So confused you had to make the same post in two threads, apparently. Would it kill you to be clearer here? I can’t even tell if you’re talking about Obama or Blagojevich. If you’re referring to Obama, can you explain what he did that’s corrupt? With regard to the Senate seat, Blagojevich is in trouble for what amounts to attempted corruption (as opposed to some of these other matters) - other than a potential promise from Jesse Jackson Jr., he didn’t get very far in his efforts to get something in return for the golden Senate seat, and he was open about being frustrated that Obama’s people weren’t playing ball with him. So what are you talking about?
Yes, I too would like some kind of clarification about what exactly Obama did wrong since you’re so quick to convict him. Let me guess you were equally as quick to convict the Bush Admin for the Valerie Plame buisiness. Oh wait, you weren’t? Look, if anyone was stupid enough to try to cut a deal with Blago – who was already under investigation for corruption – for a freaking US Senate seat then they are really, really dumb.
BTW, anyone wondering what Nate Silver is going to be doing now that the election is over. I’d say that his skills are pretty honed at this point. He does an excellent overview of exactly what is known about this situation from the information released thusfar. Here’s the link. I suggest you read it ralph before you continue to make baseless smear-attempts. The right wing is so pathetic these days. They never learn really. As far as I can tell, Blagojevich is an effing loon. This is astounding in his level of ridiculousness. I sincerely bet that the tries to appoint himself Senator. Why? Because he suggested that himself earler. In the documents released by the US Atty. it has Blagojevich saying that he’d prefer someone who would be willing to step down and let him “parachute over there” if things got too hot (regarding the investigation).
So this idiot thinks he can appoint someone as a Senator, who will give up the Seat later so he can save his own ass? Now why exactly would they want to do that? Who would fear this guy after he’s been under investigation and has 4 percent approval rating? I’ve never actually seen anyone so unaware of his own political power. You might say, “Well, this is Chicago, he must know where the bodies are.” But something tells me that he doesn’t. It appears to me that all of the more clever politicians have known to stay away for quite some time now. Obama has clearly kept his distance in a serious way for a while now. The Lt. Governor – despite having run on the same ticket – hasn’t spoken with the governor since 2007.
The news today is that somehow there won’t be a need for impeachment. Apparently the Atty. General has the ability to go the the Supreme Court to have him declared “unfit for office” and that will be that. So what the hell is this Blagojevich guy doing? I guess he thinks he has a better chance to protect himself as governor than not. That’s really all I can think. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he named himself Senator. That would complicate matters to a much larger extent. Then you’d have to wonder if the Senate can kick him out, which I’m not sure is possible.
What needs to happen is that he needs to be taken out before he can do any more harm. I’m worried that he is on the verge of complicating matters much much more. But he doesn’t have much time. The best outcome would be to get the Lt. General in and appoint some sort of caretaker politician to take the seat and promise not to run in 2 years. Or maybe have someone whose name wasn’t considered yet is eminently qualified? Carol Mosely Braun could certainly lend some credibility to the situation and I bet she might even win re-election in 2010.
At any rate, this guy is going to go down, it’s just a question of how soon. His prolonging the process isn’t going to make things easier on him either.
I don’t know the answer but wasn’t the GOP Senate making the same threats if Stevens was elected senator in Alaska? They’d have him ejected from the Senate thus opening the seat for Palin (or whoever)?
So, unless rules differ from one side of the aisle to the other, I’d guess Senator Blagojevich could be booted.
The Reid letter (urging Blagoyevich not to appoint anyone) contained a threat to refuse to seat anybody he appointed; that letter was signed by the entirety of the Senate Democratic Caucus, all fifty of them (the 48 active Democrats plus Lieberman and Sanders). That’s enough votes to send whoever he appoints back home, even if no Republican concurred, which is highly unlikely under the circumstances.
I’ve always had strong suspicions that Obama isn’t as clean as he looks (going back to his whole career in Chicago/Illinois politics), mostly based on his associates. Even so, I’d be really REALLY surprised if he’s involved in this senate seat deal. He’s way to smart to make such an obvious dirty deal, for one thing, especially in the position he’s in right now. As I said upthread, there’s no way he’s anywhere close to as stupid as Blagojevich, obviously, and getting to personally pick his own replacement isn’t nearly important enough to do something that risky.
If I were Obama, the freaking POTUS, for god’s sake, I would take a cue from Blago and tell him to go fuck himself if he tried to make a deal like that with me.
What is he guilty of and what is your evidence? What “associates” make him dirty? If he wasn’t truly clean, don’t you think Hillary (who’s from Chicago herself) would have found it? Wouldn’t the McCain campaign have found it? The Press? Obama has had everything in his background minutely examined for the last 2+ years by scores of people desperate to find something damaging. It isn’t there. This guilt by casual association thing has so far not proved to be anything but specious, wishful thing. Venal, Chicago-style, pecuniary corruption also does not comport with anything we know of Obama’s personality. He may have had to swim in a cesspool, but there’s no evdience he ever contributed to it, and he did fight to reform it as much as he could (and by all reports, Obama has always been repulsed by Blago and avoided unnecessary contact with him)…
I don’t know, the FEC investigated her in 1993 for unaccounted campaign funds ($249,000 worth). They were unable to pursue it due to lack of resources. Considering the circumstances I think this would eliminate her.
Besides, her credibility is blown. Visiting the dictator of Nigeria on a private trip and telling George Will “he can take his hood and put it back on again” rips away all her credibility.
Not sure what he’s guilty of, and I have no evidence. How’s that for being sure? 
It’s just that when it comes to Chicago politics, I have a cynical streak a mile wide, and his associations with the Democratic machine in Chicago are all the associations I need to make me suspicious…not just about him, but about anyone.
I will admit that the fact that the Clintons didn’t dig anything up on him did give me a little more confidence in him personally.
I do believe that he did NOT fight to reform it as much as he could. He has endorsed more than one candidate that he had to have known was dirty (Blagojevich being one of them). Quite frankly, I would have liked Obama a lot more if he hadn’t run on a “change” platform, because I don’t believe he did as much as he could to reform Illinois. I will concede that sometimes you have to do what you have to do for your own career, and I don’t believe that he is anywhere near the level of Daley or Blagojevich, but I am still not terribly convinced of his committment to change.
:dubious: How?
Watch out, Dio, they have a ready made answer for that: the press is deliberately going light on Obama, refusing to ask tough questions and ignoring the research of brave bloggers showing all sorts of ties between Obama and the governor, because they have “too much invested” in keeping “The One’s” reputation clean. (Edited to show some link proof; no sense making assertions without some evidence.)
To them, it’s already been “proven” by Rezko and Ayers. I’ve been seeing it ALL OVER their side of the 'sphere. Gives me a great idea of what we’ll be hearing for the next four to eight.
I know you were talking about his Chicago ties in general and not Blagovich in particular, but still.
Excuse me, Leaper. He was asking ME the question, and I already answered it and I didn’t say jack shit about the press. I’ve never claimed the press has gone light on Obama.
If they’re friends he gets a discount.
Turns out, it’s the responsibility of the press to scrutinize the actions of the [del]President[/del] President-elect. Who knew?
Back to the OP - G-Rod’s been arrested, what now?
There’s talk of the Illinpis Senate voting to impeach him. But if the governor knows where many of the Senators’ bodies are buried, and quietly lets them know he’ll tell world about their slimy activities if they vote to impeach, would enough of them reconsider?
Hell,if I were a corrupt Illiois pol, I’d worry Blago might start singing for the sheer fun of it.
No. The voters would string them up, and who trusts Blagojevich right now anyway? He’s going to be gone soon. If he doesn’t quit, he’ll be impeached, and that’s only if he isn’t declared unfit first.
According to the Tribune this isn’t as cut a dried as you make it seem. I still say there is a good chance he will make an appointment or even appoint himself.
Oh please let him appoint himself. You can’t buy that sort of entertainment.
Ah, my apologies; I missed that. I never intended to ascribe anything directly to you.
No prob.
While I doubt that Obama had anything to do with any asshattery, I also doubt that he or his staff had no contact with Blago re his replacement, which he claims at this point, as far as I know.
Obviously, he had to have some views regarding his replacement, and may well have expressed them through channels. So I think there must have been some contact between Blago and his minions and Obama’s minions.
We will see as Obama has called for complete transparency in this regard.