I have a roommate from Naperville, Illinois. He is one of those people that is fun to rile up because of the way he reacts to things. Let's just say I have been given a lot of ammunition thanks to the alleged actions of the now ex-governor of his home state, Rod Blagojevich. Thankfully, he agrees with me, particularly thinking that this Daily Show clip towards the beginning of the scandal was absolute hilarity.
With such "low-hanging fruit" ready to convict Blago, most would think he'd just roll over and take it, much like former New York governor Eliot Spitzer.
Then came the "Blago Blitz", where Blago, still in office at that point, appeared on just about any show that would give him time: The View, Good Morning America, the Today show, etc. The blitz may have seemed like a good idea at first, but then when he compared himself to Ghandi, MLK, and Nelson Mandela, among other inane things, he seemed to lose all credibility.
Unintentionally funny comments made by Blago in these interviews include, but are not limited to:
"The fix is in." (Today and GMA)
"It is true that among the many potential candidates for the Senate seat, we discussed Oprah." (The View)
Even after his impeachment and removal from office, the long strange trip has continued. Yesterday, Blago appeared on the Today show (again), Larry King Live, Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, and the Late Show with David Letterman. Included in these interviews were some precious one-liners from the man himself:
"I rejected an offer by leading senators to keep my job for two years and essentially be a ghost payroller governor." (Today show)
"And at the appropriate time, the truth will come out. And as it's written in Bible, the truth will set me free." (OTR)
"So the hypocrisy of these politicians is -- is incredible. And I think part of the reason to kind of add quickly is I don't think they want anybody looking into their stuff." (King)
Letterman by far was the most entertaining interview, with such exchanges as these:
Letterman: "Why exactly are you here, honest to God?"
Blago: "I've been wanting to be on your show in the worst way for the longest time."
Letterman, not surprisingly, had the chutzpah to go toe-to-toe with the former governor, particularly with Blago's claim that his office was being "hijacked".
"You were not deprived of due process," Letterman said. "I don't believe you have been deprived of due process."
"The more you talked and the more you repeated your innocence, the more I thought, 'oh this guy's guilty,'" Letterman continued.
Could there perhaps be another motive? Some say yes, that a book deal or talk-show gig may be in the works. But who would hire him?
"A great many employers will not hire someone who has a felony charge pending against them," said Chicago defense attorney John Beal.
Well, it worked for the aforementioned Spitzer, who now writes for Slate magazine, even though the job, by his own admission, "sucks".
Going back to the time-honored questions that defined our class, I ask:
*Is the Blago Blitz journalism, or a ratings-monger feeding off an amazingly sensationalistic story?
*If Blago were to get a talk-show gig, does that make him a journalist? Is our opinion on that skewed by his removal from office? Does it for Spitzer?
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