First, let’s be clear about something, Illinois Government Rod Blagojevich is a wretched turd. Seldom has any public official so brashly flaunted his contempt for the law, his professional standards, and any sense of moral or ethical behavior. He is a crass self-serving opportunist who has used the peoples’ trust for his own enhancement operating within the Illinois Democratic Party’s system where corruption and cronyism have both become institutionalized where special favors, play-for-pay schemes, and other criminal behavior has gone on for generations. All those old enough to remember the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago can’t help but see Mayor Richard Daley, the elder, as the face of such tyrannical abuse of power. “Blago” is just the latest cog in the dirty wheel, the incubator from which President-Elect Obama’s political career emerged. Can we truly believe Barack Obama is the rose among these thorns? That’s a discussion for another day as we will learn more once he assumes office, but his vacating the Senate provides the explosive incident that makes the Blagojevich scandal especially explosive.
As governor, it is Governor Blagojevich’s duty to appoint Obama’s successor to fill the balance of that Senatorial position until the next Congressional election. One of the charges against Blago is his attempt to sell the appointment where the appropriate candidate or his supporters would provide Blago some specific monetary or other favors in exchange for the appointment. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. allegedly was approached for consideration should he be Blagojevich’s appointment. As such, criminal complaints have been issued by Federal Prosecutor Fitzgerald as his case advances toward Grand Jury consideration.
As retched as Blagojevich’s conduct is and as obvious as his criminal activity is, he has been convicted of nothing. The presumption of innocence before trial remains in effect and his status as governor remains active until he either resigns from office or is impeached. His authority to appoint Obama’s successor is especially disturbing since he attempted to “sell” his seat, but he is governor of Illinois and it is his responsibility to make the appointment. There might not be grounds for him to defer or delegate that appointmente as this is a task specifically assigned to the governor.
The Illinois legislature could have changed the law and most likely had the margin to override a Blagojevich veto. They could have opted for a special election as the state’s means for replacing Senators who vacate their sear during their term. The Illinois Democrats found this option unacceptable realizing all the rancor brought on by this scandal could easily taint the State’s Democratic party making the possibility of a Republican successor for Obama’s seat quite likely.
While we can debate forever the motives and merits of Rod Blogojevich appointing long time Illinois political figure, Roland Burris, the state’s former attorney general, to fill the Senate vacancy, legally what Blagojevich did was exercising the responsibilities of his position no matter how much that appointment could be tainted by previous attempts to shop the seat.
Not wanting to be touched by the Illinois scandal in any way and trying to further consolidate his iron-fisted rule of the Senate as Majority Leader, Harry Reid, with strong support from his fellow Senators and Barack Obama himself, has declared his intentions not to permit Burris to be seated as Illinois’s junior senator making the following comments on NBC’s Meet The Press, today, January 4: "We determine who sits in the Senate. And the House (of Representatives) determines who sits in the House. So there's clearly legal authority for us to do whatever we want to do. This goes back for generations."
Such language is terrifying. The people of the United States vote to determine who sits in the Senate and where vacancies occur, it is each state’s responsibility to determine how that vacancy is to be filled. While a Blogojevich appointment would be abhorrent to just about every rational citizen, Reid’s intentions should be every bit as threatening. The bottom line is the people of Illinois can vote Burris out of office in the next election. For Reid to posture he and the Senate determines who sits among them is a blatant attack on the democratic system. The Senate is empowered to remove colleagues for specific reasons that justify impeachment from office. They may censure members who do not behave properly in office. The appropriate leadership can deny committee appointments. While Roland Burris is an incredibly unimpressive political figure, there is no evidence he has done anything wrong other than accepting an appointment from a tainted governor.
Like it or not, by law, Roland Burris, should be seated as Barack Obama’s successor unless there are clear legal means to prevent his appointment, but that is a decision to be made in Illinois not Washington.
Once again, Harry Reid has shown himself to be one of the most hideous contemptuous figures ever to assume a leadership position in Washington. He is a spineless little man with no guiding principles and pitiful political talent drunk on the trappings of power.
Perhaps the voters of Nevada will right that wrong in their next Senatorial election. Mr. Reid should be scared, very scared. However, being the world class asshole he is, he is surely blind to his arrogance and vulnerabilities.
As governor, it is Governor Blagojevich’s duty to appoint Obama’s successor to fill the balance of that Senatorial position until the next Congressional election. One of the charges against Blago is his attempt to sell the appointment where the appropriate candidate or his supporters would provide Blago some specific monetary or other favors in exchange for the appointment. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. allegedly was approached for consideration should he be Blagojevich’s appointment. As such, criminal complaints have been issued by Federal Prosecutor Fitzgerald as his case advances toward Grand Jury consideration.
As retched as Blagojevich’s conduct is and as obvious as his criminal activity is, he has been convicted of nothing. The presumption of innocence before trial remains in effect and his status as governor remains active until he either resigns from office or is impeached. His authority to appoint Obama’s successor is especially disturbing since he attempted to “sell” his seat, but he is governor of Illinois and it is his responsibility to make the appointment. There might not be grounds for him to defer or delegate that appointmente as this is a task specifically assigned to the governor.
The Illinois legislature could have changed the law and most likely had the margin to override a Blagojevich veto. They could have opted for a special election as the state’s means for replacing Senators who vacate their sear during their term. The Illinois Democrats found this option unacceptable realizing all the rancor brought on by this scandal could easily taint the State’s Democratic party making the possibility of a Republican successor for Obama’s seat quite likely.
While we can debate forever the motives and merits of Rod Blogojevich appointing long time Illinois political figure, Roland Burris, the state’s former attorney general, to fill the Senate vacancy, legally what Blagojevich did was exercising the responsibilities of his position no matter how much that appointment could be tainted by previous attempts to shop the seat.
Not wanting to be touched by the Illinois scandal in any way and trying to further consolidate his iron-fisted rule of the Senate as Majority Leader, Harry Reid, with strong support from his fellow Senators and Barack Obama himself, has declared his intentions not to permit Burris to be seated as Illinois’s junior senator making the following comments on NBC’s Meet The Press, today, January 4: "We determine who sits in the Senate. And the House (of Representatives) determines who sits in the House. So there's clearly legal authority for us to do whatever we want to do. This goes back for generations."
Such language is terrifying. The people of the United States vote to determine who sits in the Senate and where vacancies occur, it is each state’s responsibility to determine how that vacancy is to be filled. While a Blogojevich appointment would be abhorrent to just about every rational citizen, Reid’s intentions should be every bit as threatening. The bottom line is the people of Illinois can vote Burris out of office in the next election. For Reid to posture he and the Senate determines who sits among them is a blatant attack on the democratic system. The Senate is empowered to remove colleagues for specific reasons that justify impeachment from office. They may censure members who do not behave properly in office. The appropriate leadership can deny committee appointments. While Roland Burris is an incredibly unimpressive political figure, there is no evidence he has done anything wrong other than accepting an appointment from a tainted governor.
Like it or not, by law, Roland Burris, should be seated as Barack Obama’s successor unless there are clear legal means to prevent his appointment, but that is a decision to be made in Illinois not Washington.
Once again, Harry Reid has shown himself to be one of the most hideous contemptuous figures ever to assume a leadership position in Washington. He is a spineless little man with no guiding principles and pitiful political talent drunk on the trappings of power.
Perhaps the voters of Nevada will right that wrong in their next Senatorial election. Mr. Reid should be scared, very scared. However, being the world class asshole he is, he is surely blind to his arrogance and vulnerabilities.
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