Lamestream Media Meme: Blago is crazy

A quickly developing theme among the media about the Blagojevich scandal is the insanity angle. In between expressing their shock and disbelief that a politician would use his power to enrich himself, many pundits have progressed to wondering if Blagojevich is out of his mind. Many talking heads have turned amateur psychologist, wondering if Blago has narcissistic personality disorder, paranoia, or is merely a sociopath. Fox News' Ellen Ratner didn't stop at speculation, declaring:

"having read the transcripts, it is clear to me that Governor Blagojevich has serious mental problems. He is grandiose and does not have much of a clear thought pattern even for someone who might have a criminal mind."

Excellent work Doc, I would love to hear what you think of George W. Bush.

Another theme of the media coverage has been righteous indignation and disbelief, as if they literally could not comprehend a politician selling favors, despite the fact that it happens at every level of government all over the world every day. They have tried to portray Blagojevich as some sort of cartoonish supervillain, a task made easier by some of the more outrageous schemes ( the Children's Hospital funding, talking about shaking down Warren Buffett) he considered.

In reality, Blagojevich is neither a deranged lunatic nor some sort of black hatted archcriminal, he is just another crooked pol who tried to sell his influence to the highest bidder. When ordinary people are given power over money and resources that are not their own, the vast majority will abuse that power. The worst thing about the Blagojevich case is not that it was extraordinary, but that it was all too common.