Obama Won't Be Hurt By Blago
Read today's Washington Post story on how Barack Obama managed to distance himself from the corrupt governor of his state as if Blago was a stinking fish.
From their earliest dealings, Obama made clear his contempt for a politician he clearly believed was crooked. Blago hated Obama for looking down at him, but Obama did and the governor knew it. (It is in the tapes).
It is not easy for up-and-coming politicians to avoid contact with their own state's political machine and still rise to the top. I think Obama was able to do it the same way FDR avoided the stench that surrounded Tammany Hall. FDR had his own Blago case. At the very moment he was nominated for President, the Mayor of New York, Jimmy Walker, (FDR was governor) was exposed as a crook and FDR had to lead the effort to remove him while running for President.
The Walker case might have hurt FDR. After all, although he was not Tammany, he could not have risen to the governorship without any contact with it. Republicans screamed that if FDR was the governor, and Walker was his Mayor, surely FDR was tainted.
He wasn't and the public never believed that he was. Why? Because they understood that Roosevelt was honest. They knew by looking at him that he was not a product of Tammany. He was, in fact, the opposite.
Same with Obama. In the end, the Blago scandal testifies to Obama's integrity. From Chicago, he still managed to stay unbossed and unbought. That is considerably easier in, say, Minneapolis or Des Moines. Obama did that in Chicago.
Read the Post story. No need for any of us to sweat this one.
MJ: A little off topic. But it really is getting worse: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7779087.stm
December 12, 2008 10:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Holy shit! Thanks.
December 12, 2008 10:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nice language, MJ... ;^)
December 12, 2008 11:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not to depress you any more MJ, but this is why I wonder who Abbas thinks he is negotiating with. The Palestinians need a peace partner. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081211/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictisraelpoliticsnetanyahu
December 12, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Livni refers to land transfers, ie, the Triangle.
December 12, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Memo to Bar: In a democracy, a majority cannot strip a minority of citizenship. The euphemisms used don't change the ugly reality.
There is also a practical side. Israel will never call in airstrikes to the Arab parts of Haifa. Israel will never fence off and blockade the Arab parts of Haifa. Israeli citizenship offers protection for Isareli-Palestinians from Israelis.
December 12, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, in a democracy you respect the rights of minorities. Israel has done that like no country in the Middle East, and more than many in other parts of the world.
But in the Arab states for the last 60 years, the majority has stripped the Jewish (and Christian) minorities of citizenship, property and the ability to live there at all.
No wonder Israel wants to be a Jewish-majority nation.
All Livni was saying was there needed to be some land swaps to equalize the land each nation would get in a two-state solution. She's been pressing for that for some time. The so-called "borders" of 1967 are simply impractical for Israel for security reasons.
She also is talking about a two-state solution when she refers to Palestinian national aspirations: those that want to live in a Palestinian state will have one.
MJ writes about Chicago/Illinois politic story, and the very first comment is about guess what: Israel/Palestine.
December 13, 2008 1:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
And if the PA agrees to it, what then?
December 16, 2008 7:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's Chicago career kind of reminds me of the situation of Lieutenant/Commissioner Gordon from the current Batman movies. He tries to get the work done without being crooked, but lacks the resources to also do anything about all the crookedness around him. Sometimes all you can do is keep your own nose clean.
The right constantly claims that the left hails Obama as some kind of messiah of politics, but I notice they're the ones always piling insane expectations on him. They seem to actually expect him to have cleaned up all of Chicago singlehandedly as a state senator.
To have passed and pushed for ethics reforms, as he did, is about all anybody can reasonably expect.
By the way, has anybody else wondering why the headlines aren't reading "Blago wiretaps exonerate Obama of any wrongdoing?" Because they do.
December 12, 2008 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
EXACTLY!!!
December 12, 2008 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Because then the interest in this scandal drops overnight.
December 12, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Joe Conason's take, here.
December 12, 2008 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, it'll kill the right that he's not corrupt. But he really isn't!
December 12, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wish something would, once and for all time.
December 12, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
The R's are looking for an "opening"....
News sites posted a photo of Obama with Gov. Blagojevich when the news broke earlier this week. I'm now waiting for that photo of the three of them together (the Gov, Obama and Resko)
December 12, 2008 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is also a product of the Chicago Machine, but he managed to manupulate it to his benefit, and come out clean on the other end.
That is exactly the type of smart, tough SOB I want in the White House.
December 12, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
What Dorn76 said.
Despite the common misperception about his supporters, Barack Obama isn't actually able to walk on water - but he does have an amazing ability to levitate himself above the mud...
December 12, 2008 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes Dorn..agree agree agree.
he also did the same thing when he outmanueverd HRC in the primaries.
The man looks at the problem and devises a route which utlizes the strenghts of the system to catapault him to the top without sullying himself or spending his wheels.
He is a visionary pragmatist a very uncommon combination. He takes jigsaw pieces and forms them into a puzzle. He is doing the same thing with his cabinet...creating a whole from the strength and talent of many.
He is incredibly brilliant and he has integrity.
America is lucky
December 13, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe having had a lackluster career as a State Senator was a good price to have paid to move up and out.
December 12, 2008 2:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Roland Martin explains Valerie Jarrett's decision
http://essence.typepad.com/news/2008/12/the-back-stor-1.html
December 12, 2008 11:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Rosenberg is correct about the inability of the press and Right wing to taint Obama with this. Photos of the Illinois Senator standing near the Illinois Governor won't be enough, regardless of captions like Time's "Can Obama escape the taint?"
The Blago conduct is so cartoonish with the foul mouthed tapes, the foul mouthed wife, it has a tone totally different than Obama.
December 13, 2008 1:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nothing but tabloid journalism all those captions make me ill.
The only person's integrity that should be being questioned is Fitzpatrick. As you have to consider him a liar FIRST before you go to Obama. Fitzpatrick said clearly and forcefully there is nothing to suggest that Obama or HIS staff had any part in a 'paytoplay' scheme which is the entire effing reason for the complaint.
Fitzpatrick said there is nothing for Obama to disclose with regard to the complaint. Fitzpatrick makes all subsequent statements by Obama fully transparent based on how Fitzpartick said there is nothing there!
December 13, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given what is known about the relationship between the president-elect and his emerging team and Blago, there is no reason at all that this should reflect poorly on Obama. Unless new information is exposed, the only reason that this will hurt Obama is the press trying to create a story.... period.
December 13, 2008 3:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
"From their earliest dealings, Obama made clear his contempt for a politician he clearly believed was crooked."
Wow, I can't believe someone could say that. Not true at all. You need to review the history. Obama endorsed Blagovich for governor twice, in 2002 and again in 2006. Gave him rousing endorsements, in fact. The FBI investigation of Blagovich began in 2005, at which point there was rather abundant evidence that Blago was fairly corrupt. But that didn't stop Obama in 2006, who has always put political considerations over the commitment to integrity or honesty in government.
December 13, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy shit. "rousing endorsement"? It's amazing you can pull all kinds of bullshit facts out of your ass like that. I've read the WaPo story, and it seems you are full of shit.
December 13, 2008 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I appreciate how he is (Obama) able to use race to his own advantage and when the card needs to be played he slams the Ace on the table, and everyone must be quite. I do hope this deal with Blago doesn't drag him into the fray, the tentacles may be far reaching but hopefully not to Obama.
December 13, 2008 6:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Israeli PM candidate:
"I am willing to give up a part of the country over which I believe we have rights so that Israel will remain a Jewish and democratic state in which citizens have equal rights, whatever their religion," she added.
I think this is contradictory, one cannot seek a "Jewish" Israel, where citizens have equal rights "regardless of religion".
I expect conservatives to promote the notion Obama is a backroom dealing Chicago politican redolent with that Tammany Hall stench. I also expect the left will claim he's clean and honest, rose above it. I suspect its very difficult to be a state Senator and then reach the US Senate without dealing with your Governor and the state's political machine. Obama had to have some sort of relationship and it couldn't be too antagonistic for him to have the success he did. Whether there were backroom arrangements remains to be proven, but sure is likely.
If Obama learned Chicagoan political tricks he will probably resort to these when he encounters too much resistance from conservatives. I expect the imputation Obama might be involved in any dirty tricks will be denounced by Obamistas claiming exageration and broadbrushing by the recalcitrants.
December 14, 2008 12:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
If we associated everyone with the crooks in their state we would not have anyone from any state running for office. Let get over the association thing and get on with the problem of which there are many with our economy. If I were just mention the crooks in the Bush Administration would ware key of this computer.
December 14, 2008 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink