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Report: Jackson Jr. Is Candidate Five
ABC News is reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson is "Senate Candidate 5". The report is attributed to "federal law enforcement sources."
The charging documents in the Rod Blagojevich case quote the governor telling an aide that an "emissary" from Candidate 5 contacted him and proposed a "pay to play" arrangement in regard to the US Senate seat left open by Barack Obama, which Blagojevich has the authority to fill.
The governor also says he thinks he might be able to get something "tangible, up front" from Candidate 5 in return for the appointment.
Jackson Jr. said this morning he was contacted by federal prosecutors who "asked me to come and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process."
Asked whether he was Candidate 5, Jackson Jr. said "I don't know," but added that he had been told he was not a target of the investigation.
We suggested yesterday that Jackson Jr. might be Candidate 5.
Josh
Zachary
Candidate Number 5. Client Number Nine. Agent Zero. Captain Wide Stance.
Who says D.C. doesn't have colorful superheroes?
December 10, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm still waiting for "The Blackwater Five" to catch on.
December 10, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now, let it rain down on Jackson's head. Zachary, your initial suspicions are vindicated. :)
December 10, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm guessing Jesse Jr. won't be representing Illinois in the Senate anytime soon.
December 10, 2008 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's probably thinking more in terms of how to maintain his House seat.
December 10, 2008 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's only going to have issues keeping his seat if he gets convicted of something or cops a plea. He is wildly popular:
1995: 74.2%
1996: 94.1%
1998: 89.4%
2000: 89.8%
2002: 82.3%
2004: 88.5%
2006: 84.8%
2008: 89.2%
Those are his general election numbers, the first a special election after a fairly tough primary. Since then he's been destroying Republican candidates.
A Republican isn't likely to win that District. Which means he would need to get taken down in a primary. That's in 2010, which gives him a while to rehab if he's not convicted of anything.
On the other hand, this does toast him for the US Senate, probably for more than a decade. It probably also toasts him in the near future of running for something like Lt. Gov to prep himself for a Gov run, if he ever had visions of that.
John
December 10, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
It also toasts him from getting any job in the Obama administration. Hell, I doubt anyone in the Obama administration is even taking his calls.
I doubt he'll be indicted unless the "emissaries" turn on him. It seems the deals were done through multiple intermediaries. Still, if Fitzgerald has these intermediaries on tape, they'll be in a box. Fitz could put them under heavy pressure to roll on the bigger fish. Jackson is just such a fish.
I agree, absent an indictment, JJ Jr should hold onto his strongly Democratic district. Yet in his desperation for higher office, he has totally screwed his chances of any larger political role in this nation.
Doing deals with a guy who was so obviously under investigation? People ask what Blago was thinking, what the hell was Jackson thinking? As stupid and arrogant as Blago was, Jackson wasn't very far behind.
December 10, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that we'll be seeing emissaries potentially rolling... or at the least being Very Cooperative with Fitz to try to keep him off their back.
John
December 10, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Doing deals with politicians is business as usual in IL, is what they were thinking. Even if Blag was under investigation, the business goes on, ain't nobody stopped 'paying to play' that is just how business gets down in IL.
December 10, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
What a hoot if the "emissary" was his dad...in which case he might not have been aware, I suppose, given that they've had their tiffs occasionally.
I liked JJJr 'til he starting trying to get his wife a seat as a State legislator. We have too much nepotism in Illinois politics (understatement of the century).
December 10, 2008 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
i'm a little confused as to what's changed since yesterday, aside from JJJ and others coming in to talk to investigators that is leading to this "confirmation." i read the abc piece and it really doesn't seem to offer any evidence that JJJ is any more certain to be candidate #5 than he was yesterday; the fact that he's talking to investigators seems to be where they are drawing their conclusion from.
far too many people, seem a little too willing to report the involvement of particular individuals without based on what is often largely baseless speculation.
December 10, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
JJJr is a scumbag who tries too hard and knows too little. Kind of a black version of Bush who got invited to the party because of his dad and doesn't really have anything to say.
When the feds were listening to Blago trying to sell the senate seat he was setting up a meeting in a 'few days' with the one likely wannabe who was willing to pay and even put money up front. It was JJJr who he met with a few days later.
Sounds exactly right to me. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Bye bye~~
December 10, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
JJ Jr. & Blago have a frosty relationship. In fact, EVERYBODY in Illinois government has a frosty relationship with Blago. He has ZERO friends in the legislature after crapping all over their bills - rewriting ("improving", in his words) them after the legislature passes them. He has a huge autocratic streak that got much worse after his re-election. He's a lot like Huey Long with grandiose social welfare projects and no way to pay for them.
Can we now remove all of the signs on the Illinois tollway system trumpeting Blago and his open-road toll collection project that also more than doubled the tolls?
December 10, 2008 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ted Kennedy is politicking for Caroline for appointment as Senator from NY. He has been telling state pols that she has enough money to fund her own campaigns, so she wouldn't be competing with them for campaign donations.
1. Is that illegal? It's a roundabout way to getting more campaign dollars to current pols, and it's offered as a rationale for appointing her.
2. If he also said, And she'll raise money for you, or, And I'll give you money from my PAC, when will he be indicted?
December 10, 2008 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the big helping of stupid heraldsquare!!!
It has been estimated that the senate appointee in New York will need to raise 100 million dollars to run an election campaign in both 2010 and 2012. These discussions are very public and have no taint of any kind. The best way to hold the senate seat for a Democrat is to find someone who can raise that kind of money. It requires a sort of "national" figure who can tap into a much larger donor base than just the lovely people of New York. Kennedy is one of very few persons with that national clout.
Since even I know about these issues and who the hell am I, your attempt to smear your shit around the Kennedy family is just getting your credibility down to ZERO.
December 10, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Smear the Kennedy family? What the heck are you talking about?
December 10, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Andrea M. said candidate 5 did not have direct contact with Blag ... The Gov. said he had contact with someone 2 times removed from candidate 5... my bad Jr. because i convicted him before learning all the facts, but this still may hurt Jr because his name came up....... Lucky for Jr, Blago is divorce from reality.................
December 10, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
There doesn't need to be direct contact for this to hurt Jackson.
Jackson was probably the best positioned candidate for a special election. I don't think it matters how many intermediaries there were, the public will now see Jackson as the candidate who tried to buy the Senate seat.
I expect this will take him completely out of the running for Obama's seat. For that reason alone, this has already hurt Jackson very badly.
Depending on how much personal involvement he had with the bribes (assuming there really were bribes) his bad times may only be at a beginning. If the emissaries start naming names...
December 10, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. JJJ is the one most identified in the public's mind with soliciting the seat. He did a survey, he talked about how interested he was, yada yada yada. Plus, it is clear that Obama was backing Jarrett so that is why JJJ came out yapping from jump! He wanted his name on the table and everyone knew he would gamble to get the position...he did...and he loss.
He will forever be known as the politician who tried to buy a Senate seat from one of the most corrupt Governors in IL history, which is saying a lot given the number of Govs from IL who have been convicted. JJJ chose to pay to play with one of the most vile and brazenly corrupt pols ever.
December 10, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tell me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that JJJ is too young and new to have all that much to bribe anyone with. There may have been some ill-advised conversation--or not--but I find it hard to believe that he was in much of a position to bribe anyone.
December 10, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
JJJ is toast for anything beyond his seat in the House. He'd never win reelection in IL if he were made a Senator anyway because he could not win downstate. Obama won by 70% in 2004 as he really had no opposition (Alan Keyes) and he really worked very hard downstate. JJJ wouldn't have the ability to pull it off in 2010.
December 10, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink