Rod Blagojevich (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

What happened is that something finally, triumphantly, penetrated that Teflon hair and attitude of yours Blago. After deliberating for 9 days, a jury found the former Illinois Governor guilty on 17 corruption-related charges. The charges include trying to sell President Obama’s former Senate seat. NBC reports:

Blagojevich had faced 20 charges, including the Senate seat allegation and that he schemed to shake down executives for campaign donations. He was convicted on all charges regarding the Senate seat. According to Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair, Blagojevich turned to his wife Patti and whispered “I love you” after the verdict was read. Patti kept shaking her head and remained seated as the jury exited the trial room. Blagojevich is reportedly “stunned.”

Blagojevich, who’s spent the past two years proclaiming his innocence to anyone who would listen and trying his hand at reality TV, says he’s “stunned” by the verdict.

Immediately after it was read, Blagojevich turned to his attorney and asked “What happened?” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald knows what happened. He had this to say after the verdict, “The jury sent a loud and clear message that Governor Blagojevich committed very serious crimes shaking down a children’s hospital, trying to sell a Senate seat and demanding cash campaign contributions in advance before signing a bill.”

Read the full recount of the verdict and Blagojevich’s reaction here. Catch up on our love-hate relationship with the former governor and other RBB politicians here.

Embarrassing text  messages between Kwame Kilpatric and former mayoral chief of staff  Christine Beatty (not his wife) were made public yesterday. First he cheated, then he lied about cheating, then he lied about lying. Then he got busted through the release of a series of explicit text messages sent to the very chief of staff he’d sworn he wasn’t having an affair with. After weeks of vehemently denying the affair, perjuring himself in court  and refusing to resign even though EVERYONE KNEW HE WAS LYING, prosecutors revealed the existence of  the text messages that would ultimately seal his fate.

But about a year after receiving a sentence of up to five years, Kilpatrick was released from prison on parole last Friday. He now faces a federal corruption trial that could potentially have him headed to prison for years. Check out this video that provides a timeline of the case against Kilpatrick and his trail of lies…

That’s what folks have been saying about Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) for years. She regularly appears in Washingtonian Magazine’s list of the “Best of Worst of Congress” and boy do her aides have the stories to back that ranking up.

One aide shared a story about her parents coming to the congressional office for a visit only to witness Jackson Lee “screaming” at their daughter and calling her a “stupid idiot” for a scheduling snafu. The Huffington Post also shares this story…

Yet another staffer remembers requesting a meeting early on in her tenure to ask how best to serve the congresswoman. Jackson Lee’s response: “What? What did you say to me? Who are you, the Congresswoman? You haven’t been elected. You don’t set up meetings with me! I tell you! You know what? You are the most unprofessional person I have ever met in my life.” With that, Jackson Lee hung up the phone. According to the same staffer, Jackson Lee “would always say, ‘What am I a prostitute? Am I your prostitute? You can’t prostitute me.’”

Jackson Lee is also apparently fond of referring to select members of her staff as “stupid motherf****ers. Classy.

Since I’ve never met a horribly bad boss who was willing to admit how lousy he/she really was, it comes as no surprise that Jackson Lee issued a statement that says her staff works hard and has fun. So do sadists. But I wonder if she’d consider, just for a moment, that she just might be a horrible boss. Maybe? Possibly? What are the odds that all 11 of your aides were “stupid mother****ers”? I mean that annoying dude, maybe. And the young woman who could never quite get it right, possibly. But all 11? All of them??

I’ve always maintained that it is possible to be a stern, all-about-business boss without being rude and condescending. Snarky, controlling, verbally abusive bosses are often incompetent people with few discernible management skills and even fewer social ones.  Too bad they’re always the last to know – or care. Read more about the meanest member of the House here, and check out her “stupid m-effer” rants here.

As only New Yorkers can do, Weiner’s four minute speech was punctuated by hecklers, including the witty, “Is it really seven inches?” Classy.

IMHO, it wasn’t so much the texting and the pics as it was the lying. His willingness to throw a fictitious Twitter hacker under the bus, along with his heartfelt denials of something he knew to be true, in the end, proved to be too much.  Here’s, hopefully, the last four minutes we’ll see of Weinergate for a while…

What does? When the drunk and openly gay politician is arrested along with his exotic female dancer passenger and both are accused of engaging in a “dangerous high-speed sex act.” Sands claims he had no improper relations with the 31 year old and was just “giving her a ride. Home.”  I added that extra period for emphasis.

The plot thickened when Gloria Allred (the Al Sharpton of women’s rights, i.e. shows up at the opening of an envelope) issued a statement claiming she represents a “very biological” woman who also claims to be in a sexual relationship with Sand.

A gay politician hiding heterosexual tendencies? A straight politician pretending to be gay? Who knows and who would have thunk it…

Read more on Ted Sands and the arrest here.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y

Ed Schultz – “Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu received almost $1.8 million from BP over the last decade.” Truth: $1.8 million? More like $25,200. Ed Schultz is the host of the Ed Show on MSNBC.

Bill O’Reilly – “We researched to find out if anybody on Fox News had ever said you’re going to jail if you don’t buy health insurance. Nobody’s ever said it.” Truth: Apparently, the research wasn’t thorough enough. Bill O’Reilly hosts “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News.

John McCain – “I never considered myself a maverick.” Truth: Except for all those times he called himself a maverick.

Charles Rangel – “I’m glad for the wording of it (an ethics report on corporate-sponsored Congressional trips) because clearly the wording exonerates me. Truth: Not according to our dictionary. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y, is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Scott Brown – “The stimulus bill “didn’t create one new job.” Truth: Despite grim employment numbers, the stimulus has created jobs. Scott Brown is a Republican U.S. senator from Massachusetts.

See more PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter ratings here.

• $18,000 for household supplies and cleaning products
• Over $1,000 in window coverings
• A $700 clothes rack
• Grounds and lawn maintenance $44,000
• Heated pool maintenance $8,400

This spending comes at a time when Perry has asked state agencies to reduce their budgets by 5 percent.

In fairness to Perry, his staff claims he has cut back on luxuries and now has only one housekeeper and one and half (part-time) chef. They also go onto explain blah blah blah blah… If you care to read why yet another politician is overspending on luxuries while his constituents beg for unemployment extensions, click here.

As is par for the course in these kinds of cases, Tiwari is denying his involvement in the tryst. His aide in a written statement claims “The news channel report is fabricated, false and malicious to tarnish the image of the governor.” After the tape was shown on television, women’s groups protested, demanding Tiwari’s resignation. As if the tapes weren’t salacious enough, the women seen on the tape were said to have been brought to the governor by a fourth woman who was reportedly promised a mining lease by the governor in return for sexual favors. The woman said she exposed Tiwari through a sting operation when he failed to keep his promise.

It’s not customary for the Indian news media to reveal these kinds of indiscretions amongst their politicians, but this one apparently riled someone enough to break with standard practice. Personally, we think it has something to do with the shock value involved in seeing an 86 year old in bed with 3 women. Read more about the 86 year old stud at the Daily Mail.

Text and the City – Embarrassing text messages between Kwame Kilpatric (Detroit, Michigan mayor) and former mayoral chief of staff Christine Beatty (not his wife) were made public yesterday.  We are really big fans of Kwame Kilpatric.  Why?  Besides the fact that he gives us so much to work with,  the only thing worse than a really bad boss is a really bad boss who doesn’t know when to sit down and shut up.  After weeks of vehemently denying the affair, perjuring himself in court  and refusing to resign even though EVERYONE KNEW HE WAS LYING, prosecutors revealed the existence of  the text messages that would ultimately seal his fate.  Now that the messages have been made public, they reveal quite a few salty exchanges between the two. Nice mayoral conduct Kwame and yet another example of bosses behaving badly.  To read the nastiness in detail, click here.

Don’t cry for me Argentina – Well, as we reported yesterday, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was indeed in Argentina, trying to get his groove back.  In an emotional, tear filled press conference, Sanford (ironically tanned) apologized to his wife, his children and, it seems, to everyone else in the world.  Sanford, unlike many other of his ilk didn’t deny having the affair and came clean about it before evidence surfaced that would prove he was lying (think Kilpatrick, Edwards).  We can argue ad nauseam about whether or not unfaithful politicians should continue to be trusted by their constituents, but in Sanford’s case, what’s unarguable is his M.I.A  routine. You can’t just go AWOL because you feel a sudden urge to get your groove on.   Abandoning your office – even temporarily – without alerting your staff or your family, is inexcusable and cause for serious questioning of your mental stability.

I’m not a South Carolina resident, and ultimately the decision lies with them.  But in our opinion, Sanford’s disappearing act is a surefire sign of a Really Bad Boss.

This is happening waaaay too often – These politicians are keeping me busy. Last week while I was lollygagging about up north minding my own business, yet another Senator admitted to having sexay times with someone other than his wife, practically begging me to write about him here.

This time the senator was 47 year old Paul Stanley (R-TN), and his “indiscretion” was with a 22 year old intern.  The conservative Republican (of course) and abstinence only supporter (of course, of course), admitted to having a sexual relationship with his intern.  After much soul searching the senator decided to come clean because his conscience wouldn’t allow him to continue with the hypocrisy.  NOT.  What really happened was the intern’s boyfriend got a hold of some nudie pictures the senator took of his girlfriend and tried to blackmail him.  It was only then that the Senator saw the light and fessed up about the affair to local authorities, stopping the blackmailer in his tracks.  The boyfriend is now charged with trying to extort $10,000 from the senator.  And the senator has joined our growing list of political Really Bad Bosses.

As if the whole sordid tale wasn’t bad enough, guess how Stanley met his current wife? You guessed it, she was once his intern.  Read the entire hot mess of a story here.

Tomorrow: Affairs weren’t the only deception by politician’s in 2009

I have no idea what I'm doing...

It seems as though politicians are falling all over themselves to display tool-like behavior.  If we could unilaterally present the award to the architects of the birther movement and the healthcare town hall showdowns, we would.  But, in keeping with tradition, we’ll give the award to a single individual who’s recently displayed very tool-like behavior.

This week, it’s a toss-up between Blagojevich puppet, Senator (we use the term loosely) Roland Burris and Governor Mark “don’t cry for me Argentina” Sanford.  Sanford’s personal use of his state’s plane has rightfully fallen under scrutiny. Pickups from his son’s games and flights to get discount haircuts, all funded by taxpayer dollars, deservedly put Sanford in the running. 

However, Burris gets the award this week for announcing a change of heart and declaring that he might run to retain his senate seat.  He then provided further proof that he’s operating solely on fumes when he declared “people all over the country” were urging him to run.  When pressed, Burris could not specify what country or clearly define what he meant by “people.”

The Burris Side-eye

A couple of weeks ago, Roland “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing” Burris, hinted at not running to retain the senate seat Blagojevich tried to sell him gave him.  We all breathed a collective sigh of relief.  At least I thought we did. Burris now says he might still be in the running because he’s being urged by “people all over the country” to run.  What country? Which people? And by all over does he mean all over his house?  Caus’ we’re not buying it. 

That said, Marion Barry proved that some people could do anything and get reelected. And I guess being caught on tape negotiating the purchase of your senate seat, when compared to being caught on video smoking crack, is no big deal.  Nevertheless, right now most people, besides the ones in his basement encouraging him to run, just think he’s an idiot.  If by some miracle he’s actually elected to the position, we fear he’ll open his mouth one time too many and prove once and for all that he is.

Providing additional fuel for our Really Bad Political Boss files, the Associated Press is reporting that the governor used state planes for dozens of personal trips for himself, his wife and family during his tenure.  Some of the fun trips include: 

• A pick up from Myrtle Beach and return to Columbia, at a cost of $1,265 for “personal time” at Sanford’s favorite “discount” hair salon. Does anyone else see the irony in that?
• A pick up from his son’s football game in Bishopville and then on to a commercial flight to a Texas lake house for a gathering of Republican donors.
• A book signing in Mount Pleasant and then a 65^th birthday party for a business owner and supporter.
• On five of the last six Thanksgiving weekends, Sanford used a state plane to fly himself, his wife and their four sons from the family’s home in Beaufort County to Columbia for the state Christmas tree lighting.
• First and business class flights on commercial airlines at taxpayer expense, despite a law requiring lowest-cost travel.

Sanford with pigs

What makes Sanford’s behavior even more aggravating is that he’s made a career of appearing thrifty, demanding state employees use both sides of Post-it notes and attempting for months to block federal stimulus money for South Carolina schools.  

The governor, who’s grown fond of quoting scripture and likening himself to biblical figures, is now facing increasing calls to resign.  We’ve got one question for the spiritually minded governor, WWJD?  Thoughts after the jump.

Read more here.

William Jefferson with wife Andrea (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

…what’s $90,000 in a freezer?  At least that’s what the Rev. Aubrey Wallace, an assistant pastor and supporter of former Louisanna Congressman William Jefferson thinks.  Jefferson, the really bad polticial boss famously known for getting busted at home with $90,000 wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of pie crust in his freezer, was convicted Wednesday of accepting $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more for brokering business deals in Africa.  

The FBI has been investigating Jefferson since 2005 and found that the former congressman hid his crimes by disguising  bribe money as consulting fees “earned” through sham companies controlled by his wife and brother.   The prosecutor in the case says the 62 year old Jefferson could face more than 20 years in prison.

As is par for the course in these kinds of cases, despite a freezer full of evidence, Jefferson supporters are screaming conspiracy and citing his “good” work in the community.  We see it differently. When really bad political bosses commit crimes in the communities they purport to help, they irreparably damage those communities, regardless of the number of babies they kiss or kids’ programs they support.  It sends the wrong message to the children, and it says to the adults ‘you  deserve less than honest, law abiding representation from our country’s government. ‘  Essentially, it lowers the bar, and that’s a dangerous message to send to anyone, particularly those already underserved and disadvantaged.

Read the whole sordid, frozen pie crust story here.

Former Senator, Larry Craig - Forging new pathways...feet first

One of our favorite really bad political bosses and airport bathroom loitering, toe tapping, under-stall hand swiping senators, Larry Craig, is opening his own consulting firm. 

New West Strategies is… “Forging Pathways to Better Gov….gljersskg… Government ”  Sorry, I was laughing so hard, my head hit the keyboard.   Forging pathways to better government, really?  By lying about your lifestyle, playing the victim, and then suggesting the world misconstrued your actions?  Yeah, good luck with that. 

We’d like suggest a pathway few politicians know about…it’s the pathway of truth.  We hear the path is narrow, yet rewarding.  Somehow though, we think New West Strategies will opt to forge pathways by: 

• Publicly denouncing a lifestyle, while secretly living it
• Teaching clients how to successfully fool absolutely no one, except for their wives, into believing their stories about what they did and did not intend to do in a public bathroom
• Especially for politicians – Giving lessons on how to get your wife to stand behind you no matter what you did
• And finally, how to get PAID and re-elected after public humiliation and forced resignation. Special consultant – Marion Barry

We’ve said time and time again, if only we could rebound from lies, cheating and scandal the way these politicians do.  In the real world, really bad bosses like Craig and his ilk would be joining the ever growing unemployment lines across the country instead of opening businesses  and being offered reality television shows.

I have no idea what I'm doing...

After months of wasting a valuable seat on the senate floor, Roland Burris finally realized that when we said ”Don’t take it,” we meant it.  He’s useless as Illinois’ senator.  His hasty, shady appointment by Rod Blagojevich pretty much guaranteed that. 

Scraping together the little pride he has left, last week the 71 year old Burris announced he would not be campaigning to keep his senate seat.  Still displaying that cute little clueless thing he does so well, he proclaimed that he was not bowing out because of the controversy surrounding his appointment, but because he couldn’t afford to stay in the race.  We think he spent a couple of months in the senate and realized he didn’t know what the hell anyone was talking about.  He then decided that bowing out gracelesslyfully was better than being thrown out on his ass.   

 Burris’ bow-out comes on the heels of Blagojevich’s top aide making a deal with the feds that could reveal a lot more about the depth of Blagojevich’s corruption.  Is it possible Burris knows the scope of what’s about to be uncovered and wants out before it gets too deep? Probably. 

It’s a shame that Burris will go down in history as Illinois’ first African American senator.  At best his tenure will be laughable.  But his worst fear, that he won’t be remembered at all, is probably much more likely.

Thou shall not steele (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele threatens comeback – I figured RNC Chair Michael Steele would appreciate the reference to LL Cool J’s 1991 hip-hop hit “Mama Said Knock You Out.” 

Hip Hop rallies aside, Steele, before a crowd of supporters at the Republican National Committee’s 2009 State Chairman’s meeting, declared “The honeymoon is over…the era of apologizing for Republican mistakes of the past is now officially over.”  The party reserved the right to apologize to Rush Limbaugh if ever they have an original thought.  Steele ended his speech with a five minute human beat box solo. No, not really, but I’m sure he was tempted.

Steele urged republicans to take the gloves off and start going directly after Obama and his “disastrous” policies.  Regardless of your political persuasion, it’s hard to take anything Steele says seriously. The first few months in his role as RNC chair he waffled back and forth so often, it was hard to determine which was his true voice and which was the voice of his puppeteer Rush Limbaugh.   There was a large asterisk hovering over Steele’s head as he delivered his speech.  A check of the fine print revealed the following: 

*All official statements made by Michael Steele must be approved by Rush Limbaugh before being official statements of the Republican National Party.  Even if you think you heard him say it, have it on tape and saw the interview on television, if Rush disagrees with it, then Steele didn’t really say it. 

Laughing all the way to the bank - REUTERS/Frank Polich

I think I’m going to have to name a blog category after Blagojevich.  In a prime example of what’s wrong with America today, our second favorite really bad boss in the political arena – Kwame Kilpatrick being our first – is at it again.  Just hours after pleading not guilty to the federal charges against him, I hear that he’s trying to get himself on a reality show called “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!” The show takes a group of D-list celebrities to a jungle and leaves them there.  Apparently mayhem ensues, and we are thereby entertained.  Is it wrong to hope they all get scabies?  Blagojevich is in line to make $80,000…an episode! That right there is a really bad boss gold mine and sets the stage for the really bad boss trifecta:

1.  Bad bosses making a killing off of their really bad behavior.  We already ♥ Blago because he gives us soooo much to work with. Now he’s poised to make $80k an episode – for being a liar, and a cheat.  Nice. Really nice.

2. Bad bosses making a profit off the bad behavior of other really bad bosses. You already know how I feel about reality shows and the media execs who riddle our airways with them.  When will rewarding bad behavior stop being prime time entertainment?  Are the networks competing with each other to see who can dumb down America the fastest?  It seems that all you have to do today to get on TV is to be completely talentless, make a sex tape that is ‘mysteriously’ leaked, lie, steal and/or cheat.  Oh yeah, and be in line for a layoff.  I’m waiting for the reality show where honesty, integrity and a little bit of pride is rewarded.  I’ll report on that story alongside the one where the cow jumps over the moon.

3. People choosing to support really bad behavior by tuning in.  We’ve got to share a little bit of the blame here.  You know at really bad boss we believe that people are the bosses of their own lives.  The reason these shows continue to litter our airways is that we – and by we, I mean the ones who think Flava Flav is a good catch – keep watching them.  With the exception of the Amazing race, and that dance off show, I stay away from the genre.   But by watching these shows, we help boost the ratings and we send a message to execs that say ”keep this kind of programming coming.”

Now a man who should be a disgraced former governor, stands to make $80,000 an episode for being a complete and utter ass.

Blago at court on Tuesday (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

From the Who didn’t see this one coming file - another really bad boss denying all wrongdoing

You know how much we love Blago right?  Well today we fell in love all over again as he pleaded not guilty to 16 federal criminal charges.  Blagojevich, hair perfectly in place, looked relaxed and confident as he entered his not guilty plea at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.  Blago said he was ”saddened and hurt…” by the indictment, and then told reporters to go f*** themselves.  No, he didn’t actually say the last part, or at least he wasn’t caught on camera saying it.  But  when all this drama began four months ago, he was heard on tape referring to now President Obama, as a “m***** f*****,” so cursing at reporters would certainly not be out of character for him.

As you know from our ongoing love affair with Kwame Kilpatrick, the only thing we love more than a really bad boss, is a really bad boss who, even when caught on tape, still denies any wrong doing.  It comes as absolutely no surprise to us that this pillar of the community continues to deny attempting to auction the, then vacant, Illinois senate seat to the highest bidder.  

When Blagojevich finally does admit to some wrong doing, we’ll be sure to cover it here, along with the breaking news of pigs flying and hell freezing over.

Former really bad boss Elliot Spitzer edging his way back into the public arena

Elliot Spitzer - a sigh of relief?

 This morning, New York’s former governor, Elliot Spitzer, did a segment on one of the morning shows.  He sounded quite remorseful, referring to the behavior that got him ousted from office as “egregious.”  We talked about Spitzer and other renowned really bad bosses in a previous post, The Really bad boss roundup.  At the time, we asked several pointed questions.  We wondered whether these individuals should ever again be trusted in positions of public leadership.  And we asked whether their actions should be seen as character flaws or mere indiscretions that would not necessarily impact their ability to do their jobs. 

Prior to becoming governor, Spitzer was New York’s attorney general.  He was nicknamed the “sheriff of wall street” for his no-nonsense investigations into some of the very banks we’re currently bailing out.  Now he has a lot to say about what should have been happening to properly regulate the banking industry, and some believe he has the skills and know how to help remedy the current situation.  All of this reinforces the fact that when individuals in public positions of power commit these types of glaring infractions – both the immoral and illegal ones – their actions have long term consequences that go well beyond the immediate impact on their families.

In many cases, you’ve got talented individuals who are in positions of power that allow them to shape the future of the towns, cities and communities they govern.  Shortsightedly, by choosing to involve themselves in questionable behavior, they rob their constituencies and society at large of the very talents and skills that got them to positions of leadership in the first place.  It’s hard to say if anything would have been different had Spitzer remained New York’s governor over the past year, but we’ll never know.  As long as people in positions of public leadership continue to choose self, over family and community, we’ll always wonder what could have been.