It truly is the ultimate voting experience where people get to vote with their hard earned dollars for the things that make the most sense.

Voters complain about politicians they don’t like, but somehow they still seem to get elected or reelected. This is usually because some special interest group dumped a ton of cash into the candidate’s coffers in hopes of getting a little quid pro quo once he or she is elected. The recent election of the new Messiah is a perfect example.

Voters bought the promise of hope and change and elected a guy with absolutely no qualifications or background in executive decision making, economics or world affairs to be leader the United States and most of the free world. But they bought the rhetoric because it didn’t cost them anything to buy it.

The United Autoworkers Union and the Teamsters Union are powerful forces to be reckoned with when it comes to getting politicians elected. They certainly proved their worth to the Obama campaign and are now beginning to reap the benefits. But all their money and organization can’t get people to vote with their wallets to buy the products their union members provide. Congress is now looking to bail out the Big Three unionized automakers only because the consumers won’t.

Consumers have the ultimate authority over life and death in a capitalistic society. Products and services consumers like succeed and grow and the ones they don’t go away. A savvy marketing campaign can be the difference between success and failure of a free market product. But even the best marketing campaign in the world can’t make a success out of an inferior or unpopular product. Eventually the law of numbers catches up and its fate is decided. It’s all about the money.

Such is the case as well in the most recent edition of “Rod Blagojevich Superstar”. In Illinois and around the country people are questioning how a guy who just got the heave hoe from the governor’s mansion can be getting a six figure book deal. The answer is simple; it’s all about the money.

Lightning Rod Blagojevich is currently the Illinois version of Monica Lewinski. He is scorned and ridiculed but still somehow like a six car pileup that people don’t want to look at but feel they have to. He also spent time in the office of power until political fallout brought him to his knees.

Illinoisans and folks from around the country are shocked and outraged that he has been give a six figure book deal from Phoenix Books to write a tattle tale tell all “exposing the dark side of politics”. Even the Illinois Senate has been caught up in the frenzy by debating legislation that would prevent the ex-governor from making a profit from his flagitious two terms. The outrage is real, but to me very confusing.

When then ex-president Richard Nixon wrote his first book after leaving office news programs were packed with reports of protests and outraged protesters. But the book was a best seller and even spawned a second book. Conversely ex-governor James McGreevy wrote a book that almost nobody bothered buying after leaving the New Jersey governor’s mansion and his female wife to explore his new found gay lifestyle.

The beauty of living in a capitalistic society is that we as consumers get to decide the fate of the products that we don’t like. Phoenix Books paid Big Rod big money because they think the book will sell. If it doesn’t sell, the company suffers a humiliating loss, both financially and in the public sentiment. The key is does Phoenix Books know what the book buying public wants to read more than the book buying public? It’s all about the money.

If you don’t like the ex-governor and you don’t like the fact that he is going to make some dough from snitching on those that impeached him, don’t buy the book. But if this book is a financial success you can bet there will be a second and a third etc.

The Blagojevich series could be the next Harry Potter. But the public is the ultimate wizard maker in this fantasy.

Because it’s always all about the money.

So goes the lyrics to the Rogers and Hammerstein classic. So goes the now infamouse dethroned governor of the state is Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly may have sent Big Rod Blagojevich packing but be certain that Rod will not walk alone. At least not willingly.

Big Rod’s rambling speech given to the members of the impeachment panel before they voted to oust him can only be compared in its self-serving paranoia to Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of Captain Queeg’s court testimony regarding the stolen strawberries in the movie Caine Mutiny. But in his comments the governor tipped his hand by evoking the names of some pretty high placed officials in both state and federal government. He has since been quoted alleging the sexual exploits of some high ranking members of the Illinois General Assembly. You can bet whatever is left in your 401K that Blago will attempt to use these names and incidents if and when the Fed’s actually take him to court.

The developments currently coming to light and the reaction of high ranking Democrats regarding the recently seated Illinois Senator Roland Burris have made it fairly plain that anyone who had friendly contact with Blagojevich will be shunned and quite possibly burned at the stake. Burris, having spent his entire life as a dedicated Democrat in Illinois, will soon helplessly watch as his previously clean reputation is buried in his ornately engraved marble mausoleum long before his mortal remains are ready to join it.

But while Burris will soon feel the wrath of isolation from the political party he faithfully served, it was not his name that was repeatedly summoned during Blagojevich’s tirade. Rather it was the name of the new president’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that received most of Blago’s kindred comments.

Like the other multimillionaires in the new administrations cabinet, Emanuel may soon be joining the stable of Obama tax delinquents as it was recently revealed that he had lived for 5 years in Washington DC rent free in the very upscale townhome of a Democrat Congresswoman and her Democratic Party employed pollster husband. Emanuel failed to report this “gift” conservatively estimated at a value of over $100,000, as congressional ethics require, but he also failed to mention it on his tax returns. It has been confirmed that his conversations regarding the replacement of his new White House bosses senate seat were recorded as part of the sting to prosecute the Illinois governor and now his name is being bandied about by Big Rod himself.

It is far more likely than not that his involvement with then Governor Blagojevich is far greater than has been reported and that fact may be one of the leading reasons the prosecutors in the Blago case needed an additional 4 months to submit their case for prosecution. But even if political pressure from the White House is able to keep Emanuel from any involvement or embarrassment in the prosecutor’s case, Rahm can be assured that Big Rod will have him front and center in his defense. I can only imagine Blago doing his best Jimmy Cagney impersonation saying “If I go I’m takin’ youze mugs wit me, see”.

The extent to which Emanuel was truly involved with Blagojevich may never be known for sure. But the charges brought and the charges not brought by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald may give some indication as to exactly what behind the scenes negotiations have taken place with the White House. I am fairly sure any attempt by Blago to involve Emanuel during the court proceedings will be vigorously opposed by the prosecution. But due to the rules of evidence disclosure the defense may have all it needs to include him regardless of any deals the prosecutors have or the consequences to the Obama administration.

The devil may be in the details.

But he never walks alone.

Welcome to this week’s episode of “The Real World – Pennsylvania Avenue/Chicago Style”

I’ve never actually seen an episode of MTV’s Real World. The clips I have seen of the young, out of control misfits who make up the changing cast of characters make me hope that MTV will replay the episodes so I can not watch it a second time. But the premise of the show seems to fit perfectly with what is currently happening with the President-Elect and his inner group of Chicago style political veterans.

It’s Pennsylvania Avenue Chicago style. When you think “Chicago style” your first thought may be pizza. But Chicago is famous for two Chicago style delights, pizza and politics. There are actually some similarities between the two.

The key to a good Chicago style pizza is that they have more dough. The same is true for Chicago style politicians. Where the pizza is given it’s dough by the pizza maker, the politician is given his dough by the pizza maker if he wants to continue making pizza. A Chicago style pizza has a thick crust, once again true for the Chicago style politicians. But where the pizza has a crust that is cooked to a golden brown and easy to cut the politician has a thick crust that even the most ardent investigations can’t cut into. A Chicago style pizza will burn you if you’re not careful. A Chicago style politician will burn you even if you are careful. A Chicago style pizza lies on your table. A Chicago style politician lies just about anywhere.

The President-Elect has chosen to surround himself with some of the thickest crusted veterans of good old fashioned Chicago style politics. His campaign manager David Axelrod proved how quickly you can get burned during the campaign just by the mere mentioning of his candidates middle name. And now even before the President becomes the President, his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is baking up a pan full of flat out lies. All thanks to their involvement with Illinois Governor Big Rod Blagojevich. The Governor is also a veteran of Chicago style politics having been long time friends with Emanuel and Axelrod and having been schooled in some of the finer points by his father-in-law Chicago Alderman Dick Mel.

One of the keys to the MTV show “The Real World” is that everything the cast says and does is recorded on tape. Like the tape of Axelrod stating that the President-Elect had been in contact with the Illinois Governor to discuss candidates for his now vacant Senate seat. Or the tape in which BHO claimed that neither he nor anybody on his staff had conducted any conversations with the soon to be indicted Governor. Or the most recent tape of the Chosen One stating that nobody on his staff had any “inappropriate” conversations with Big Rod.

Having no conversations and having no inappropriate conversations are two completely different things. Plus “appropriate” is a relative term and open to interpretation. It’s kind of like not having sex with that woman because you didn’t consider what she was doing to you constituted sex. Unfortunately for the soon to be President it will be as tough a sell on the “inappropriate” part as it was for Bill to convince the new Secretary of State on the “sex” part.

It can be rather disconcerting for a thoughtful self-biographer, who is used to having his words edited and reading off the script to suddenly be in the Real World where people pay attention to your exact verbiage and have your comments on tape to review.

It actually appears from the covert tapes of the Governor that the BHO team was not looking to get involved with the Senate seat selling scheme. So why was their first public reaction to the scandal to deny everything, even appropriate contact? That is as typical of a Chicago style politician as the Governor was looking to get some dough out of the Senate seat.

The key will be to find out how much the Presidents men knew and when they knew it. Stay tuned to the next episode of The Real World to see if Prosecutor Fitzgerald is allowed to find out. My guess is that he will find the BHO Chicago team has set up more roadblocks than an Israeli – Palestine border crossing. And it will be twice as hostile.

Chicago style pizza and Chicago style politics. Both are classics.

Those were the words used by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to explain why she was petitioning the Illinois Supreme Court to remove Governor Big Rod Blagojevich from his authority. The question was; why take this action now before the Governor is proven guilty. The answer from Illinois top legal representative is that in matters that are extraordinary and unprecedented one must take actions that are also extraordinary and unprecedented.

I agree with the premise that this is indeed a situation where inaction could cause undue harm to the state of Illinois in any number of ways. The Governors ability to effectively govern has been seriously compromised. Any action he would take at this point would be viewed in the tainted light of the actions for which he is being investigated. He needs to be relieved of his duties either by his acquiescence or by legal force even though he hasn’t been convicted of anything. But I disagree with AG Madigan’s assertion that the Governors actions were either extraordinary or unprecedented.

First of all, under the table contributions and kickbacks in Illinois for favors and business contracts is as common as failed ethics legislation proposals. The Democratically connected politico’s in Chicago alone have raked in more in illegal tribute than some developing nations GDP’s. Secondly, the most the Governor will likely be charged with on any of these counts of “Pay for Play” is conspiracy to commit. He was not successful at actually completing any of the crimes. This was not for a lack of trying, but rather for a lack of time.

The Chicago Tribune learned of the covert taping of the Gov and his attempt at auctioning off the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the President Elect. They contacted the prosecutor who beseeched them for time to further the investigation. In a rare showing of good judgment and because the Tribune editorial board had also been a target of the Governors shake down they agreed. But before anybody had the opportunity to take the Governor up on his scheme the Tribune informed Prosecutor Fitzgerald’s office that they were going forward with the story.

We have the possibility of at least five wannabe Senators vying for the Governors paid-in-full nod of approval and the Tribune decides to go to print before the deal is done. We have the President Elect’s top political advisor, Chicago political veteran David Axelrod, stating to the news media that the new President had been in contact with the Governor regarding who would be a suitable candidate. A claim which was quickly withdrawn when BHO emphatically stated that he had never had such a conversation. This ardent denial is now being questioned as cell phone records of the incoming Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (also a long time Chicago political veteran) prove that conversations did indeed take place. Add to this the possible implication of Jesse Jackson Jr. who has been identified as someone who may have been interested in playing the game by the Governors rules and you have a real blockbuster of a story.

What is extraordinary and unprecedented is the Tribune’s decision to break the story just when the story was about to get really interesting. What is extraordinary and unprecedented is that the guy who ran on the platform of change is already changing his story before he even gets into office. What is extraordinary and unprecedented is that the administration of change has these two long time Chicago political hacks, who were thick as thieves with the now discredited Governor, in top positions within the administration. What is extraordinary and unprecedented is that Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (a.k.a. Candidate 5) was saved the embarrassment and possible criminal prosecution of actually coughing up a political contribution to pay his way to the U.S. Senate. What is extraordinary and unprecedented is the Tribune learning of this top secret covert operation just as it was about to begin.

Remove the Governor by any means necessary, not because what he did was so extraordinary but because what he did was so stupid. If you want to see extraordinary and unprecedented you need look no farther than the Chicago Tribune Tower.