As Rod Blagojevich is getting crucified by the press and Washington, it got me thinking. Is he really that different than, say, Chuck Schumer, whose pockets are lined with Wall Street cash? You remember Wall Street, don’t you? They pushed lenders to green light any and all mortgages so they could then cut them up and repackage pools of mortgages as exotic products.
We live in a pay-to-play political culture, whether explicit (Blago) or implicit (Schumer). The key question is one of degree.
With Chuck Schumer, you might get a call returned regarding whatever your cause or issue is as a New Yorker, but you will get no action unless you bring cash to the party.
The money grab is how the the federal government works. Chuck gets his power by being able to deliver funds from Wall Street to the central party and his own re-election efforts. He is owned. Most of our congressman and Senators are owned. Since we don’t have a real press to question their rampant pay-to-play on issues, these guys and gals run amok.
If you can pay, they champion your issue. If you can’t, good luck.
Is that so different than what Blagojevich is accused of?
