Blago book deal

By Jennifer J. Foster

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is vowing to expose “the dark side of politics that he witnessed in both the state and national level” in a book due out in October, his publicist announced today.

The publicist, Glenn Selig, said Blagojevich signed the “six-figure book deal” with Phoenix Books, “run by maverick publisher Michael Viner.” The working title is The Governor.

“The Governor.“

Give me a break.

How about “The Disgraced Governor.“ Or “The Thrown-Out-Of-Office Governor.“ Or “The Governor With The Ego Bigger Than Illinois.“ Or “The Governor No One Will Talk To.“

Or, how about a subtitle? “How one man taunted the FBI, quoted poetry and kept on his jogging schedule, all while earning new levels of public disgust and achieving new levels of disconnect from reality”?

You’re right. That wouldn’t all fit on the book jacket.

Anyway, Blago’s writing a book.

Yawn.

In lieu of the book advance, what if we just took up a collection from around the country? I think the odds are good that the American public would raise six figures just to get this guy to shut up.

Obama’s media man

By Jennifer J. Foster

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama will nominate Julius Genachowski, a former Harvard Law School classmate and venture capitalist, to head the Federal Communications Commission.

Genachowski, 46, joins the lengthy parade of former Clinton-era officials to join Obama’s administration; he previously worked at the FCC during the Clinton administration.

From the WSJ:

During the campaign, Mr. Genachowski served as the top technology adviser to Mr. Obama, putting together a detailed technology and innovation plan that expressed support for open Internet or “net neutrality” protections; media-ownership rules that encourage more diversity; and expansion of affordable broadband access across the country.

Anything there catch your eye?

Flashback from last week, when I updated you on Senate action on the Fairness Doctrine:

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-That-Place-Where-Roland-Burris-Is-From) managed to tack on an alternate amendment that would order the Federal Communications Commission to encourage radio ownership “diversity,“ according to FoxNews.com.

A DeMint aide said Durbin’s measure will “impose the Fairness Doctrine through the back door by trying to break up radio ownership.“

The aide called the Durbin proposal “an attempt to break up companies like Clear Channel and hurt their syndications and therefore putting many local radio stations out of business that depend on those syndicated shows for revenue.“

Hmmm.

But expertise in technology policy and experience in the public and private sectors aren’t Genachowski’s only qualifications for the FCC job.

As the WSJ reports, Genachowski was an early supporter of Obama’s; he also served as a bundler for the campaign, raising more than $500,000 in donations.

That reminds me of something else I said recently ...