by Frank James
It looks like Illinois will continue to have one senator, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, for weeks if not longer.
It's clear that embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich won't step down. And why would he? That $177,000 governor's salary, which only a few weeks ago looked puny to him, now must look especially bountiful, given the bleak prospects he faces if he resigns.
So it stands to reason he will hang on as long as he can just to collect the paycheck and to have a "thing of value," as U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald might say, with which to bargain with prosecutors later on for a lesser criminal penalty if he chooses to work with Fitzgerald.
If Illinoisans want to pry him out of the governorship, it looks increasingly likely that they will have to impeach him. The Illinois legislature started that process yesterday, but it could take weeks if not longer for that to play out.
What a weird turn of events for Illinoisans. They have the pride of having the next president be one of their own.
But, apparently for many weeks to come, they will have less power in the Senate than other, much more sparsely populated states like North Dakota or Wyoming, giving the less populated red states even more power than blue states relative to their population.
Anyone who thinks that's not important didn't pay attention to what happened last week when a block of red-state senators was able to derail the auto-bailout legislation agreed to by President Bush and congressional Democrats.
In their effort to reach the compromise that allowed the union to be formed, the founders gave the small states the exact same voting power in the Senate as the more populous ones. Thus the deck is often stacked against large states in the Senate. And that's even more true where the states where most of the citizens are have to play shorthanded.
Comments
Because Blago will not step down, it proves he is only in the game for his own gain. He cares nothing for the state of Illinois or it's residents. He can temporarily step aside until the matter is cleared up. If he is innocent as he says, he should have no problem in doing so. But now he has a lot of funding tied up due to his own pride.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | December 16, 2008 8:14 AM
Some economist is going to apply some game theory/imperfect information analysis to this cat-and-mouse classic.
There still does have to be some overt act, unambiguous overt act, in furtherance of a conspiracy to make it criminal, doesn't there???
Or is the tuff talk stuff enough?
Rod was perfectly content with a Bush-like approval rating before. A few points lower shouldn't make that much difference in his mindset.
Seems like it's going to be an interesting impeachment trial, what with all the witnesses taking the 5th and all.
Probably the most interesting impeachment trial since Clinton's trial in the Senate.
Eliot Spitzer is beginning to look like a role model.
Posted by: ornery | December 16, 2008 8:27 AM
Wait until Rod's girl friend comes out to play, that should change his direction.
Posted by: Bessie | December 16, 2008 8:45 AM
What happened to trial by jury ? Have we amended the constitution to trial by media, trial by innuendo, or trial by crystal ball ? The media circus atmosphere, to remove an elected official that hasn't been convicted of anything, is hardly American, and it certainly is not democratic. Who cares, though, the masses must be distracted from the looting of our Treasury, by the Corporation of America? I know, it is all the union auto workers fault !! Or is it Governor Blagojevich's fault !!? Take your pick, America !! Nobody really cares, except those that are doing the looting !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | December 16, 2008 9:06 AM
Longer Blago stays in office -more scandal -
The Democrats are anxious to get him out of play, to avoid more embaresment.
Posted by: Inky | December 16, 2008 10:11 AM
I believe that Blajojevich should appoint his close ally, State Senate President Emil Jones, to the open United States Senate seat.
This should receive the approval of President-elect Obama as he has called Emil Jones his "Godfather" in politics.
I am not sure if the press and the public would agree thought as Jones has his own ethical problems.
The media should of spent time in Chicago, prior to the election, and they would not of been suprised by the ethical cloud hanging over politicians in Illinois.
Posted by: Pat H | December 16, 2008 10:33 AM
Right now the primary losers in all of this are the citizens of Illinois.
The senate seat is much too important for it to be held in limbo until June, or possibly later. That doesn't even address the issue of potentially having an election for the seat. Ridiculous on its face. The state of Illinois doesn't have $40 million to spend on this type of thing. And if they did, the money should be used to bail the state out of its fiscal problems.
If nothing else, Blago should let Pat Quinn appoint Obama's successor. That way there would be no cloud of impropriety and the governor could retain his seat.
Posted by: W OBrien | December 16, 2008 10:41 AM
He needs to just step down for good and be done with it. His aproval rating is in the single digits...no one takes him seriously, no one wants him hanging in around.
Posted by: Teresa Happy Festivus Bill | December 16, 2008 11:43 AM
Speaking of paying to play:
"The SEIU was an early and strong supporter of Mr. Blagojevich, backing him over several other candidates in 2002. That year, according to an AFL-CIO document, the SEIU sought and received a commitment from then-candidate Blogojevich to issue an executive order that would direct the state to negotiate a collective contract with home-based workers.
* * * * *
The commitment from Mr. Blagojevich would provide assurances that the SEIU's organizing efforts would bear fruit when the governor was elected in 2002. Shortly after he took office in 2003, he signed an executive order allowing as many as 20,000 Illinois home-health-care workers to unionize and also appointed Mr. Balanoff to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which approves hospital-construction projects.
The following year, in 2004, the union intensified its child-care-worker organizing efforts, putting 24 full-time organizers in place, compared with one or two in earlier years.
As a result, when the governor finally issued an executive order in February 2005, allowing collective bargaining, the SEIU was well positioned to respond. The day after it received a letter from the governor's office saying that a union election could be held, SEIU submitted 18,000 cards from workers it had signed up."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122912760515203213.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Posted by: This Has Got To Stop | December 16, 2008 1:05 PM
New state motto: "Illinois. Where the governors make your license plates."
Posted by: HopeNChange | December 16, 2008 6:05 PM
Team Obama is, of course, mortified that he isn't going away quietly, after meekly calling for his resignation last week. While Obama claims to have "never spoken" to Blago regarding the Senate seat, three press items and his own campaign manager previously contradicted this.
It seems likely that, at minimum, Rahm Emanuel or one of his staff did speak on FBI tapes to the Governor... and so-far, Obama has not attempted to deny that he talks to his own Chief-of-Staff (!)
Facing a daunting criminal indictment, Blago might too start cooperating with Fitzpatrick to save his hide.
That he would reveal incriminating details regarding Obama's political manuevers is not altogether unlikely, as it is doubtful there is any residual loyalty there... Obama has comprehensively abandonded this former political ally.
http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Reaganite Republican Resistance | December 16, 2008 6:36 PM
* * * * *
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | December 16, 2008 9:06 AM
.
There you go again. Elected officials have never enjoyed the right to a jury trial to determine whether they should be removed from office. It has never been considered undemocratic or un-American not to give them a jury trial on this issue. On both the federal and state levels, elected officials are subject to being impeached by their respective legislatures. Even legislators can be expelled by a two-thirds vote of the elected members of the house in which they sit. Look it up some time. It’s in both the U.S. Constitution (Art. I, § 5; Art. II, § 4) and the Illinois Constitution (Art. IV, §§ 6(d) & 14.) And, no, this isn’t some Republican or Corporate plot to distract the masses while they loot the country.
Posted by: John W. | December 16, 2008 6:42 PM
Thank you Don Fitzgerald. What about the 100 billion stolen by the corporate masters? What about the 3 trillionstolen by the masters of war?
Posted by: Where's my shoe? | December 16, 2008 7:37 PM