It’s not a great time to be from Illinois. Yesterday a friend of mine, a native Chicagoan who now lives in New Jersey, IM’d me with this: “Geez, what’s wrong with your politicians out there?” She seemed to happily forget that she, too, is from the Land of Lincoln (and Blagojevich).
Anyway, just as many of us felt proud to be an American on Nov. 4, we’ve been feeling embarrassed about being an Illinoisan today. What in the world is going on with a state that has not one but two consecutive governors who are immersed in corruption? (Can you imagine what imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan must be feeling right now in the wake of these revelations? Probably doesn’t bolster his chances for an early release.)
Governor Rod Blagojevich’s alleged actions have left everyone in the State of Illinois feeling either sad, mad, or stunned. Why on earth would someone who has been the subject of Federal investigations for the past five years attempt to “sell” a U.S. Senate seat, among other things? The astonishment and hyperbole that’s been used to describe this latest scandal, from the mouths of Federal investigators who have seen plenty of corruption, speaks to the tragic and unfathomable nature of these events.
Not only do Blagojevich’s alleged actions speak of unparalleled hubris, one has to think that, given the cloud of suspicion that he’s been under for a long time, he must be suffering from some form of mental illness. (Of course, sin is a mental illness that we all contend with daily, right?)
My first reaction was to call the guy a “total idiot.” How could he be so stupid, greedy, and vindictive? This bum needs to resign—or be impeached—sooner rather than later. Lock him up, along with his “pay to play” political cohorts. But then I saw video of his wife and two young daughters walking out of their home on the news, and I was reminded of his humanity. And I thought, Lord, have mercy on this man and his family.
Then I started to think about my own instances of behavior that border on unethical at best and illegal at worst. Aren’t we all engaged in some manner of “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” practices from time to time–in the workplace, in our personal relationships, in our finances? Which led me to think, Lord, have mercy on me.
There’s plenty of political analysis and commentary to sort through related to this story, but I found Eric Easter’s comments over at EbonyJet.com especially challenging. Easter asks the question, “Are we all corrupt?,” and suggests that there may be a thin line between what Blagojevich was doing and stuff that we do each day.
In the coming weeks, there will likely be more revelations to shake our confidence in government and deepen our cynicism. Barack Obama’s mantra of “change” and “a new politics” is being severely tested before the man can even take the oath of office. Let’s just hope and pray that this latest scandal will be a reminder to all politicians—and to us—that integrity is a deliberate decision we must make each day of our lives.
Indeed, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
C. S. Lewis once drew a hypothetical case of two men who have identically faulty spiritual and emotional makeup. One becomes a political leader, and his anger and pride coupled with that power makes it possible for him to injure thousands of people. The other has the same anger and pride, but has no power or influence, so everyone merely considers him an amusing jerk. But which one is more guilty? Switch places, and the results would surely have been the same. Then put yourself in the first man’s position: now what would you have?
Lewis concludes, “That is why Christians are told not to judge. We see only the results which a man’s choices make out of his raw material. But God does not judge him on the raw material at all, but on what he has done with it.”
I believe that Congressman Jessie Jackson Jr. made the mistake of wanting the US Senate seat so bad that he acted out of stupidity verses qualifications. Also i believe that the issue with the Gov. goes further than just the senate seat, he has been under investigation for 2 years or more and when your Lt. Governor hasn’t talked to the Governor in a year thats an issue. I believe not only should the Gov. resign but all parties should do likewise.
I don’t think Illinois is alone. There are politicians who are willing to fudge on ethics–as well as outright lie, steal, and cheat–in every state of the union. Blogojevich, however, seems more brazen and careless than most.