I can’t go into details, but my impression is that the whole mess started because the governor had been considering appointing a political rival, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, to the Senate so she wouldn’t be able to run against him when he went up for re-election in 2010.
Apparently, Obama’s people weren’t happy about the idea of Madigan coming to Washington, and there were some pretty heated conversations between Blagojevich and Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, which I understand will burn your ears off.
It was pretty clear that Blagojevich is going to hang tough, especially after the Illinois Supreme Court shot down Madigan’s request that he be forced from office because he supposedly can’t carry out his duties.
It is also pretty clear that despite all the screaming over his appearing to be “selling” the seat in return for political favors or financial considerations, his fellow Democrats are not going to strip him of his power to appoint someone to replace Obama.
Publicly, they may say that’s because a special election would cost the state millions. But the truth is, the Democrats are deathly afraid that with all these corruption stories swirling around, a do-gooder Republican could win the seat and damage the Democrats’ chances of holding a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
Publicly, they may say that’s because a special election would cost the state millions.
That’s not necessarily the case.
A do-gooder Republican would be put up against a do-gooder Democrat who would have Obama’s endorsement, not that that would really matter in Illinois. There isn’t a fear that the Democrats would lose the seat so much as a desire to get the nation to stop looking at Illinois.
Blagojevich will probably survive this, be a whipping boy for the state’s Democrats to run and win against, and otherwise serve as a distraction when needed by the Illinois Democrats. And the irony is, he’ll get that high-paying position somewhere anyway. It’s just how things work in politics, even outside of Chicago.
Wow, Blago is telling Obama’s crew he’s going to throw Rahm under the bus if they don’t fire Fitzgerald.
Worst part is that the Democrats will get away with everything here. I bet JJJ gets the seat (he’s an FBI informant, has been for years, excellent do-gooder credentials now) Jackson, etc., will end up raising a half mil for Blago, Blago will get some high pay non-profit job, his wife on the board of Northwestern or whatever, and they will have told us how they are going to break the law, then proceed to do it in front of our noses, and dare us to say boo.
So what happened to the claim that Senate Democrats wouldn’t seat anyone Blago appointed? Has that now also gone down the memory hole?
Not that I’d be surprised…
I would love to hear the language on the tapes. Few people realize just how nasty a nine fingered ballet dancer can be when provoked.
Of course, if that doesn’t fly, Blagojevich could always call Caroline Kennedy and tell her, “If New York doesn’t work out, we got a seat for you right here.”
Willie Brown, no less.
The wastrel spawn of W.F. Buckley endorses the Obamessiah and it needs above the fold coverage. A former speaker of the California Assembly, only black Mayor of San Francisco, takes a shot at Democrat party royalty and it goes nowhere.
Related…
I think the legislators are more worried about Blags blabbing about all their corruption if a trial came about.
Willie Brown, layin’ it down…
Gee, I wonder why he isn’t being spotlighted on Hardball, to get out the word..?
Just more lefty hypocrisy at work…They’re more concerned with gaining and retaining power than protecting the peoples interest…
And where’s the leader of the Illinois assembly..? Oh, yeah, that’s right…He’s Madigan’s father and a corrupt ward boss in his own right…I guess he figures letting baby be the Outraged! public prosecuter posing as do-gooder is better for her publicity and political future than, you know, doing his duty and impeaching that son-of-a-bitch Blagojevich…
Honesty!, Transparency!, Integrity!, Character!, Service to the People!, Protecter of the Little guys!
This place is truly a cesspool…
But, O! is the only virgin in this harem…
Racists
Man, if WIllie Brown thinks something is off…whew.
If you look at the ever growing list of corrupt Illinois and Chicago public officials getting convicted of dis and dat, the one thing you won’t find is that they were prosecuted by our Little Miss Integrity and OUTRAGE… AG Lisa Madigan. I believe she is at about zero convictions, or even prosecutions right now. But at least even money she will ride her just-this-side-of-malpractice motion to get Blago declared “unfit” all the way to the IL Governorship (well, that and Daddy’s ward organization, Speakership and money).
I think the legislators are more worried about Blags blabbing about all their corruption if a trial came about.
This. It’s a web of corruption, not just the guv’ner doing things on his own. If Blago goes down he’s gonna take a lot of people with him, and they know it. That’s why they tried to get him declared incompetent – it gets him out of power without all the public revelations involved in an impeachment. I doubt they’ll impeach him at all, preferring him to cut a deal with Fitzgerald that has him resigning as part of the deal. He knows his political career is over, but as long as he’s governor he has a card he can play.