| The legally elected, not convicted Governor of Illinois did his job today and made an appointment to the US Senate. He choose a man with no ilicit taint. I would contend that if you worked for 40 years in state politics, you would have made a campaign contribution at some time, perhaps when the under-indictment person was not yet under indictment. And if you worked for a political law firm, and your firm did its job well, you'd get some state contracts over the years. Big deal. The Secretary of State says he won't certify. The Senate says they will not accept. Bobby Rush makes a good point that the people of Illinois are entitled to their two senators, each of whom comprises 5% of the voting body of the Senate. Think about it, if that seat remains unfilled, and we lose something by ONE vote, is that biting off our nose to spite our face? If the legislature gets its act in gear and schedules an election, and a Republican wins, is that so good for the Democrats? I am really beside myself here. Rod Blagojevich is under indictment. All things being equal, he might not get to trial until after the end of his term. He might be impeached by the Illinois legislature, but that depends on what Patrick Fitzgerald is holding back, and whether he will tip his hand prior to trial. If you talk to lawyers about what the "evidence", it seems somewhat lacking. Fitzgerald has a good track record of evidence, so he's certainly got more than he's disclosed. But no one has said that he will keep his position under a new Administration. Rod said "the Senate seat is worth something." And? He cursed. And? The legislature wants to impeach him because they don't like him. And even if he is proven guilty, pay-to-play is new? This is virgin territory in Illinois or any other state? More importantly, people are letting emotion stand in the way of a competent, experienced, good man from filling a seat. A compromise might be to let him have the seat temporarily until an election can be held in the summer or fall. In my mind, the taint on Blagojevich is nothing compared to the emotion of so many people who are letting their hatred of Rod colour their understanding that the people of Illinois have the right to representation. Your opinion, of course, may be different. |
