News media should stop endorsing

I am totally surprised by the reactions of so many to the recent arrest of Gov. Blagojevich. Chicago politics has always been corrupt. The Chicago Democratic machine has praised itself for years as being the "King Maker" of Presidents.

No matter how quickly or how far the Chicago Dems try to run from Blagojevich, they can never outrun the corruption of the Chicago political machine that made them all. The only time that Chicago is ever clean is when the feds come in and clean house.

What is equally amazing is how quickly the press, who backed Blagojevich and the other Chicago Democratic giants, is now leading the charge against them. Where was the press coverage, when Blagojevich was being investigated before his second run for governor? It is fascinating to see just how fickle the press in Illinois truly is. Even as the feds were investigating Chicago political corruption, the press was busy endorsing Blagojevich, Jackson, Daley and all the other key members of the Chicago Democratic machine.

The endorsements from the press have gone a long way in ensuring the victories of some of the most corrupt politicians this state has ever produced. Don't you ever get tired of wiping the egg off your face when so many of your endorsements turn out to be for corrupt politicians?

Although the Chicago Democratic machine has become the greatest bed of political corruption, there have been several Republican elected officials backed by the press, who have also been as corrupt as the day is long. This is exactly why the press should merely report the positions of the candidates and stay out of the business of endorsing any candidates. If all the endorsements of the press were added up together against the number of victories by the corrupt politicians in Illinois, the winning average must be pretty close to 100 percent. In most cases, such a winning percentage would be the envy of most, but in the case of Illinois political corruption, this winning percentage serves to show that press endorsements have made us all losers. The best advice: You report. We'll decide. Enough said.

Tricia L. Dieringer

Elgin

Editor's note: The Daily Herald endorsed Paul Vallas over Blagojevich in the 2002 primary and Republican Jim Ryan over Blagojevich in the general election. In 2006 the Daily Herald endorsed Republican Judy Barr Topinka over Blagojevich.