1. What is the SEIU doing acting as an emissary for Obama's people? Why is the SEIU so deeply involved?

2. Did Blago have reason to think Obama would do something for him? Did Obama know the investigation was going on?

3. If Obama didn't talk to anybody about the proposed deal, he's got a problem.

...if Obama had made a slightly different decision and decided to play ball with Blagojevich, engage in some minor quid pro quo and help Blagojevich's wife onto some meaningless corporate board, "the feds would have had the president-elect dead to rights."

Still might....

Those darn Chicago-style politicians!

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/18/whistleblower-hits-obama-friends-appraisal/

Can't you just picture Lester Freamon sitting there, listening to the intercept, and getting a big smile on his face as he marks it "pertinent"?

kaybeel, I haven't downloaded the whole indictment. From the above excerpts, it looks like Harris is just talking out his ass about SEIU -- just like they go on to speculate about how "Senate Candidate 4" would be their pal if the shit hit the fan with Blago. Is there any evidence anywhere that SC4 or SEIU had anything at all to do with this? Why do you say SEIU is "deeply involved"? Or is this just Blago and his Chief of Staff pretending that they can leverage everyone into doing their bidding?

Anonymous:

On November 12, Blagojevich spoke with SEIU Official who was in Washington. This conversation occurred about a week after Blagojevich had met with SEIU Official to discuss the 9 Senate seat, with the understanding that the union official was an emissary to discuss Senate Candidate 1's interest in the Senate seat. During the November 12 conversation, Blagojevich allegedly explained the non-profit organization idea to SEIU Official and said that it could help Senate Candidate 1. The union official agreed to "put that flag up and see where it goes," although the official also had said he wasn't certain if Senate Candidate 1 wanted the official to keep pushing her candidacy. Senate Candidate 1 eventually removed herself from consideration for the open seat.

Okay, here's the paragraph detailing the meeting between Blago and "SEIU official":

On November 12, Blagojevich spoke with SEIU Official who was in Washington. This conversation occurred about a week after Blagojevich had met with SEIU Official to discuss the Senate seat, with the understanding that the union official was an emissary to discuss Senate Candidate 1's interest in the Senate seat. During the November 12 conversation, Blagojevich allegedly explained the non-profit organization idea to SEIU Official and said that it could help Senate Candidate 1. The union official agreed to "put that flag up and see where it goes," although the official also had said he wasn't certain if Senate Candidate 1 wanted the official to keep pushing her candidacy. Senate Candidate 1 eventually removed herself from consideration for the open seat.

So, someone from SEIU met twice with Blago about one of the Senate candidates; the 2nd time, Blago tells that official about the scheme to fund a 501c4 with Blago at the head of it (the Change to Win thing didn't come up, apparently?), and the SEIU official says that he'll pass that along. And then says that the Senate Candidate probably wasn't interested in being a candidate any more.

Sounds to me like an effort to tell Blago, "No way" without pissing the vindictive nutjob off.

Yeah, I agree that Jarrett was no longer interested in the Senate seat.
What I find curious is that an SEIU official was acting as her emissary.

That first "anonymous" was me, sorry. And I posted my excerpt before reloading and seeing your answer, kaybeel.

That first "anonymous" was me, sorry

I hate that. I always want the blog to prompt me for a name when I forget to enter one. It only tells me when I get the captcha wrong (which is shockingly often).

It does make me curious about who the "official" is, but SEIU is huge, and "official" could mean almost anything, from someone at some Chicago local to someone at the International. I'd guess the two ways this happens are: Jarrett calls SEIU (local? International?) to ask the union to reach out to Blago, and SEIU sends "SEIU official"; or, Jarrett knows "SEIU official" somehow, through personal or business contact, and Jarrett asks "SEIU official" directly to talk to Blago due to their personal connection.

No question that Obama and his people played this one very smart—but then Obama is presidential material, more or less, and Blago is pathetically underqualified to be a governor, except for his incredible venality of course. Yet, even if the The One remains untainted by these particularly notorious crimes, he is a product of the Illinois Dem cesspool and is bound to have some pretty foul turds sticking to his expensive suit when he climbs out of it and heads off to DC.

I just want to know why anyone at the SEIU is involved at all. Surely Jarrett is capable of picking up a phone (like Caroline Kennedy did).
How close is Obama/Jarrett/Obama transition team to the SEIU?

Ben Smith is reporting that the SEIU Official was Andy Stern.

He should send Fitzpatrick a card, too: if Blago manages to get any kind of graft going, the appointee ends up in the Senate, and the shit comes down in March, then you have Obama's replacement as a potential co-indictee.

It also makes it clear why the standard route to the presidency over recent decades -- through the governor's mansion -- wasn't an option for Obama.

There's a lot of talk on the Dark Side of the blogosphere about Obama's roots in Chicago politics, which is obviously not known for its ethics. But I don't think he gets enough credit: think about how non-corrupt you have to be to emerge from such an environment and still be (as VP Biden once put it) "clean."

And here it happens again: not only did Obama's people refuse to play ball, one media outlet reported that it was Rahm Emanuel himself who tipped off the government.

And here it happens again: not only did Obama's people refuse to play ball, one media outlet reported that it was Rahm Emanuel himself who tipped off the government.

Blagojevich has been under investigation for about three years. When and to what did Rahm Emanuel tip off the government?

Obama = change.

Blagojevich has been under investigation for about three years. When and to what did Rahm Emanuel tip off the government?

The story, which Emanuel is now denying, was that he tipped them off about the Senate seat shenanigans.

How close is Obama/Jarrett/Obama transition team to the SEIU?

You seem to have a real bee in your bonnet about a member of Obama's inner circle being part of the SEIU. The thing is that since you're the only one who finds this shocking or surprising, it makes you appear a bit off-the-wall.

My fear is that Blago will be seen as "knowing too much" about Democrat corruption and so someone will try to silence him very permanently before he starts singing. Have to hope that Blago still has state police protection, at least cops who can't be bought too cheaply, and also a big fat life insurance policy.

You seem to have a real bee in your bonnet about a member of Obama's inner circle being part of the SEIU. The thing is that since you're the only one who finds this shocking or surprising, it makes you appear a bit off-the-wall.

Yes, I find it interesting that Andy Stern, enormous fundraiser and special interest group leader, is working so closely with Obama behind the scenes.
Obama won't have anything to do with lobbyists, but he'll work with a current union president?
A union president that is lobbying for two huge changes from the supposedly very independent Obama- universal health care and card check.

You think I'm the only person that cares that this guy was supposedly brokering a deal between Valerie Jarret and Blagojevich for a Senatorial seat? OK.

Anonymous, do you have any examples in mind of corrupt Democrats who were murdered to prevent them from revealing the seamy underbelly of the party in plea bargains? That's what you were implying, right? Well, maybe not known to be murdered, but perhaps someone who died in suspicious circumstances -- a bit of food poisoning that could have been accidental, but also could have been intentional? A mysterious car accident?

I can't think of any. I think of corrupt Democrats -- Jim Traficant (to the extent that he was a Democrat), Eliot Spitzer, William Jefferson -- and they don't really seem to be prone to mysterious deaths.

Are you really not at all embarassed about writing stuff about how "Blago will be seen as "knowing too much" about Democrat corruption and so someone will try to silence him very permanently before he starts singing."? Do you really imagine someone sitting at a computer, reading what you just wrote, and thinking "wow! That's insightful! I wonder if those Dems will try to silence Blagojevich!"

My fear is that Blago will be seen as "knowing too much" about Democrat corruption and so someone will try to silence him very permanently before he starts singing

Yeah, maybe Hillary can do him in the way she did Vince Foster.

You think I'm the only person that cares that this guy was supposedly brokering a deal between Valerie Jarret and Blagojevich for a Senatorial seat?

Did you *read* the complaint?

I can't think of any. I think of corrupt Democrats -- Jim Traficant (to the extent that he was a Democrat), Eliot Spitzer, William Jefferson -- and they don't really seem to be prone to mysterious deaths.

Well, if JFK had been held to the same standard of personal conduct as WJC, he certainly would have been impeached, so now that you mention it...

Ezra says that if "if Obama had made a slightly different decision and decided to play ball with Blagojevich [...] hispresidency would've been effectively over before it had ever begun."

Just out of curiosity: is that true?
I mean, what would the legal procedure have been? Would they have indicted Obama?

I find it interesting that Andy Stern, enormous fundraiser and special interest group leader, is working so closely with Obama behind the scenes.

...

...

So, I don't find this interesting or surprising. I find it about the most boring thing ever.

Who doesn't work with enormous fundraisers and special interest group leaders? Another term for that is "key political ally."

Obama won't have anything to do with lobbyists, but he'll work with a current union president?
A union president that is lobbying for two huge changes from the supposedly very independent Obama- universal health care and card check.

Proposals which Obama supports on the merits anyway -- but you seem to misunderstand a key difference between lobbyists and interest groups. Interest groups want things from the government. It's impossible to avoid working with interests groups, because everyone wants something from the government. Obviously the interest groups who want the same things you do are going to be your political allies, and you're going to work with them.

Lobbyists use their connections to try to influence politicians on behalf of people who are paying them. So they're not trying to get politicians to do what they want; they're trying to get them to do what someone who is paying them wants. That's not a question of community of interests.

It's as unsurprising and unexceptional that Obama is working with a prominent union leader as it would be for McCain to be working with the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, or Right-to-Life America, or something. They're two people who are on the same side.

You think I'm the only person that cares that this guy was supposedly brokering a deal between Valerie Jarret and Blagojevich for a Senatorial seat?

Did you *read* the complaint?

Yes, jeebus, I did. What point would you like to make about it?

Lobbyists use their connections to try to influence politicians on behalf of people who are paying them. So they're not trying to get politicians to do what they want; they're trying to get them to do what someone who is paying them wants.

So what? Andy Stern is getting paid. It is completely a distinction without a difference.

The left went crazy when Cheney invited energy executives to discuss energy policy with him. Do you remember that?

Obama has made a big deal about everyone having a seat at the table, about not being beholden to any group, and about being so transparent.
Yet he is working with the big donor and pushing his pet legislation.
A big donor that is apparently comfortable brokering a deal for Valerie Jarrett to get a Senate seat.

It's all so new! So fresh!

Andy Stern is getting paid.

Ah, so the president is only supposed to work with the unemployed.

The left went crazy when Cheney invited energy executives to discuss energy policy with him.

Partly that's because we disagree with the energy executives' positions; feel free to complain that Obama shouldn't meet with union leaders because you don't like unions, but don't expect anyone else to care. And partly that's because it was a governmental task force whose meetings were kept secret even from Congress in violation of the open meetings law (I realize that one of Bush's appointed judges ruled that the proceedings could stay secret, but I don't give that much weight).

Obama has made a big deal about everyone having a seat at the table, about not being beholden to any group, and about being so transparent.

If you actually think that this requires him not to work with Andy Stern, an important political ally with whom he agrees on key issues, then you're, like, really stupid.

Ah, so the president is only supposed to work with the unemployed.

No.
It was your point that lobbyists are different because they are paid to do their jobs. I personally think it's ridiculous to turn lobbyists into bad guys, especially if you are willing to work with other members of special interest groups that give money to *you*.

feel free to complain that Obama shouldn't meet with union leaders because you don't like unions, but don't expect anyone else to care.

Meeting with union leaders is not the same as being so close to *A* union leader that he is comfortable negotiating an appointment to a Senatorial seat on behalf of one of your closest advisers.
Even so, I'm not asking you to care. I'm saying I care, and I think others do too.