I knew something was wrong with this guy as soon as I noticed his haircut.
Can someone tell Mr. Flock of Seagulls to go back to 1980?
He cut the education budget pretty bad.
Well, they should have given him campaign contributions when he asked for them.
Just got a e-mail from my sister.
Among other things she observed that she was in the same class as Rod in HS. Foreman - class of 75. My other sis was the class ahead.
Sis 1 said she had several classes with him - apparently they both took several AP classes.
I asked her to spill any dirt she could - also asked if he had the same haircut back then.
Will have to get her to pull out her old yearbooks!
And they should be involved with it to that extent. I’m not sure how allowing seniors to ride free should be anything that Obama and Durbin should be wasting time on, given what else is going on.
‘Candidate 5’ is Jesse Jackson Jr.
Wow, the Jackson ‘brand’ takes another curb stomp.
Will commence feigning surprise in 5, 4, 3…
The thing that I think people were most annoyed about is that it seemed to be a typically self-serving political move. No one looked at the problem to see if giving seniors free transport was a need that had to be addressed. No one looked at other groups who might need it MORE to see if there was a better use for such freebees. Our public transportation system is constantly in financial trouble, rates are going up for everyone, and giving free rides to some people who might not even need them puts a burden on paying riders, many of whom are not in good financial situations themselves. The only reason anyone could see for the Governor demanding this is that he thought it made him look like a guy who cares about your grandma.
Lincoln didn’t have a choice. They promised Cameron a cabinet seat if he could swing the nomination Lincoln’s way.
Maybe. The historical record is a bit mixed. Certainly Lincoln felt he owed Cameron something, even though he’d sent a telegram to his campaign managers (in Chicago, of all places!) that he wouldn’t be bound by any commitments made by Judge Davis and his other operatives. But to appoint Cameron to so crucial a post when the Civil War was brewing was a very, very bad decision.
The Feds have not confirmed this, and Jackson denies it.
The first sentence is, “Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the anonymous “Senate Candidate No. 5” whose emissaries Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly offered up to $1 million to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News.” It could be inaccurate, but it isn’t speculation.
Jackson denied it, that’s settles it for me.
I made a mistake. Last night it was still being reported as speculation. It’s still not confirmed by the feds, though.
Guilty until proven innocent?
Two thoughts have occured to me:
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What does anyone think the odds are of Blago appointing himself to the Senate seat at this point? Yeah I know there would be an uproar but opposed to what? It isn’t like people aren’t calling for his head on a pike already. We know he considered it before and this way he manages to avoid impeachment. I realize the Senate could refuse to seat him, but how hard is it to imagine Blago is deluded enough to think they might not. After all they would be required to get quite a few Repubs to vote with the Dems in order to expell him from the Senate. Suppose he thinks there might be enough Republicans willing to cause mischief and let him take his seat just to mess with the new administration. I can’t imagine he really has many other options once the Legislature gets the impeachment express rolling.
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Dawn Clark Netsch seemed to think there could be constitutional problems if the Legislature changes the law and takes the appointment power away from the Gov. because it might not apply to a Senate seat open before the law is passed. What is the reasoning for this? Plus, passing legislation would require the Gov. to sign it anyway, right? Why do Durbin, Jones, etc. think he would sign it?
Frankly this seems like a huge mess that will only be solved by Blago being impeached and removed from office. I can’t imagine his gigantic ego allowing him to resign so that is most likely what will happen unless he uses the Senate as his exit strategy. How fast is it possible to impeach, hold the trial and get him out of office?
Whatever advantages he thought he would get from moving into the Senate are probably canceled out in this situation - it wouldn’t work if people didn’t see the move as legit.
I don’t know what the odds of a successful impeachment are, but Obama is now calling on him to resign. This guy’s days are numbered.
If Blago appoints himself, the Senate will almost certainly refuse to seat him.
There is no real ex post facto issue with a law changing the method of appointment; ex post facto only applies to criminal law and this would be a law relating to the administration of the state. The governor would have to sign the law, but if he didn’t it would become law without his signature in 60 days anyway, and if vetoed it the legislature could still override.
Federal law requires an election to fill empty Senate seats, but leaves the timing up to the state legislature, Illinois currently sets the election date to coincide with the next regularly scheduled election for Congressional representatives, and allows a temporary appointment by the governor for the interim. The legislature would simply be changing the timing of an election which is already required by law, and presumably also revoking the governor’s power to appoint an interim senator. This seems squarely within the plenary power of the legislature and does not seem to contradict the constitution or federal law.
I fully expect a bill of impeachment to be introduced in the House next week when the special session convenes. Madigan has already summoned the House to meet on Monday, and Jones has indicated that he will summon the Senate although he had not set a date as of yesterday afternoon. In theory, Blago could be out before the end of next week, depending on how fast the legislature moves.
I hope you are right but after watching this guy for the last few years I can tell you his arrogance and stubborness are monumental. I truly have difficulty seeing him resign without trying to work some deal on the charges or sentencing. Of course, he would get smacked down for that…
Until theses corruption charges, I thought it likely Blago would appoint himself to the senate seat. It is not all that bad of an idea. It has been increasingly obvious that he won’t get re-elected, and this would pave the way for the Lt. Governor to step in and build rep before the general election. Had charges not been brought, and he did a better job getting along with the Senate than he has the Illinois legislature, it would have been a move that could benefit the Democratic party in Illinois as well as him personally.
“The Machine” or more particularly “Da Machine” is a common slang term for both Daley adminstrations the city has seen.