Rod Blagojevich (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

What happened is that something finally, triumphantly, penetrated that Teflon hair and attitude of yours Blago. After deliberating for 9 days, a jury found the former Illinois Governor guilty on 17 corruption-related charges. The charges include trying to sell President Obama’s former Senate seat. NBC reports:

Blagojevich had faced 20 charges, including the Senate seat allegation and that he schemed to shake down executives for campaign donations. He was convicted on all charges regarding the Senate seat. According to Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair, Blagojevich turned to his wife Patti and whispered “I love you” after the verdict was read. Patti kept shaking her head and remained seated as the jury exited the trial room. Blagojevich is reportedly “stunned.”

Blagojevich, who’s spent the past two years proclaiming his innocence to anyone who would listen and trying his hand at reality TV, says he’s “stunned” by the verdict.

Immediately after it was read, Blagojevich turned to his attorney and asked “What happened?” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald knows what happened. He had this to say after the verdict, “The jury sent a loud and clear message that Governor Blagojevich committed very serious crimes shaking down a children’s hospital, trying to sell a Senate seat and demanding cash campaign contributions in advance before signing a bill.”

Read the full recount of the verdict and Blagojevich’s reaction here. Catch up on our love-hate relationship with the former governor and other RBB politicians here.

Judge Sam Kent’s law and major disorder

Just when we thought Rod Blagojevich was the biggest tool going, US District Judge Sam Kent literally and figuratively takes the title.  The 6′4″, 250 pound judge is disgusting.  He’s not just disgusting because he sexually harassed and tormented the female members of his Galveston, Texas courthouse for years – fondling them in the hallways, forcing one assistant’s head into his crotch and forcing his mouth unto another.  And, he’s not just disgusting because he was frequently drunk on the job.  Even alternately calling himself ‘the emperor of Galveston’, ‘the government’ and (insulting wildlife everywhere,) ‘the lion king’ wasn’t disgusting enough.  No, Kent is disgusting and deserves the Tool of the Week award because:

• In keeping with true Really Bad Boss behavior Kent first denied the sexual assaults claiming that the sexual contact was consensual. When he finally confessed, it was in a plea bargain that gave him a 33 month prison sentence for obstruction with the sexual misconduct charges being completely dropped.
• After initially denying the sexual assaults, Kent eventually blamed his behavior on “difficulties dealing with the death of his first wife and other issues.”

Read more about why Kent won our tool of the week award here…

This just in – Rod Blagojevich is still a tool. You know how much we love Blago right?  Well today we fell in love all over again as he pleaded not guilty to 16 federal criminal charges.  Blagojevich, hair perfectly in place, looked relaxed and confident as he entered his not guilty plea at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.  Blago said he was ”saddened and hurt…” by the indictment, and then told reporters to go f*** themselves.  No, he didn’t actually say the last part, or at least he wasn’t caught on camera saying it.  But  when all this drama began four months ago, he was heard on tape referring to now President Obama, as a “m***** f*****,” so cursing at reporters would certainly not be out of character for him.

As you know from our ongoing love affair with Kwame Kilpatrick, the only thing we love more than a really bad boss, is a really bad boss who, even when caught on tape, still denies any wrong doing.  It comes as absolutely no surprise to us that this pillar of the community continues to deny attempting to auction the, then vacant, Illinois senate seat to the highest bidder.

When Blagojevich finally does admit to some wrong doing, we’ll be sure to cover it here, along with the breaking news of pigs flying and hell freezing over.

We’re not buying it. No list that includes Rod Blagojevich is complete without Roland Burris. Burris still insists he didn’t try to buy his senate seat from Blagojevich. We didn’t believe him then, we don’t believe him now. Here’s how we saw it back in August.

A couple of weeks ago, Roland “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing” Burris, hinted at not running to retain the senate seat Blagojevich tried to sell him gave him.  We all breathed a collective sigh of relief.  At least I thought we did. Burris now says he might still be in the running because he’s being urged by “people all over the country” to run.  What country? Which people? And by all over does he mean all over his house?  Caus’ we’re not buying it.

That said, Marion Barry proved that some people could do anything and get reelected. And I guess being caught on tape negotiating the purchase of your senate seat, when compared to being caught on video smoking crack, is no big deal.  Nevertheless, right now most people, besides the ones in his basement encouraging him to run, just think he’s an idiot.  If by some miracle he’s actually elected to the position, we fear he’ll open his mouth one time too many and prove once and for all that he is.

What do you get when you mix two prostitutes and a former Republican party chair? A  beat-down. A politician can usually talk himself out of anything…except that is, a beat-down from his wife who’s  just caught him with two prostitutes.  Former Cook county Republican Party chair Gary Skoien denies he was with two prostitutes at around 1:00am last Sunday.  His wife begs to differ and police reports state she allegedly beat him (embellishment mine) after finding him at home in their children’s playroom with two women.  Skoien claims the police report is wrong and that he’s working on correcting it.  By correcting it he means denying it ever happened.

Editor’s note: Buck Hamilton’s Weekly Series, Managing the Meanies, will return  with all new posts on Tuesday, January 5th.

The Really Bad Boss Stamp of Disapproval

This week in Really Bad Boss…

• Sleeping with the enemy – Investors weren’t the only people Madoff screwed.
• Access Denied – What would you do if your boss sent you a friend request on Facebook?
• Crazy things your boss asked you to do - actual response, “Cut the tag out of the underpants she was wearing.”
• Spanning the globe for international bad bosses – Despite being the birthplace of the likes of Rod Blagojevich, Marion Barry and Michael Steele, the U.S. does not own the market on really bad boss behavior.
• The Really Bad Boss Blog Roundup – Ebosswatch, Employee Justice Report and others.

Really Bad Boss spans the globe in search of bad bosses everywhere.

Despite being the birthplace of the likes of Rod Blagojevich, Marion Barry and Michael Steele, the U.S. does not own the market on really bad boss behavior. Some bad boss stories from around the world:

Finland – Turns out, in Finland you can get arrested for aggravated dishonesty, the dangerous and obviously more aggravating relative of plain old dishonesty. Some Finnish chief executive ran a company into the ground and was detained earlier this week on suspicion of…you guessed it, aggravated dishonesty.  Can you imagine if they arrested all the dishonest American CEO’s?  Our penal system would be ruined.  And, if they expanded the arrest warrant to include politicians, well, let’s just say we’d have to create a new state. Read the full story here.

Nigeria – I know what you’re thinking, and no, madam, you have not qualified for a percentage of a $30 million inheritance left from the estate of a deceased head of state. And no, you will not have to provide your bank account information to access it.  But somebody will.  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday published a list of high-profile debtors of the five ailing banks whose management were canned last week.  A report issued on the same day by the CBN named Aliko Dangote as one of the debtors.  Dangote, a billionaire tycoon rated by US Forbes magazine as one of the world’s richest Africans, has a net worth of around 3.3 billion dollars.  Don’t get me started on the rampant corruption in African nations that keeps much of the continent in a vicious cycle of poverty and abuse. Read the entire shameful story here.

China – We ran this story back in our early days, but the situation remains much the same.  Some Chinese factory workers make $57 for a 75 hour work week.  One of our readers commented that if the workers choose to work there, we should be ok with it.  I’m not so sure if there’s much of a choice if your options are between starvation and being overworked. Thoughts?

France – Remember when Elite Model CEO, Bertrand Hennet, was arrested earlier this year for cocaine possession?  We do.  Read the full post here.

Want to share your own international bad boss stories? Head to the comment section after the jump.

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman"

Politicians are our favorite kind of bosses. They have authority and power over a lot of people, and as luck would have it, quite a few of them are really bad. In light of Marion Barry popping up in the news last week for allegedly stalking a female friend, and as Rod Blagojevich continues to deny what we all know to be true, we thought it’d be fitting to compile a list of seven memorable lies politicians have told us. Can you guess which really bad politicians uttered the following whoppers?

1.       “I want you to listen to me…I did not have sexual relations with that woman…Ms. Lewinsky”.   No guessing games here.  The infamous Clinton/Lewinsky dalliances have long been public information, stains and all.  What makes Clinton’s denial so infuriating is the vehemence in which he initially denied the accusations.  Watch the video here. Then, Clinton famously redefined the term sexual relations.  Only a president could get away with that. Which brings me to our next quote…

2.       “When the President does it, it means that it is not illegal” – Richard Nixon, discussing Watergate in 1978.  From infidelity, to wire tapping to creatively inventing WMDs, presidents are notorious for “bending” the law.  Nixon just summed up what many of them secretly believe. President’s are above the law. But presidents aren’t the only politicians to bend the law.

The Lying King - Rod Blagojevich

3.       “…those simple values that they teach us in Sunday school, the Golden Rule…those are the things I’m going to keep fighting for…I haven’t let you down.”  There are at least two lies in this sentence, and it’s a wonder Rod Blagojevich didn’t get struck by lightning immediately after saying the words “Sunday” and “school”  in the same sentence. The foul mouth, helmet headed former Chicago governor uttered those words on his last day in office.  He didn’t mention that he actually slept through most of his Sunday school classes or that he wouldn’t know the Golden Rule if it tried to comb his hair. And yes, Blago, you did let us down and probably God too. Speaking of God…

4.       “it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in the Bible - who after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand” We collectively gave Mark Sanford the side eye for that one, particularly since there’s no mention of David going AWOL in the Bible and then crying at a press conference on his return from Argentina five days later.  No mention of David skipping out on Father’s Day either.

5.       “The story is false. It’s completely untrue, ridiculous…made up” – Former senator and one time presidential candidate John Edwards denying an affair with a campaign assistant.  When it became clear that he did have the affair, Edwards gave a contrite interview on ABC, admitting to repeatedly lying about the affair even during his presidential campaign.

6.       “…they were misconstruing my actions.”   Here’s a hint, he’s got the widest and most inappropriate

The "misconstrued" Larry Craig

 bathroom stance in the history of bathroom stances.  That would be former Senator Larry Craig.  And which actions did the cops misconstrue? It may have been when he hovered around the entrance to the men’s restroom, a well known gay pick up spot. Or did the arresting officer occupying the stall next to him misconstrue his intricate foot tapping, hand swiping routine? I’ve discussed this with several of my male friends, and NONE of them have ever, even accidentally, done any of the things Craig did in that public restroom, much less all of them. Seriously Craig?

7.       “Occasional cocaine use” While I couldn’t find the actual quote from Marion Barry, his attorney did admit that Barry was an occasional cocaine user. Because occasional cocaine use is so much more acceptable than crack use, which Barry had been caught on tape engaging in. No worries for him though, because after serving a six month prison sentence, Barry was re-elected as Washington D.C.’s mayor.

In the end, politicians who lie for a living do so because a lot of the time, they get away with it.  Sure some lose their positions of power, but many others stay in power and in a few years their trespasses have been forgiven and forgotten.   If only the world was as forgiving towards the rest of us. 

I have no idea what I'm doing...

After months of wasting a valuable seat on the senate floor, Roland Burris finally realized that when we said ”Don’t take it,” we meant it.  He’s useless as Illinois’ senator.  His hasty, shady appointment by Rod Blagojevich pretty much guaranteed that. 

Scraping together the little pride he has left, last week the 71 year old Burris announced he would not be campaigning to keep his senate seat.  Still displaying that cute little clueless thing he does so well, he proclaimed that he was not bowing out because of the controversy surrounding his appointment, but because he couldn’t afford to stay in the race.  We think he spent a couple of months in the senate and realized he didn’t know what the hell anyone was talking about.  He then decided that bowing out gracelesslyfully was better than being thrown out on his ass.   

 Burris’ bow-out comes on the heels of Blagojevich’s top aide making a deal with the feds that could reveal a lot more about the depth of Blagojevich’s corruption.  Is it possible Burris knows the scope of what’s about to be uncovered and wants out before it gets too deep? Probably. 

It’s a shame that Burris will go down in history as Illinois’ first African American senator.  At best his tenure will be laughable.  But his worst fear, that he won’t be remembered at all, is probably much more likely.

Blagojevich and former aide John Harris/AP

Illinois’ foul mouthed former governor can add one more person to his list of people at which to hurl obscenities. His former chief of staff, John Harris, sang like a canary this week in a plea deal that could have him testifying against Blagojevich.  On Wednesday, Harris plead guilty to wire fraud in connection with the ongoing investigation into Blagojevich’s attempts to sell Illinois’ vacant senate seat. 

Harris, who was arrested along with Blagojevich last December, is the first staff member to flip on the former governor, beginning what we hope is the collapse of  the governor’s criminal house of cards. Harris now admits to having discussions on Blagojevich’s behalf, in an attempt to appoint an adviser to Obama in exchange for financial benefits.  Harris’ statement outlines the magnitude of Blagojevich’s arrogance and greed.  You can find more details about the statement here.

The problem with lying – besides the fact that it makes you a liar – is that you’ve got to rely on others to sustain your lies for you. And nothing gets people flipping faster than the prospect of serving time in prison.  John Harris took one look at the potential 87 year sentence he was facing and basically said, the hell with Rod Blagojevich.  Our sentiments exactly.

Blagojevich, having inhaled dangerous levels of hairspray over the years, doggedly maintains his innocence and like many politicians caught with their hands in the cookie jar…in Argentina…bring  the Good Book into the mix.  Blagojevich has been overheard hearkening back to his Sunday school days and “…the Golden Rule.”   We think Blagojevich must have dozed off at some time during the Golden Rule lesson and created his own version;  “Do unto others…as long as they pay you for it.”  ]]> http://reallybadboss.com/2009/07/the-problem-with-lying-former-blagojevich-aide-sings-like-a-canary/feed/ 0 http://reallybadboss.com/2009/06/the-really-bad-boss-tool-of-the-week/ http://reallybadboss.com/2009/06/the-really-bad-boss-tool-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:30:19 +0000 denised http://reallybadboss.com/?p=2430

US District Judge Sam Kent

Judge Sam Kent’s law and major disorder

Just when we thought Rod Blagojevich was the biggest tool going, US District Judge Sam Kent literally and figuratively takes the title.  The 6’4″, 250 pound judge is disgusting.  He’s not just disgusting because he sexually harassed and tormented the female members of his Galveston, Texas courthouse for years – fondling them in the hallways, forcing one assistant’s head into his crotch and forcing his mouth unto another.  And, he’s not just disgusting because he was frequently drunk on the job.  Even alternately calling himself ‘the emperor of Galveston’, ‘the government’ and (insulting wildlife everywhere,) ‘the lion king’ wasn’t disgusting enough.  No, Kent is disgusting and deserves the Tool of the Week award because:

• In keeping with true Really Bad Boss behavior Kent first denied the sexual assaults claiming that the sexual contact was consensual. When he finally confessed, it was in a plea bargain that gave him a 33 month prison sentence for obstruction with the sexual misconduct charges being completely dropped.
• After initially denying the sexual assaults, Kent eventually blamed his behavior on “difficulties dealing with the death of his first wife and other issues.”
• Kent didn’t make it to the hearing Wednesday that would determine whether or not he’d be impeached because he said he was physically and mentally incapable of attending. He was, in other words, incapable of manning up. Meanwhile the women he demeaned and tormented for years were able to man up enough to give very personal and embarrassing firsthand accounts of his abuse.
• In a letter to the task force deciding on whether or not to impeach him he whined that impeachment would leave him penniless and without health insurance.
• - He sent a letter to President Obama stating he would resign effective June 1, 2010 – giving him an additional year’s salary while he’s in prison.

There must be some kind of Really Bad Boss manual with step by step instructions on how to be an ass.  We’re still trying to locate it, and rumor has it that Blagojevich may have authored it, but we question his command of the English language and ability to write complete sentences. Regardless of who wrote it, apparently Judge Kent studied it judiciously (pun intended.)  It would be nice if these guys confessed before getting caught. It would make their apologies a little more genuine.  Better yet, it would be nice if they would just do the right thing in the first place. Is that too much to ask?  Apparently it is.

To see video of the hearing and hear testimony from Kent’s victims, click here.

• Can you hear me now?- Paul Liska was fired from his CFO position with Motorola back in February and is now suing them for wrongful termination. He says the firing was retaliation for being honest with Motorola’s board about the dire straits of its cell phone division. Motorola says that Liska had been on his way out for a while.  The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but experience has taught us that really bad bosses have a tendency to fire people who tell them the truth.
• Liar liar pants on fire - Pinky and the Brain, aka Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris, are still denying any wrongdoing.  And while Blago continues to ride the publicity train, this week transcripts were released that show Roland Burris doing exactly what he’s denied doing for months – talking to Rob Blagojevich (Pinky’s brother) about the senate seat he so coveted.  Is anyone else tired of politicians treating lying as though it’s some kind of art form? We know we are.
• You might be a Really Bad Boss if… you bash your housekeeper over the head with an ashtray.  The ashtray basher in question is George Bardwil, CEO of Bardwil Home Linens. He said he thought she was stealing. Now she won’t have to steal because once her fractured skull heals, she’s going to sue him for every penny he has.

Rod and Roland - aka Pinky and the Brain

Not these two again- Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris (aka Pinky and the Brain) are at it again – denying the obvious and doing their best to convince us that we are all deaf, dumb, and blind.  

Unfortunately for them, unlike the very special group of people who will continue to support their elected candidate, even after he’s caught on video smoking crack, the rest of us can smell a hot mess a mile away, even if it’s sporting a massive pompadour.  Burris, despite transcripts released Tuesday that reveal the exact opposite, continues to deny attempting to buy the vacant Chicago senate seat from Blagojevich.  The transcripts reveal Burris telling Rob Blagojevich, Pinky’s brother, that he’d  ”personally do something” to help the governor’s campaign.  The transcripts also show Burris saying “I know I could give him a check… well we, we, I, I will personally do something, okay.”

Burris, says (in what we imagine is a very whiny, high pitched voice) that he realized after getting off the phone with Rob Blagojevich, that he couldn’t do it.  He said he couldn’t risk the appearance of impropriety.  It’s amazing that he didn’t realize that while on tape. Burris’ attorney is asking for a smoking gun, suggesting that the wiretaps don’t provide enough evidence to support the claims that Burris tried to buy the seat.  Apparently his attorney has forgotten (see deaf, dumb and blind reference above) that under oath, Burris denied ever having any conversations with any Blagojevich regarding the senate seat and money.

Politicians are famous for doing this, President Clinton, John Edwards, Larry Craig.  Remember him? Craig was the Idaho Senator who claimed that he adopted what has to be the widest toilet seat stance in American history in a bathroom known as a hangout for men looking to have sex with other men, just to get comfortable on the toilet.  Few people in power have mastered lying as well as politicians.  Second only to lying is the political skill of “not manning up.”   I miss manning up.  Remember when a politician would do something wrong and sometimes even before getting caught, would make a public statement denouncing the behavior and apologizing to the people he’d disappointed?  Me neither, but you get my point.  Whatever happened to manning up?  When did it become acceptable, and almost expected, for men and women in power to take the child’s route out? 

I’d like to ask Roland Burris if the senate seat he wanted so badly has been worth it.  If in the end, his failed attempts at lying, cheating and stealing got him what he wanted.  I’d ask the Blagojevichs, but I think they’re too far gone.  They’ve moved on to reality TV stints and trying to make a profit from this whole fiasco.  Burris on the other hand, with his shaky responses to pressing questions and his deer in headlights stare, might not be a complete and total moral loss.  In fact, occasionally, I wipe the dust off of my cold heart and feel sympathy for my little senator friend.  I feel sorry that he’s a man who wanted something he felt he was unworthy of getting, and in a cruel twist of fate, in getting it, proved how truly unworthy he was.  And, while Blago and the little Mrs. continue to cash in on their deceit, my whiny, nervous little friend will not.  I think when we look back at history, the position and influence Burris fought so hard to get, will work even harder to distance itself from him.

Unauthorized trashcan searches, Burger King Management really having it their way, and the rapping RNC chair

• Clandestine trashcan searches and snackless hell - A look at some of the ridiculous and thinly disguised power-plays really bad bosses make in a pitiful attempt at relevancy
• Burger King has to pay up again, as yet another one of its managers takes their slogan, “have it your way” literally
• Don’t call it a comeback - The RNC chair was at it again this week, trying to remain relevant by appeasing lord Limbaugh and keepin’ it real at the same time 
• If Really Bad Boss ruled the world, Blagojevich would be deported, bonuses would only be awarded to CEOs who did a good job and cult enthusiasts would be imprisoned
• Edward Liddy resigned as CEO from the embattled AIG after only nine months.  Apparently it was a really hard job.  In fairness to Liddy, he came into a mess and agreed to accept an annual salary of $1 to try to fix it.  He didn’t help himself when less than a week after receiving government bailout money the company rewarded insurance agents who sold AIG policies with a $440,000 trip to a California resort.
• And, because it wouldn’t be Really Bad Boss week in review without a Blago mention – There’s a new Blago fighting for the spotlight.  It’s Rod Blagojevich’s wife, and she apparently loves the spotlight as much as he does.  Patti is set to appear on the reality TV blow show “I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here.”   NBC apparently doesn’t care that she’s neither a celebrity or particularly interesting and lacks the trademark Blago helmet head that hypnotizes people into paying attention.  Intent on assaulting our airwaves with another dose of reality show rubbish, they’re banking on the fact that she’s a Blagojevich and will instinctively pepper the show with the requisite amount of edgy profanity.  I hope they have their bleepers ready.

As rulers of this brave new world, our first official act would be to declare Fridays, International Really Bad Boss Shut Up and Sit Down Day, or IRBBSUSD.  During IRBBSUSD, with the threat of  having to watch graphic, unedited video of  their biggest foul-ups hanging over their heads, really bad bosses everywhere would be required by law to shut up and sit down.  Other official acts would include: 

1. The immediate and irrevocable deportation of Rod Blagojevich. What’s that? He was born here? Well, in a world run by Really Bad Boss, being an arrogant, unethical, lying tool of a politician is enough for permanent Nationality Revocation. Yes, revocation is a word, and even if it wasn’t, in my world, I could make it one (see IRBBSUSD above.)
2. Surgical removal of strings from Michael Steele’s back. He would then be forced to walk, talk and rap without Rush Limbaugh orchestrating his every move.
3. Bonuses would no longer be awarded to the CEOs of companies that don’t turn a profit. Section 12b, subsection 42 also states that if said company continues to operate with loses year after year, the CEO would…wait for it… lose his or her job. A novel idea, but years of firing subordinates who underperform have shown that getting rid of them…gets rid of them.
4. Encouraging employees to “drink the Kool-Aid,” will result in imprisonment. No, I will not let this go. Anyone who thinks a cult leader is an icon should be incarcerated.
5. CEO interviews will be conducted by the IT department.  They’re the only ones in the company who really know what’s going on, they know how to fix just about anything, and most importantly, they can make grown men cry.

Got something you’d like to add?  Add it in the comment section after the jump.

The worst part was, my experience with this company wasn’t an isolated one.  I thought about the VP of a former company, who within six months of being hired was drunk off his skull, dirty dancing on a table at the Christmas party.  He “resigned”, bonus intact, about a week later.   Or the CEO who, during an annual sales meeting, opted to complete a crossword puzzle, as the owner and board members discussed the uncertain future of the company.   And of course, I’ve already mentioned in several posts, the VP who fondly referred to the Jim Jones’ cult and its members’ mass suicide as the ultimate in company loyalty.  I can’t get beyond the fact that the same stringent screening process that had me in a three part interview that stretched over a four week period, and that can disqualify an hourly worker for having bad credit, can’t detect a pension for crossword puzzles, an affinity for cults or an alcoholic?  Ok, maybe that’s asking a bit much, but who are the gatekeepers letting these people in? Has anyone checked them out?  Why does it seem that those with the most responsibility and the most power have the least ability to use them effectively? And why are the rest of us beholden to them?  – think AIG, Congress, the SEC…

Webster has several definitions for the word boss including; a young cow, a person who exercises control or authority and a protuberant part or body.  While I’ve had bosses who fit into all three categories, I like the definition of a boss as being anyone who exercises control or authority.  By that definition, bosses aren’t limited to the workplace.   From politics – think  Rod Blagojevich and Elliot Spitzer, to Business – think AIG, Bank of America,  to Government - there’s too much wrong going on there to list here, to entertainment, sports, I could go on and on.  In fact, in our own lives, we’re bosses over our own choices and decisions…

Which brings me to why I launched Reallybadboss.com.  I wanted to create a space for people to share their really bad boss stories and more importantly how they got through them.  These days with unemployment levels hovering at near double digits, I think many of us feel stuck.  Stuck in jobs we may or may not like, but worse, stuck with bosses we neither like nor respect.  What got me through the last few months with the last really bad boss were friends, laughter and sharing stories with people who were in the same boat as I was. 

I want us to hold a mirror up to the really bad bosses around us, examine their behavior and do the exact opposite of what they’re doing.  I want Reallybadboss.com to be the place where we learn everything we can from the situations we’re in, and maybe have a laugh or two while we’re at it.

Rod Blagojevich (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Judge denies Blagojevich request to do reality show

Our 2^ndfavorite really bad boss is back in the news again. Not content with making an ass of himself in America, Blagojevich had petitioned the courts for permission to make an ass of himself in Costa Rica, on an NBC reality show slated for a June premier.  Instead, “I’m a celebrity, Get Me Out of Here”, will have to go on without him.  We’re glad because we won’t have to watch the complete meltdown when he realizes that there are no hair products in the jungle and he won’t be getting the rumored $80K an episode pay day. During the court proceedings, the judge remarked that he didn’t think Blagojevich “fully understands…the position he finds himself in.”  We agree.

Blago at court on Tuesday (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

From the Who didn’t see this one coming file - another really bad boss denying all wrongdoing

You know how much we love Blago right?  Well today we fell in love all over again as he pleaded not guilty to 16 federal criminal charges.  Blagojevich, hair perfectly in place, looked relaxed and confident as he entered his not guilty plea at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.  Blago said he was ”saddened and hurt…” by the indictment, and then told reporters to go f*** themselves.  No, he didn’t actually say the last part, or at least he wasn’t caught on camera saying it.  But  when all this drama began four months ago, he was heard on tape referring to now President Obama, as a “m***** f*****,” so cursing at reporters would certainly not be out of character for him.

As you know from our ongoing love affair with Kwame Kilpatrick, the only thing we love more than a really bad boss, is a really bad boss who, even when caught on tape, still denies any wrong doing.  It comes as absolutely no surprise to us that this pillar of the community continues to deny attempting to auction the, then vacant, Illinois senate seat to the highest bidder.  

When Blagojevich finally does admit to some wrong doing, we’ll be sure to cover it here, along with the breaking news of pigs flying and hell freezing over.

Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

The idea for Really bad boss came to me after a particularly frustrating day at work.  I came home angry and annoyed, asking myself the same questions I’d been asking for the past few years and over the past two or three bosses – “Why am I working for this idiot?”, “How? How is he in charge of anything at all, much less a company?!”  And, I wondered, how on earth he’d gotten the position he’d gotten, with all its accompanying power and influence.  How was he able to sneak in under the radar?   

The worst part was my experience with this company wasn’t an isolated one.  I thought about the VP of a former company, who within six months of being hired was drunk off his skull, dirty dancing on a table at the Christmas party.  He “resigned”, bonus intact, about a week later.   Or the CEO who, during an annual sales meeting, opted to complete a crossword puzzle, as the owner and board members discussed the uncertain future of the company.   And of course, I’ve already mentioned in a previous post, the VP who fondly referred to the Jim Jones’ cult and its members’ mass suicide as the ultimate in company loyalty.  You mean to tell me, that the same stringent screening process that had me in a three part interview that stretched over a four week period, and that can disqualify an hourly worker for having bad credit, can’t detect a pension for crossword puzzles, an affinity for cults or an alcoholic?  Ok, maybe that’s asking a bit much, but who are the gatekeepers letting these people in? Has anyone checked them out?  Why does it seem that those with the most responsibility and the most power, have the least ability to use them effectively and why are the rest of us beholden to them?  – think AIG, Congress, the SEC…

Webster has several definitions for the word boss including; a young cow, a person who exercises control or authority and a protuberant part or body.  While I’ve had bosses who fit into all three categories, I like the definition of a boss as being anyone who exercises control or authority.  By that definition, bosses aren’t limited to the workplace.   From politics – think  Rod Blagojevich and Elliot Spitzer, to Business – think AIG, Bank of America,  to Government – the SEC , entertainment, sports, I could go on and on.  In fact, in our own lives, we’re bosses over our own choices and decisions…

Which brings me to why I launched Reallybadboss.com.  I wanted to create a space for people to share their really bad boss stories and more importantly how they got through them.  Especially these days with unemployment levels hovering at near double digits, I think many of us feel stuck.  Stuck in jobs we may or may not like, but worse, stuck with bosses we neither like nor respect.  What got me through the last few months with the last really bad boss were friends, laughter and sharing stories with people who were in the same boat as me.  I want us to hold a mirror up to the really bad bosses around us, examine their behavior and do the exact opposite of what they’re doing.  I want Reallybadboss.com to be the place where we learn everything we can from the situations we’re in, and maybe have a laugh or two while we’re at it.

Racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud. Just another day in the life of impeached former Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich.  Here at Really bad boss, we love Blago almost as much as we love Kwame Kilpatrick.  If not for men like this, we wouldn’t have anything to blog about in our political category. Charged with caring for the concerns of his Illinois constituency, the disgraced former Governor instead was, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the mastermind behind a “scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government.”  Shady government officials are no longer uncommon, or for that matter, shocking. But what makes Blago such fodder for Really bad boss is his complete arrogance.  Like Kilpatrick, he insists, even in the face of pretty strong evidence to the contrary, that he has done nothing wrong.  Prosecutors, the U.S. Attorney’s office and everyone else in America who saw the transcripts of the wiretaps where Blago referred to Obama as a “mother***er”, and where he referred to the senate seat as a “ f***ing” valuable thing,” are all out to get him. We also hurt his feelings when we questioned his hasty appointment of Ronald Burris to the then vacant senate seat.

 In the meantime, he’s so torn up, he’s hosted a Chicago radio show, signed a reported six figure book deal and was at Disney World with his family when the indictments came down yesterday.  There really are different rules for the rest of us.