Patrick Collins, the lead prosecutor in the federal racketeering
trial of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, said the state is going
through "unprecedented times" with the Blagojevich trial coming up.
He said there has been a major change in Illinois politics since the
Ryan trial and conviction."The combination of the Ryan
administration's problems and the Blagojevich administration's
problems, that sort of one-two punch, I think has changed Illinois
politics," Collins said.
Collins said the trial and the state of affairs in Illinois will
leave voters with a chip on their shoulder when elections roll
around in November. He said the alleged corruption of Blagojevich
will also be a target for political campaign slams.
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"I think this trial will leave a collective bad taste in the
voter's mouth about Illinois government," Collins said. "I think, in
some respects, it will be the fodder for campaign commercials and
for talking points for politicians as they go into the Labor Day to
November election cycle."
Roosevelt University political science professor Paul Green
agrees with Collins and said the trial falls at a perfect time for
politicians who want to use it in their campaign.
"Politically speaking, this trial could not come at a better
time," Green said. "This will be during a whole summer, which is
going to (have) pretty dull politics, and it will probably end right
as the campaign season begins after Labor Day. … Everyone will be
able to follow (the trial) and use it for their campaigns."
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Green said the trial will help Republicans who are seeking
office, but Collins said that with both Ryan and Blagojevich going
to trial, the parties are pretty equal in the voters' eyes.
Green called the trial "hanging fruit" for the Republicans
seeking office. However, he said that if Blagojevich does take the
stand at trial, there could very well be Republican names in his
testimony.
Overall, the alleged corruption charges and trial against
Blagojevich are not going to change how the state feels about its
politics, Green said. He said the state's image is already low.
"The good news is, no matter what (Blagojevich) says, how much
further could the politics sink?" Green said. "Right now, we're
below sea level. It's going to be very tough to hurt the image of
Illinois politics."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By ASHLEY BADGLEY]
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