The Governor

by Rod Blagojevich

Book Overview

At last, the truth behind the political scandal that continues to rock the nation. Who is the real Rod Blagojevich? The charming man with all the right ingredients for a politician? The governor who... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1597776467
• ISBN13: 9781597776462
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Phoenix Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Worthwhile

This book is worthwhile. For once we get to see how the mobsters in Washington work and take out honest politicians, such as this Governor when the Governor refuses to be a puppet, even for $170,000 guaranteed security a year.

The governor

Reading this book will give you a short course in Chicago politics. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I never was a Blagojevich supporter or hater, and I do not believe in pile on politics. I really believe the Democrats did him and the party a great diservice considering their actions in this matter. It will serve them right if they lose the Illinois Governorship this next election, because of it. Overall I believe that Blagojevich did a decent job as governor and he did keep the state income tax down. But he of course made some mistakes and a number of enemies in the process. I know there is a lot of corruption in IL politics, but I would not lay it all at the feet of this Governor. Shame on the prosecutors for blowing this case into something it never should have been.

good book, but a little too self indulging

you have to admit that Rod Blaojevich is pretty convincing. He's been on every tv show from here to Timbuktu. His own personally written book, "The Governor" is about this arrest, his life, and the allegations being brought against him by United States Government. The books starts off as a page turner, recollecting the day he arrested to the whole process of the day. then he gets into the roots of his childhood and you begin to lose interest because you really want to know about the allegations more than anything, since that is what he's been denying the entire time. So here is his official story, and it's been told time and again. When Barack Obama won the Presidency, his Illinois Senate seat became vacant and it was up to Governor Blagojevich to fill that seat. He reminds readers that he actually could have filled that seat himself, but rather, he chose the daughter of his biggest political nemises. He chose Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in political favor that her father and Blagojevich's biggest nemises, Illinois Speaker of the House of Representatives Michael Madigan, would help pass a job's bill to create some 500,000 new jobs as well as a bill to not pass a new income tax bill. All the while, he was already under investigation for political corruption, and it didn't help that his conversations were taped and included some pretty incriminating statements such as "this is a valuable thing....you just don't give it away for nothing". In his book, Governor Blagojevich says that he had already made the decision to appoint Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the U.S. Senate, but on the day the appointment was to be made, he was arrested by the FBI. This is pretty much the jist of the book, and it's believeable the way Rod Blagojevich defends himself. His argument is that he didn't sell the seat, but had already made a choice in exchange for political favors for the people of Illinois as well as himself, even though he doesn't say that he's doing it for himself, only for the people of Illinois. He makes a valid argument against his impeachment saying that he was elected two times by the people of Illinois and yet, was impeached and thrown out of office despite pending criminal court. His argument is that this was nothing more than a political move by the Illinois political corruption machine, which was able to impeach him on evidence that still hasn't been proven up in a criminal court, and to this, he makes a valid argument. I know of several politicans in my hometown who have been arrested and charged, yet unlike Rod Blagojevich, still hold their office. Rod Blagojevich is very convincing and a very charismatic person, and whether he's telling the truth or not, only time will tell. I would recommend his book because it's very interesting, and unlike others, he wrote this book himself. it's worth flipping through.

Noteworthy Book

The Governor was found to be some good reading. From this book, there is much to be learned about our current political processes and their public powers. It appears that our former governor forgot that he was in political waters swimming with sharks. I will always remember Rod Blagojevich's presence and hope he stays visible. I would recommend this book for high school and college students who have interests in learning about our "government."

Rod Blagojevich: The Governor

After I recently read a newspaper article by AP Legal Affairs Mike Robinson dated 09/13/2009 stating that the law known as "honest-services fraud" is currently being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court in two separate cases because it is being labeled as confusing and vague, I wanted to read this much anticipated book by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The "honest-services fraud" law holds a prominent place in the 19-count indictment against the former Illinois Governor. Rod Blagojevich: The Governor is an excellent book documenting the tenure of the former Governor of Illinois by himself and not a ghost writer as described in the review by Leon Czikowsky. This is an excellent book about Illinois politics and his own story that I was not able to put down. The law known as "honest-services fraud" is currently being scrutinized for clarification in the U.S. Supreme Court as to its definition and has come under attack by some who consider it vague and unfair. As mentioned in the recent article, Justice Antonin Scalia recently described the statute in existence since 1988 as so poorly defined it could be used to prosecute "a mayor for using the prestige of his office to get a table at a restaurant without a reservation." Justice Scalia states the time has come to clarify confusion over just what the law means. Chicago attorney and former federal prosecutor Julian Solotorovsky states, "The statute is very vague, and because it is vague, it is a pet statute of prosecutors. They're stretching it to the fullest extent possible." Lisa Casey, a Notre Dame University law professor who has written about the law and its recent expanded use against corporate executives states, "The Supreme Court's decisions to hear two appeals challenging the law in the same term could mean the justices have concerns about prosecutors extending the statute's reach." Since the case became a spotlight in mainstream media (and since former Governor Rod Blagojevich wrote this book), there has been doubt and confusion of this current statute because its definition is vague and is considered unfair, and including the controversy of the taped telephone conversations apparently which some individuals do not want revealed in their entirety. An excellent book and a case that has captured the interest of many across the nation.