Politics: Stupid voters
I don’t agree with the widely-held belief that Jim Edgar was squeaky clean during his tenure as governor of Illinois. I mean, sure, he shines in comparison to his predecessor, Big Jim Thompson, the man who made pin-stripe patronage what is still is today in Illinois.  He never killed anybody, which is something that George Ryan cannot say, having sold drivers licenses to unsafe drivers, including the truck driver who killed six kids.
But Edgar played the game, albeit a bit more quietly than most.
But I am going to agree with some of the points Edgar made in this interview with the Daily Eastern News:Â
Edgar said Blagojevich should resign, but concluded he probably will not quit as governor.
“I’ll be surprised if he voluntarily stepped down,” he said.
He said the voter population should have been more critical when Blagojevich was re-elected in 2006. The media did an adequate job of bringing out and discussing the ethical issues Blagojevich had prior to 2006, Edgar said. He was surprised when Blagojevich was re-elected, he added.
Folks, this is what I have been saying. We, the voting public, have to accept responsibility for Blagojevich. Sure, he ran as a reformer the first time. But by 2006, we knew he was under investigation. We knew he couldn’t govern. We suspected he was a nutcase. But we voted with our wallets. We listened to politicians say he’s still doing good things. He swallowed the lies he told on his television ads. We closed our eyes, covered out ears and hummed loudly to ourselves to convince ourselves that we weren’t seeing and hearing what was right in front of us.
We constantly complain about smarmy politicians who run on charm, good looks and lies. But we vote for them anyway because we cannot take our eyes away, and because we’ve convinced ourselves that honesty and integrity doesn’t matter as much as making sure we get a taste.
We are stupid voters.
Yesterday, the headline on the Journal Star was “State of Shame.”
Absolutely right. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.Â
December 11th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I didn’t vote for him, either time, so why should I be ashamed?
Actually, there were at least two executions during Edgar’s tenure so maybe it isn’t technically true that he “never killed anybody.” It would be more accurate to say that he never killed any INNOCENT people as a result of failing to carry out his sworn duties as a public official.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:59 am
It also could be that the voting public thought Topinka was even more problematic than Blago. I don’t know anyone who thought Blago was a great choice in 2006. Those (whom I know) who did so, did it because they liked Topinka even less.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Blago had the money and the clout to buy the democratic nomination; the GOP didn’t put up a strong contender (IIRC, Topinka was the only not-retired Republican not in jail who’d held statewide office and was a default choice); and sadly few people are willing to vote for third parties.
I think the fact that the Green party reached the threshhold to get state funding was frankly a harsh referendum on Blago.
And don’t blame me, I voted Whitney.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:02 am
It’s not that anyone thaught that Bago was a good choice. Its that Topinka was far worse. Better the devil you know and all that.
hell if it where Topinka V. Blago today I think Hot Rod would still win.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Billy, you make an excellent point. Good entry.
Oh, and don’t blame me. I voted Libertarian.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Billy, you are on to something. Last night on the news analysis shows it seemed the prevailing theme of the evening was how stupid the Illinois voters are.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Well, under these rules, what does it say for the number of Bush voters in 2004?
December 11th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Voting Whitney is exactly why Blagojevich is still in office. Thanks! Voting Whitney was not a referendum on Blagojevich…it was a vote FOR Blagojevich, so you’re just as guilty as anyone who actually punched Blago’s name.
This is one of those rare moments I actually agree with you, Bill. Good post.
December 11th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Ryan Johnson is wrong. Judy Baar Topinka did not OWN the Whitney votes. Whitney voters are perfectly innocent in putting Blagojevich in office, unlike Barack Obama, Dick Durbin, Michael Madigan, Mayor Daley, etc, etc, etc. Whitney voters did more than most people to try to prevent the exact mess Blago and the Dems have us in now. They do deserve real thanks and they deserve more respect than to be blamed for anything related to this.
Not only are Illinois voters stupid, but they are wimps. How many people from Illinois showed up for Obama’s election night party? How many people from Illinois were at his campaign announcement? There should be TWICE as many people camped outside Rod Blagojevich’s home and Chicago office with pitchforks and torches demanding his immediate resignation. There should be a mob of Illinois voters, that really care about change and that really believed the Obama hype that they were the change they seek, blocking Rod Blagojevich from leaving his home to go to the Governor’s office and another mob of voters at his office keeping Rod Blagojevich from going into the Governor’s office.
Illinois voters screwed up royally. Now if they had any guts or pride or even a care in the world for their fellow citizens they would fix it themselves.
You can’t wait for Michael Madigan to figure out the best political angle on how to deal with impeachment that will make him look good and his daughter look good to replace Blago. You can’t wait for Patrick Fitzgerald and the legitimately slow balances of justice. You can’t wait for Rod Blagojevich to come to his senses and resign. You need to fix it. Go buy a pitchfork and head for Chicago or at least spread the word.
100,000 people outside Rod Blagojevich’s home and office demanding his resignation should do the trick. If not, it will at least keep him from going to work.
December 11th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Yeah, being from Illinois isn’t something I’ve been proudly announcing to non-Illinoisians lately. But at least I don’t have the shame and embarrassment of having voted for Blago. First time around I voted for Jim Ryan, even though I knew Republican corruption and confusion between Jim and George made Blago’s election a foregone conclusion. Even at that time I sensed what seemed to be an aroma of corruption and detached-from-reality hubris about Blago. Four years later the best the Republicans could come up with was Topinka, a throwback to the Thompson-Edgar-Ryan corruption, and whose stated policy position did not seem substantially different from Blago’s anyway. So I just did a write-in vote for governor that year. 50% voted for Blago, which is terrible, but only 39% for Topinka — 11 percent of voters went third-party or write-in that year, a clear sign of immense voter dissatisfaction, not just with Blago’s non-governance of the state but also with the lack of alternative that the shell of the Illinois Republicans have made of themselves.
December 11th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Road trip anyone? I’m in.
December 11th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Let us know when you get there!
December 11th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Why stop with Blagojevich? If the FBI were to apply the same standards to all the elected officials in Chicago, every single Chicago alderman would be sitting in jail right now.
[Ed. Note: This guy is NOT Anon E. Mouse, a regular commenter. Please refrain from chosing a handle that could be misleading]
December 11th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
The ‘Protest’ votes for Whitney in the last election said a lot. I don’t think so many voters would be opting for a socialist in an election with better popular party candidates. Whitney was more of a ‘None of the Above’ option.
December 11th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I supported Corrine Wood back in the day. Never voted for Blago.
But the general theme is correct – the electorate got exactly what they deserved.
December 11th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Nope. A vote for Whitney was a vote for Blagojevich. Whitney had no chance at winning. Topinka lost by 10%…Whitney got 11%…If you voted for Whitney, your probably more guilty of putting Blagojevich in office than if you’d just voted for Blago. If you really wanted change, you would have voted Topinka because she actually could have beaten him had Whitney not been in the race.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Topinka was a terrible choice. Typical Republican pick, “Oh she’s been around for so damned long. She’s earned the spot. Who cares if she can’t win? She’s been around so damned long.”
Had the Republicans put up someone who didn’t speak like she had been gargling with razor blades half her life; didn’t come off as a cross-dresser; and didn’t spend her entire campaign ripping into Governor Hair, and instead floated some plans of her own; maybe this whole thing would be nothing but an ex-governor being put on trial for transgressions 4 years ago.
Rich Whitney is a nice guy, I’m sure, but as qualified to be a governor as my mail man is. A vote for him was as stupid as it gets. Billy, you feel so proud and special for voting for a guy that might qualify as a trustee in a community of, say, 700. That was a vote far more stupid than even for Governor Hair.
Impeach the guy, and let’s move on.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Topinka didn’t have to be the choice. Everyone knew Blago was going to win the Democratic primary. If you truly cared about making sure Blago didn’t retain office, you would have voted in the Republican primary. Undecided voters don’t have a right to be lazy and decide the day before the General Election then bitch about their choices. I didn’t vote for Topinka in the primary…I didn’t want to vote for Topinka in the General, but I knew it was a matter of time for Blago…..Topinka was a good choice and would have been a good governor…she wasn’t my first choice, but I was more than willing to throw my support behind someone that wasn’t under federal investigaiton.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Balgojevich was re-elected in Chicago and some of the collar counties. I think he lost the state basically south of I-80. But when you go into an election with the population concentration of the state in your back pocket ,figuratively and literally, you get re-elected. The Chicago area Democrat machine owns and runs Illinois PERIOD. Until that somehow changes, this stuff will go on and on and on.
I realize we are able to get some token Rupublican crooks into the Governors office from time to time, but I think the real problem is the arrogance of complete one party control concentrated in a 50 mile radious of Chicago. They all live there. The power brokers in the legislature, as well as every single elected constitutional officer in the state.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
A vote for Rich Whitney was a vote for Rich Whitney. Topinka deserved my vote only slightly more than Blago did … which was not at all. Maybe if the Illinois GOP hadn’t picked such a dud candidate, the result would have been different. Don’t blame those who voted Green for the abject failure and blind idiocy of the Republican Party.
Methinks the time is right for the Modern Whigs. Their centrist, common sense positions could draw a lot of support in Illinois. The IL Dems are nearly hopelessly corrupted by the Chicago machine, and the IL Republicans are worthless non-entities chained to a dieing party … those that aren’t equally corrupted. The Greens are admirable, but likely a permanent minority party along with the Libertarians and others. The Whigs would be wise to make a major push in this state for 2010 & 2012.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Oh, and Ryan … even if Topinka (1,368,682 votes) got every single one of Whitney’s votes (361,163), Blago still would have won (1,736,219 vs. 1,729,845). Then you’d have to blame Randy Stufflebeam (19,020 votes) … which would be just as dumb as blaming Rich Whitney.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Here’s how the Illinois counties fell in 2006 (from Wikipedia).
December 12th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Knight, quit trying to infuse facts into the discussion.
December 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Gosh durnit……….it’s MY fault that the state of Illinois is in this fix. Oh what BS……whatever happened to self accountability. We all know how he got the Democrat nomination, it sure wasnt his credentials. And I still wouldnt vote for the honest Baar-topinkavich. Using that logic…whoever voted for Bush is responsible for all his actions? C’mon please .
December 12th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Ryan Johnson : what part of, “as bad as blago is, Topinka was worse” do you not understand. She was waste deep in Ryans mess.
This isn’t the voters fault, our choices where cyinide or arsnic.