Rod Blagojevich is not a dumb guy. He’s the 40th governor of Illinois and proudly proclaims Northwestern and Pepperdine University’s as his alma mater. He was a lawyer and prosecutor. He was a popular state legislator who eventually won the Illinois gubernatorial race in 2002, a position he held until January 2009.
Unfortunately for ‘Blago’, his popularity did not translate well into his governorship. He was frequently dubbed by Rasmussen as one of the least popular governors in the United States.
None of that, however, explains why this once distinguished and honored political figured embarked on a ‘pay to play’ scheme to fill the senate seat vacated by Barak Obama. It doesn’t lend credence to understand why a leading political figure in our country would so arrogantly put himself above the interest of his country and constituents in Illinois.
I would propose the search for a meaning to his actions would be futile. It would credit a man of Rod Blagojevich’s position as having some deeper motive than the obvious and excuse the obscenity of his actions.
Bottom line: greed, arrogance, and stupidity ruled what he did.
Note that I am proposing his crimes were characterized by all these traits. I am not suggesting the man, himself, is ruled by these flaws. Rod Blagojevich must search his own conscience and soul for those answers. Nonetheless, he has been justly charged, convicted, and will be punished according to the law for his wrongdoings. Publically flogged and embarrassed, he will forever be remembered as a politician who contributed to the long history of corruption that characterizes Chicago politics.
But for what purpose did he commit his crimes? What was he really going to reap as a result of his actions? Is the million or so dollars he expected to attain for President Obama’s vacant seat worth the tribulation and label his family must wear forever? Can a man put a price on his reputation?
Sadly, Rod Blagojevich will have fourteen years in prison to consider these questions. While a comeback in public opinion similiar to that of Elliott Spitzer seems unlikely, stranger things have happened.
In the end, however, only Blago holds the cards to his future. It’s a future that will only start after attaining an assimilation of some self-respect and a considerable amount of soul searching.
The nation, and more importantly the people of Illinois, must now put the sad tale of Blago behind them.
It’s the lessons learned of one man’s arrogance that shouldn’t be forgotten.