“What has made Illinois so unique in its political history is not just the scandals and corruption but the people’s willingness to accept it,” said State Historian Thomas Schwartz. “Illinois has never had a very refined approach to politics, and, as a result, our political culture has always taken scandals in stride.”

Chicago Tribune | Scandal has home in land of Lincoln

I moved to Illinois from Seattle back in 1996? 1997? Anyway, even before the driver’s license scandal first came over the horizon, the acceptance of political scumbaggery astounded me. When I mentioned this to my hubby-to-be, he shrugged and said “Welcome to Illinois.”

It’s a great state (if a little flat and lacking in the number of mountain ranges I’m used to) and the arts flourish here. What a terrible shame the news broke too late to be written into the Chicago Bar Association Christmas Spirits show as a big production number.