Trib relishes 14 years for Blago; offers a mere “Tut, Tut” for infinitely worse Trump

To read the Trib’s post release editorial (‘As Trump frees Blagojevich’, Feb. 18) Blago is evil incarnate who deserved to serve every day of his 14 year sentence. Indeed, the Trib offers “his astonishing betrayals of 12 million Illinoisans qualifies him for a sentence of 30 years to life”. Reminds me of the Queen of Hearts in ‘Alice In Wonderland’ shouting “Off with their heads” at Alice, the befuddled playing cards and all who incur her wrath. Granted Blago, a bizarre and hilarious fool who never belonged in the Governor’s Mansion, deserved being impeached, arrested and convicted of public corruption. But after that disgrace and disbarment from further state and local office, Blago warranted a light sentence more in line with petty white collar crime than a preposterously long sentence belonging to violent criminals.

That brings us to Donald J. Trump who ascended to the hallowed presidency with a resume of racism, xenophobic nationalism, business corruption, sexual harassment, vicious blasphemy of any getting in the way of his six decade lust for power and wealth. The Trib is probably more upset over Trump’s commutation of Blago that any of Trump’s debasement of virtually every shred of presidential dignity. “Trump’s decision spits in the eye of those prosecutors, but also the jurors who found the ex-governor guilty” is about the worst the Trib has to offer on a president they should have been furiously banging the impeachment drum to all Chicagoland. Instead the Trib was aghast Trump was impeached, simply offering that “The American people will decide Trump’s fate” (in the November Election). Incredibly, the Trib promoted this remedy after admitting Trump’s doing exactly the same corrupt activity of using his office for personal gain…but on a scale that dwarfs that of Blago. For the Trib, betraying 12 million Illinoisans deserves 14 years in the joint. But for betraying 327 million Americans, Trump deserves another shot at 4 more years.