This deserves a serious looking-over by the Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan. Strangely, her office has been pretty much silent about it, even as all goes down against the backdrop of the Blagojevich corruption trial. Maybe she just wants to have the Feds do her job.
I’ve known Quinn to basically say that he, “always tries to do what is best for the public.” I would have been more satisfied to hear that he always DOES what is best, not that he TRIES!
I wonder if Quinn has forgotten about all his little ‘Tea Parties’. While his political party decries the modern tea party movement as Astroturf, I wonder if they know the governor was semi-famous for pulling the exact same stunt for years. In 1978 he urged Illinois citizens to send tea bags to protest Jim Thompson. In 2006 he used the same tactic against Commonwealth Edison.
Less well known is that years ago he put on his show for the media in the Town of Cicero during the time that Mr. Henry Klosak was mayor. But this time he actually stole from the state of Illinois to do it!
Quinn was Illinois State Treasurer at the time and to secure publicity he and his employees from his office staged a ‘Tea Party’ (on government time, mind you) at the weekly board meeting. He was yelling like a mad man for residents to mail tea bags to the mayor’s office. Because this happened in Cicero the media flocked to cover the story.
The mayor’s office received ONE tea bag.
The media hurried to get the story on the noon news. They did not stay to see the desecration of the American flag, as it was being tossed to the floor. It was great publicity for Quinn dressed in Revolutionary War garb though.
Not one media outlet questioned why he and his employees from his office were “stage” playing on taxpayers time. Did he think at that time using government employees to further his career was best for the citizens? Guess this was just another one of the times he was TRYING instead of DOING.
4 Comments
Betty,
This is a bit off-topic, but I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on… (YOUR COMMENT HAS BEEN MODIFIED – please keep your comments related to the article, thank you. Joseph Fosco, Publisher).
I love the addition of Betty-LM to your writing staff.
May I ask a question?
Does the KTF staff ever socialize together? Do you guys ever convene for drinks or dinner to discuss the latest goings-on the blog?
Speaking for myself, I admit I have this fantasy about someday being lucky enough to bump into KTF’s “dramatis personae” at pub one night.
You know…
Joe Fosco sitting at the head of the table, sipping a Peroni or something, while listening intently as Betty, Alex and “Theo” theorize about world affairs.
Meanwhile, Susan and Kate are parked on nearby barstools, quietly and deeply engaged in girl talk.
Vince Costa is somewhere outside, talking to Conrad Black, via his cell phone.
And, of course, no one knows where the heck Charles Sullivan is.
Unfortunately, per my fantasy, Harlem Playboy soon buzzes into the pub and rudely interrupts the group’s chemistry with an inappropriate and tendentious question about Nick Gio.
After you guys tell him that his comments are very, VERY off-base, Harlem Playboy (nonetheless) walks away apologetically and dejectedly, and decides to join Misters Padal and Battaglia at a nearby table.
Yes: an extremely strange fantasy.
Does this kind of thing ever happen?
Dear Anti,
All of KTF’s contributors are never together at one time, anywhere. Sorry.
Betty,
Did you go with “Quinn’s Quandry” because it exhibits good alliteration… ?
(YOUR COMMENT WAS MODIFIED – anything that distracts the readers from the article will be eliminated. Thank you, Joseph Fosco)