Governor Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. He was arrested yesterday on federal conspiracy charges. I know — innocent until proven guilty, but the criminal complaint that Patrick Fitzgerald filed is pretty damning. (You can read the entire complaint here.)
Honestly, I don’t care much about Blagojevich. If he’s a slimy, corrupt scumbag, he should pay the price and spend some time as a guest of Uncle Sam. What I’m really annoyed about is what this threatens to do to Obama’s presidency before it even starts, as well as the distraction it will cause.
An AP analysis piece appeared in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, saying that this scandal threatens to distract Obama — and also get the Republicans up in arms (they were just waiting for an excuse anyway).
President-elect Barack Obama hasn’t even stepped into office and already a scandal — not of his own making — is threatening to dog him.
Obama isn’t accused of anything. But the fact that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, has been charged with trying to sell Obama’s now-vacant Senate post gives political opponents an opening to criticize him. A slew of questions remain. The investigation is still under way. And the ultimate impact on Obama is far from certain.
He pointedly distanced himself from the case Tuesday, saying, “I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so I was not aware of what was happening” concerning any possible dealing about Blagojevich’s appointment of a successor.
[snip]
In Chicago on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said prosecutors were making no allegations that Obama was aware of any scheming. And Blagojevich himself, in taped conversations cited by prosecutors, suggested that Obama wouldn’t be helpful to him. Even if the governor was to appoint a candidate favored by the Obama team, Blagojevich said, “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation.”
Republicans pounced nonetheless.
“The serious nature of the crimes listed by federal prosecutors raises questions about the interaction with Gov. Blagojevich, President-elect Obama and other high ranking officials who will be working for the future president,” said Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the new GOP House whip.
Added Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, “President-elect Barack Obama’s comments on the matter are insufficient at best.”
[snip]
The two Illinois politicians have never been close and have largely operated in different Democratic Party camps in the state. Blagojevich’s disdain for Obama was clear in court documents; he is quoted as calling the president-elect a vulgar term in one phone conversation recorded by the FBI.
Despite all that, at the very least, the episode amounts to a distraction for Obama just six weeks before he’s sworn into office while he works to set up his new administration and deal with a national economic crisis. It also raises the specter of notorious Chicago politics, an image Obama has tried to distance himself from during his career.
I don’t want to over-dramatize this (it is what it is — a highly corrupt, stupid and brazen politician in Blagojevich), and I don’t want to overly praise Obama (I know he’s not a saint).
But the fact is that we need a president in office who’s competent — especially after the last eight years — and free from scandal and these kinds of distractions. (I also think that it would be proper for Republicans like Eric Cantor to hold their fire until more facts come out, but that’s not exactly the pattern in politics these days.) The problems that we face right now (you know the list) demand our new president’s full attention. He — and the country — does not need this distraction.
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