. Crooked leases for the politically connected? Special license plates for friends? Sound familiar? Topinka’s going to have a tough time explaining that one away. Yessir. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:15 pm: Yeah, dumb ol’ country boy: but the difference is, Mike Madigan’s office was cleared of any wrong-doing, while Topinka remains under investigation, as far as I know. - Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:51 pm: Here’s an interesting thought. What happens if both the JBT AND Blago investigations bear fruit before November? Whose advantage? I doubt it would be enough to help Meeks come close, but which of the 2 would voters choose as the lesser of the 2 evils? My guess is that when they’re all tarnished, the advantage goes to the incumbent, but in a low turnout situation…and anything could happen if that’s the case. - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:22 pm: What is the number on Blago 12 or 13 investigations.Remember the feds are gearing up for the rest of the corruption in the state.So YDD your boy,s name might be at the top of the page.The one on JBT as old as it is they have nothing and you know it.But Blago those are real fresh. - Interested observer - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:36 pm: Wouldn’t the Fawell list that purportedly has Topinka on it constitute triple heresay from a convicted felon? Sound familiar? Yessir. - scoot - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:03 pm: Seriously…Blago is worse off then Judy c’mon meatheads. Which one is Fitz after?? Blago has federal, state, and county investigating his administration. Just about every news story covering the verdict would throw in that the current Ill. Governor is dealing with his own corruption. Look…. linking JBT to Ryan didn’t work in 02′ and it won’t work in 06′. - dumb ol' country boy - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:45 pm: Right YYD, but if you believe his excuse, I have a couple of bridges I want to sell you, out west….. What about the rest of the people listed in here…2 repub’s and 2 dem’s…so you are saying Pres. of Sen. Jones is still under investigation??? “The federal investigation into Daniels is continuing.The investigations expanded in 2003 when prosecutors subpoenaed personnel and other records from Senate President Emil Jones Jr., also a Chicago Democrat, and Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, a Republican from Riverside.The Madigan allegations involved House staff members who were sent during the 2000 campaign to legislative districts. Madigan aides have said the staff were assisting the legislators with government issues.Authorities also investigated bonuses paid to paid to staff in 2001. Madigan aides have said the bonuses were legal and not paid as supplemental salary for campaign work.” Nice excuse, cannot believe the g-men bought that one as well, must have been rookies, easily intimidated. C-mon you all, I believe the Pres of Senate and the Speaker’s Offices were doing this, and some offices were obviously smarter then others about getting away with it, and making it look legit… Don’t be fooled that it was one party and not another, both parties are from the same culture. Next up for Fitz…. Hot “Hairdo” Rod…… Which will be performing one of Elvis’s favorites.. “Jailhouse Rock”, singing back up will be Fawell, Warner, and Ryan. I wonder who will be the prison bi#$h ????? - These are our choices? - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 10:39 pm: No doubt Blago’s administration is in trouble with the feds, but does anyone actually think there is enough time between now and the election to flip all the people it takes to get to Blago (or close to Blago) with an indictment? Fitz seems to be someone who dots all his I’s and crosses all his T’s before he acts. That could all change I suppose if somehow someone connected to Rod got sucked into Daley’s troubles, but it doesn’t seem likely. Both candidates are TERRIBLY flawed on the corruption issue so it really comes down to who is more skillful at portraying their opponent as corrupt. Judy seems to have the media on her side, but Rod has the $$$$. Will Judy successfully tie Rod to Chicago Democratic machine corruption engulfing Daley or will Rod successfully incorporate “the Republican culture of corruption” meme into his campaign? Methinks most Illinois voters are savvy enough about their sorry politicians that they won’t be fooled by either of these candidates on corruption so it will come down to other factors. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 11:19 pm: dumb ‘ol country boy. No, I’m not defending Emil’s staff. I’m saying that Madigan’s office was thoroughly investigated by the feds and then cleared. The story appeared in the Tribune, I believe. Like, two years ago. - just a thought - Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 11:40 pm: YDD Many Dem’s on Fawells list you referred too. J. White M. Madigan D. Mell etc and that was back in the day Mell made Blago a Congressman. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Apr 19, 06 @ 12:04 am: There has been NO CONFIRMATION from the feds that Mike Madigan has been cleared of anything. Only a statement from his lawyer. Try again. That means nothing. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Apr 19, 06 @ 12:06 am: Rod is PUblic Official A. So was George. The rest of this conversation is background music. When this hits, good luck to Lisa and Danny and all the dems who are quiet little boys and girls amid the corruption. - Bill Baar - Wednesday, Apr 19, 06 @ 5:33 am: I agree with annon 12:06 JBT has cleared this in the publics mind with the polka ads during the primary. That was a fun commerical. For public offical A it’s just started. No one wants to see him polka either. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Apr 19, 06 @ 7:50 am: YDD - what are you smoking??? Rod in the White House? He can’t even spell White House. He’s just as inept as it’s current occupant who can’t speak without a script. Rod and his minions keep repeating and repeating the same old phrases, never answering a direct question because they don’t have an answer. They are bankrupting this state and work in Short Attention Span mode, going from one new “iniative” to another without thoroughly thinking them out and planning for their completion. While service providers of the state wait for forms, etc. from the state, and agencies wait for their forms and envelopes, the print shops of various agencies are ground to a halt printing up AllKids, etc. flyers, applications and the like, all bearing the governor’s name in large type many, many times over. His ego is bigger than his brain and that does not make for good governing. - Papa Legba - Wednesday, Apr 19, 06 @ 2:08 pm: Anonymous - Wednesday, Apr 19, 06 @ 7:50 am: You must be saying Blago has a small ego. From what I’ve seen he appears to have a vacuum between the ears! Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.