It's hard to get away from the Blagojevich story this morning (and yes, I have seen it referred to in multiple instances as Blagogate). Now that the initial story has broken, most analysts and pundits are focusing on the impact this may have on Obama and what to do about the empty Senate seat that needs filling.
Also, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll finds Obama with strong public support for his transition efforts.
And, AIG doesn't give out bonuses anymore, they just give out "cash awards." It's totally different.
Massimo Calabresi at TIME looks at how the Blagojevich scandal will impact Obama's transition efforts:
What does all this scheming amount to? For Obama's transition, a large headache. It is not clear how close Blagojevich got to the transition, or how high up the chain of command his solicitations went. But in coming days the campaign will have to address whether Blagojevich or any of his representatives actually contacted an Obama adviser on the matter, and whether the SEIU official did propose funding the 501(c)(4) in exchange for naming "Senate Candidate 1" to replace Obama.
Politico reported last night that the SEIU official was SEIU President Andy Stern, and noted that there is no allegation of any wrongdoing on his part. Blagojevich will be an unfortunate distraction for the Obama team, especially as the GOP tries to use it to their advantage:
Republicans immediately pounced on the criminal complaint in an effort to tie Obama to the tainted governor. The Republican National Committee sent an e-mail to reporters highlighting favorable past statements Obama made about Blagojevich, including his quotation: “If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I’ll be happy to do it.”
John Dickerson at Slate calls Obama's response "unsatisfyingly vague." And, the AP uses the scandal as an opportunity to dredge up all of Obama's "questionable associations"... you should read the whole thing, it's really quite absurd. I thought those days were over, but it reads like a left-over from the McCain campaign.
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The New York Times describes Blagojevich as vengeful and profane:
Mike Jacobs, a Democratic state senator and former friend of the governor, suggested that Mr. Blagojevich may have lost his grip on reality.
“I’m not sure he’s playing with a full deck anymore,” Mr. Jacobs said. “I think he brought a lot of this on himself. He’s so gifted, but so flawed in a number of fundamental areas. It’s like he dared the feds to come get him.”
What is crazy to me is that this guy had, what, 8% approval ratings? And he really thought he could run for the Presidency some day?
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Edward McClelland at Salon was surprised:
I never expected Hot Rod to get into a mess this hot, though. Frankly, I always considered him an amiable goof obsessed with hair care and jogging. Not smart enough to be competent, but not cunning or venal enough to hatch a Nixonian scheme like peddling a U.S. Senate seat as though it were a stolen flat-screen.
Rod Blagojevich's motivating characteristic is vanity. And judging by the complaint against him, his vanity -- which created a thwarted desire for the office Obama is about to occupy -- may have contributed to this scandal.
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Several analysts and pundits wonder why Blagojevich would talk so openly when he knew he was under investigation:
Paul Green, a political scientist at Roosevelt University, said: "If you're under so much scrutiny by an unbelievably dedicated U.S. attorney's office, why would you risk it all? This is a case less about politics and more about social psychology. ... A hard-nosed Illinois politician wouldn't even dream of doing this, considering the situation."
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The Washington Post editorial board supports Senator Durbin's call for a special election in determining who will fill the Senate seat, as does John Nichols at The Nation. The New York Times editorial board agrees - calling for either a special election or Blagojevich's impeachment:
Mr. Blagojevich must be deemed innocent until proved guilty. But surely the recorded conversations, full of expletive-laced schemes, render him unfit to appoint anyone, least of all himself, to the vacant Senate seat.
If he refuses to step aside, the Illinois Legislature should move to bypass him by removing his appointment power, impeaching him or scheduling a special election. Certainly no self-respecting candidate should accept an appointment by Mr. Blagojevich.
The editorial board of the Chicago Sun-Times calls on Blagojevich to step down immediately - "for the sake of the state and not an admission of guilt." For his part, Blagojevich's lawyer commented that he "is very surprised and certainly feels that he did not do anything wrong." This story reminds me why the Daily Kos mission is so important: electing more and better Democrats.
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Oh, a poll! A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg polls shows that Obama has earned strong public support during his transition:
Although nearly two-thirds of those surveyed believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, the figure represents an improvement from October, when 84% said the country was on the wrong track. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed feel positive about Obama's election as president, a figure that includes not just an overwhelming majority of his fellow Democrats but a substantial majority of independents and nearly a third of Republicans.
Overall, nearly 8 in 10 approve of the way Obama has handled his transition to the White House and nearly three-quarters approve of his Cabinet picks. Strong majorities endorsed two of Obama's most prominent choices: Democratic New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State and Republican Robert M. Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, as secretary of Defense.
Those are pretty remarkable numbers, especially the 8 in 10 approval for his handling of the transition.
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The Virginia governor's race in 2010 will be closely watched, and the Washington Post reports that Terry McAuliffe is building his staff:
Former Democratic National Committee Terry McAuliffe continues to staff up in preparation for his potential campaign for governor next year. McAuliffe recently hired Peter Kavanaugh, who most recently served as the field director for the Virginia Democratic Party's coordinated campaign, according to sources familiar with the hire.
Meh. His competition in the primary would include Del. Brian J. Moran and Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, who announced a list of Richmond-area endorsements yesterday.
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After the public outcry over bonuses at AIG, the organization said it would eliminate them for its senior management. Well, now they are not offering bonuses but rather "cash awards" based on a new retention program:
American International Group Inc., the insurer whose bonuses and perks are under fire from U.S. lawmakers, offered cash awards to another 38 executives in a retention program with payments of as much as $4 million.
The incentives range from $92,500 to $4 million for employees earning salaries between $160,000 and $1 million, Chief Executive Officer Edward Liddy said in a letter dated Dec. 5 to Representative Elijah Cummings. The New York-based insurer had previously disclosed that 130 managers would get the awards and that one executive would get $3 million.
Hmmm... that sure sounds like bonuses to me. Oh, and the first half of the bailout - $350 billion - is almost gone, in case anyone was wondering.
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Is anyone taking off from work today for "Day Without a Gay?"
Attorney Jerry Simoneaux is taking off today. So are the 10 other people who work at his Houston law firm. Eric Weitzel was already scheduled to be off from his retail job, but he plans to call in anyway.
Simoneaux and Weitzel are among the gay men and women in Houston and across the country taking part in today's "Day Without a Gay" economic boycott. Outraged by the recent passage of California's Proposition 8 to overturn state rules allowing same-sex couples to marry, they and their supporters want everyone to be clear on where they stand.
"We aren't going to lie down and let people treat us as second-class citizens," said Weitzel.
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So what's on your mind? I was pleased so many of you yesterday supported my proposal to banish the word "czar" from political vocabulary. But it's getting worse! This morning I learned of a new one - the cyberspace czar.