Rod Blagojevich performs an Elvis tune at a paid appearance during a block party in August of 2009. ( Photo by Andrew Nelles for the Chicago Tribune)
By now we've all heard about the sad and peculiar case of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. About his rise to fame as a state politician and his fall from grace, despite appearances on the national media circus circuit such as on Letterman and hell, even on the Daily Show.
But the Blago story is interesting because despite his valiant efforts of portraying himself as this family guy who got the shit end of the stick because of a conspiracy running in the deep and dark political circles, a jury of 11 women and one man decided his fate. The verdict of course, guilty. Guilty on various counts, 17 to be exact. Blago could actually face a hefty sentence.
One thing was clear to the jury... he did, based on evidence, try to sell the Senate seat after President Obama got into office for political favors, among other charges. Who knew that was wrong, right?
It's not Watergate or anything, but it sure as hell paints a curious picture about the state of politics in the state of Illinois. Not that the shady nature of our politics is anything new. It just begs to ask the question, how far does that shady rabbit hole go?
While nobody will ever know what Blago was really thinking, the fact is he is going behind bars. And while even the most prominent politicians in the state, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were called to testify among other prominent people during the trial, and that claimed no wrong doing was made on their part, conspiracy theorists and political analysts will have a field day with trying to figure out who was connected to whom, and how, and why, and are they guilty by association to the felon governor.
In the inside politician circles, I suspect that the shredder machine was turned on way late into the night following Blagojevich's indictment by the feds and then his arrest. Most Chicagoans already know by now that in this city, corruption ran and perhaps still runs deep long before Blagojevich decided that Elvis is still considered cool.
But to counter any claims about the cool factor of Elvis, yeah he is in some respects, and I do rock out to the occasional "Return to Sender" rendition. But to jump on comedian Denis Leary's thinking, "How do we remember Elvis?" Yeah, found in the toilet with his gut hanging out and his Rock and Roll ass exposed to the world. With the last piece of King evidence floating in the toilet behind him. I'm only paraphrasing the comedian, folks.
I'd love to remember Elvis thin with a full set of hair too.
However, as journalists, we should not be so quick to point fingers at everybody who ever had to sit down with the former governor. Sure, it's tempting to try to connect the dots by assumption and assimilation. But that's not journalism. Dig deep folks, hopefully there is still some paper trail that can prove that it wasn't just him that was doing the wrong thing. In fact, he probably learned the ropes from others. But who?
Chicagoans know that. We just never question it, because as they say, hey, it's business as usual.
