Blago Talks Drinking, Cheating, Working On Radio
Former governor says legislators are cheating, drinking in excess
Updated 7:19 AM CST, Thu, Feb 12, 2009
Blagojevich didn't mince words Wednesday with the WLS hosts about his previous collegues in the state Senate.
"They give these speeches and they act like they're so moral," he said.
He then told a brief story of a "prominent legislative leader" who was going to work with the Blagojevich administration on a particular piece of legislation, but presented the then-governor's people with "a little laundry list of stuff that he wants."
"This is how the system down in Springfield works, where a bunch of these lawmakers go down to Springfield -- nobody even knows how they are. They're away from their families. It's a whole different world down there. A bunch of them are cheating on their spouses, a lot of them drink in excess, very few of them know what's going on. They just take their marching orders from the legislative leaders, and then the legislative leaders have to do things for them," he said.
Blagojevich claimed that Michael Madigan "buys off" the members of the Senate by appointing them to positions that come with added stipends.
Radio audiences were treated to another tale of a legislator who was sleeping with his secretary, and when his wife found out and demanded that the secretary be fired, the cheating legislator went to the governor's office to ask that they hire the woman for another job in the state house.
The battered Blago said that if he writes a book about his embattled time in office, he will include this underbelly of state government -- a sure way to solidify his friendships in Springfield, no?
The ousted governor said he and his wife are out of work but don't plan to file for unemployment.
During an interview Wednesday morning on WLS Radio's "The Don and Roma Morning Show," Blagojevich said he and his family are doing fine financially despite those career setbacks.
Blagojevich also joked about a job offer he's received from the Joliet Jackhammers to be a rookie for the Northern League team.
It may be his first job offer after being booted from office at Illinois' governor.
On the morning radio talk show, the Democrat described himself as being "52 going on 8" and said his childhood dream has always been to be a centerfielder for the Chicago Cubs.
Pay to Play Baseball
The governor's baseball aspirations might just turn into a new career. The Joliet Jackhammers, a local AA team, threw a pitch to Blagojevich on Wednesday, saying they would be willing to offer him a job.
The team said they'll "Pay Him to Play," since the former governor is such an avid baseball fan. His actual experience on the field is unknown, and the team's manager admits that Blagojevich "may have to work hard in spring training to find himself a regular spot in the line-up.”
The Jackhammers have been around since 2002, and have had a losing record five of those years.
First Published: Feb 11, 2009 7:11 AM CST
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