Pantagraph tries again
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
The Pantagraph reiterates its demand today for some pre-election revelations on what’s really going on in the Blagojevich administration.
[Attorney General Lisa] Madigan was displeased with us for an earlier editorial suggesting she let the public know before November’s general election if there was sufficient evidence that the Blagojevich administration violated hiring laws, or that the administration has done nothing wrong. […]
Prosecutors should be concerned about professional ethics. But they should also remember they represent people who are entrusting billions of dollars a year and the state’s well-being to the administration controlling the governor’s office.
So, we’re encouraging Fitzgerald to move hastily, too. The public deserves some answers before Election Day. […]
It would be a disservice to Gov. Blagojevich if he goes into an election with a cloud over his administration. It would be an even greater disservice to residents of this state if they unknowingly re-elect a man whose administration flaunts state hiring laws.
Expect this demand to spread before election day.
- Beowulf - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 6:28 am:
I am in agreement with you, Rich. I was one of those Illinois Republicans that cast my vote for George Ryan and I will always regret that fact. My faulty thinking was that if Ryan had actually been involved in some manner in the “licenses for bribes” scandal that was breaking, the Feds would certainly have let the Illinois public know before the election. I was badly mistaken. I apologize to Glen Poshard.
Now, based on what has happened with George Ryan, if there is even the “whiff” of a political figure possibly being implicated in wrong doing or a possible upcoming “Federal” investigation, their political oppnent will be the one that will receive my vote. “State” investigations are meaningless to me as I feel they are often prompted by political considerations. No offense intended, Lisa.
The “Feds” and Patrick Fitzgerald are the only ones that I trust to be unbiased in their pursuit of the “ethically challenged” within Illinois politics.
- Lovie's Leather - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 7:07 am:
What Little Miss doesn’t see is that this could cost her her job. Do your job or the people will find somebody that can!
- Anon - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 8:10 am:
I can’t believe anyone is still waiting for Fitzgerald to determine if something illegal has been done by the Blago Administration. All you have to do is refer to the Inspector General’s finding that Blago’s Personnel Office was initiating illegal acts with contempt for the law. Or, refer to Fitzgerald’s letter to Madigan.
We are only waiting for Fitzgerald to tell us how widespread the problem is. And, for him to to make sure the Bad Apples receive a real punishment, not just supposed additional training.
Will anyone be surprised to find the problem involves vitually every agency and every hire? Not me!
- Rico Shakman aka Wumpus - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 8:26 am:
Paging Stewie Umholtz, Paging Stewie Umholtz….will Mr. Umholtz please speak up! Perhaps Pappy Madigan won’t let you speak..nevermind.
- Captain America - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 10:14 am:
Several weeks ago at a coffee for Lisa Madigan, I asked her about the uncomfortable subject of the status of her corruption investigations vis-a-vis Rich Miller’s challenge to her “to put up or shut up” in one of his recent columns. Of course, she couldn’t comment on the status of an ongoing investigation.
However, Lisa subsequently handled the entire situtation brilliantly by releasing the Fitzgerald letter. I think Patrick Fitzgerald has communicated his intentions clearly.
But the wheels of justice grind slowly- so I think those who are expecting indictments to bail out a mediocre Republican gubernatorial candidate before November are whistling Dixie.
I’ve been follwing the State hirng stories in the newspaper closely, because I have been trying unsucessfully to get a mid-level management job with the State ever since Blago was elected. As far as I can tell, the Blago administration hasn’t done anything more than continue the personnel practices of all his Republican predecessors since 1976, albeit with less sophistication. Complicating Blago’s situtation is that when he started hiring Democrats,instead of Republicans, almost everyone he had to work with in the personnel/govermnental bureaucracy was Republican.
Everything I have read in the newspaper about the State hirng situation suggest civil violations of Rutan rather than criminal violations. The state hiring practices seem not to rise to the same criminal level as the current and future indictment and conviction of Mayor Daley’s patronage operatives. But the feds do appear to be operating on the thoery that systematic patronage hiring may be criminal.
So eventually we will find out - but probably not before November. Although I am an ardent Democratic party activist supporting Governor Blagojevich for reelection, I don’t think the world will end if Topinka is elected. Elvis and Lucy are like two sides of the same penny - I strongly prefer the moderate Democrat rather than the modeerate Republican candidate because of my personal political convictions.
- Johhny Deadline - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 10:49 am:
Should this paper be renamed the Pantagoofs?
Be professional, be ethical — but hurry up.
Wonder why they were in no rush to get george, edgar or thompson; but are already erecting the gallows for Blago?
- Captain America - Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 11:38 am:
Been busy at work and getting ready to go out of town - just read Rich’s July 10 column after my previous post.
I really try to be objective as possible despite being a gumg-ho partisan Democrat. I must be in complete denial since I found Rich’s column really scary in terms of its implications for the Governor’s reelection.
I agree that the Governor is in trouble if there are any major indictments before November.
As I mentioned in another comment section, the world won’t end for me if Topinka is elected Governor. I don’t dislike her personally, and she’s a moderate.
But I think a legitimate argument can be made that Pat Quinn is better qualified and more competent than either Elvis or Lucy. So I’ll still be able to rationalize voting for the Democratic Governor- Lieutenant Governor team even if terrible legal problesm ensue - much like the Tribune, Topinka, and Republicans supported Ryan 100% despite his obvious integrity problems when running the Secretary of State’s office.
Personally,I’m looking forward to the future Madigan and Hynes administrations. I guess i’ll have to go back to school for my second graduate degree to amke sure I’m extra well-qualified, since i dind’t make the cut in the Blago era.
- Disgusted - Wednesday, Jul 12, 06 @ 1:31 pm:
Captain America: To be a gung-ho partisan anything is 2006, either at the local or federal level, is fool-hardy. Politicians don’t care what you expect of them or what you expect them to do as Republicans or Democrats. It’s all about personal power and money for them. They would sell their own grandmothers if their egos and income and power were threatened. Most of American holds its nose and votes for the person least likely to cause them financial and personal harm. Such a sad time for the good ol’ USA. Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers must be rolling their graves.