Patterico's Pontifications

12/13/2008

Michael Barone: Stupid Rod Blagojevich

Filed under: Politics — DRJ @ 6:08 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Michael Barone thinks Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is the Stupidest Governor in the Country and that makes him dangerous:

“And a stupid man (or woman) in high political office can be very dangerous to all concerned. I have long said that as a political operative I would prefer a smart opponent to a stupid opponent. If you’re pretty smart yourself, you should be able to figure out what another pretty smart person will do. But whether you’re smart or stupid, it’s hard to figure out what a stupid person will do. That’s even more true when the stupid politician is your political ally. Stupid people do all sorts of things that are against their own interests.”

Barone’s article is an interesting survey of Illinois politics and how it has helped and hurt candidates like Obama, Blagojevich, and others. It’s well worth reading.

Barone’s point also resonated with me based on my experiences as a lawyer. One of the things I feared most was an incompetent opposing counsel. He’s unpredictable and may — or may not — prepare his case adequately. It’s hard to know how to prepare in that situation. Do you assume he will be unprepared and risk getting blindsided? Or do you assume he will be prepared and risk uncovering weaknesses in your own case that might not have come to light? The end result is often a middle ground … and heartburn.

As bad as it is, even greedy is better than that. At least it’s predictable.

— DRJ

69 Responses to “Michael Barone: Stupid Rod Blagojevich”

  1. Michael Barone thinks????

    “And a stupid man (or woman) in high political office can be very dangerous to all concerned.”

    Don’t bury the lead. The operative phrase is the first sentencein Mikie’s mastery of the obvious.

    Clearly Barone has been on a long sabbatical at the University of Neptune and missed our planet’s 8 year encounter with Comet W and the unblinking flyby of Asteroid Palin over the past 120 days.

    Talk about dumb as a rock. B’limey, stone the crows.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  2. Clearly Barone has been on a long sabbatical at the University of Neptune and missed our planet’s 8 year encounter with Comet W and the unblinking flyby of Asteroid Palin over the past 120 days.

    I don’t recall either of them attempting to sell to the highest bidder an open Senate seat on their home phone in exchange for high-paying prestigious jobs for both themselves and their spouses while under federal investigation.

    Or anyone else, for that matter.

    Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (152589)

  3. “…the University of Neptune and missed our planet’s 8 year encounter with Comet W and the unblinking flyby of Asteroid…”

    You’ve now used two atronomy – related snarks in less than 8 hours; that’s quite a limited bag of tricks up your sleeve, apparently. Try harder next time.

    Dmac (e30284)

  4. “astronomy.”

    Dmac (e30284)

  5. Wasn’t Robert A. Heinlein the one who said, “the best swordsman in the world has no reason to fear the second best swordsman. It’s some guy from nowhere who’s never played the game who will leave you gasping your life away.” [or words to that effect, my Heinlein reading was done in the early 1950s].

    The lawyer business might serve as a parallel to that state of adversarial affairs.

    Insufficiently Sensitive (673620)

  6. _______________________________________

    Talk about dumb as a rock.

    Certainly not as bad as the liberal (oh, excuse me, make that “progressive”) who’ll be this nation’s next vice-president (God help us!):

    Politco.com:

    Joe Biden’s denunciation of his own campaign’s ad to Katie Couric got so much attention last night that another odd note in the interview slipped by.

    He was speaking about the role of the White House in a financial crisis.

    “When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the princes of greed,” Biden told Couric. “He said, ‘Look, here’s what happened.'”

    As Reason’s Jesse Walker footnotes it: “And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, ‘Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?'”

    Date of Great Stock Market Crash:
    October 29, 1929

    First public demonstration of television:
    Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Summer 1935

    President Herbert Hoover’s term in office:
    March 4, 1929-March 3, 1933

    Beginning of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency: March 4, 1933
    _______________________________________

    Mark (411533)

  7. Dmac-

    I’ll keep this ‘extra spacial,’ just for you.
    Snark…? That’s a 1950s era missile system. Score a reference for U2 and more ‘gary’ powers to you.

    It’s a big Universe. Next time I’ll use a quark.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  8. Insufficiently sensitive,

    That’s a good analogy. It certainly feels like that sometimes.

    DRJ (b4db3a)

  9. Mark-

    Actually, if memory serves, FDR was on television at the opening of the 1939 World’s Fair.

    More alarming is Palin’s belief in Creationism; its bedrock belief that Man lived among the dinosaurs and Planet Earth is a mere 5,000 years old.

    Come to think of it, she does look a little like Pebbles.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  10. #6- Mark-

    Actually, if memory serves, FDR was on television at the opening of the 1939 World’s Fair.

    Of more concern is Palin’s bedrock belief in Creationism; that Man and dinosaurs roamed the world together a Planet Earth that’s just 5,000 years old. Betcha thatza gotcha in Alaska.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  11. “More alarming is Palin’s belief in Creationism; its bedrock belief that Man lived among the dinosaurs and Planet Earth is a mere 5,000 years old.”

    DCSCA – More mythmaking from the left. But why does it alarm you? She’s not forcing any beliefs on you. Fearmonger!

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  12. 6. – Mark-

    Actually, if memory serves, FDR was on television at the opening of the 1939 World’s Fair. More alarming than Biden’s error is Palin’s belief in Creationism and its bedrock belief that Man roamed the world with dinosaurs on a Planet Earth that’s just 5,000 years old.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  13. Patterico should have copyrighted the popcorn phrase. It may be used a lot in the next years.

    DRJ (b4db3a)

  14. “Actually, if memory serves, FDR was on television at the opening of the 1939 World’s Fair.”

    DCSCA – Actually, it makes no difference whether FDR was on TV in 1939, since that idiot Biden was cleary referring to 1929. Why are you repeating yourself and why are you afraid of a leftist created myth of Sarah Palin’s religious beliefs?

    The Christians are coming!!!!11!!eleventy!!!

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  15. #15- daley:

    Apologize to all for repeating. My computer is foreign made and stutters. So-so-so-sorry.

    Palin crafted her own myth. She said its her belief. No doubt her assessment of the Kennedy assassination comes from Oliver Stone’s ‘JFK’ and got briefed on the Cuban Missile Crisis by Bushie-blonde brain trust, Dana Perino.

    As for Biden… that’s Vice President-elect idiot Biden to you and I’ll take that idoit over the current dummy and is sidekick pacemaker, any time.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  16. #5- Insufficently Sensitive-

    Well put.

    Tip of the hat to you for referencing Heinlein. too often overlooked- and over shadowed- by Arthur C. Clarke.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  17. Palin crafted her own myth. She said its her belief. No doubt her assessment of the Kennedy assassination comes from Oliver Stone’s ‘JFK’ and got briefed on the Cuban Missile Crisis by Bushie-blonde brain trust, Dana Perino.

    can I visit you and record our conversation? I’ve been wanting to produce a feel-good comedy for a long time now, and you, sir, are perfect for the role…

    Scott Jacobs (90ff96)

  18. can I visit you and record our conversation? I’ve been wanting to produce a feel-good comedy for a long time now, and you, sir, are perfect for the role…

    Or, Scott, you could just tape the nearest Kindergarten playground bully wanabee and get about the same quality of thought.

    J."Trashman" Peden (410e0d)

  19. DCSCA is trying to change the subject to something more comfortable. No matter how much you love Barack, he’s tied to Bloggo one way or another.

    You’re trying to derail the thread by switching over to the Palin-scares-me meme. Put that one on the shelf for awhile. I don’t know if Blago’s dumb; I’ll read the Barone piece. But maybe like Hillary, Rod just has too much info to drop out without a fight. Granted, Illinois suffers in the midst of his actions. But the DNC portrayed Hillary in the same light, as though she was hurting the party in some kind of selfish effort to win.

    Really a good time to hide your Palin paranoia, though. You know she’s a reformer, whereas Barry isn’t. And she’s an honest Governor, whereas Blago isn’t.

    Vermont Neighbor (de46bd)

  20. VN – You’ll also note that DCSCA like to live in the past, with a lot of 1970s and 1980s analogies and has that common lefty affliction of never supporting assertions with links or data. The 5000 year bit was a pure lefty creation.

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  21. Sarah Palin scares me.

    Annon Y. Moose (497622)

  22. The 5000 year bit was a pure lefty creation.

    The Palin Troothers! They’ve been so damaging on so many levels, it’s what’s REALLY SCARY. I notice there’s a steady, almost organized effort to run her down between now and ’12. ‘Just in case.’

    Vermont Neighbor (de46bd)

  23. #21: Daley-

    “Past is prologue.”

    Conservative lesson #9: 9+9=18, not 99… or 86.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  24. #19- J’Trashman’Peden- You seem to know a lot about playgrounds, bullies and wannabes. Were you with the road company for ‘A Chorus Line’ or let go from the Broadway production when it closed?

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  25. Apologize to all for repeating. My computer is foreign made and stutters. So-so-so-sorry.

    So you don’t support the unions and “Buy American?”

    Also, care to comment on my comment in #23, or is all you do is derail, deflect and deviate?

    Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (152589)

  26. Whoops, #2

    Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (152589)

  27. “Conservative lesson #9: 9+9=18, not 99… or 86.”

    DCSCA – Your words: Figures lie and liars figure.

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  28. #18- Scott:

    “If I want my butt kissed, I’ll hire a hooker.”
    -Eliot Spitzer

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  29. “If I want to steal an election, I’ll hire Axelrod.”
    -Barack Obama

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  30. #28 daley-

    Account for your ideology.It doesnt add up. With conservatives-when liars figure, figures lie.

    Conservative lesson #10: 10+10=20, not 1010 or 1010 WINS,NY

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  31. #20- VN- Hardly. The premise of the thread is based on Barone’s 2nd line, highlighted. I simply said not to bury the lead as his mastery of the obvious is ahead of it:

    “And a stupid man (or woman) in high political office can be very dangerous to all concerned.”

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  32. _______________________________

    Actually, if memory serves, FDR was on television at the opening of the 1939 World’s Fair.

    Is that a ridiculous attempt to rationalize away the idiocy (or, to be diplomatic, the ignorance) of Joe Biden?

    And it’s hilarious when you, a liberal, should be so concerned about adding thing up correctly (ie, 4 + 4 = 8). The leftist sentiments in the brains of people like you often lead to “feelings….nothing more than feelings….and truth and logic be damned!”
    _______________________________

    Mark (411533)

  33. #26& #23– Paul

    Yes.

    I also debunk… and delete. It’s a delight.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  34. #33- Mark-

    Is it? Am I? Do they?

    “You can’t cheat an honest man. Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump.” —
    W.C. Fields

    Conservative lesson # 11. (I know its hard for y’all, but no cheating…) 11+11=22, not 1,111.. or 4.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  35. DCSCA – Must suck to have to deflect, distort and dissemble until you get issued your talking points on Blagogate and how to attempt to keep Obama at a safe distance from it.

    Liberal Math Lesson – Democrats Win Elections and 2 + 2 = 3 Country Loses

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  36. You seem to know a lot about deflecting, distorting, dissembling and sucking. Does it blow that much being a conservative or do you just play shortstop for the Sox in the Windy City?

    Conservative lesson #14 – 14+14=28, not 1,414

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  37. Rod aint stupid, he is but another victim of the legal industry, just another club member that got caught! I’m sure his fellow club members will go out of their way to protect him OR, be the first to throw him under the bus to shut the spotlights off ASAP!

    Dear attorneys, if yo desire an elected office that does not require a BAR certificate to hold office, please resign your BAR membership upon filing for election. You really have little business in the creation of laws, especially those that your industry has managed to muddle up the entire nation with.

    Remember that an industry that refuses to regulate itself, will be regulated by others. Others may not give a hoot n hell about what they may perceive as your laws either.

    TC (0b9ca4)

  38. So, this alphabet soup poster’s entire point is that RodBlag is somehow smarter than Sarah Palin? Riiiiiight.

    BTW, is any part of the original post about her?

    Nope.

    Icy Texan (b7d162)

  39. I also debunk… and delete. It’s a delight.

    Debunked what?

    All you’ve done is make undocumented assertions and incoherent ramblings, because I’ve swatted at least five of your statements out of the park in the last 24 hours (since you like baseball analogies) with no response from you other than snark if you do, meaning the fat lady is singing about the defeat of your pathetic Asteroid Galaxy Tour arguments (since you like performing arts and astronomy analogies.)

    Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (152589)

  40. So, are you going to address the topic of this thread, and my response in #2?

    Tell me, who else attempted to sell to the highest bidder an open Senate seat in exchange for high-paying prestigious jobs for both themselves and their spouse using their possibly wiretapped home phone while under federal investigation?

    Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (152589)

  41. I don’t know if Blago’s dumb

    While he’s obviously not the smartest politico we’ve seen around these parts, he’s by no means insane or disabled in any capacity. What the rest of the country is finally witnessing (even though the MSM strenuously avoided it during the campaign) is pure Illinois politics, period. This kind of behavior is just another day at the office for both parties here, since they’ve been joined at the hip for the better part of three decades at this point.

    Dmac (e30284)

  42. “More alarming than Biden’s error is Palin’s belief in Creationism and its bedrock belief that Man roamed the world with dinosaurs on a Planet Earth that’s just 5,000 years old.

    Rather than actual debunking, what DCSCA is doing is intentionally repeating fraudulent claims already long debunked. But that’s typical for someone who thinks that the C47 and Willys Jeep are not obsolete.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  43. Well, #1, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 24, 25, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35 and 37 are all ONE PERSON.

    I think what these people do is drop in on a thread, smudge it up, obfuscate Obama’s lies and try to move the topic away from the whole mess. It’s sad but sort of funny.

    Buyers remorse, maybe? Sarah Palin stood up to their crap and didn’t fall for the schoolyard bully tactics. She’s a reformer. Her state and resume boast things Obama can only pretend to know about. DCSCA: your contempt for Palin ain’t gonna give Barry the balls and brains he needs before January 20th.

    Dmac.. I like the live from the scene posts, too. I find Chicago libs to be the worst kind. They hate Sarah Palin’s toughness and lack of elite creds. She did it without cheating. And they can’t even call her ugly. So they call her pretty. And they wallow in the same despicable sexism-racism-tokenism that their party preaches against.

    That’s the DNC as a whole, not just Chicago. As for Blago, I still need to read the Barone piece but it doesn’t seem like there’d be too many dummies surviving in a high stakes environment. John Edwards said it best. He just thought he was above the rules… just too insulated and coddled to. Barry isn’t dumb – but he clearly isn’t ‘the brain’ that everyone was hoping for. He’s a smooth talking inexperienced hand-picked widget, chosen specifically for the needs of the political time machine in which we live.

    IOW. DCSCA’s rants equal buyers remorse. Thus the Palin fixation.

    Vermont Neighbor (de46bd)

  44. VN – All they are capable of doing until they get issued their talking points is diverting the conversation elsewhere. They are no smarter than Blago. Ziegler has the polling results to prove it.

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  45. #40-Paul =sigh=

    I did. I have. Perhaps. May be.
    Don’t bury the lead.

    Conservative lesson #15: 15+15=30, not 1.515

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  46. #44- VN-
    My. Try decaf.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  47. So why did I just see McCain on the tube defending Obama’s ties to Blago and chastising people not to connect the current scandal to Obamafuehrer? What it is with squishy RINOs? Why doesn’t the assclown switch parties, along with Specter, Hagel and those Maine airhead senators? I watched the last campaign and was reminded of clueless war hero Bob Dole.

    The Palin attacks would be hilarious if “thinking” people didn’t buy into them. That asswhole that does Doonesbury can’t let go of pointing out Palin’s utter stupidity, using the debunked crap. I don’t think the partisan fellator has ever said one discouraging thing about Obama or Biden. Would be interesting to see what BS he will come up with to depict O’s godliness. Chris Muir at Day by Day has Obama’s demeanor down well- the pompous asshole look.

    madmax333 (0c6cfc)

  48. DCSCA – Why did Obama lie to the press about his team’s contacts with Blago?

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  49. Paul =sigh=

    I did. I have. Perhaps. May be.
    Don’t bury the lead.

    Conservative lesson #15: 15+15=30, not 1.515

    I ask again: Debunked what?

    Where is the evidence to support your assertions (links?)

    Tell me, who else attempted to sell to the highest bidder an open Senate seat in exchange for high-paying prestigious jobs for both themselves and their spouse using their possibly wiretapped home phone while under federal investigation?

    Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (152589)

  50. DCSCA:

    #1, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 24, 25, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35 and 37 are all ONE PERSON.

    Truth hurts, much? BTW, how did a young and inexperienced politician rise so quickly through the notorious Chicago machine? I mean, Obama is so wholesome and squeaky clean. So bright.

    Just awful how these nefarious types keeps seeking him out. When will it stop? Anyway, no worries. When HRC hits the driver’s seat, she’ll show that boy how things are done in the White House. Truth to power.

    Vermont Neighbor (de46bd)

  51. Max, Doonesbury is so predictable. That guy must phone it in.

    As for McCain… wtf. I have no idea. I’d hope that Obama’s own party would not defend these tactics. Trying to oust Blago is a sign that someone knows this is a bit serious. McCain isn’t displaying RINO tendencies – – what he’s up to, who knows. Probably trying to play ball for 2009 and just get along with the goons and Batboy. Mac crosses the aisle to legislate, unlike the crooks and liars who stole that phrase for fun.

    Someone called Michael Reagan the other day and said they’d never heard Obama’s voice “so high” and so nervous in a recent clip. It’s nice we don’t have wait 2 years to enjoy his squirming and antics.

    Vermont Neighbor (de46bd)

  52. daleyrocks,
    Ziegler really scored with that one. Did you say a store was selling Barack lawn jockeys? It’s a great idea, especially with the rotating signs. Hope, Change! Higher Taxes!

    Around Chicago when someone says change they ask how much. Blago only wanted his slice of the pie, same as Michelle Obama got. Same dividends.. nothing more nothing less.

    Vermont Neighbor (de46bd)

  53. Change You Can Subpoena!

    In other news, the media have finally picked up on the story that Obama is ineligible to be President of the United States.

    (Available at finer newsstands now!)

    Official Internet Data Office (5fd2bd)

  54. More alarming is Palin’s belief in Creationism; its bedrock belief that Man lived among the dinosaurs and Planet Earth is a mere 5,000 years old.

    Come to think of it, she does look a little like Pebbles.

    Comment by DCSCA

    This lie, repeated several times, establishes the trolldom of this person or sock puppet for me. No more responses to the idiot.

    For those who require documentation, you can find it here.

    This is where the troll gets his statements.

    Mike K (ee3203)

  55. DCSCA can you not answer the simple question:

    Why did Barack Hussein Obama lie in his press conference?

    Looks like Barry may actually at long last have an accomplishment of his very own to put on his resume:
    Having a chief of staff fired and jailed before being sworn in to office. Nice!

    Of course, Barry has shown that he is dumb as rocks with his judgment, especially concerning associates, so I supposed we shouldn’t be surprised.

    LogicalUS (742bd0)

  56. #55- Do you require documentation?

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  57. #49- Dailey-

    Did he?
    Could we?
    Would we? Memories…..

    Conservative lesson #16: 16+16=32, not 1,616, and could get you 20.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  58. DCSCA – Nonresponsive. Why did Obama lie to the media about his team’s contact’s with Blago’s team?

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  59. #19- J’Trashman’Peden- You seem to know a lot about playgrounds, bullies and wannabes. Were you with the road company for ‘A Chorus Line’ or let go from the Broadway production when it closed?

    Comment by DCSCA — 12/13/2008

    QED. You just did it again, DCSCA – the infantile modus of “debate” which is endemic to your posts. In addition, you sound a bit manic.

    J."Trashman" Peden (f67bd1)

  60. #59–

    Did he?
    Could we?
    Should we? Memories…

    Conservative lesson #18: 18+18=36, not 1,118

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  61. #56- you’re right. It IS a simple question.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  62. the infantile modus of “debate” which is endemic to your posts

    Well, he (and I’m assuming it is a “he,” not a she) is of the left and therefore intrinsically immature. Even more so if he’s closer in age to (or certainly older than) 40 — per below — than 20. Sort of like a high-school-aged brat who never manages to grow up. Or someone trapped in the naivete and foolishness of his “down with the man,” “no justice, no peace” college years.

    “If you’re young and conservative, you have no heart. If you are over 40 and liberal you have no brain.”

    Mark (411533)

  63. “Did he?
    Could we?
    Should we? Memories… ”

    DCSCA – Since I’ve yet to see any denials on your part, I’ll assume that you are in agreement that Obama lied to the media about his contacts with Blago.

    Why did he do it?

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  64. #61 DCSCA

    QED x 2. You did it again, now also invoking some vague dream-like reveries possibly “understood” only by yourself and your Cult members.

    Additional hint, DCSCA: back here in reality, remaining as far behind the curve as possible is not a plan.

    -no charge

    J."Trashman" Peden (fd6108)

  65. #63- Mark-

    Conservativism 101: when we cannot defeat the message, we must attack the messenger.

    Conservative lesson #19- 19+19=38, not 1,919.

    Sooner or later, you’ll learn. Hungry? Try the fish. Bush recommends the sole.

    DCSCA (d8da01)

  66. DCSCA, actually attack the messenger is Democratic Tactics 101. Well established over the last couple of decades between the Clintons and Obama. You know … drag up Joe the Plumber’s personal information rather than discuss the issue he raised.

    Do pay attention to current events, so you look less ignorant.

    SPQR (72771e)

  67. Conservativism 101: when we cannot defeat the message, we must attack the messenger.

    Well, if you ever attempted to make an actual argument (which requires facts, btw, which you should cite), then we wouldn’t have to attack the messenger. As it is, you don’t give us a message TO defeat.

    When the other team doesn’t show up, you’re pretty much just left with making fun of the other side’s band.

    Scott Jacobs (a1c284)

  68. Sooner or later, you’ll learn. Hungry? Try the fish. Bush recommends the sole.

    Oh yeah? Well, your mother wears combat boots! Na-nana-na-na.

    [QED x 3]

    J."Trashman" Peden (6c5e39)


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