Last week, when it appeared that the Obama presidential transition would proceed as smoothly as possible in the midst of economic turmoil, two foreign wars, and a crisis of relations between India and Pakistan, the entire U.S. political climate was shaken to its core by the arrest of acting Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The controversy has been a distraction for the incoming Obama administration and his transition team has been beating a quiet message for the media, while circling the wagons to prevent any negative political fallout. The incident has also put into question Obama’s economic plan, worth up to $1 trillion, and has the implication of eventually altering the makeup of the U.S. Senate, at a time when Democrats assumed that Obama’s successor would be a Democratic candidate.
While controversy surrounding Blagojevich is not new, his accused actions of trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat for future campaign cash or for personal gain as well as trying to eliminate editorial members of the Chicago Tribune who disagreed with him are some of the most brazen acts of political corruption the U.S. political system has ever seen and will most likely be talked about by extempers for years to come.
This brief will give some brief background on the scandal, actions being taken against the governor, and the political fallout of the scandal for the Obama administration and Illinois politics.