Is Rod Blagojevich Insane-- Like Really Crazy?

The danger is that they LOOK more or less normal

OK, so day two and we find Blagojevich out on $4,500 bail and back in the governor's office, having turned his passport over to the court so he can't skip the country. Reading through the transcipts in the affidavit it is difficult to not conclude that the governor of Illinois is completely delusional and, frankly, insane. At least publicly, his attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, isn't buying into the "crazy" excuse... yet. "He didn't do anything wrong... A lot of this is just politics," the lawyer said. He also said Blagojevich is not resigning. The Illinois legislature is considering articles of impeachment. In fact, they have been for quite some time; it's just more urgent now. Even faster than that, though, they will take away the governor's power to appoint a senator.

In separate statements, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones said they will call a special legislative session next week to repeal the state law that now gives the governor the power to fill Mr. Obama’s seat. Both said they will press instead for a special election to fill the remaining two years of Mr. Obama’s term.

“I am prepared to convene the House next Monday to change state law to provide for a special election for the U.S. Senate replacement,” Mr. Madigan said. “I would urge U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin to take note of this action.”

Wouldn't it be ironic if a special election led to a Republican getting that seat!

Anyway, back to the state of Blagojevich's mental health. Several elected officials have been telling the media that he has appeared insane to the,. Yesterday, Rep. Jan Schakowsky went on the record saying she thinks he's "clinically" insane.

"I think, perhaps, [crazy] is sort of a clinically appropriate word," she said of Blagojevich, who allegedly sought to reap massive financial rewards from candidates vying for Obama's seat. "If you think about it, this individual who was still willing to entertain the notion of himself as Secretary of Health and Human Services or being a candidate 2016. There is something not right there ... It is absolutely so fanciful or delusional and individual. It's not representative of, 'well here are the rules.' It is not, in fact, the way most political people would handle a serious situation."

Several members of the state legislature were on TV last night saying that their interactions with Blagojevich have led them to the conclusion that he is mentally unbalanced and certifiably insane. In a story for CNN, Campbell Brown refers to his actions as "psychotic" and "truly unhinged." The NY Times uses words like "delusional, narcissistic, vengeful and profane" to describe the governor. State Senator Mike Jacobs, one of the legislators I heard being interviewed on CNN last night about Blagojevich's mental stability says he thinks he's lost his grip on reality. Reading the transcripts makes me wonder how long ago that happened. “I’m not sure he’s playing with a full deck anymore,” Jacobs told the Times.

I've been carping for a few weeks now how New York's governor should put aside his own personal criteria for gain-- a balanced ticket that would help his re-election bid, for example-- and pick a replacement for Hillary Clinton based on one thing and one thing only: who would be the best person to serve the interests of New York's citizens. I mean, someone of a different ethnicity or geographical location might make for superficial "balance," but why not just appoint the best person-- say Jerrold Nadler-- and explain that his brilliant mind balances all the morons currently serving in the Senate. Sorry, but going through the devious perambulations of Blagojevich and his chief of staff makes me think that the time is well past due for the concept of appointing senators should be done away with entirely and everywhere-- that and having one political hack, like say George W. Bush, be able to pardon other political hacks who have been convicted of criminal activities.

Except for the sad pack of twerpy midgets running for the useless RNC Chair-- who feel Blagojevich should gay-marry Obama-- everyone both inside and outside of Illinois politics has called for the delusional Illinois governor to resign. Speaking on behalf of the Senate Democratic caucus, Harry Reid asked him to a- step down and b- "under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat." Every single Democrat plus Lieberman signed it! Obama had already called on him to resign and so did Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn. Meanwhile, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says if he doesn't resign she'll take him to court to force him out, using an obscure Illinois Supreme Court rule under which the state's seven justices could vote to oust a sitting governor deemed unfit for office. Impeachment proceedings might start next week but complications, though not politics, could draw it out for longer than anyone wants him around.

Blago art by Zina Saunders

MORE AN ASIDE THAN AN UPDATE

Last time I was in Chicago it was for a meeting with a group of local progressives. I asked them about why such a politically progressive city like Chicago is still embracing the degree of political corruption inherent in the Daley Machine. The answer shocked me: "It works. Look around at how prosperous the city looks." I was mortified, but changed the topic.

Yesterday Daniel Engber asked a similar question at Slate. Three governors, a mayor, 27 aldermen and at least 79 local officials have been convicted of serious crimes in the last 3 decades. "What," he asks, "makes Chicago so corrupt?" Their culture of corruption goes back over 100 years, with those in power handing out contracts, jobs, and social services in exchange for political support.

Chicago's large immigrant population made it easier for political machines to grow in power. Poor ethnic communities could be played off against one another and manipulated with petty gifts. In exchange for political support, ethnicities would be given virtual fiefdoms within city government; the Irish, for example, were given police work, and the Italians jobs at the transit authority.

...In Chicago, corruption persisted, to some degree because the city never had the benefit of a reformist mayor like New York City's Fiorello LaGuardia, who had political ties to FDR. Instead, Chicago moved towards a one-party system that made it even more vulnerable to corruption: The city's last Republican mayor left office in 1931. Today, not even the Democratic primaries are competitive—for the most part, once you're in office, you stay there. The weak campaign finance laws in Illinois probably helped to stave off competition in recent years.

The star power of Chicago politicians may also contribute to the city's continuing problems with corruption. Incumbents tend to be big personalities who get celebrity coverage in the local papers—which sometimes translates into ethical leeway from voters. (In cities like Los Angeles and New York, local politicians take a back seat to the media celebs.)

...Public perception may be the most useful measure. If the inhabitants of a city view corruption as a given, they'll be more inclined to forgive politicians who have already been tainted by scandal, like Chicago's current mayor, Richard Daley.