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A surprising number of bloggers speculated that the dustup between Governor Rod Blagojevich and Alderman Dick Mell was contrived by both men to generate some positive press for the guv. While they let their tinfoil hats show a bit too much, they can’t really be faulted because several reporters and other observers thought the same at first.
But to continue to claim that the two men did this together just ignores way too much evidence that Blagojevich and Mell have been fighting for years. Even the reporters who first believed the worst have now acccepted reality. The two men just don’t get along, and they haven’t for quite some time. Still, it says much more about the governor’s reputation than the observers’ skills that so many people would so strongly believe he was capable of something like that.
And don’t get me wrong, there was obviously more than a little contrivance here. For instance, the governor’s office went out of its way to trumpet this little takedown to “prove” once again that the guv is the White Knight.
And his explanation since the fight began has a few holes. For instance, today’s Tribune reports that the governor claimed he shut down the Joliet landfill run by his wife’s second cousin before he moved to close a very bad operation in Ford Heights because he only recently learned about the situation at the Ford Heights landfill.
“I didn’t know about it,” Blagojevich said. “The EPA was working on it.”
Well, not exactly. In fact, that’s not even close to the truth.
But on Aug. 13, Blagojevich publicly acknowledged questions about the Ford Heights landfill as he vetoed legislation designed to halt a state environmental crackdown on the dump.Signing the legislation, Blagojevich wrote in his veto message, “could allow a company that has been dumping construction debris without a permit to escape penalty for flouting state laws.”
It’s stuff like this that drives people crazy and causes them to disbelieve everything that emanates from the governor’s mouth.
By the way, my favorite comment on this whole episode was written by the Southtown’s Phil Kadner:
After the Joliet landfill was closed, the attorney general asked the governor to have the IEPA close another site that has allowed illegal dumping in Ford Heights.“We’re going to be looking at all the landfills in this state now,” Tusk said.
My congratulations to Cousin Frank.
He may be responsible for cleaning up the entire industry.
I hope next time someone sells him a nursing home.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 8:19 am
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Whether choreographed in advance (which appears increasingly unlikely) or not, this drama does have the potential to help Rod. See yesterday’s Tribune editorial for proof of that. In the end, this may only demonstrate increasing alienation and dissatisfaction, which is never good. You give a good analysis, though, especially why tin foil cappers would jump to conclusions because they have reason to believe the worst about the Governor.
Comment by Phocion Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 11:27 am
It still doesn’t pass the smell test. Is that a reflection of my opinion of Governor Blowdriedovich? Absolutely. Has he ever done anything to earn such a reputation. Absolutely.
If the differences are really as stark as Blago would like them to appear, then maybe we’ll see a city-based opponent in the Dem primary. Until then, my cynicism will remain.
http://illinipundit.blogspot.com/2005/01/family-matters-denouement.html
Thanks,
IlliniPundit
Comment by IlliniPundit Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 12:04 pm
This won’t help Blago. I’m all for ousting the corrupt guys from government. I got no beef with that. But Blago is becoming increasingly shrill. It’s as though he’s taking his ethical cues from someone like Newt Gingrich. I don’t admire a guy who lacks vision — and Blago appears to be building some weird, ethical pastiche platform with no plan whatsoever.
The video game stuff is just bizarre. Now the spat with Mell. Where does this stuff play well? Downstate? You think downstaters don’t feel abandonded by the boy governor? Talk to folks in Galesburg and see what they think of the white knight who has let Butler and Maytag slip through the state’s fingers — not to mention the DNR political hijinks.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 12:13 pm
Okay, but check this out. The Governor has given quite a bit of lip service to the Maytag situation, trying to be the White Knight who rides into town to keep these laid off workers spirits up. Obviously, by his actions, he could care less about the state workers he lays off, or offer those laid off workers an opportunity to seek new job skills…but he is more than happy to play to the non-governmental workers and their pain. But this is why, he remains, Blagonnamakemepuke.
Comment by Bo Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 1:34 pm
Whoa, I’m having a vision of the 2008 presidential ballot…
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D)
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R)
now that would be something!!! i think id have to support blago because there’s no way id support newt. but rod would be even more ridiculous than w. it would provide for some great daily show episodes. (but honestly, i dont think either one could win the primary).
read more on newt here: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=396636&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 1:50 pm
Isn’t the Opportunity Returns program completely unfunded? If so, that makes him even worse - putting out press releases authorizing great sounding programs to appeal to the voters and pollsters that have no sources of funding. What a sleazeball.
Can’t all of the political insiders and the media team up to expose this guy and get rid of him already?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 1:53 pm
I *would* like Blago to come out and distinguish why state workers laid off is good, but Maytag/Butler is bad. I mean, yeah, I understand: no one cares about state workers — not even the boss. I understand that.
But what’s going on in the DNR — and across nearly every agency — remains underreported (or just plain ignored.) The agencies in the state are a mess. Sure, it’s nice to stand up in a presidential primary debate and claim that he got the state headcount to its lowest total in 30 years (or whatever the statistic is) — but the *next* governor is going to have some real governing to do, managing the CMS centralized mess that Blago continues to create. (Why in the world would anyone think that a *centralized* state government — ripping control from agencies and putting it in the hands of a few in Springfield — is *better* or *more efficient* than having agencies take care of their own business?)
Short-term, sure, it looks good, but it seems to point to mid- to long-term deterioriation of services, not to mention the increased possibility of corruption when only a hand-picked, appointed few are pulling the strings. (And, my god, all the money that’s going out to big-name consultants to draw up these reports for the gov about consolidation. Yikes. That’s some serious tax-payer money, I’d guess.)
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 2:19 pm
And I’ll add this:
The reason, I suspect, for a centralized government (eroding the power and authority of agency directors) is, I suspect, to “clarify” the Blagojevich message so everybody (especially the voting public) is on the same page.
Agencies tend to go rogue when they have an up-close understanding of some of the more pressing, fundamental issues of the public they serve. Nothing worse than having annoying infrastructure issues in, say, state parks when eight year olds are out filching mom’s credit card and buying sixty dollar games like Grand Theft Auto or Half Life 2.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 2:28 pm
Thanks to BO for posting the link to the Maytag press release. What a Crock of ShTT. What government official can issue a statement like that and get away with such spin.
“This comprehensive Transition Training Center is designed to be a crucial resource where that steadfast work ethic meets new opportunity” I’m sorry, what does that mean exactly? Where are the new jobs coming from supposedly? Certainly not at Western IL Univ. or any other college where G-Rod has laid off more workers too.
PS - Has anyone asked the good people of Utica, who suffered so greatly from that tornado in 2003, if they like having a photo OP of G-Rod “touring” the damage prominently displayed on his Gubernatorial PR page? Does that make his visit there any less compassionate? I think so. What a user. I never liked Dick Mell, but I do now.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 12, 05 @ 11:59 pm