McHenry County Blog

The second trial of disgraced ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich is but an echo of the first.

Who cares the second time around?

in mid-December, 2009, there was a spoof on Saturday Night Live. Before the actor took the stage, there was a photo of a grim Blagojevich with the word "Arrested" under it.

It’s not front page news.

No Saturday Night Live skits about his hair and swear words.

“If Illinois politicians think you are too corrupt, you’re too corrupt,”

said Seth in December of 2008.

This past week there was another echo.

A bill passed that would prohibit state officials from putting their names on things. It was sponsored by State Rep. Chris Nybo (R-Elmhurst). Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) originated the legislation.

The target was the signs over Illinois toll collection booths.

When Blagojevich was impeached, Tollway officials did not even give Pat Quinn the opportunity for the photo op he undoubtedly desired.

Quinn did follow the example of his role model, Governor Dan Walker, for whom he was a ghost employee in the Department of Local Government Affairs.

The sign Governor Rod Blagojeich had erected over Illinois toll booths.

When the Department of Transportation changed the entry signs to the State of Illinois to remove Blagojevich’s name, Quinn followed Walker’s excellent example.

"Welcome to Illinois" sign with Governor Rod Blagojevich's name.

The current "Welcome to Illinois" sign does not have Governor Pat Quinn's name.

He left his name off.

Way back in 1973, I was so impressed this newly-elected Republican sent the newly-elected Democrat a letter of praise.

Quinn deserves similar praise.

Patti shouts at Rod Blagojevich on Saturday Night Live.

Most of us would start chuckling or laughing if someone told us a current Illinois politician was lecturing people about ethics.

Illinois is synonymous with corruption.  On average a Chicago alderman gets convicted about every year (literally).

So while there was widespread unemployment and a gnawing need for jobs in McHenry County and Illinois, what was one of our local legislators doing last December?

First, you should probably be thinking of a warmer climate, as it was December.

Burris gets the bum's rush out of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday Night Live.

Second, you probably have to think of something that by doing it, wouldn’t help Illinois.

Not with jobs, or anything.

Third you have to think in terms of hobnobbing with other politicians and government officials in an effort to promote oneself outside of Illinois.

You might think it’s part of a Comedy Central routine being an Illinois politician and lecturing on political ethics.

Or Saturday Night Live.   After all, Rod and Patti Blagojevich and Roland Burris have made that show.

The issue of the White House offering jobs directly and through Bill Clinton if candidates drop out of Senate campaigns made the national news.

Jack Franks

So while foreclosures are way too high in McHenry County and economic hardship and job loss is prevalent, State Rep. Jack Franks was giving a lecture on December 7, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

With rampant corruption in Illinois, Franks lectured the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws.

Okay, you can stop laughing now.

More tomorrow.

Saturday Night Live was in reruns last night. The January 10th show was broadcast again.

It featured a clueless Roland Burris and a just impeached Rod Blagojevich.

Just like Fox News, Saturday Night Live featured Illinois’ dynamic duo, Roland Burris and Rod Blagojevich.

Burris was portrayed as a persistent, if repetitive, African-American repeatedly presenting his credentials and trying to enter the U.S. Senate, the last time falling through the ceiling of break room.

When escorted out by police, he is seen wearing a beard and mustache.

That night he tried to get into a popular D.C. Nightclub, explaining that he had served the people of Illinois twenty years and that he was “the junior senator from the State of Illinois.”

The picture above is what was shown as he was escorted out.

Next up was Governor Rod Blagojevich.

He told the female interviewer that he had tried to clean up his language.

So, instead of using “Bleep you,” when he was asked a hostile question, he replied,

Blagojevich was asked about the 114-1 vote for impeachment.

“Yeah. It was close.”

He was asked if the use of people he had helped at his press conference wasn’t “exploitative.”

“When will you leave office?”

It was better than Blagojevich and his wife’s first appearance.

Later in the highlights of the new section, Blagojevich’s lopsided impeachment was mentioned again.

A picture of the one “No” vote was shown.

It was one of Blagojevich with a beard and mustache. Unfortunately, I missed the shot.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin had not figured it out Friday when he said the Illinois Supreme Court decision wasn’t good enough.

But it looks as if he and the other all-white Senate Democrat delegation have now.

They have been Blagojeviched.

Maybe Saturday Night Live’s ridicule of white Senate Democrats, plus maybe some more pressure from President-Elect Barack Obama did the trick.

On SNL, Burris was seen hoping to help the Senate follow the example of Utah by seating him.

For those who have not lived in Utah, as I did for three years in junior high school in the mid-1950′s, there were not a lot of non-white faces when I lived there. Actually, I don’t remember any.

When I moved there, Mormons were not even allowed to join the church.

Now, there must be a very low percentage of African-Americans for SNL to use it as an example of what the Senate looks like.

Today, Burris was on TV reading a statement. Not a lot of eye contact.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna was on WMAQ-TV trying to point out how many different positions Durbin and the Senate Democrats had taken since Blagojevich appointed Burris.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin had not figured it out Friday when he said the Illinois Supreme Court decision wasn’t good enough.

But it looks as if he and the other all-white Senate Democrat delegation have now.

They have been Blagojeviched.

Maybe Saturday Night Live’s ridicule of white Senate Democrats, plus maybe some more pressure from President-Elect Barack Obama did the trick.

On SNL, Burris was seen hoping to help the Senate follow the example of Utah by seating him.

For those who have not lived in Utah, as I did for three years in junior high school in the mid-1950′s, there were not a lot of non-white faces when I lived there. Actually, I don’t remember any.

When I moved there, Mormons were not even allowed to join the church.

Now, there must be a very low percentage of African-Americans for SNL to use it as an example of what the Senate looks like.

Today, Burris was on TV reading a statement. Not a lot of eye contact.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna was on WMAQ-TV trying to point out how many different positions Durbin and the Senate Democrats had taken since Blagojevich appointed Burris.

Just like Fox News, Saturday Night Live featured Illinois’ dynamic duo, Roland Burris and Rod Blagojevich.

Burris was portrayed as a persistent, if repetitive, African-American repeatedly presenting his credentials and trying to enter the U.S. Senate, the last time falling through the ceiling of break room.

When escorted out by police, he is seen wearing a beard and mustache.

That night he tried to get into a popular D.C. Nightclub, explaining that he had served the people of Illinois twenty years and that he was “the junior senator from the State of Illinois.”

The picture above is what was shown as he was escorted out.

Next up was Governor Rod Blagojevich.

He told the female interviewer that he had tried to clean up his language.

So, instead of using “Bleep you,” when he was asked a hostile question, he replied,

Blagojevich was asked about the 114-1 vote for impeachment.

“Yeah. It was close.”

He was asked if the use of people he had helped at his press conference wasn’t “exploitive.”

“When will you leave office?”

It was better than Blagojevich and his wife’s first appearance.

Later in the highlights of the new section, Blagojevich’s lopsided impeachment was mentioned again.

A picture of the one “No” vote was shown.

It was one of Blagojevich with a beard and mustache. Unfortunately, I missed the shot.

Just like Fox News, Saturday Night Live featured Illinois’ dynamic duo, Roland Burris and Rod Blagojevich.

Burris was portrayed as a persistent, if repetitive, African-American repeatedly presenting his credentials and trying to enter the U.S. Senate, the last time falling through the ceiling of break room.

When escorted out by police, he is seen wearing a beard and mustache.

That night he tried to get into a popular D.C. Nightclub, explaining that he had served the people of Illinois twenty years and that he was “the junior senator from the State of Illinois.”

The picture above is what was shown as he was escorted out.

Next up was Governor Rod Blagojevich.

He told the female interviewer that he had tried to clean up his language.

So, instead of using “Bleep you,” when he was asked a hostile question, he replied,

Blagojevich was asked about the 114-1 vote for impeachment.

“Yeah. It was close.”

He was asked if the use of people he had helped at his press conference wasn’t “exploitive.”

“When will you leave office?”

It was better than Blagojevich and his wife’s first appearance.

Later in the highlights of the new section, Blagojevich’s lopsided impeachment was mentioned again.

A picture of the one “No” vote was shown.

It was one of Blagojevich with a beard and mustache. Unfortunately, I missed the shot.

I rarely watch “Saturday Night Live” anymore, but with Channel 5 News promoting it at 10, I decided to tune in.

Our esteemed Governor Rod Blagojevich was featured in the opening skit.

He was testifying before a U.S. Senate Committee seeking a “bailout.”

His requests were absurd, of course, but not particularly funny.

A too young looking Senator Elizabeth Dole told the Governor told Blagojevich that he was a “disgrace to Illinois.”

She quickly recovered, saying something like, “Well maybe not to Illinois, but if you were a governor of any other state you would be a disgrace to that state.”

Rod tried to sell Lincoln’s wedding ring, complete with bones of his left hand. A certificate of authenticity would be supplied, plus a video showing where it came from.

An actor playing a senator apparently though Lincoln was buried on the grounds of the State Capitol.

Yeah. Right.

How much research would it have taken to check that out?

Guess there are no Second City graduates on the show.

The actor talked in an accent that was not Blagojevich, but, instead closer to a “dem” and “dos” gangster imitation.

Offering to protect the U.S. Capitol from arson and the senators cars from theft was worked in near the end of the skit. Blago said he had “friends” who could provide the service.

Now, Blago did take a contribution from a mobbed up company, but he gave it back to them when I called it to his political guy’s attention. I guess the Governor wanted to help them pay their legal fees.

Wife Patti showed up seeking a seat on the board of NASA, whatever that is.

“You promised me,” she shouted with expletives deleted.

The main comic device throughout the skit was frequent bleeped out F-bombs and MF-epitaphs.

Even from Patti.

I rarely watch “Saturday Night Live” anymore, but with Channel 5 News promoting it at 10, I decided to tune in.

Our esteemed Governor Rod Blagojevich was featured in the opening skit.

He was testifying before a U.S. Senate Committee seeking a “bailout.”

His requests were absurd, of course, but not particularly funny.

A too young looking Senator Elizabeth Dole told the Governor told Blagojevich that he was a “disgrace to Illinois.”

She quickly recovered, saying something like, “Well maybe not to Illinois, but if you were a governor of any other state you would be a disgrace to that state.”

Rod tried to sell Lincoln’s wedding ring, complete with bones of his left hand. A certificate of authenticity would be supplied, plus a video showing where it came from.

An actor playing a senator apparently though Lincoln was buried on the grounds of the State Capitol.

Yeah. Right.

How much research would it have taken to check that out?

Guess there are no Second City graduates on the show.

The actor talked in an accent that was not Blagojevich, but, instead closer to a “dem” and “dos” gangster imitation.

Offering to protect the U.S. Capitol from arson and the senators cars from theft was worked in near the end of the skit. Blago said he had “friends” who could provide the service.

Now, Blago did take a contribution from a mobbed up company, but he gave it back to them when I called it to his political guy’s attention. I guess the Governor wanted to help them pay their legal fees.

Wife Patti showed up seeking a seat on the board of NASA, whatever that is.

“You promised me,” she shouted with expletives deleted.

The main comic device throughout the skit was frequent bleeped out F-bombs and MF-epitaphs.

Even from Patti.

I listened as someone passionately condemned the satirizing of the American presidential race.

Pressing home her point, she asked what effect Jay Leno, Saturday Night Live, Dave Letterman, et al, would have had in Civil War Days.

It brought to mind the most recent part of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, “Team of Rivals.”

Loaned to me by Donna Kurtz, the book is about Lincoln and his cabinet.

I’m not too far into the book, but Thursday while donating blood at the Heartland Blood Center in Crystal Lake, I read about William Seward’s family’s 1835 trip south of the Potomac River.

“…crossing into Virginia, the Sewards entered a world virtually unchanged since 1800…’our rough road conducted us…[past] low log-huts, the habitations of slaves…How deeply the curse of slavery is set upon this venerated and storied region of the old dominion.’”

He went on to compare is it only with France where 40 years of war and “whose population has been … decimat[ed] by the sword as much decayed as Virginia.”

“Slavery trapped a large portion of the Southern population,” Kearns writes, “preventing upward mobility…[and] the creation of a sizable middle class.”

Seward’s wife Frances “responded to the human plight of the enslaved.”

“We are told that we see slavery in its mildest form, [but] disguise thyself as thou wilt, still, slavery, thou are a bitter draught,” she writes her sister.

“One day Frances stopped the carriage to converse with an old blind slave woman, who was at work ‘turning the ponderous wheel of a machine,’ in a yard,” it says on page 78.

“The work was hard, but she had to do something, she (the old lady) explained, ‘and this is all I can do now, I am so old.’ When Frances asked about her family, she revealed that her husband and all her children had been sold long ago to different owners and she had never heard from any of them again.

“A few days afterward, the Sewards came across a group of slave children chained together on the road outside of Richmond. Henry Described the sorrowful scene:’

Ten naked little boys, between six and twelve years old, tied together, two and two, by their wrists, were all fastened to a long rope, and followed by a tall, gaunt white man, who, with his long lash, whipped up the sad and weary little procession, drove it to the horse-trough to drink, and thence to a shed, where they lay down on the ground and sobbed and moaned themselves to sleep.’

“The children had been purchase from different plantations that day and were on their way to be auctioned off at Richmond.”

“Frances could not endure to continue the journey:

‘Sick of slavery and the South, the evil effects constantly coming before me and marrying everything,’” she “begged her husband to cancel the rest of their tour.”

He did.

Now, imagine what Saturday night live might have done with these scenes of slavery and the visage of Abraham Lincoln in the early 1860′s.

= = = = =
Illustrations from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book “Team of Rivals.”