Guys, do you think if we offered Blago $50,000 to resign he would do it? I’m willing to pitch in a coupla bucks if others are game.

factoid on December 15, 2008 at 1:07 PM

I was thinking it would be a lot more fun if we offered Blago $50,000 not to resign…

Like those commercials, it’s all about the O.

Steve Z on December 15, 2008 at 1:25 PM

Exactly, what was said, and who said it, on those tapes is priceless…just a important is that no one knows what is on the tapes, and exactly what conversations were taped…and is he the only one taped?
Fitz will be looking for the ultimate weapon of legal mass destruction…perjury.

Blogo, corrupt, yes. Incompetent, no. He got enough of a plurality of the voters to pull the lever for him. That’s not the act of an incompetent, unless you are willing to call the voters the samething.

Dr. Dog on December 15, 2008 at 4:48 PM

No. It is because the Republicans have proven themselves even more incompetant.

Are we going to throw all elected Democrats out of office?

NoDonkey on December 15, 2008 at 1:22 PM

I’m not yet ready to go to that extreme as there remains a few decent democrats in office, but pretty damn few as of late, IMHO. Now, if you were referring only to the democrats in Illinois …

sweeeet …

Buckaroo on December 15, 2008 at 12:24 PM

The more I think of it, the more I am LMAO over the notion of Illinois losing the very Senate seat of President Elect HopenChange. I can’t think of a more perfect event to deflate the Balloon of Delusion that the Obamanites float around in.

Now that’s change we can believe in!

I quote

Throughout their long history of war, Romulans have rarely attacked first, opting instead to test their enemies’ resolve

The Romulans’ preference for waiting and observing while other make the first move would explain why they have never ventured into the Gamma Quadrant

I think the Gamma Quadrant is where they serve subpoenas

The legislature could ask Fitzgerald to produce the wiretaps in an impeachment hearing for the legislature to judge the context of the quoted remarks.

EM

I suppose it could ask, but how likely is it that the U.S. attorney’s office would (or even could) comply in the face of an ongoing criminal investigation? Assuming the tapes have been or will be submitted to the grand jury, is Fitzgerald even permitted to release them to the legislature, or anyone else, prior to indictment?

I may have this all wrong, but it seems possible that an impeachment could adversely affect the criminal proceedings. It could potentially taint the jury pool, prematurely expose evidence by compulsory legislative process that Fitzgerald’s office would prefer remain quiet until his investigation is wrapped up, and provide Blago with a PR forum for dealing the dirt he has. Could be that lots of memories go Hillary-level blank in the event.

Meanwhile, for those of us who’ve been paying even casual attention to the governor’s frosty relationship with the state legislature, impeachment would lower that temperature a scant few degrees. Might even provide more contact between Blago and the lawmakers than has existed in the past six years. (Maybe they’ll take advantage of the coincidental crossing of paths to actually conduct some non-impeachment state business).

Barry O’Blago will lock in the Irish vote, at least.

Rahm Emanuel might be the next domino to fall, but the question becomes–will this reach the Big O himself?

Like those commercials, it’s all about the O.

Steve Z on December 15, 2008 at 1:25 PM

I move we officially change his name from hope-n-change to Barry Oblago.

: )

Meanwhile the “SS Hope and Change” stands by and monitors while maintaining radio silence.

He may change his mind if impeachment looks certain, but at the moment Blagojevich may have enough allies in Springfield to put that in doubt.

Allies?

This man still has allies?

I agree that Blago has dirt but the extent of worry over this dirt is debatable. Afterall, the AG had no problem going to the State Supreme Court to try and get him tossed for being a mental case. And she is in the pocket of The Black Caesar.

Is it possible that she knew that argument would not fly with the court but did it anyway so that Barry and Co. could say they were not concerned? I don’t know. I guess it will come down to just how much dirt he has and whether or not Rahm is on the tapes.

My guess is Rahm is on the tapes and the Governor has him by the short hairs. Everyone seems to be talking a good game but no one is actually doing anything to get rid of the guy.

The wild card in all this is what Fitz has on the tapes. Not only on the tapes he has released, but in the gaps, and on the OTHER tapes (there are rumors that he has 300 HOURS of them!)

Blagojevich probably knows that he is toast, and going to jail if he doesn’t cooperate with Fitz’s investigation in some way. The “sale of the Senate seat” rap is getting the most media attention, but there are others, and Blago may be ready to concede that he WON’T make money on the Senate seat in return for more lenient treatment elsewhere. But Fitz might put pressure on Blago, based on what he knows from Rezko and others on his tapes, to rat on others in exchange for a shorter jail term. Rahm Emanuel might be the next domino to fall, but the question becomes–will this reach the Big O himself?

Like those commercials, it’s all about the O.

I hope he stays on and names names, really spills the beans, but I don’t think he will.

He will make a deal with someone to fold his tent and steal off quietly into the night, a move the adoring media will aid and abet.

The refusal to resign today is just the opening of another negotiation, “what are you going to pay me to save your slimy asses and keep quiet”?

Blago should then argue that he’s no different than any other elected Democrat, and he would be right.

Are we going to throw all elected Democrats out of office?

We should and we could, but we probably won’t, unfortunately.

In other words, Blagojevich doesn’t want to leave that golden opportunity for corruption for future governors if he can’t enjoy it himself. Maybe that’s not terribly noble, but it’s pretty good policy. The state legislature should permanently change how Illinois fills those vacancies, especially given the endemic corruption in their state politics.

Oh don’t worry, Ed. Illinois can simply pull a Massachusetts.

Whenever there is a Republican Governor, the MA House quickly acts to ensure that the Governor does not overstep his authority to appoint someone who won’t represent the Democratic Party. After a Democrat is elected Governor, they quickly give due deference to the Governor’s ability to discern the good of the Democratic Party.

The people, Ed? Surely you’re joking. This is Massachusetts. The Democratic Party IS the sole arbiter of the good of the people of Massachusetts.