In thinking about the new Obama-Blagojevich Affair (doesn’t roll off the tongue to well does it?), is the President-Elect just unlucky to be the next Leader of the Free World (who happens to be black) where millions upon millions of microscopes are aimed at? Because this whole dust up just doesn’t sound new and isolated to Chicago. Governor Blagojevich’s reaction when the president-elect didn’t “play ball” (along with his outright brashness) just sounds like it happens way more often than not. Oh let’s just cut out being nice about it; this type of political power playing happens all the time. It happens on federal, state, county, township, city, town, village, and hamlet level. And let’s not go into business. The amount of power plays, leverage seeking, back-stabbing, conspiracies, and other “intrigue” in business is legendary. What about our personal lives and relationships with friends? More “intrigue” there as well.
What I am talking about is the politics of politics; an altogether normal activity of elites and non-elites. So why is there so much outage? Because that’s how we are supposed to act when a government official crosses the line even though we know this is the way it goes in politics. Let me make an educated guess on President-Elect Obama’s dealings with Governor Blagojevich amounted to:
1. A little fund raising here and there for the governor.
2. A little advising on some issues and “intrigue” talk concerning various players within the State.
3. Some influence in the State government (making some connections here and there)
4. And a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
But Obama didn’t like Blagojevich or many of his ways. So he did the usual photo op and hand shaking along with the mandatory 1 through 4 above. But didn’t take it any farther knowing how ol’ Blago was. Now after Obama won the presidency, he cut the honorable governor off yet gave him a name or two about who should take his vacant Senate seat. Ol’ Blago screamed bloody murder because Obama didn’t make him feel “happy” enough. Case closed. American political normalcy at its best.
Now I’m not saying this isn’t newsworthy. We still need to find out the roles of folks like Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod in this. I am saying is that we shouldn’t just act like this a “Chicago thing”. This is an American Political Thing that’s been around since George Washington’s days. The question we should be asking ourselves is this:
How much does it take to make us REALLY outraged and tired of this normalcy? Because right now, we seem to like it. Yours truly included.
I’m not complex. Don’t have time for all that. And all that complex stuff bad for the stomach. Just color me simple and plain with a twist.