Rep. Michele Bachmann told radio host Mark Levin on Friday evening that in facing protests by labor supporters Gov. Scott Walker and Wisconsin Republicans are like President Abraham Lincoln, who fought the Confederacy, and President Reagan, who contended with the Soviet Union. But contrary to Bachmann’s assertion, Lincoln had more in common with the 14 Democrats who left the state to avoid a vote on the GOP bill to cut collective bargaining for Wisconsin workers: In 1840, he jumped out a window to avoid a vote on a bill he didn’t like.

“I’m just observing our neighbors to the east over there and having a laugh,” Bachmann said. “I’d say it’s a new revolution going on over there. We saw the great Ronald Reagan pushing back the Soviet Union in the eastern bloc nations. We saw Abraham Lincoln push back the Confederacy in Atlanta. And now we’re seeing the Republicans in Wisconsin causing the Democrats to retreat to Rockford, Illinois, so I’d say we’re winning!”

She added, “This is how liberals react. They don’t take no for an answer.”

And Republicans act that way too. As KMPH reported last week, in 1840, Illinois state Rep. Abraham Lincoln jumped out of a second story window to prevent a vote that would have done away with the Illinois State Bank.

“On that date, the Democrats proposed an early adjournment, knowing this would bring a speedy end to the State Bank,” wrote Bill Coate. “The Whigs tried to counter by leaving the capitol building before the vote, but the doors were locked. That’s when Lincoln made his move. He headed for the second story, opened a window and jumped to the ground!”

Unlike the 14 Wisconsin Democrats — who fled to the Land of Lincoln — Lincoln was caught and returned to the Capitol in time for the House to adjourn.

In Bachmann’s interview with Levin she also took a shot at President Barack Obama, also from Lincoln’s home state, for supporting the protesters.

“I think what Obama is doing is, he’s busy organizing buses and trains and planes to get people into Madison,” she said. “Here you have BarackObama.com, Organizing for America, you have the president of the United States behind these protests in Madison. He’s trying to run away from it now, because here, he can’t balance a budget.”

The Barkley precedent stirs up unresolved questions about Minnesota’s ongoing Senate recount: Which major-party candidate will end up benefiting from Barkley’s third-party Senate run this year? And would Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty follow Blago’s example and fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Senate contingent? And will the Senate be as willing to seat Burris or a Pawlenty pick as it was with Barkley eight years ago?

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura appointed Barkley, a fellow Independence Party stalwart, to fill out the remaining weeks of U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone’s term after his death just days before the 2002 election. Barkley was a third-party candidate for the office this year, drawing enough support (15 percent) to affect the result. But it’s still unclear whether Coleman or his Democratic rival Al Franken will be the ultimate electoral beneficiary of Barkley’s participation.

Meanwhile, Pawlenty has downplayed the likelihood that he’d exercise his option to fill a vacancy in the Wellstone/Barkley/Coleman seat. While the embattled Blagojevich may have little to lose, Pawlenty is busy parlaying his national stature as an also-ran for the GOP vice-presidential nomination into short-list status for the party’s presidential pick in 2012. That likely makes the political cost of any appointment to fill a Minnesota Senate vacancy untenable for T-Paw.

There’s also the question of the willingness of the U.S. Senate to seat either Burris or a Pawlenty appointee to the Minnesota Senate seat. The senators themselves hold the constitutional wild card in the process voters started Nov. 4 when they tried to choose a senator, and Majority Leader Harry Reid has already signaled opposition to seating Burris.

I cast the first ballot of my life for the Republican congressman, a native of my hometown, Peoria, Ill., 10 years ago; he was then and still is a very popular Republican. The reaction of some of his former constituents — residents of Central Illinois — was positive as news spreads of his new job. Progressive and conservative political junkies agreed: LaHood is pragmatic and generally well liked.

LaHood has had a close working relationship with Obama, and especially with Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel. “Rahm Emanuel and I are very good friends,” he told the Galesburg Register Mail last week. “He and I had six or seven bipartisan dinners this year that I invited some Republicans and he invited some Democrats… Sen. Obama and I worked very closely together when we were putting the transportation bill together a couple of years ago… I think I have a great relationship with both of them.”

One relationship that might be strained around the cabinet table is with Secretary of State-to-be Hillary Clinton. LaHood was selected by the U.S. House to preside over the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton, mainly because of the trust he engendered in both parties. But he voted for all four articles of impeachment. Perhaps ten years is enough time to let bygones be bygones, but the figures that loomed large in one of America’s tawdriest times will likely be sharing a table in Obama’s administration.

While much more conservative than his Obama-cabinet contemporaries, he has been a staunch supporter of federal funding for Amtrak and is generally friendly to public transit.

“I think if we’re going to have a pot of money where we subsidize airlines and we subsidize the funding of highways, that we certainly ought to continue to subsidize Amtrak,” LaHood told a local paper in 2004.

LaHood voted with the Democrats to expand Amtrak over the objections of Bush and House Republicans in 2007. And it wasn’t the first time LaHood has bucked his party.

Notably, he rebuffed Sarah Palin’s racially charged campaign rallies saying that they didn’t “befit the office that she’s running for.” (LaHood’s parents were Lebanese and Jordanian, and as few outside Peoria know, a large number of Lebanese Christians settled in the Illinois River valley in the 1890s to avoid religious persecution).

Although he was first elected during Newt Gingrich’s Republican Revolution of 1994, he refused to sign the “Contract with America.” He did not agree that cutting taxes during a time of high deficits was a sound idea.

What little is known about about his transportation policies is fairly moderate in nature.

In 2005, he told the Peoria Journal-Star he opposed turning public transit over to private entities. “We’ve got a good Amtrak system in Illinois and I don’t think we want to destroy it by talking about privatization.”

He voted for the bipartisan Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008 that promotes public transit and earlier this year he sponsored the Commuter Act which offers tax breaks to public transit commuters similar to the breaks already afforded to automobile commuters. He bucked Republicans and voted for the Big Three automakers bailout last week as well.

But transit supporters have expressed concern over his statements on high-speed rail: “I think it’s a bad idea, mainly because we don’t have the money to fund the routes that currently serve Illinois,” he said in 2004. Illinois at the time faced a $3.6 billion budget deficit. “I don’t think we can afford at this point, with the kind of deficits we’re running.”

As the old saying goes, “Will it play in Peoria?” Residents there, both Democrats and Republicans, find Obama’s pick a pragmatic one.

For a liberal take on LaHood, DailyKos is probably the best place to gauge opinion… and most commenters there are irate that Obama picked a Republican. But those who know LaHood and live in his district share little of that outrage.

“Though I haven’t ever voted for him because of his party affiliation, I think he’s generally been a fairly effective representative and about as good a Congressman as I could get in this strongly Republican Central Illinois district,” wrote contributor modemocrat. “In the times I’ve met him I’ve found him to be a fairly good guy, especially as Illinois politicians go.”

Modemocrats continued, “And I have to admit as an Illinoisan, as a Downstate Illinoisan, I’m delighted by this pick. Not just for regional pride but because I feel like my interests as an Illinoisan will be well-served while at the same time I don’t have to worry so much about political fallout for Obama that would come from him appointing some Chicago Democrat with shady connections or questionable dealings.”

For a take from a local conservative, I gave my mother a call. After years of sparring with her over politics, I know of no one more thoughtful — or more conservative — than Kathy Birkey.

“I’m very conservative. I’m a ‘dittohead’ and you can quote me on that,” she says joking about her taste for conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.

She says Obama made a good pick. “I think he is hard working, he’s honest, and I think he’s very fair,” she says of LaHood. “He’s a little more moderate than I prefer and he has disagreed with me many times.” But he is bipartisan, she says.

“He’d rather build bridges than die for ideology.”

Obama’s done okay with his cabinet selections so far, she adds.

“LaHood’s a little more middle of the road like the others Obama has selected. I’m impressed with it and I’m going to wait and see what happens.”

Clockwise from upper left: Quinn, Blagojevich, Andersen, Rolvaag (MHS)

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn is calling for the resignation of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a man with whom he shared a ticket but apparently little else (except antipathy). Despite making overtures and even having once defended his embattled boss’s integrity, Quinn says he hasn’t spoken to Blagojevich since Aug. 2, 2007.

That’s a contrast with Minnesota, where Gov. Tim Pawlenty stood by Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau and pleaded her case until the state Senate canned her from her moonlighting stint as state transportation commissioner in the wake of the I-35W bridge collapse — which by coincidence occurred the day before Quinn’s last talk with Blagojevich.

So things are different in Illinois and Minnesota, at least in that respect. But the distant relationship between Blagojevich and his second-in-command does have at least one parallel in Minnesota, from the time of the last great statewide election recount in 1962.

The rivals in the race for governor that year were the sitting governor, Republican Elmer L. Andersen, and the sitting lieutenant governor, DFLer Karl Rolvaag. (Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor in those days did not run together on a ticket, so the office-holders weren’t necessarily of the same party.) After each won election to two-year terms in 1960, their 1962 clash was inevitable, according to the 1964 book “Recount” by Ronald F. Stinnett and Charles H. Backstrom.

Rolvaag, who had already served three terms as lieutenant governor, and Andersen, a 10-year state Senate veteran, “had personalities and philosophies so different that they could only resolve into opposition for the governorship in 1962,” Stinnett and Backstrom wrote, adding:

Karl Rolvaag stated several times just prior to his ascension from the “broom closet” to the plush parlors of the Governor’s suite that he had been in the Governor’s office only twice during Andersen’s term.

(The “broom closet” was a small office to which Rolvaag decamped toward the end of the 139-day recount, to make way for A.M. “Sandy” Keith, a fellow DFLer whose separate election in 1962 to the office of lieutenant governor was undisputed.)

By the end of the recount, which gave Rolvaag a 91-vote victory over Andersen, the two men exhibited a civility toward one another not seen between Blagojevich and Quinn — or between current recount rivals Al Franken and U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman for that matter. Still, during the two years they spent working — in theory — together, the relationship was an arm’s-length one on par with the current occupants of Illinois’ Statehouse.

Andersen left Rolvaag alone to do the one duty of a lieutenant governor: oversee the state Senate, which then met only 90 days per year. He might have more profitably given Rolvaag something else to do, even running the state transportation department. Instead Rolvaag enjoyed plenty of spare time in which to plot his campaign to topple Andersen.

The Rolvaag-Andersen contest is one such rivalry that NPR’s Political Junkie blog cites in a useful overview of the governor-lieutenant governor relationship in America, inspired by Quinn’s comments Thursday. Today in 18 states, voters elect candidates to those offices separately. Among the other states, Illinois is one of seven in which candidates are nominated individually (running separately in party primaries in Illinois), only to unite on a single ticket for the general election.

That allows plenty of opportunity for potentially distant shotgun marriages around the country, though few reach the caustic depths of one calling for the other’s ouster as in Illinois today – or the razor’s-edge rivalry of Minnesota in 1962.

Because the charges against Blagojevich are criminal and made by the U.S. Department of Justice, they are (so far) on a wholly different order from allegations about the Colemans that were made by private plaintiffs in a pair of civil suits from October.

The dissimilarity, however, ends approximately there. In both cases, the charges are that illegal payoffs to the elected official would be masked as payment of work performed by the wife. The monetary amounts are in the same ballpark: Laurie Coleman’s company received $75,000 and was to be paid $25,000, while the salary proposed for Patricia Blagojevich ran as high as $150,000.

One difference: In the Colemans’ case, payments — which haven’t been shown to be illegal, and whose propriety Sen. Coleman has insisted on — were actually made, not just talked about during wiretapped conversations.

Another: No incriminating quotes have surfaced from Laurie Coleman (or really any comments at all), whereas Patricia Blagojevich is alleged to have uttered such extortionary bon mots as, “[tell Deputy Governor A] to hold up that fucking Cubs shit … Fuck them.”

Here is how U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald described in a press release the allegations against Blagojevich that involve his wife that are contained in the criminal complaint and accompanying FBI affadavit:

Blagojevich discussed … placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year …

Blagojevich repeatedly discussed the … the financial and political benefits he and his wife could receive if he appointed various of the possible candidates. …

Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including … facilitating his wife’s employment as a lobbyist …

Blagojevich, his wife, [his chief of staff who was also arrested Tuesday, John] Harris, Governor General Counsel, Advisor B and other Washington-based advisors participated at different times in a two-hour phone call in which they allegedly discussed, among other things, a deal involving the SEIU.

Here are allegations concerning Laurie Coleman contained in the first of two lawsuits filed against Nasser Kazaminy (a Coleman benefactor and family friend) and the Texas firm he controls, Deep Marine Technologies, Incorporated (DMT):

… Kazeminy told Mr. McKim [former CEO of DMT] that he [Kazeminy] would make sure there was paperwork to make it appear as though the payments were in connection with legitimate transactions, explaining further that Senator Coleman’s wife, Laurie, worked for the Hays Companies (“Hays”), an insurance broker in Minneapolis, and the payments could be made to Hays for insurance. …

Hays provides risk management, insurance, and employee benefits consulting. It is also the employer of Senator Coleman’s wife, Laurie, who is an aspiring actress and holds no insurance licenses in the State of Texas. Kazeminy informed Messrs. McKim and [former DMT CFO B.J.] Thomas that Hays would funnel the money from DMT to Senator Coleman through the payment of compensation to his wife, Laurie, and that there was nothing to worry about. Laurie Coleman never provided any type of services or products to DMT …

Specifically, Defendants breached their fiduciary duties by: (1) directing improper payments to Hays for the benefit Senator Norm Coleman [sic] and his spouse for no legitimate business purpose …

Here is what Coleman had to say on Oct. 10 about allegations that his wife’s income from her job was in fact a form of payment to him:

In recent days, outrageous questions and insinuations have been lodged against my wife about her employment. My wife’s job has been disclosed as required under the ethics laws of the United States Senate. My wife is a certified and licensed insurance agent –- she works for a living –- and her employer is pleased with her work, and she is pleased with her job. And that’s all anybody is entitled to know. Questions about my wife, about my children, about their private lives, jobs, work and school are just that: private. And they will remain that way.

Late Tuesday, the Coleman campaign — which is already embroiled in the ongoing statewide recount in the senator’s re-election bid against Democrat Al Franken — issued this official statement about reports of an FBI probe in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

We are not aware of any investigation that is under way, nor have we been contacted by any agency with respect to this matter. As we have said repeatedly, we welcome any investigation of these lawsuits by the appropriate authorities to get to the bottom of these baseless, sleazy and politically inspired allegations.

In a conversation with Harris on November 11, the charges state, Blagojevich said he knew that the President-elect wanted Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them.”

The criminal complaint against Blagojevich and Harris (pdf) shows how Blagojevich felt about Obama; as it’s not-safe-for-work, I’ll hide it after the jump.

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ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it  up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his  senator.  Fuck him.  For nothing?  Fuck him.”  ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a  fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.”  (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois).

As commenters are sure to note — in 3, 2, 1 — the criminal complaint references Tony Rezko, the former Democratic party fundraiser convicted on multiple charges of fraud and bribery. Rezko, who will be sentenced on Jan. 6, did some fundraising for Obama and at one time was his neighbor, selling a parcel of land he and his wife owned to Obama in a deal some say gives the appearance that Obama received a a favor in the purchase. At that time, Rezko was already under federal investigation; Obama has called the deal “boneheaded.” None of the 170 references to Rezko in the criminal complaint reference Obama in any way. US Attorney Fitzgerald stated that Obama is in no way implicated, a point of view others share.

“If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I’ll be happy to do it.”

“We’ve got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois.”

If it’s guilt by association, the GOP might be wise to see if this rumor pans out: A reporter at a Fox affiliate in Chicago says he received a tip that Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s pick for chief of staff, blew the whistle on the Democratic governor.

Video of reporter Jack Conaty, via The UpTake, after the jump.

Update: A source close to the Obama team says Rahm Emanuel didn’t tip off federal authorities about Blagojevich’s misdeeds. TalkingPointsMemo quotes the source as saying it’s the “result of some overzealous reporting.”

According to a 76-page affidavit, Blagojevich asked for the following in exchange for the Senate appointment: “A substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions. Placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year. Promises of campaign funds — including cash up front. A cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.”

According to reports, Blagojevich was recorded as saying, “if . . . they’re not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it.” Later that day, speaking to Advisor A, Blagojevich said: “I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain.” He added later that the seat “is a [expletive] valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

The following is a portion of a 12-page press release by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (PDF):

CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

Blagojevich, 51, and Harris, 46, both of Chicago, were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint that was sworn out on Sunday and unsealed today following their arrests, which occurred without incident, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Bothmen were expected to appear later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan in U.S. District Court in Chicago.