CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Question of the day

Re: Question of the day

Sweet Polly Purebred — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:24 -0000

Wordslinger - If you see this - THANK YOU. I enjoy your postings and look forward to your take on the days events. Keep posting. As I said in an earlier post You, Bill Baar, Little Egypt and others here on Cap Fax really keep my mind hopping and my addiction to politics under control! I would be in a 12 step program by now if it weren't for this glorious creation of RICHS'.

Re: Question of the day

zatoichi — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:29:02 -0000

The man is not mentally ill in any way. He is a hustler who found a way to make money through BS and a willingness to say almost anything to get the sale. He has no desire to get his hands dirty, but will work off other's coattails. Those statements in the criminal complaint: I got something that was given to me, I did not earn it but what can I get for it. All image, no substance. He will nonchalantly shed any relationship that does bring him something for the little effort he actually puts out. Corporate world is filled with people like him.

Re: Question of the day

wordslinger — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:24:48 -0000

Polly, that's not bad. A petulant child with Nixon demons. Not bad at all.

Re: Question of the day

Sweet Polly Purebred — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:07:23 -0000

I just think he has "NIXONITIS". He has surrounded himself with YES men who haven't the testicular virility to tell him his ideas are whacked and in doing so has committed himself to terminal isolation. If he HAD made it to the White House, it would have only been a question of time before he was walking the halls at midnight, talking to the portrait of Lincoln. There is nothing wrong with the gov that a good spanking and to bed with no supper wouldn't cure! He is an overindulged child with a super sense of entitlement.

Re: Question of the day

Ahem — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:00:22 -0000

Sorry to keep coming back to this but I think there's come confusion on the whole insanity issue. I don't believe he can get off using an insanity plea; I believe his personality disorder(s) are severe enough that one could say that he has a mental pathology. I believe that to the extent that his mental condition could come up in court, it would be in support of a criminal conviction; his tendencies predispose him to the kind of behavior he is accused of.

Re: Question of the day

Justice — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:46:10 -0000

Sane....absolutely. Idiot.....absolutely....and would be a perfect tyrant! He cares less about the truth, and honesty is what he chooses it to be. He has placed many in positions who are just like him. They become bullies and live by their own rules, which change to meet their needs. Finally someone has stepped up and slammed a barricade in their path; That someone is the Feds. They will pick the hacks off one by one down to the lower levels, into the ranks of the liaisons. Blagojevich will try and squeeze through the eye of the needle to get out of this but will fail magnificently. He enjoys the spotlight but little by little it will dawn upon him that there is a cell waiting. His good days are gone and loneliness and tribulations are now his shadow companions. The glory is waning and contempt is building. He strikes me as a guy who needs to be on a suicide watch.

Re: Question of the day

Hubba Bubba — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:41:42 -0000

A terminal case of too-full-of-himself-itis

Re: Question of the day

blahedo — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:57:07 -0000

I think that one of the things making this difficult is that so many of his symptoms *do* appear at first blush to be just run-of-the-mill politician stuff, if perhaps stronger than most; it's why he got so far. But if you think of the other politicians that have misbehaved in office, whether actually sent to prison or not, it really seems to be qualitatively different. They might lie, they might break promises, they might be greedy (*very* greedy), they might think the law doesn't really apply to them. But Blagojevich has taken these things to a whole different level, with a strange mix of knowing he had to keep it secret but not understanding why they're wrong. It could just be that he's stupid, I guess, and many have claimed that he's just greedypolitician + stupid, but it definitely seems qualitatively different to me. He really does come across as sociopathic in a literal sense. (Which, I suppose, would technically be Antisocial or Narcissistic Personality Disorder or whatever---IANAP.)

Re: Question of the day

JonShibleyFan — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:00:28 -0000

In my opinion, the talk of the Governor's mental state has gotten way out of hand. What started as a flip remark by Steve Brown has turned every self-styled pundit into a psychoanalyst, and at least one psychoanalyst into a pundit (and a hack).

Nonprofessionals are not fit to make that diagnosis. Professionals are not fit to make a diagnosis based on what they see on TV.

It's ludicrous, and saying he's mentally ill either makes light of mental illness, or it lets him off the hook. Neither option is a responsible one.

Hubris is not a mental illness. Egomania is not a mental illness. Greed is not a mental illness. And rank stupidity is not a mental illness. And I think those are diagnoses with which few would disagree.

Re: Question of the day

soccermom — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:58:15 -0000

Here's a literary point I've been thinking about. The essence of tragedy is that the protagonist has no choice; his ultimate disaster is the result of a tragic flaw over which he has no control. In melodrama, on the other hand, the protagonist is not destined for disaster; he makes a conscious choice that leads to his doom.

I guess I believe in free will, so I view this sad tale as a melodrama, not a tragedy.

Re: Question of the day

Ahem — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:54:46 -0000

There's insane and there's criminally insane. Let's be clear.

Re: Question of the day

Lefty — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:53:13 -0000

As we used to say in Chicago he's gotta be effen nuts to do some of the things he's done.However, that's no excuse.He deserves everything he gets.

Re: Question of the day

Big Mama T — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:51:58 -0000

Something is definitely not right with him. He has a few wires that are crossed up in his noggin. I believe he suffers from FAS. He exhibits many of the traits, physically and emotionally.

Re: Question of the day

Dznuts — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:11:28 -0000

...level...

Re: Question of the day

Dznuts — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:10:12 -0000

The Governor reminds me a lot of the character Lowden Downey from the movie "A Few Good Men". Downey believed in his heart that he did nothing wrong, that he was just following an order. I'm not suggesting Blagojevich was following an order, but the deer-in-the headlights look when confronted with serious charges and court room proceedings still didn't mean anything to Downey in the movie. I don't think Blagojevich suffers from a mental condition. He suffers from an undeserved condition of arrogance. That's not mental incompetence. He made phone calls. He was caught on tape trying to make money on the appointment of a U.S. Senator.

John Gotti also swore he was innocent, but in his world, what he did was considered business as usual. Again, I'm not saying the Governor is a murderer, just that the claim of innocence argument may actually seem to make sense to him on a very twisted leve.

Re: Question of the day

Wheel 'n Deal — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:05:34 -0000

I believe he has the personality disorders as listed above, but really, who cares? He still is a criminal and shows intent to cover up his actions. Many criminals have some sort of mental problem, but are not insane. And if it is a personality disorder, I don't think there is much in the way of effective treatment, so rehabilitation is mute.
His wife to ground him? She seems just as un-grounded as he is. They are perfect for each other.

Re: Question of the day

Enemy of the State — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:55:32 -0000

The real question should be, Does he belong in a prison or in a hospital? The answer is both. Check out the state facility at Chester.

Re: Question of the day

BandCamp — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:54:22 -0000

I'm with Bill. I worked on his primary. I think all of believed he would be "different" from the past...but OMG! Not this kind of different. I don't think he is a common criminal either. He's a Governor who probably surrounded himself with the wrong people. Like Rich said in his piece, he had all those "yes" people who facilitated him.

He's unfit for office because he doesn't know what's he's doing. He couldn't govern a class of 1st graders right now.

I also agree it's tragic. I don't feel sorry for him. His daughters? Yah. But him and Patty, no way. They are both sane enough to stop the behavior at some point over the past few years.

Although I will say this, and argue if you want, I think we all suffer from sort of mental issue. We are not perfect by nature.

Re: Question of the day

carbon deforestation — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:47:10 -0000

Will all this attention feel good for his little ego and feed his family in ten years when he's half-way through his sentence and we've all tried to forget him?

Re: Question of the day

Patriot — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:41:32 -0000

No doubt, being depressed and/or suffering of mental illness should not be spoken of casually. I Just believe if he was examined by professional, it would be determined that he is unfit for the office. If he was playing with a full deck of cards, he would have already stepped aside for the sake of Illinois.

Re: Question of the day

City Voter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:40:15 -0000

He's a megalomaniac.
n : a delusional mental disorder that is marked by infantile feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur.

I think "infantile" seals the diagnosis.

Re: Question of the day

Stinky — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:13:06 -0000

I think he is one smart cookie. Listen to us. We are all talking about him and the media is all over him. He loves the attention. He is a child who keeps getting into trouble to get attention. and we all egg him on.

Re: Question of the day

Amy — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:04:13 -0000

i think what Carl Nyberg said. a personality disorder is not insanity. mental illness is all around us, the question is the degree as to whether it is insanity. depression is everywhere, so many are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and many politicians are uber self centered. but not insane. these conditions increase with isolation because there is nothing to stop the self centered behavior and staff is automatically seen as beneath the politician.

but if we are talking about mental disorders/illness/insanity, let's all stop and think about two things:

1)health services are more and more necessary for people with these conditions. governments must do more to help.

2) the holidays can be a bummer for anyone who is sad for any reason. help out a pal in need, whether it be for financial or mood reasons.

Re: Question of the day

Patriot — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:56:09 -0000

- Fan of the Game - Tuesday, Dec 16, 08 @ 12:21 pm:

Sane? Yes.

Mental condition? Probably.

Does it affect his knowledge of right and wrong? No.

Can he function as governor despite it? Yes, but not very well. Also, his condition is likely no worse than the conditions, addictions, obsessions that afflict a great many other politicans.

Sorry, I doubt that he is sane, unless you are basing this upon Chicago standards.

Mental condition? Absolutely

Whether he knows the difference between right or wrong is not relevent. However, it was wrong for the people of Illinois to relect him in the first place.

Can he function as Governor? Please tell me when he has acted like a governor since being elected. If you had a defintion for the Anti-Governor in a dictionary, he would be it. And I cannot possibly compare him to any other politician other than Nixon. Of course, comparing Blago to Nixon is really an insult to history. At least Nixon had a high IQ.

Re: Question of the day

MikeintheSuburbs — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:51:09 -0000

I had a conversation with a psychiatrist friend about his yesterday. He said that although Blago may have what is called "Narcissistic Personality Disorder", what that means is that he is just a jerk ("jerk" not the real word used). He specifially said he was not bi-polar, which had been my guess after watching Tom Cruise in the AM.