The Illinois State Senate Thursday convicted Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on a sprawling article of impeachment that charged him with abusing his power. The vote prompted the governor’s immediate and permanent ouster and ended nearly two months of political spectacle in which he sought unsuccessfully to salvage his reputation and career here and across the country.
Overdue.
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Interesting. I believe (not entirely certain) that they didn’t prove that he actually committed any crimes.
He should have done things the Republican way when caught on the (gay sexual) act: Quit immediately and in denial.
He was “proven guilty” in the court of his peers, the Illinois state senate, which is hardly anything resembling a justice system. I mean paleeze, they all suck up to special interests, helooooooooooo…….Then again, that call did sound rather suspicious. So everyone rejoice, higher taxes!
Buh bye shmuck!
Strange case considering they swooped in before he actually had a chance to commit this particular crime. Blago’s closet must contain some extremely damaging skeletons for this to happen.
You also gotta wonder if they will tie up the most obvious loose end and charge Jessie Jackson Jr for offering to pay for the Senate seat. Bet that one gets swept under the rug.
I should remind you that conspiracy to commit a crime is itself a crime, and I think they had plenty of evidence that he was talking to someone else about committing the crime. One other person; that’s all it takes. (But: IANAL and this is just my layman’s understanding).
BTW: “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” covers a lot of ground and may not need to be anything that can be prosecuted in a court of law.
Good ol’ Blago made his name to stink in the nostrils of the Illinois electorate, and he therefore had to go. Knowing what I know about Illinois politics, making oneself THAT stinky takes a bit of doing!
Blago made many convincing arguments that he did nothing that all politicians do.
I believe him.
VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE!!!!!!
@bobbo:
I don’t agree with you very often (in fact, I can’t remember when), but I can sure get behind this:
“VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE!!!!!!”
Question: Who agreed to became Blago’s partner to make this an official conspiracy? JJ Jr.?
CONSPIRACY – 18 U.S.C. 371 makes it a separate Federal crime or offense for anyone to conspire or agree with someone else to do something which, if actually carried out, would amount to another Federal crime or offense. So, under this law, a ‘conspiracy’ is an agreement or a kind of ‘partnership’ in criminal purposes in which each member becomes the agent or partner of every other member.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c103.htm
RBG
Just like every Democrat. Claim your doing it all for the good of the people while your screwing them.
contempt…It appears that the FBI wanted to nail this guy before he had a chance to drag anyone else into his little cesspool. Specifically, before he compromised anyone in the Obama camp.
Apologies to Dave Barry and Jon Stewart, but I, for one, will miss Slum-Dog Million Hairs. This was quite a show.
#11 Olo Baggins of Bywater
>>It appears that the FBI wanted to nail this guy before he had a chance to drag anyone else into his little cesspool.
You very well could be right which begs the question who is the FBI protecting and what other crimes are being covered up?
Hummmmmm??? If we only had a reliable news media.
@Bobbo
I’m convinced as well that Blago didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in politics.
Except he got caught, which is the bigger problem that can’t be ignored.
Illinois loves it’s hockey and Pat Quinn is a proven winner. He’ll make a great Governor.
Isn’t anyone going to stand up for his rights? There was no trial, he wasn’t allowed to call witnesses, no audiotapes were played, no real evidence of a crime beyond some news reports.
#15 You’re kidding, right?
He was likely guilty, but we will never really know. As has been pointed out, this was not a trial in the legal sense, evidence seems to be hearsay at best, and the govt didn’t have to actually prove anything. It helps that the guy is apparently a paranoid loony, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that nothing substantial was brought out.
He was railroaded out of there with no trial because a trial would have brought out things about Obama that would have crippled him as President. You simply don’t rise to the top of Chicago politics without fighting very very very dirty.
Obama made a show of being outraged by Bush’s destruction of the constitution, but he’s not going to correct any of it. The new powers are just too darned useful! Blago learned just how useful the FBI can be when it’s wielded as a weapon by an interested politician.
The question is not if he commited a crime. But how many. People outside Illinois do not understand that this has gone on for years.
I cannot beieve how many idiots out there still beleive in this guy. Just a few snippits of audio of him and you know what kind of self serving person this guy is. People that support him must be like him.
I don’t support him, and if I believed in rough justice I’d be happy about this. He obviously a snake. But we don’t convict people because everyone thinks he’s a snake. We convict on evidence, and they don’t seem to have any smoking guns. Those smoking guns are likely there, but might lead to unwanted attention paid to a certain fellow with a shiny new job. Can’t have that! So he is snatched offstage with a hook and the assurance that he was just crazy, nothing to see here, let’s move on, don’t investigate him any further.
This is a bad precedent. Next time it will be easier to remove someone who might be damaging to certain parties.
This isn’t over yet. There’s still a pending criminal trial.
#17, Dan,
… a trial would have brought out things about Obama that would have crippled him as President.
Not quite. A defendant in a trial is only allowed to present evidence that pertains to the charges itself. The only evidence Blagojevich will be able to present about Obama is if Obama offered a bribe for the Senate seat.
I think that he will probably end up beating the charge simply because there was no agreement to exchange something of value for the seat. Asking for consideration is not necessarily a crime. It might be reprehensible, but I think Fitzpatrick jumped the gun.
Follow the money. The reason they kicked him out is a clause in HR1 (the Stimulus Bill) that prevents Illinois from getting any funds if he is still governor.
It’s not about crimes or misconduct. It’s about money.
That’s the Chicago way.
Dan
PS Here’s the text…
None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illinois.The preceding sentence shall not apply to any funds provided directly to a unit of local government (1) by a Federal department or agency, or (2) by an established formula from the State.
#21 Yep. Just read that one. BTW, anyone actually read the new Pork Bill?
paddy-hoe
explain pork…and I know it isn’t pig related
#23
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_barrel
thanks
# 25 jimbo said, “thanks”
No prob. What country are you from?
Jimbo, here’s a link to the bill passed by the House:
http://rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr1_text.pdf
Open pdf and just search for $. You can skim quickly that way.
#24, Cow-Paddy,
You mean what the Republicans have done for the previous 8 years?
# 28 Mr. Fusion said, “You mean what the Republicans have done for the previous 8 years?”
Nope. The amount of pork in this bill dwarfs by many times the amount of pork for the last 8+ years.
Nice try but, all I can say is read the bill. It is an unprecedented waste of $ in US History.
Change you can be screwed by. ROFL