Odds Blago Gets Popped Before 2010? nvm POP POP POP

[muon2]

This story is significant. Wyma is as close to the Gov as one gets short of family. If he's flipped against the Gov it sends a big signal that anyone on the inside is in jeopardy. It also says that even if Rezko doesn't help, the Feds have plenty of ammo to get to the Gov.

It feels like the Feds are as close as ever to an indictment. That would match the long held rumor that there would be a move before Jan 20.

[muon2]

This was not an indictment, but an arrest. The immediate rumor is that the Governor was arrested to forestall his appointment of the US Senator which may be connected to a solicitation of bribery charge.

[muon2]

Here's the first paragraph from the US Attorney's office:

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[muon2]

Here's a link to the Federal complaint.

[muon2]

None of this surprises me.  Illinois and Alaska are the new New Jersey.

Oh.  Wait.  Never mind.  Illinois has always been Illinois.

Indeed it has. I recommend a read (or reread) of Royko's Boss for anyone who wants to get a sense of the deep roots of hardball, pay-to-play politics in IL.

[muon2]

This was written a year ago, but it seems prescient today:

“Get packin’, Rod Blagojevich,"  by John McHugh
(to the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen")   

    Get packin’, Rod Blagojevich
    The state’s in disarray
    The Tribune wants you unemployed
    At least by Christmas Day.
    The TV pundits want your head
    Could there be pay to play?
    Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
    Save Illinois!
    Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

    Good riddance Rod Blagojevich
    Your Elvis look’s inane,
    The Senate’s mad, so’s Lisa’s dad.
    You drive us all insane.
    Our transit’s broke, the state's a joke,
    The Tollway’s one big pain.
    Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
    Save Illinois!
    Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

    Good luck old Rod Blagojevich
    The feds have quite a place.
    Fitzgerald’s poked his nose around
    And if he has a case,
    George Ryan’s moving stuff around
    Creating extra space.
    Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
    Save Illinois!
    Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

[muon2]

None of this surprises me.  Illinois and Alaska are the new New Jersey.

Oh.  Wait.  Never mind.  Illinois has always been Illinois.

Indeed it has. I recommend a read (or reread) of Royko's Boss for anyone who wants to get a sense of the deep roots of hardball, pay-to-play politics in IL.

Did you know that the old man started political life as a Republican state legislator (like Jesse Unruh)?

Oh, and BTW, what is the range of the bids for the Senate appointment that Blago is auctioning off?

http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2008/12/09/questions-that-are-just-begging-for-an-answer/

500k-1 million

And there had to be something up front according to the allegation.

[muon2]

He was IN the sun and he started digging

Another odds question: Would JJJ still take the appointment?

JJJ is rumored be the buyer (ie Senate Candidate 5). See Ambinder's column.

[muon2]

The Illinois assembly is looking to start impeachment proceedings ASAP to prevent him from making an appointment:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081209/pl_politico/26975

Appropriate resolutions are already in the works.

[muon2]

He was IN the sun and he started digging

Another odds question: Would JJJ still take the appointment?

JJJ is rumored be the buyer (ie Senate Candidate 5). See Ambinder's column.

Emil Jones has the resources to actually be a buyer and is uh...a bit ethically challenged himself.

CapitolFax is floating Jones for 5:
http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2008/12/09/selling-the-senate-seat/

But he points out this inconsistency with the Jones theory:

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[muon2]

According to Chuck Todd, the Illinois legislature is out of session until after the first of the year, and the only way to bring them back into session is... yep, you guessed it, for the governor to call as special session. Since that is somewhat unlikely considering their agenda, we have to wait for a new session, and an impeachment, before we get a new Senator.

HA HA HA! I love Illinois... it literally makes any political problems in Wisconsin look like playing with puppies in a park full of nuns

The Speaker can call the House into session and the Senate President can do the same for the Senate. Emil Jones is still the Senate President, and has not often cooperated with Speaker Madigan when it comes to matters concerning the Governor. The House could initiate action without the Senate.

[muon2]

Here's what we know. Candidate 5 is:

-"publicly reported to be interested in the open Senate seat"

- not who Blagojevich thought Obama wanted

- not someone with whom, by November 10, Blagojevich had a "long, productive discussion"

- someone with fundraising wherewithal who could produce something "tangible up front"

- someone Blago was "getting a lot of pressure" not to appoint

- someone with whom Blago had "a prior bad experience...not keeping his word"

The complaint also says that on November 10, Blagojevich told an advisor to leak to the Sun-Times's Michael Sneed that Blagojevich "is seriously considering Senate Candidate 5 for the open Senate seat" and that the advisor agreed to call the Sun-Times to leak the story, apparently false, that Blagojevich
end of the conversation Advisor A agreed to call the Sun Times columnist to leak the story had a “long, productive discussion” with Candidate 5.

Sneed's November 14 column included this:

Sneed hears Gov. Blago, who will choose Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate, privately feels there may be only one choice that makes sense: His buddy, outgoing Senate President Emil Jones.

That isn't exactly what they discussed leaking, and the complaint doesn't say whether or not the call was even made, but it's the only Sneed item on the subject that week.

One other tidbit: Jackson isn't particularly known as a fundraising specialist, but Jones, Miller notes, has money in his State Senate account that could be transferred to Blagojevich.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1208/Senate_Candidate_5.html?showall

ABC now reports that it's JJJ.

[muon2]

As best I recall, a governor cannot appoint himself to a Senate vacancy.  I think the governor has to resign, then under a pre-signed agreement, the new governor appoints the previous one to the Senate.  I know this happened in Oklahoma in 1963 when Governor Edmondson resigned, was replaced by Lt Gov Nigh, then appointed to the Senate 8 days before Henry Bellmon became governor.

Strongly doubt that the IL Lt Gov would appoint Blago to the Senate!

IL law does not prevent the Gov from a self-appointment. Each state may enact its own laws to deal with the replacement of a US Senator.