Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe jury hung on 23 counts and on the one, lying to the FBI, Rod Blagojevich was found to have violated just one: a false statement he made to the Feds on March 16th of 2009.
While CNN Analyst David Gergen went off and called Rod Blagojevich a "loser" and a "sleaze bag," the bottom line is the Federal Government lost.
They scored on just one of the 24 counts. And so, according to CNN, the Feds are going to retry him on some of the counts they lost on.
Some people are sore losers. Blago won; the Feds should stop wasting the taxpayers' money on this.
I live in Illinois. I agree with Gergen's assessment. It is very disappointing that they did not reach a guilty verdict on all 24 counts. This man has cost Illinois too much money already. That he should be able to get by with attempting to sell a Senator's seat is beyond pale. The proof is in the tapes. "I have this thing and it is F---ing golden."
ReplyDeleteHe was an absolutely lousy Governor and a horrible person. He flew from Chicago to Springfield on a regular basis on my dime because he didn't want to move to Springfield. Under Blagojevich senior management ranks swelled to provide jobs for friends, while the employees who delivered frontline services were cut. In Blagojevich's first term, he proposed a gross receipts tax on business that would have been the largest tax increase in the state's history. Businesses everywhere recoiled, and while the tax proposal was rejected by the legislature, businesses continue to be leery of doing or expanding business in a state whose leaders harbored such goofy (in their eyes) ideas. Under Blagojevich, the state's reputation as a place to do business has suffered. We should have a good reputation. Our business taxes are moderate overall, we are at the center of a huge market, and we have a rich transportation system. Yet, according to CEO magazine, the Illinois business climate ranks 46th among the 50 states; Forbes, another business publication, says we rank 44th. Part of the reason for the abysmal ratings, I believe, is the perception that Illinois decision-makers are unpredictable and unstable.
Its always all about Rod and what gains him, not the populace. He showed his true colors when he sought payment in the form of a prestigious position for the Senate seat. By law, the prosecution only needed to show that he attempted to do so. The man is guilty.