Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.
Epictetus
The Blagojevich Holdout Juror Talks
One of the more fascinating things about the Blagojevich story is the inexplicable way that Fox News Channel, of all media outlets, is presenting him in a sympathetic way. I've heard multiple media conservative personalities, including Sean Hannity, explicitly oppose a retrial, blaming US Attorney Fitzgerald for blowing the case (except for a solitary conviction on an ancillary charge) and thinking the government has already spent too much time and money. For some odd reason, Blagojevich seems eager to appear on Fox, but that could simply be consistent with his narcissism. Fox News dotes on Blago the same way they do Sarah Palin; in my opinion, they have a thing for dysfunctional charismatic populists; I've never heard Fox News ever push either politician with tough questions.
As an aside, I neglected to mention it weeks ago, but Sarah Palin's baffling charm in the lower 48 isn't shared by Alaskan voters, with a Rasmussen poll back in May showing some 48% saying they would not vote for Palin for President (with 11% undecided). Net negative ratings from her own home state?
Blagojevich has been spinning the mistrial for lone holdout juror, JoAnn Chiakulas, as a personal exoneration. Ms. Chiakulas isn't quite sure Blagojevich's attempts to abuse his power as governor to appoint Obama's successor to his Senate seat for some sort of personal advantage (political contributions, job offers for himself or his wife, or political concessions) rise to the level of corruption; she believes that Blago is just an eccentric blowhard. I don't mean to criticize Ms. Chiakulas; I'm sure that she was sincere in her views, but I also think she doesn't understand the nature of corruption. I personally don't think she would have convicted him short of seeing Blago directly take money for the Senate seat. Eleven people voting to convict across multiple counts suggests that Fitzgerald has a strong case and simply ran into a bad luck of the draw in jury selection.
Stick a Fork in It: I'm Done with Charlie Crist:
Marco Rubio (R-FL) for US Senate
I have made it clear that I would have preferred to see Governor Crist win the Republican nomination; early last year, conservatives were on the ropes following a devastating, historic election that all but gave Obama and progressive Democrats a blank check, and Florida's popular Republican governor seemed to be the only real shot the GOP had to keep the open seat. Then came the Tea Party after the Democrats tried to pass one morally hazardous law too many. Crist in particular outraged Tea Party conservatives by endorsing the stimulus package which had less than a handful of GOP votes in all of Congress. In fact, I did not like Crist's enthusiastic embrace of stimulus bill dollars for Florida. But I was concerned that the intra-party squabble would allow the Democratic candidate to divide and conquer conservatives and take the seat.
After defending Crist many times in past posts, I've become increasingly disenchanted with his veto of education reforms, his open flirtation and hints he might caucus with the progressive Democrats, and his flip-flop on oil drilling in the Gulf, in the aftermath of the BP oil spill. The final straw to me was when Crist tries to spin that he "misspoke" during an interview when he claims that he would have voted for the corrupt Senate Democratic Party Health Care Law.
I have come to the reluctant conclusion that Crist is little more than a political opportunist with no fundamental core conservative values. I had been hopeful that Crist would have been a pragmatic legislator, helping to close bipartisan differences in the attempt to get things done for the American people. On the other hand, Marco Rubio has remained steadfast in his conservative positions, and I'm impressed with how he, as a Latino, has handled difficult issues, like the Arizona immigration law. I wish Crist well in his future endeavors, but not as a US senator from Florida.
Political Humor
More originals:
- What does a liberal bring to an autograph signing? A blank check.
- What do liberals look for in a man? A bulge in the back pocket.
Musical Interlude: The American Songbook Series
Nina Simone, "I Love You, Porgy"
