Hypocrisy is nothing new in government.

Politicians tell their constituents one thing and do another every day.

This week Gov. Rod Blagojevich did just that except he told his constituents and fellow politicians one thing and did another.

Blagojevich has been pressuring the Illinois legislature to cap individual campaign contributions at $2,000. During the week of May 11, the governor presented a campaign finance reform proposal to the legislature, the proposal was sponsored by Sen. Carol Ronen and Rep. Brandon Phelps.

The proposal was based on the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act of 2002. This Act, also called the Bi-Partisan campaign reform act because it was sponsored by a democrat and a republican, was signed into law March 27, 2002. The act bans the use of “soft money” and prohibited labor unions or for-profit corporations from sponsoring election ads.

Gov. Blagojevich proposed a total ban on all contributions from corporations and unions, limits campaign donations from individuals to $2000 and limit contributions from political action committees to $5000. The proposal would also limit state party contributions to $5,000.

While Gov. Blagojevich was suggesting to his fellow politicians that they limit their campaign funds, his political organization was mailing out invitations to a fundraiser that accepted donations up to $10,000.

Surely this must have been a typo. A politician wouldn’t say limiting contributions at a $2000 was a good idea and then ask for $10,000.

Wrong.

According to an article in the June 13, Chicago Sun Times Blagojevich had $10.4 million in his campaign fund at the end of last year and is hosting a fundraiser today at the Field Museum in Chicago with the hopes of raising another $4 million. The Sun Times states that the invitations to the event shows that the governor allows contributors to donate anything from a $1,000 to $10,000.

Something smells of hypocrisy.

But of course the governor’s people deny any such thing. They told the Sun Times that that governor was just following the current state law and if he didn’t, that would put him in a bad position for his 2006 re-election bid.

I wonder how he expects his fellow politicians to run campaigns that limit individual donations to two thousand dollars if he himself seems unable to do just that.

If the governor truly believed in campaign finance reform he wouldn’t offer his contributors the option of offering $1000-$10,000, which he is doing at the fundraiser tonight, he would follow his supposed convictions and limit the donations to $2000 per person.

If the governor really believed in this cause he would lead by example instead of yet again saying one thing and doing another.