Political spin: Quinn, Blago, Rahm style

Is there some bad mold in the Illinois governor's mansion that gets into the bloodstream of the current officeholder and creates a progressive state of delusion? How else would you explain shamed ex-Gov. Milorad Blagoevich actually believing that 12 strangers want to hear his life story?

At the same time down in Springfield, the fertile land that Blagojevich used to troll, his former running mate and now replacement Gov. Pat Quinn is acting as though he believes Harry Potter is a documentary.

Mr. Quinn is opposing a law authorizing 1,200 new slot machines at Arlington Park and a few new casinos because it would transform Illinois into “the Las Vegas of the Midwest.”

This is the same Gov. Quinn who enthusiastically signed a law two years ago that allows 45,000 video gambling machines to be installed across the state, making every two-bit tavern a mini-casino.

Ÿ Once the tables are turned on Mr. Blagojevich this week and prosecutors are able to cross examine him, I wonder whether Judge James Zagel will allow them the same latitude that he permitted defense attorneys. Zagel is letting Blagojevich deliver his autobiography from the witness stand.

Since Blagojevich opened the door to all-things-personal, some may hope that the prosecutor's first question will be: “Now Mr. B, what did House Speaker Michael Madigan mean a few years ago when he stated that you had been involved in ‘indiscretions?'”

Ÿ Closer to home — actually in my home — the couch has been moved to cover up a fresh, red Gatorade stain on the carpet; empty toilet paper rolls are no longer being changed; kitchen towels are being used and put back in the drawer; lights are left on, gas tanks empty, doors open. Can only mean one thing. The kids are home from college after another year of higher education.

Ÿ The weeks have not diminished how incredible this is: even more amazing than Pakistan officials having no idea that the world's worst terrorist was residing behind two-story concrete walls in a middle class neighborhood is the fact that some American officials knew about it since August and kept it secret. Lately, from whistle-blowers to WikiLeaks, no information has been sacred or secure.

Ÿ If Mayor Daley had stayed in office, Garry McCarthy would be staying in Newark as the police chief there. McCarthy told me that he had such sour feelings about the selection process the first time he applied for Chicago Police superintendent in 2003 that he wouldn't have tried again under Daley. Rahm Emanuel's election was the difference for McCarthy, who says he puts a premium on fair treatment.

Ÿ The new police boss hadn't even seen Chicago's headquarters building at 35th and Michigan when he took the job. His current office in Newark is in a decrepit building that resembles the old CPD HQ at 11th and State — torn down years ago.

Ÿ McCarthy, who played college football and basketball in New York, is a workout fanatic and in good shape. Not the Jody Weis-bodybuilder kind of shape that his predecessor exhibited, but you probably won't find McCarthy wrestling over the last doughnut with a traffic cop.

Ÿ He and his wife have two daughters. One is newly engaged. The other has a year left in college and may transfer to a Chicago-area school … if her father wins the argument.

Ÿ Despite the normal complaints, sniping, legal and labor issues he had in New Jersey, McCarthy was beloved by his closest staff members … a few of whom he plans to bring to Chicago. Not police but support staff.

Ÿ Call me a traitor to manhood but even the royal wedding on TV was more exciting than watching the NFL draft. I love football and estimate that I have spent a total of 2.21 years watching games, reading about pro and college football, and talking about it. The draft, however, was boring. It was also uncomfortable to watch many of the top picks speak as though they never attended English class.

Ÿ For some, the latest status symbol is having been in the Japan earthquake. Overheard in an O'Hare airline club was a businessman nearly shouting into his cellphone “ … that must've happened when I was in Toyko during the earthquake …” Even though little happened in Tokyo — it was all to the north — it made him sound very important to those of us who were just quietly going about our affairs.

Ÿ It shouldn't surprise you to learn that this same person had the theme music from TV's “The Office” as his cellphone ringtone. I wonder if he will change it when the show fades into obscurity now that the lead character is gone.

Ÿ The way Mayor Emanuel has been sounding lately, he could give collectors of mayoral gaffes and mangled English a lift after all. There has been a fear that there would be no roarers to collect after the departure of Mayor Daley, who provided a regular supply of verbal miscues, sentences with missing words and unusual chirping sounds. Alas! Emanuel is proving as adept at speaking misspeak as his predecessor.

Chuck Goudie, whose column appears each Monday, is the chief investigative reporter at ABC 7 News in Chicago. The views in this column are his own and not those of WLS-TV. He can be reached by email at chuckgoudie@gmail.com and followed at twitter.com/ChuckGoudie.