The New Republic: Blagojevich no worse than Coleman

Norm Coleman has gotten a free pass. That’s the conclusion of The New Republic‘s Jonathan Chait in dissecting the allegations made against the former senator in lawsuits filed in Delaware and Texas courts. The crux of the matter: Longtime Coleman pal Nasser Kazeminy is accused of attempting to funnel $75,000 to the politician through a Minneapolis insurance firm.

Chait concludes that the allegations against Coleman are no less scurilous than those that resulted in Illinois Gov. Rod Blogojevich getting kicked to the curb. Here’s a choice excerpt from “Spare the Rod”:

Of course, Coleman has not yet been proven to have committed a crime. But the same can be said of a certain floppy-haired former Illinois governor whose guilt has nevertheless been universally assumed. The comparison between Coleman and Blagojevich is instructive because the allegations entail the same basic crime, which is to leverage political power for personal gain.

Some differences in the scale of relative guilt do present themselves. In Coleman’s defense, he’s currently just a subject of an FBI investigation, while Blagojevich has been voted out of office. And, of course, Coleman hasn’t been caught boasting about his scheme. On the other hand, Coleman is accused by a Houston businessman of having actually accepted illicit funds, while Blagojevich is merely being accused of harboring an intention to sell his Senate seat.

Now consider how the two stories have fared in the national press. Blagojevich has turned into the biggest crime story since O.J. Simpson. Can you guess how many articles about the Coleman scandal have appeared in the national media? One short wire story. When I bring up Coleman’s scandals with my colleagues, many of whom follow politics for a living, invariably they have little or no idea what I’m talking about

Chait’s not the first to notice a similarity between the two scandals. MnIndy’s Chris Steller made the Blago-Coleman comparison back in December.