40892-424. No longer is he called Mr. Governor. No longer does he decide what bill will pass for his state or who he believes should be pardoned for the Illinois prison system. Rod Blagojevich has been behind bars for six years now since famously trying to sell then President Obama's senate seat. The former senator, now an inmate at Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, traded in his designer suits and signature hairdo for a more fitting prison garb and gray hair. But his once quiet life away from the press and political elite has quickly flipped to being back in the national spotlight after his 20-year-old daughter penned a letter calling out President Obama for not commuting her father before leaving office.
The letter, which has since been removed from her mother Patti Blagojevich's Facebook page shared Amy's daily struggles of living without her father. She was in her early teens when her father was first charged and convicted of charges which ranged from abuse of power to corruption for selling the vacant senate seat left by Obama. The letter starts off:
"Dear Barack Obama, If you didn’t notice, I didn’t refer to you as “Mr. President” this time. That’s because you’ve lost my respect."
The letter then continued with a passive aggressive tone criticizing the former President along with pointing out he ignored letters written in November by both her and her sister, Annie pleading for their fathers release. Amy spoke about her battle with depression and how she is unable to sleep at night or get out of bed some mornings. The letter, which was about 1,500 words, went through everything you can imagine like the family's faith in God, faith in the system, and their once support for Obama.
Amy, who didn't hold back, went to extremes in this letter. From calling President Obama "un-American" to claiming her fathers innocence (which is an alternative fact), to even bringing up the commuting of once soldier Chelsea Manning's WikiLeaks situation.
Manning, who went by Bradley before starting gender reassignment, famously posted bundles of classified militaristic documents on WikiLeaks. Released were some of our governments biggest secrets such as the alleged US support for the Taliban and the mistreatment of prisoners at the notorious Guantanamo Bay in communist Cuba. The former army personal was commuted by President Obama with just over 48 hours left for him in office.
Manning, who would spend seven of a 35 year sentence when released, has gone through numerous struggles in prison. She was placed on suicide watch multiple times and tried killing herself more than once. However, unlike Blagojevich, Manning, herself, not her family, apologized for her actions and admitted her wrongdoings. Blagojevich denies any involvement with his situation and even said it isn't true. This is most likely why President Obama did not commute him.
But there is probably more to the story than we know. Fact: the Blagojevich girls have asked President Obama to release their father before. Thought: Probably not in the nicest way. Take a look at some of the last few lines of her plea:
Everyone seems to be mourning your exit from office. I'm glad you're gone. I'm not delusional - you're not a saint. You were a mediocre president with unoriginal ideas. Tell me, how did you think of the idea for the Affordable Care Act? Did it have something to do with All Kids? At least All Kids was done correctly, and, unlike the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it wasn't a failure.
Personally, I think this paragraph is a tad harsh. I wouldn't expect the Commander-in-Chief of our nation to release his once colleague if he was spoken to like this. And to be quite honest: I believe this might've been tame. We didn't see previous pleas, those were kept private. However, I'm assuming the one she is publicizing would be more appropriate, mature, and respectful than ones sealed in an envelope once sitting in the oval office.
Amy has been receiving an abundance of media coverage since the release of this statement. Chicago Newspapers have written numerous stories about this while few national outlets picked it up. The Chicago Tribune made her out to be an angry child with no filter. The Daily Newseven called her an attacker.
What's your opinion on this letter? Should've President Obama commuted his once colleague Rod Blagojevich or was his daughter Amy too harsh and out of touch? Leave a comment below!
You can read Amy's plea here.
