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* In a column defending Patti Blagojevich, Mary Mitchell claims that Children’s Memorial Hospital is somehow hinky…

According to the hospital’s own Web site, it has a “long history of partnering with government and community leaders,” which means top administrators likely weren’t strangers to pay-to-play schemes.

Let’s see. Rod Blagojevich was caught on tape saying he wanted to shake down the hospital’s CEO for a $50,000 contribution in exchange for approving an $8 million expenditure which paid physicians to treat poor kids. But we don’t know yet whether the demand was ever made. We do know the CEO never paid up. And we also know that the entire state grant was bricked until Blagojevich was out of office.

But Mitchell is pretty sure the hospital execs are crooked, or at least familiar with crookedness. So, her logic goes, why shouldn’t Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, which is affiliated with the hospital, take the charity money offered by Mrs. Blagojevich during her self-degrading stint on a horrific reality TV show?

This is exactly what is wrong with Illinois and why reform laws are useless unless attitudes are also changed. Taking blood money from that family would mean the hospital was admitting the shakedown was no big deal and that its forgiveness could be bought with a few pennies. It’s simply amazing to me that anyone would endorse accepting this cash at a time of political crisis. There are more important things in life than a few dollars, for crying out loud. But, hey, this is Illinois…

Still, I don’t know what the former governor’s alleged wrongdoing has to do with his wife’s decision to help a foundation devoted to curing pediatric cancer.

That one graf does more to sum up our problem than anything I’ve seen written in months.

If Mrs. Blagojevich had dumped her husband after his arrest, instead of praying for his delliverance from the “evil and oppression” of federal prosecutors on national TV, then, yeah, take the money. Otherwise, it’s just another bribe.

We’re doomed.

* Related…

* Burris Pinocchio

* Illinois politics is a like a mouthful of spider

* Blago: I’m ‘Mr. Mom’ in wife’s TV absence

* I’m Mrs. Blagojevich … get me out of here!

* Unreal TV

* Patti Blagojevich’s jungle jaunt must go on

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 10:56 am

Comments

Tells me a lot about Mitchell; who apparently is not weighed down with silly constraints like ethics and standards.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:06 am
Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown.

Comment by Scooby Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:07 am
–According to the hospital’s own Web site, it has a “long history of partnering with government and community leaders,” which means top administrators likely weren’t strangers to pay-to-play schemes.–

That’s an incredibly bizarre and cynical statement. They also take care of sick children.

If you’re looking to make a crooked buck in this town, there are many easier ways that aren’t heartbreaking as well.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:08 am
Anyone happen to see the “Law & Order” season finale last night? I hear the plot included a very Blago-like governor and his wife involved in funny business over a vacant Senate seat and a potential job for her at a charity organization! And, it aired on NBC only an hour after “Celebrity” with Patti ended.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:12 am
Rich, just a quick correction.

I don’t think the Children’s Memorial thing was exactly about a “state grant” or “an $8 million expenditure which paid physicians to treat poor kids”.

It was a rate increase for pediatric care for the entire All Kids program. The funny thing is that it was only partially relevant to Children’s Memorial.

Comment by George Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:14 am
How long did we pray for deliverance from the evil and oppression of her husband’s administration?

Comment by Secret Square Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:22 am
The rest of must may be doomed, but Rich now has a guaranteed job for life.

Comment by Don't Worry, Be Happy Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:31 am
I’d like to focus on two passages from Mitchell:

“Springfield pols may be acting as if Blagojevich was some rare renegade, but the fact is a lot of politicians have found creative ways to get campaign donations in exchange for state funding.”

And:

We — and by we, I mean members of the media — can be brutal. A lot of women in her predicament would have had a nervous breakdown by now.

Instead, Patti is out smiling for TV cameras.

Even the Blagojevichs’ 6-year-old daughter seems to know that this just isn’t right. She told her father she wished he was the one eating the tarantula her mother downed on the first episode.

Too bad a federal judge kept that from happening when he ruled that Blagojevich could not take the gig.

Now, the weight of carrying this family is on Patti’s back, and she’s handling her business.

See what I mean.

Noble? Yes.

#1 is what I like to call The George Ryan Defense. Everybody else was/is doing it, so what’s the problem here.

#2 Ignores the fact that — based on what we know — that Patti Blagojevich was a co-conspirator in her husband’s abuse of power. Frankly, Patti Blagojevich eating a spider is cannibalism in my book, and I hope the feds don’t cut some deal that allows her to escape prosecution.

P.S. If watching her mom eat a tarantula on t.v. was so awful for the kid, why did Rod let her watch it? So Mary Mitchell and others could write about it, of course. We should feel awful for the kids alright…for who their parents are.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:44 am
Not surprising. When the state tried to monitor mortgage loan abuse she called it racist.

Comment by Belle Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 11:46 am
While I think the organization did the right thing in turning down the donation I don’t know where we should stop. If all of the non-profits, schools, fire departments and towns that are receiving money from the capital bill would look in the mirror and say they are happy there will be legalized video slot machines throughout the state, then they should keep their funds. If they can’t look in that mirror and say they support those machines, should they decline?

Comment by Been There Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 12:08 pm
BT, there is a bright and straight line here. RRB was arrested by the feds, partly for allegedly trying to shake down Children’s Memorial Hospital.

There’s no need for equivocation or what ifs. This one is crystal clear. At least to me.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 12:10 pm
Is she being incredibly cynical about why this charity did what they didn? Mitchell could have just taken this rejection for what it’s worth?

Comment by Levois Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 12:52 pm
That Burris pinnochio is suprisingly difficult to assemble.

Comment by Ned Racnad Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:09 pm
===That Burris pinnochio is suprisingly difficult to assemble. ===

And for some strange reason it won’t go away after you assemble it.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:13 pm
===That Burris pinnochio is suprisingly difficult to assemble. ===

and keeps saying “I am a real senator, I am I am”

Comment by Hank Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 1:45 pm
This is CHICAGO! T.I.C.

Give downstate the lumps when they earn em, but while the Chicago Metro voters keep electing crooks by wide margins, they should get also their due when it’s time to point out the error of their blind sheep mentality Votes. Just sayin’

Comment by Larry Mullholland Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 2:39 pm
Rich,
Is someone going to put all these funny stories and federal tapes on a video/book? I’m curious if we will need to buy them on Amazon.com or strait from Comedy Central.

Comment by Andy Warhol Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 3:27 pm
I had thought that there might be one germ of a chance that IL politics might acutally be changing for the better. How wrong could I have been. After the current lame gov’s lame act; the ‘legislatures’ non-act on reforms & the budget; U of IL and their lame-mealy-mouth explanations and course of action after they got caught with Category I…..there’s seens to be no chance of sweeping the dirt out of IL politics during my lifetime. How sad. I’ll be voting for ‘Anybody But An Incumbent [ABAI], but the incumbents always get the votes to win. How sad.

Comment by sal-says Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 3:33 pm
Rich-you are so right. Pass all the laws you want.
Nothing will change until the attitude of people changes. Somethings are outrageous, but outrage seems to be passe. Where’s mine as Royko would say.

Comment by Loyal Whig Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 3:54 pm
Rich writes: “Taking blood money from that family would mean the hospital was admitting the shakedown was no big deal and that its forgiveness could be bought with a few pennies.”

Only to narrowminded people who couldn’t entertain the thought that the agency didn’t feel it had the right to turn down any money ON BEHALF OF sick, dying kids.

Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 4:40 pm
Is the word “likely” enough to keep Mitchell from crossing the line to libel?

Comment by Bemac Thursday, Jun 4, 09 @ 7:51 pm