~~~Illinois Combine (Chicago Way on steroids) .... PING!
“To make things worse, senior Republican bosses were secretly backing the Democrat Blagojevich and stabbing Ryan in the back — a clear illustration of the Illinois Combine at work.
Springfield Republican boss and state asphalt king William Cellini, now awaiting his own Blagojevich-related corruption trial, held a 2002 fundraiser for Blagojevich, according to federal testimony.
Blagojevich’s campaign later credited that fundraiser to state Sen. James A. DeLeo (D-How You Doin?), a longtime Cellini and Blago pal. Early in Blagojevich’s first term, another Cellini buddy, Robert Kjellander (pronounced $hell-ANDER), received $809,000 in a finder’s fee on a state bond deal.
According to federal court documents, Kjellander kicked part of the cash back to associates of influence peddler Tony Rezko. Kjellander, a former treasurer of the Republican National Committee, has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.”
~ ~ ~ ~
The whole dang state is filthy with corruption.
From what I remember of the Ryan scandal from the 2004 election, it seemed to me that (a) the media was making much too much of an issue over his marriage/sex life with his wife (it was unusual, obsessive media focus) and (b) he gave up his fight unusually easily, without a struggle. I was baffled by that.