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Let me start off by saying that I voted for Blagojevich. Back in the simple, innocent days of 2002, he seemed like a breath of fresh air. He was a good ol' Chicago boy. He went to Foreman High School, which is only a couple miles from my old neighborhood. He had a house in Ravenswood, the same area where my pediatrician practiced. I never met him, but I saw him a lot on television during his various campaigns. He seemed like a decent guy, and was willing to laugh at the voting public's inability to pronounce his name. He seemed like just the guy we needed to clean up after George Ryan, who's currently still in jail for his crimes during his term as governor.
Personally, I can't see how Ryan ever got elected in the first place. It was already known he was crooked when he was running, what with the CDL scandal from when he was Secretary of State for Illinois. His claim at the time was that he hadn't known the Secretary's office was corrupt. I quipped that he was the only man in Illinois who was unaware of that fact.
When he got arrested, I was far from surprised. When Blagojevich was arrested, I wasn't surprised, so much as profoundly disappointed. I had thought he was the guy to rid Illinois of the stain of corruption that's made us a laughingstock. Instead, he goes and makes everyone before him look small time.
I asked this when the whole thing started, and I'll ask again. What the hell is wrong with us? I saw a quote from someone yesterday that said "It's like Illinois is trying to win a record for most consecutive governors imprisoned." I laughed, but only to keep from weeping. It's ridiculous how corrupt this State is. It's like we're incapable of electing a governor who's not going to screw us over first chance he gets. It's like when the guy steps into his office in the governor's mansion, Satan is standing just inside the door, holding a pen in one hand, and a contract for the guy's soul in the other.
So far, Pat Quinn seems to be doing well as governor. I haven't heard much about him since he entered office, and in this State, no news is good news. I've read up on some of the stuff he's done in the last year or two. I don't agree with all of it, but as long as he keeps his nose clean, and actually does clean up this state, I'll gladly do my part to keep him in office. After all, the last guy set the bar so high that Quinn will have to start tying damsels to railroad tracks to beat him.
-Long Days and Pleasant Nights
