This Lump's for You, Blago
New poll names Gov naughtiest politician of 2008
AP
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich made America's list of who most deserves a lump of coal this Christmas.
This morning, millions of children rushed to their Christmas trees, looking for presents, hoping they weren't on Santa's naughty list this year. A new national poll though reveals the three politicians whom America would most like to give a lump of coal to.
Nineteen percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday said former presidential candidate John Edwards was the naughtiest politician in 2008. He admitted in August he had cheated on his wife with former campaign staffer Rielle Hunter, but denied that he was the father of her newborn baby.
In second place, 23 percent believed former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was the worst politician of the year. Spitzer stepped down from his position in March after he was identified in a high-end prostitution bust. Prosecutors will not be filing criminal charges against him.
And who does America think should be at the top of Santa's naughty list?
Why, it's our very own Governor Rod Blagojevich. Arrested on corruption charges, Blagojevich is accused of attempting to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former Senate seat. He has maintained that he has done nothing wrong.
CNN did note that Blagojevich is the most recent political scandal and, being still fresh in Americans' memory, that may explain why he is at the top of the list. However:
"Americans typically take a much dimmer view of corruption than of sex scandals, since the former is a violation of the public trust and the latter is usually considered more of a private matter," said CNN polling director Keating Holland.
Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations / NBC Chicago
Posted Thursday, Jul 16, 2009 - 7:22 PM CST
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