The best thing for the people of Illinois may well be if Patrick Quinn (left) were to quit doing "Ed McMahon" impersonations and were given the authority to pick a replacement for Barack Obama. Photograph provided by State of Illinois.For those people who have been screeching for the past six years “Impeach Him!,” the next few days are going to be an agonizing time period.
It is apparent by now that the U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois has staged events against Rod Blagojevich in such a way as to get the general public worked up into a frenzy so much so that there’s no way Rod can effectively remain as Illinois governor.
BUT WHAT FORM will his departure from the gubernatorial post take? That is far from certain.
For those people who literally have been upset with the idea of anyone other than a rural-leaning Republican as governor, they are going to want the most humiliating circumstances attached to Blagojevich’s departure.
Impeachment by the House of Representatives! A trial and conviction by the state Senate for his removal from office! A future trial in federal court in Chicago, with a conviction on all charges AND that maximum prison term of 20 years that has been bandied about in legal speculation over Blagojevich’s fate!
Anything less, and those people are going to be ranting like raving lunatics that the system was too kind to Gov. Milorod. We’ll probably get conspiracy theories put forth about “the fix’ being in.
YET WHEN ONE looks at things rationally, the best scenario for the people of Illinois is going to be one that short of humiliation for Rod, whom I personally think has no shame to begin with. Who else would take pride in enjoying Elvis?
The rumor mill has been overflowing with theories that Blagojevich will resign his post, possibly as soon as Monday -- although his aides made it clear to various reporter-types this weekend that he’s not resigning. Not anytime soon, at least.
What I couldn’t help but notice was their wording. He won’t RESIGN on Monday.
Does that mean we’re back to the whole “resign” vs. “step-aside” question that came up repeatedly when Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn made his first public comments on Blagojevich’s criminal charges (even though he tried to stress the notion that he was “praying” for the people of Illinois, and now openly says “Impeach Him”)?
NOW I’M NOT sure of the legalese involved in measures allowing the governor to step aside, which is intended for cases where a public official comes to a conclusion that specific circumstances prevent him from governing objectively.
All the hostility toward Blagojevich certainly qualifies. Look at all the discussion that went into trying to figure the governor’s motives for approving a measure meant to benefit autistic children. Nobody is going to trust anything Rod does these days, no matter now benign.
But if the governor were to do so, it could very well be the best thing that could happen to the people of Illinois. It would allow the mechanisms that are Illinois state government to advance, albeit under the direction of the mighty Quinn, himself.
The replacement for the governor could make the U.S. Senate seat appointment that is now held up indefinitely. The newly elected Legislature that takes over in January could go about its business and state officials could try to figure out what actions (if any) they can take to prevent Illinois from sinking further into debt, instead of having to spend precious time on impeachment proceedings.
IT ALSO WOULD allow Blagojevich himself to focus his attention on fighting a criminal case, which will be an ordeal for he and his family. Even if attorney Ed Genson works as big a legal miracle for Rod as he did for rapper R. Kelly (and there are some legal experts who think that Fitzgerald’s heavy-handed rhetoric to date overstates the reality of the case against the governor), it is unlikely Blagojevich would ever be able to run for public office in the future.
And it would allow the U.S. attorney’s office to proceed with its investigation into Blagojevich (against whom I would think prosecutors will try to seek stronger criminal charges in coming months) without the appearance that its actions were meant to stifle government activity.
Even though U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald claims he’s not playing politics with his legal prosecution, the appearance does exist that he rushed his case to a criminal complaint (instead of a more legally-sound indictment by a grand jury) in order to mess with Blagojevich by preventing him from creating another political ally whose existence could have made it harder to gain public support behind his own efforts to legitimately prosecute him in the future.
Of course, there’s one problem with the whole concept of “stepping aside,” at least for those people who literally have been screeching for impeachment. Stepping aside leaves open the possibility that Blagojevich can return to office.
I’M SURE THAT for the people who are Blagojevich-bashers, such an option is “too good” for Rod. They want his blood, and they want it now. There literally are people in politics who think the tragedy of this case is that Blagojevich is still in office some six days after the criminal complaint against him was disclosed by federal prosecutors.
I’m convinced the tragedy of this case is that the hysterical nonsense of political partisans (such as those people who want a special election to pick a new U.S. senator from Illinois so that the Republicans can have a chance to snatch up the post) is being allowed to overcome common sense.
Too many people in state politics these days seem to want to have a line written into their legacy that he (or she) was the one who forced Blagojevich out of office. They want to take action meant to impose definitive punishment.
They seem to forget that the real punishment for Blagojevich will come some day in a courtroom at the Dirksen Building – either when he pleads guilty to some sort of lesser charge, or when/if a jury imposes a guilty verdict.
THAT DAY WILL come in a couple of years, by which time, Blagojevich’s term as governor would have ended anyway. All the nonsense being spewed by many political people before then will be nothing more than trash-talk that lowers those people to the level that they claim Blagojevich sank to.
We, the people of Illinois, deserve better than that.
-30-
EDITOR’S NOTES: NBC’s long-time Sunday news analysis show “Meet the Press” seemed more (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28222119) like WBBM-AM’s “At Issue,” as Rod Blagojevich’s predicament dominated talk of national politics.
He’s not resigning on Monday (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHUjUKSANgM0&refer=home), that much is for certain. But he did spend much of his weekend time meeting with the same attorney (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6555428) who got an acquittal for rapper R. Kelly.
Barack Obama is trying to move forward with his transition to the presidency, despite the efforts (http://voanews.com/english/2008-12-14-voa17.cfm) of politically partisan opponents who want to lash him with Blagojevich.
It is apparent by now that the U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois has staged events against Rod Blagojevich in such a way as to get the general public worked up into a frenzy so much so that there’s no way Rod can effectively remain as Illinois governor.
BUT WHAT FORM will his departure from the gubernatorial post take? That is far from certain.
For those people who literally have been upset with the idea of anyone other than a rural-leaning Republican as governor, they are going to want the most humiliating circumstances attached to Blagojevich’s departure.
Impeachment by the House of Representatives! A trial and conviction by the state Senate for his removal from office! A future trial in federal court in Chicago, with a conviction on all charges AND that maximum prison term of 20 years that has been bandied about in legal speculation over Blagojevich’s fate!
Anything less, and those people are going to be ranting like raving lunatics that the system was too kind to Gov. Milorod. We’ll probably get conspiracy theories put forth about “the fix’ being in.
YET WHEN ONE looks at things rationally, the best scenario for the people of Illinois is going to be one that short of humiliation for Rod, whom I personally think has no shame to begin with. Who else would take pride in enjoying Elvis?
The rumor mill has been overflowing with theories that Blagojevich will resign his post, possibly as soon as Monday -- although his aides made it clear to various reporter-types this weekend that he’s not resigning. Not anytime soon, at least.
What I couldn’t help but notice was their wording. He won’t RESIGN on Monday.
Does that mean we’re back to the whole “resign” vs. “step-aside” question that came up repeatedly when Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn made his first public comments on Blagojevich’s criminal charges (even though he tried to stress the notion that he was “praying” for the people of Illinois, and now openly says “Impeach Him”)?
NOW I’M NOT sure of the legalese involved in measures allowing the governor to step aside, which is intended for cases where a public official comes to a conclusion that specific circumstances prevent him from governing objectively.
All the hostility toward Blagojevich certainly qualifies. Look at all the discussion that went into trying to figure the governor’s motives for approving a measure meant to benefit autistic children. Nobody is going to trust anything Rod does these days, no matter now benign.
But if the governor were to do so, it could very well be the best thing that could happen to the people of Illinois. It would allow the mechanisms that are Illinois state government to advance, albeit under the direction of the mighty Quinn, himself.
The replacement for the governor could make the U.S. Senate seat appointment that is now held up indefinitely. The newly elected Legislature that takes over in January could go about its business and state officials could try to figure out what actions (if any) they can take to prevent Illinois from sinking further into debt, instead of having to spend precious time on impeachment proceedings.
IT ALSO WOULD allow Blagojevich himself to focus his attention on fighting a criminal case, which will be an ordeal for he and his family. Even if attorney Ed Genson works as big a legal miracle for Rod as he did for rapper R. Kelly (and there are some legal experts who think that Fitzgerald’s heavy-handed rhetoric to date overstates the reality of the case against the governor), it is unlikely Blagojevich would ever be able to run for public office in the future.
And it would allow the U.S. attorney’s office to proceed with its investigation into Blagojevich (against whom I would think prosecutors will try to seek stronger criminal charges in coming months) without the appearance that its actions were meant to stifle government activity.
Even though U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald claims he’s not playing politics with his legal prosecution, the appearance does exist that he rushed his case to a criminal complaint (instead of a more legally-sound indictment by a grand jury) in order to mess with Blagojevich by preventing him from creating another political ally whose existence could have made it harder to gain public support behind his own efforts to legitimately prosecute him in the future.
Of course, there’s one problem with the whole concept of “stepping aside,” at least for those people who literally have been screeching for impeachment. Stepping aside leaves open the possibility that Blagojevich can return to office.
I’M SURE THAT for the people who are Blagojevich-bashers, such an option is “too good” for Rod. They want his blood, and they want it now. There literally are people in politics who think the tragedy of this case is that Blagojevich is still in office some six days after the criminal complaint against him was disclosed by federal prosecutors.
I’m convinced the tragedy of this case is that the hysterical nonsense of political partisans (such as those people who want a special election to pick a new U.S. senator from Illinois so that the Republicans can have a chance to snatch up the post) is being allowed to overcome common sense.
Too many people in state politics these days seem to want to have a line written into their legacy that he (or she) was the one who forced Blagojevich out of office. They want to take action meant to impose definitive punishment.
They seem to forget that the real punishment for Blagojevich will come some day in a courtroom at the Dirksen Building – either when he pleads guilty to some sort of lesser charge, or when/if a jury imposes a guilty verdict.
THAT DAY WILL come in a couple of years, by which time, Blagojevich’s term as governor would have ended anyway. All the nonsense being spewed by many political people before then will be nothing more than trash-talk that lowers those people to the level that they claim Blagojevich sank to.
We, the people of Illinois, deserve better than that.
-30-
EDITOR’S NOTES: NBC’s long-time Sunday news analysis show “Meet the Press” seemed more (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28222119) like WBBM-AM’s “At Issue,” as Rod Blagojevich’s predicament dominated talk of national politics.
He’s not resigning on Monday (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHUjUKSANgM0&refer=home), that much is for certain. But he did spend much of his weekend time meeting with the same attorney (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6555428) who got an acquittal for rapper R. Kelly.
Barack Obama is trying to move forward with his transition to the presidency, despite the efforts (http://voanews.com/english/2008-12-14-voa17.cfm) of politically partisan opponents who want to lash him with Blagojevich.
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