Ill. governor: Eager for battle, rarely victorious

updated 5:01 p.m. ET Dec. 14, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Anyone who wants a peek inside Gov. Rod Blagojevich's head should look back to last year, when the Illinois House voted on his plan for the biggest tax increase in state history.

Not a single lawmaker voted for the $7 billion tax — a stunning rebuke of the governor's leadership and legislative know-how.

His reaction to the defeat: "Today, I think, was basically an up ... I feel good about it."

Whether you call it optimism or delusion, Blagojevich has always acted as if nothing can ever go wrong for him. He paints himself as the hero and others as the villain, once even claiming he was in God's corner in a legislative battle.

That same bravado may shape his response to federal charges that he tried to sell or trade President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat and shake down businesses seeking state deals. Blagojevich has, so far, ignored calls for him to resign and has consulted an attorney known for fighting charges, not cutting deals.

Running roughshod over those who disagree
Throughout his two terms as governor, the Chicago Democrat has run roughshod over those who disagree with him — accusing lawmakers of spending like drunken sailors and calling the State Board of Education a Soviet-style bureaucracy.

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, a fellow Democrat from East Moline, once emerged in a rage from Blagojevich's office, telling reporters the two nearly came to blows when Blagojevich shouted obscenities at him, balled up his fist, threatened to punish a university in Jacobs' district and threatened to ruin his career for not supporting a health care plan.

Jacobs wasn't surprised to learn that federal wiretaps caught Blagojevich openly discussing potentially illegal behavior even though the governor knew he was under investigation.

"It just suggests to me that he was a very narcissistic individual," Jacobs said. "He doesn't have enough sense to walk away. I think he thinks that he's innocent and he's going to beat this thing."

The attitude of righteousness has kept Blagojevich going through political clashes, corruption scandals, family feuds and plummeting job-approval ratings. It also has contributed to those problems, with Blagojevich rushing forward without building support for his ideas or considering other views.

"I think he liked the fight. I think he enjoyed the battle, so it was good to have an enemy," said Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross.

Promised to shake things up in 2003
Blagojevich, 52, entered the governor's office in 2003 promising to shake things up.

He was the first Democrat to win the office since 1972. A young showman replacing a gray and grumpy incumbent who wound up in prison, Blagojevich promised to clean up government and end backroom deals.

He made no secret of his interest in someday becoming president.

But once in office, Blagojevich quickly began alienating people.

He sent a "cease and desist" letter to his own father-in-law, a Chicago alderman who had included the governor's name on his stationery. After other clashes — including public allegations by his father-in-law that Blagojevich had traded state appointments for campaign donations — the two men stopped speaking entirely.

Blagojevich offended many Illinoisans by refusing to move to the Executive Mansion in Springfield, choosing to live in Chicago instead. He even canceled the tradition of letting children trick-or-treat at the mansion.

Visits to the Capitol itself have been rare and usually brief. During one busy session, he used the state plane to fly to Springfield every morning and home again every night, at a total cost to taxpayers of nearly $100,000.

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