Friday, June 17, 2005

In Blago's Defense

Governor Blagojevich may deserve much of the flak from his detractors but I think a pair of recent criticisms of him are off base.

First, the governor is being called hypocritical for accepting large campaign donations while simultaneously calling for limits on such donations. Look, I can't fault the guy for operating within the current rules. To unilaterally limit his ability to raise money puts him at a disadvantage. I'm sure Blagojevich will abide by limits once EVERYONE is abiding by them.

Second, I have to agree with Jim Leach that criticism of the governor for signing a measure restricting payday loan companies after attending a fundraiser that was, in part, sponsored by lobbyists from that industry, is a bit strange. What the critics are saying, in essence, is the governor should have given the payday loan folks more consideration after they helped him raise money. If that's the standard, then the governor is in a no-win situation. Had he played favorites with the payday folks, he would have been (rightly) slammed for being bought off by a contributor. But now, when the opposite happens, he's apparently equally guilty. I don't get it.

1 comment:

Rich Miller said...

Taking their money and screwing them later is a good thing.

But praising their industry up and down while you're taking the money and then screwing them later is not so good.