The Chicago Sun-Times reports a major new story on Blago's jobs machine:
On his first full day as governor in 2003, Rod Blagojevich ordered a freeze on state hiring.Just who was part of the "special" hiring process? Friends of Barack Obama:
Only essential jobs would be filled, he said, promising to rein in a record state budget deficit and put an end to what he called "taking care of insiders first and taxpayers last."
Behind the scenes, though, Blagojevich aides flouted the supposed freeze, forging a patronage machine that -- despite their boss' public promises -- eventually would provide state jobs or promotions to nearly 2,500 people with enough clout to have political sponsors, a secret trove of Blagojevich hiring records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows.
Among those who sponsored candidates to the Blagojevich administration for jobs and promotions between 2003 and 2005 were members of Chicago's City Council and members of Congress. Lobbyists and Blagojevich's own top fund-raisers asked for and got people state jobs, too.
President Obama has distanced himself from scandal-tainted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But as an Illinois state senator, Obama went to bat for more than a dozen people to get state jobs or promotions in Blagojevich's administration, according to records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.You'll want to read all these excellent articles by Tim Novak and gang at the Chicago Sun-Times.Here's a list of how politicians such as Dick Durbin, Emil Jones and powerful Alderman Burke did with Rod Blagojevich. Here's a list. Here's more.
