Blagojevich and fooling the people

Abraham Lincoln said "You can fool all of the people some of the time ..." I remembered that quote after former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was released from prison. When he and his predecessor Gov. Ryan were in prison, I felt bad for both of their families: for Ryan because of his then ailing wife, and Blagojevich because of his growing daughters.

My feelings were selfish because it made me feel bad knowing that innocent members in both families were suffering. My hope for a show of compassion from Ryan's and Blagojevich's judg-es ignored that many less-politically connected prisoners also had grieving family members. No one was appealing for their clemency, certainly not President Trump.

Upon his release, I was happy for the Blagojevich daughters. Then I heard his homecoming speech, a few other sound bites, and his testy exchange with Anderson Cooper. My sympathy could have been better spent. A lesser known wise and honest man than Lincoln - my dad - had his own quote for people like Blagojevich: "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and that's enough."

Jim Newton

Itasca