Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Earlier today former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison, after his 18 convictions surrounding corruption and misuse of the power of the governorship. He's a pretty vile dude, and it's good for the public and the Chicago political class (first time "class" and Chicago politics have been used in the same sentence?) to see him punished.
Is 14 years too short, too long, about right, or don't we know enough? Or more broadly, what weight should corruption and criminal disregard of the political process carry in our criminal justice system? I haven't made up my mind on this, outside my general sentiment that prison sentences are too long (see Mark Kleiman's excellent When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment).
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Mar '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Judge Zagel should have clipped on an extra 10 years for that pathetic "I never set out to break the law. I never set out to cross lines" bilge.
Maybe we should update the oath for the office: "I do solemnly swear (affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of (name of the office here) to the best of my ability, and that I shall tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, under penalty of perjury, so help me God." (Emphasis on my addition.)
Oct '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
It actually surprised me that the judge weighed the perjury like that; I didn't know it was a consideration for leniency, though it's hard to tell procedurally what went on. That said, I think you're right; it pretty much throws his Road-to-Damascus out the window.
I think this is an interesting question because we don't usually impose criminal penalties for corruption in the private sector, though that's changing. Potentially a lot more is at stake in federal politics, yet the only immediate harm is to the process itself.
One other consideration for sentencing is deterrence; unlike a lot of self-dealing and other corporate malfeasance, appointments involve discretion for which it's difficult to keep accountability. Because there aren't the same procedural protections as, say, tracing money for funding, It makes the threat of criminal penalties more important.
And of course, his occasional appearance in the short-lived musical is crime enough.
Mar '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
I actually posted that too early. I meant to imply that we should go ahead and swear them in for trial when we swear them in for the office. For that matter, we can save even more time if we just go ahead and indict them when they are elected.
I like the new state slogan that John Kass came up with for Illinois to replace "Land of Lincoln": "Will the Defendant Please Rise?"
Aug '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Blago is a start. We should probably throw a few hundred more politicians into prison just to be on the safe side.
Oct '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
No, my apologies, it was a good joke. If it's any consolation, the quality of the joke is inversely proportional to the number of people who get it.
When Chris Christie was elected in Jersey there was a big hoopla about how he would change the culture in Trenton. He's done some good work, but elections like that only do so much, no matter how big (no pun intended). He'll be around for eight or so years, as will the higher-ups that travel with him, but there are all those low level guys that are there for life, living through three decades of administrations. They don't change and they don't leave, and they don't do the big ticket things that get attention. I don't know how to deal with those guys.
Apr '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
QuickerBrownFox
Is 14 years too short, too long, about right, or don't we know enough? Or more broadly, what weight should corruption and criminal disregard of the political process carry in our criminal justice system? I haven't made up my mind on this, outside my general sentiment that prison sentences are too long...
In general, I support short prison sentences, on the grounds that if one doesn't learn early that being incarcerated sucks, one doesn't learn. I also support executions for the ones who don't learn, without years between conviction and execution.
Aug '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
My wife has reminded me that Martha Stewart served a nice prison sentence for the exact same thing many members of Congress regularly do without serving a single minute behind bars.
Martha Stewart should be pretty pissed off.
Jun '10
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
DrewInWisconsin: My wife has reminded me that Martha Stewart served a nice prison sentence for the exact same thing many members of Congress regularly do without serving a single minute behind bars.
Martha Stewart should be pretty pissed off. · Dec 8 at 6:38am
Martha Stewart doesn't write the laws. One of the reasons to hate bigger government is that it just attracts bigger criminals. That's where the money is. It just falls off the trucks....
May '10
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Given that it is the longest sentence ever given to a public official in Illinois history, I almost think the term is fair. While I know the Senate seat bribery was the charge that elicited national attention, the fact that he shook down a children's hospital leads me to the conclusion that no jail term is long enough for this monster.
Jun '10
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
I agree, but what does it say about the body politic that we continue to elect liars, frauds and kleptocrats? Why is it voters disregard so readily the idea that character counts? There's a flaw in the democratic process. Only a righteous people will demand the same in their politicians. But when the body politic becomes corrupted, it follows naturally that the political process will mirror the same. We the voters are the problem.
Aug '10
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
I am no fan of the former Governor, but...
Shouldn't we be wary of criminalizing political action? Politics requires compromise, and compromise requires horse trading. If a Senator votes for something in exchange for getting votes for something he really wants, do we accuse him of selling his vote?
I would prefer political solutions: vote them out, or impeach them. I don't want Fitzpatrick making political judgements about what is politics and what is corruption.
Edited on Dec 8, 2011 at 9:05amAug '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
~Paules
I agree, but what does it say about the body politic that we continue to elect liars, frauds and kleptocrats? Why is it voters disregard so readily the idea that character counts? There's a flaw in the democratic process. Only a righteous people will demand the same in their politicians. But when the body politic becomes corrupted, it follows naturally that the political process will mirror the same. We the voters are the problem. · Dec 8 at 8:55am
Or is the problem that our choices are always between the greater and lesser criminals -- but always criminals. We don't have the option on our ballots to reject all candidates. No "none of the above." I often wish we had that.
Mar '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Mark Woodworth: I am no fan of the former Governor, but...
Shouldn't we be wary of criminalizing political action? Politics requires compromise, and compromise requires horse trading. If a Senator votes for something in exchange for getting votes for something he really wants, do we accuse him of selling his vote?
I would prefer political solutions: vote them out, or impeach them. I don't want Fitzpatrick making political judgements about what is politics and what is corruption. · Dec 8 at 9:04am
Edited on Dec 08 at 09:05 am
If, instead of being governor, Blago had been some guy as wide as he is tall with no neck and a nose busted in two different directions, and he tried to put the squeeze on a children's hospital (nice clinic you have here...it would be a pity if sumthin' was to happen to it), then 14 years wouldn't have been anywhere near long enough.
Let him rot.
Oct '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Mark Woodworth:
Shouldn't we be wary of criminalizing political action? Politics requires compromise, and compromise requires horse trading. If a Senator votes for something in exchange for getting votes for something he really wants, do we accuse him of selling his vote?
This troubles me too. I think selling a senate seat is pretty clearly a crime, but what if the soon-to-be senator would have supported the horse-racing industry, and the governor had significant investments in that industry? It may not even have been about money; he may have genuinely believed in its cultural significance, hence his investment. In a corporate environment these interested transactions would be handled by a board of directors, where the interested parties would refrain from voting. But in a political setting, it's the governor's discretion, which could make a difference.
The political process relies a lot on information, which may justify criminal penalties when information is hard to obtain. But when people have the information, I'd prefer it like you stated: leave it to politics.
Edited on Dec 8, 2011 at 7:10pmAug '11
Re: Blagojevich and Political Disregard: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
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