The arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich this week has brought the idea of political corruption to the forefront. Many Republicans are certainly smiling with glee as they were largely chased out of office in 2006 & 2008 by the “culture of corruption” tagline. To be sure the title was somewhat deserved as Larry Craig, Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley, Bob Ney, Don Sherwood, Ted Stevens, etc. had certainly tarnished the brand. Now the Democrats have their own corrupt lineup of William Jefferson, Tim Mahoney, Charlie Rangel & Blagojevich. However, as a quick look at history will show, political corruption is not new, and in fact we have a lot to be thankful for living in the 21st century.
We can look all the way back to the founding of our nation for examples of groups and individuals using political influence for personal gain. In fact in large part the U.S. was founded as a response to British corruption. From early colonization all the way up to the American Revolution, the colonies witnessed some ridiculous levels of corruption. Royal governors and corporate leaders used their official positions to enrich themselves in any way possible. Most considered this a privilege of their offices.
Alas, once we broke from Britain we did no better. In the early 1800’s Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French political observer, said that "democratic" corruption had replaced "aristocratic" corruption. The American emphasis on rugged individualism, and every man having his price, led to a huge amount of corrupt dealings. Even with the founding fathers' efforts to restrict corruption in government, the fact was that government contracts at many levels provided possibilities for official fraud. From corrupt agents in the Bureau of Indian Affairs to scandals of the Ulysses S. Grant era, the times were rife with political wrongdoings.
As we move through the decades to the latter half on the 19th century and into the 20th we see that the local agencies often outperformed their national counterparts. Tammany Hall in New York City created a political machine that ran on illegal contributions from businesses and other interest groups. Watch the excellent film Gangs of New York, directed by Martin Scorsese, if you want to see up close how corrupt local politics could get. In nearby Boston you have James Curley who is noted for having been elected to the Board of Aldermen in 1904 while in prison, having been convicted of fraud. Until about 1945 the urban political machine was a standard feature of politics.
Which brings us to today. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that includes conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Obama, in exchange for financial benefits for he and his wife. Why is this a good thing? Because it proves that we live in an age of mass media where when corruption reaches a certain level it attracts too much attention, and the perpetrators eventually get caught. Gone are the days when good old boy networks could operate completely in the dark. Will we continue to see arrests in the years to come? Will corruption still be a problem when my grandkids come of age? Of course, after all “power corrupts.” But thankfully we live in a time when there is a realistic check on such behavior.
Besides, what would we write about if politicians stopped behaving badly?
Post sponsored by Quality-Resumes.
We can look all the way back to the founding of our nation for examples of groups and individuals using political influence for personal gain. In fact in large part the U.S. was founded as a response to British corruption. From early colonization all the way up to the American Revolution, the colonies witnessed some ridiculous levels of corruption. Royal governors and corporate leaders used their official positions to enrich themselves in any way possible. Most considered this a privilege of their offices.
Alas, once we broke from Britain we did no better. In the early 1800’s Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French political observer, said that "democratic" corruption had replaced "aristocratic" corruption. The American emphasis on rugged individualism, and every man having his price, led to a huge amount of corrupt dealings. Even with the founding fathers' efforts to restrict corruption in government, the fact was that government contracts at many levels provided possibilities for official fraud. From corrupt agents in the Bureau of Indian Affairs to scandals of the Ulysses S. Grant era, the times were rife with political wrongdoings.
As we move through the decades to the latter half on the 19th century and into the 20th we see that the local agencies often outperformed their national counterparts. Tammany Hall in New York City created a political machine that ran on illegal contributions from businesses and other interest groups. Watch the excellent film Gangs of New York, directed by Martin Scorsese, if you want to see up close how corrupt local politics could get. In nearby Boston you have James Curley who is noted for having been elected to the Board of Aldermen in 1904 while in prison, having been convicted of fraud. Until about 1945 the urban political machine was a standard feature of politics.
Which brings us to today. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that includes conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Obama, in exchange for financial benefits for he and his wife. Why is this a good thing? Because it proves that we live in an age of mass media where when corruption reaches a certain level it attracts too much attention, and the perpetrators eventually get caught. Gone are the days when good old boy networks could operate completely in the dark. Will we continue to see arrests in the years to come? Will corruption still be a problem when my grandkids come of age? Of course, after all “power corrupts.” But thankfully we live in a time when there is a realistic check on such behavior.
Besides, what would we write about if politicians stopped behaving badly?
Post sponsored by Quality-Resumes.
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