Breaking News - Jurors deadlocked on 22 counts

[malaise]

re Blago. The other two counts - they haven't voted on.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

from GEM$NBC

[Renew Deal]

1. Don't they have to decide on the other two?

They can't just ignore them. Interesting though. The details of this case were always complicated. It depends on what you expect of government. If you expect horse trading and talking crap, then Blago is innocent.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. No, if horse trading and talking crap are *legal* then Blago is innocent

Despicable does not equal criminal

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. Guys, if you want responsible government, then you want the jury to condemn this man.

This is were we have a major disconnect. It's this horse trading that's getting out of hand.

[gratuitous]

19. Except . . .

I recall that Blagojevich was quoted as saying that his ability to name an interim replacement for the Illinois Senate seat was some kind of financial/political opportunity or windfall, but I don't recall that he actually did anything along those lines. The disconnect seems to be between Blagojevich's bragging about an opportunity for corruption, but not actually doing anything corrupt.

Was his remark intemperate? Surely. But did he commit a criminal act? The jury seems deadlocked on the question. Perhaps the prosecutor failed to prove his case.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Sounds like you're trying to give him a pass.

This is an opportunity for the Dems to set a higher standard. I hope they don't miss the boat.

[gratuitous]

24. I'm not trying to "give him a pass"

But if he talked big but didn't do anything, I fail to see where a crime was committed. People, including politicians, make intemperate remarks all the time, but they don't rise to the level of a criminal act. If there is evidence that Blagojevich swung a sweet deal for himself or pocketed some money off his appointment, then I'd be all in favor of convicting him of corruption. But if he was just shooting his mouth off, I don't think he should be spending time in the graybar hotel, unless you want to lock up everyone who does that.

It's up to the jury anyway. Politically, Blagojevich is finished, so the Democrats have indeed followed a higher standard than the Republicans and their continued fealty to the likes of Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, both of whom remain politically viable, if not favored to compete for the Republican nomination in 2012.

[The Backlash Cometh]

28. Excuse me?

He is a politician with an important position. "Talking big" is enough to intimidate people. You haven't been around a lot of staff people in government, because they will buckle when the boss uses swagger to carry his weight around.

That's the problem we have. Staff people just want to hold on to their job, and even if they wanted to report their bosses they couldn't do it because even more crooked people are in charge of the ethics commissions.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bigtree]

4. makes sense

good for Blago.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. They never had a case against him. Good for Blago.

Another federal witch hunt paid for by you & me.

[TexasObserver]

6. Patrick Fitzgerald dropped the ball on the biggest case of the century.

Not this politically motivated case. The one he had about Bush, Cheney and Rove conspiring to out a CIA agent, and doing so.

This case has always been a case about hanging a Chicago/Illinois politician. The primary target of this was Obama in October of 2008. When that led nowhere, they decided to try to make a case against Blago.

This case should result in acquittal, but it won't, because there are always jurors who lap up like dogs anything the prosecution claims.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. I completely agree with you about Fitzgerald

Not one bit of disagreement. He either choked, was simply not up to the task, or never intended to win that case.

As to Blago, I disagree. I think he'll walk.

On edit: I hit the post button too soon. To continue . . . . .

I think he'll walk because of a number of factors, not the least of which is he's charming, rougueish, and entertaining. I also think, Legally, I think the prosecution piled on and made the case far more complicated than it needed to be. 22 counts, many of which were similar, lesser, and designed to simply get something if not everything, is more than most people can keep straight. This will confuse the jurors or make them see the prosecution as mean spirited, either of which can sway a juror just enough to vote for acquittal.

[TexasObserver]

11. I didn't mean to imply there won't be a conviction this time.

But he won't get an acquittal. The judge will declare a mistrial, and the government will think about trying him again.

This operation was aimed at the president originally. When that failed, it was used to go after a "Chicago politician" who would make an easy target with some tapes that were politically embarrassing to the newly elected president. It's been a smear campaign against Democrats the whole time, from the original "investigation" to now. Its only purpose is to make corruption attach to the president and Democrats.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Shades of Arkansas and the now heralded Ted Olson a few years back.

The culmination being a blue dress with some protein residue leading to a stolen presidential election.

[TexasObserver]

25. Yes, they contrive these cases to smear Democrats.

I think it's possible they'll prosecute Blago again, and they might eventually convict him. When the federal government goes after anyone, they seldom escape conviction.

Some Democrats get caught red handed in misconduct, but it's pocket change compared to the stealing the GOPers do every day with major businesses.

I hope Blago walks entirely, gets his own TV show, and his wife Patty becomes his co-star. She's a really cool woman, and that makes me think he's probably a more decent guy than he's portrayed.

[DevonRex]

27. I'm hoping PF purposely laid it on too thick and won't refile.

The charges were extreme, IMO, and so far the jurors haven't been able to agree. So just maybe that's what he was banking on.

[malaise]

20. Good post

Yeh Cheney should be in jail not Blago.

[DevonRex]

26. Did he drop the ball or did he just have the shit scared out of him by

Pappy Bush? IMO, Cheney was the go-to bad guy, the shiny object for us all to look at and hate, the all too obvious asshole. He was never in their little club and he's gonna be dead soon. Perfect fall guy. And, IMO, Dubya was never as dumb as people thought. I'm just not anxious to let the Bush family off the hook for all this stuff and let it all go just because Cheney kicks the bucket.

IF PF is tired of having his chain jerked by these people, he won't refile against Blago.

[Yuugal]

7. Free Blago!

[NNN0LHI]

8. This guy really likes to talk but he likes being free even better

Bet it took some smart lawyers to convince him to stay off the stand.

Don

[derby378]

10. Holeeeeee cow!

Ain't this a kick in the butt!

[ThomWV]

12. Well, What the fuck? Who's suprised? Nobody goes to jail for anything anyway.

Unless of course they are some poor or middle class slob, then they are just fodder for the new prison industry.

[pitohui]

15. should you go to jail for shooting off your mouth?

i don't wish anyone to go to jail w.out evidence

[PBS Poll-435]

13. !!!

:woohoo:

[JonLP24]

16. Kick

:kick:

[ljm2002]

17. I'm glad to hear it...

...does that make me a bad person?

For some reason, it always looked like a bit of a witch hunt to me. I guess my reasoning is, what he apparently did is standard political horse-trading. While far worse goes on every day in the halls of power. It's really a case of who's allowed to play, IMO.

[Odin2005]

22. Most politicians are corrupt as hell. Blago just got caught and was an easy scapegoat.

[seattleblue]

23. The prosecution really overreached here.

They turned political give and take conversations into crimes. It is clear Blago was in over his head as governor but he shouldn't have to take the fall for political stupidity.