Illinois House votes 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich.
By on Jan 9th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Illinois House votes 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich.
After a unanimous vote by a special impeachment panel yesterday, the full Illinois state House of Representative voted 114-1 to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). The impeachment trial will be held by the state Senate.
As MSNBC pointed out, “You don’t have to be guilty of committing a crime to be impeached. You just have to be accused of abusing your power or unable or unfit to serve.”
Update The Chicago Tribune political blog notes that Blagojevich was jogging at the time of the impeachment vote: "A Tribune photographer took pictures of Blagojevich going jogging in his Ravenswood Manor neighborhood at about 10 a.m."
Update Rep. Milt Patterson (D) cast the sole dissenting vote, saying that he didn't feel comfortable with impeachment because he had "no first-hand knowledge of any of the evidence."
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I don’t think this chart is right… lol
January 9th, 2009 at 11:34 amAmazing, isn’t it, just how quickly our government folks can vote to impeach a DEMOCRAT…?
January 9th, 2009 at 11:36 amWell NOW the media figures it out! You just have to be guilty of abusing your power, or unfit to be Impeached!
January 9th, 2009 at 11:42 amoops! “or unfit, comma, to be impeached”
January 9th, 2009 at 11:44 amAs MSNBC pointed out, “You don’t have to be guilty of committing a crime to be impeached. You just accused to be guilty of abusing your power or unable or unfit to serve.”
NOW someone opens a book….
January 9th, 2009 at 11:44 amLeftside Annie Says: Amazing, isn’t it, just how quickly our government folks can vote to impeach a DEMOCRAT…?
You seem to be implying that Blago is being impeached because he’s a Democrat, rather than because of his manifest corruption. I think the lesson here is that Democrats are far less willing to protect the bad apples in their midst than are their Republican counterparts. This is a good thing, no?
January 9th, 2009 at 11:45 amAND THIS GUY DIDN’T EVEN KILL ANYONE OR INVADE A COUNTRY
HEY PELOSI AND REID…..YOU WATCHING?
January 9th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Who was the one who voted no???
January 9th, 2009 at 11:52 amBlagojevich was jogging at the time of the impeachment vote:
January 9th, 2009 at 11:52 amheaded for the end of Navy Pier…
Okay. So, the example we are setting for future generations is that bjs and thinking about committing treason are WORSE than invading sovereign nations and killing innocent civilians for profit? Damn, we’re in trouble…
January 9th, 2009 at 11:54 amI personally liked the count.
And boreas, I agree but the problem with the bad apple analogy is what if there more bad ones than good? Part of the problem these past few years seems to be if you chucked all the bad apples out the barrel would have been pretty damned empty.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:57 amAnd Milt? If voting isn’t your job, what do you do? Empty wastebaskets?
January 9th, 2009 at 11:58 amAs MSNBC pointed out, “You don’t have to be guilty of committing a crime to be impeached. You just accused to be guilty of abusing your power or unable or unfit to serve.”
I’m sure that although this might be true for Illinois, it couldn’t POSSIBLY be true for the Federal Government. Otherwise, wouldn’t we have impeached Bush and Cheney by now?
January 9th, 2009 at 12:04 pmWouldn’t we?
Jogging, jogging, jogging. He should jog north, pick up Palin and head further north into Polar Bear territory. Just wishing..
January 9th, 2009 at 12:05 pmleftsideAnnie: I can’t imagine what kind of policies you would influence that would pay somebody off for a gift.”
boreas: You seem to be implying that Blago is being impeached because he’s a Democrat, rather than because of his manifest corruption. I think the lesson here is that Democrats are far less willing to protect the bad apples in their midst than are their Republican counterparts.
That’s exactly what Annie was implying.( Annie is familiar to many here at TP, and has been a regular for long enough that “/snark” identifiers are easily forgetten )
January 9th, 2009 at 12:08 pmBully for the Democrats! LeftsideAnnie, they voted because B is CORRUPT, not because of his political party! Spotting and rooting out corruption SHOULD be the job of EVERY elected representative of the USA. The Republican party USED to stand for integrity, back when it WAS the “grand old party.” Now, the most highly-visible faction seems merely to SPOUT integrity while allowing lying, dishonesty, violation of/reinterpretation of Constitutional rights, and flagrant abuse of power at all levels. Although of course neither party has a monopoly on corruption, the Dems do seem more honest about ADMITTING it, rather than hiding behind Moral Majority rhetoric and finger-pointing self-justification.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:16 pm“And Milt? If voting isn’t your job, what do you do? Empty wastebaskets?”
Milt was not elected for the upcoming term. He’s not coming back.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pmVoting “present” was Elga Jeffries, a hack who finished fourth in the primary.
Good riddance to both.
Ravenswood Manor?
I didn’t realize he lived so close to me… ick.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:21 pmDem or not, they’re all crooks.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:22 pmI have to give Blago some credit though. The weather in Chicago is miserable. He’s a pretty tough guy to jog today. He’s going to need to be tough when he enters the pen, but that’s another matter completely.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pmboreas Says:
You seem to be implying that Blago is being impeached because he’s a Democrat, rather than because of his manifest corruption. I think the lesson here is that Democrats are far less willing to protect the bad apples in their midst than are their Republican counterparts. This is a good thing, no?
You missed my point, Boreas — and evidently most of the rest of you as well.
I never said that Blago should not be impeached. He most definitely should be – he’s a corrupt scumbag. And good riddance to him.
Now that that is cleared up, my point was that Blago, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, etc. (all Democrats) get nailed immediately for their sins —
…while, over the past 8 years, the Chimpenfurher and his criminal gang have committed *countless* numbers of impeachable offenses (not to mention friggin’ war crimes) – and yet, the quivering spineless Democrats in Congress led by Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table.
Why?? Surely Bush et. al deserve to be impeached, right?
David Vitter, another corrupt prostitute-patronizing Republican, remains in the Senate to this day, while Spitzer was forced to resign. Larry Craig – solicited gay sex in a public restroom – yet he remained in the Senate. Ted Stevens was convicted of seven felony counts – and yet Harry Reid opines that his going to prison wouldn’t do any good.
WTF????
The DOUBLE STANDARD, the IOKIYAR — that was my point.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:38 pm.
Dear John Conyers,
See how easy it really is?
.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:42 pmLeftside Annie,
Oh I get it. Too bad die hard Democrappers don’t.
Enforcement of the law only counts if your a Repugnican’t charging a Democrapper.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pmI wonder who the one guy who voted against was? I’d be interested to see a ledger of his bank account deposits.
Leftside Annie Says:
!!!
I knew what you meant.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:48 pmMr. Milt Patterson is a schmuck. As a legislator and human being, he is entitled to voice his opposition. This does not change the fact that he is a schmuck.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:00 pmI wonder if the one no vote guy made a deal with Blago so that he could say “well, at least it wasn’t UNANIMOUS!” He said he didn’t feel it was his job to impeach. Buddy, you need to read your job description again. It’s exactly your job.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:03 pm#25, 26 – Thanks, guys – I wuz worrit that I wuz losing my edge there for a mo…
~ A
January 9th, 2009 at 1:08 pmIf that’s the case, I agree with Rep. Patterson. Without seeing the evidence, I would not vote to impeach either. Impeachment is serious, and not a step to be taken via trial by media.
That said, it is also political, as we have seen by the impeachment of Clinton and the non-impeachment of anyone in the Bush Administration.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:29 pmAnnie,
January 9th, 2009 at 1:30 pmYou’re right — we had at least 6 years within which Bush coulda/shoulda been impeached. But the fraidy-cat Dems and the big bad repugs, each for their own reasons, would not move forward.
It was amazing to see how quickly this was accomplished in Illinois. Although it does set an example that Democrats are more willing than repugs to oust their own.
Equally amazing was watching the Illinois legislature quiz Burris about how he got the appointment to the Senate.
They even tried to accuse him of lying because a few months ago, he told someone in the governor’s office that if Blago was looking for names of potential appointees his name could be added to the list.
Hoodathunk Says: And boreas, I agree but the problem with the bad apple analogy is what if there more bad ones than good? Part of the problem these past few years seems to be if you chucked all the bad apples out the barrel would have been pretty damned empty.
Well see, that’s what happens when you tolerate the bad apples: they take over as, they have in the Republican party, because it creates an atmosphere of total license where anything goes and everything is for sale.
I agree that chucking out the bad apples in the Republican barrel would result in a pretty nearly empty barrel but the Dems aren’t there yet. We’ll see shortly whether control if the executive and legislative branches will start to erode the relative high principle of the Democrats.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:32 pmMarie,
January 9th, 2009 at 1:42 pmBurris apparently signed an affidavit saying the had no contacts, when in fact he had.
That’s pretty bad and is part of a record of Burris doing some shady stuff.
Skeeter1,
January 9th, 2009 at 2:45 pmNot exactly — several months ago, Burris told someone in the governor’s office that if Obama wins the election and Blago needs names to add to his list of appointees, feel free to add Burris’ name.
That is not the same as formally approaching the governor’s office after the election with a request that he be appointed.
Lone dissenter Milt Patterson was characterized on local state radio as a bit too old for the job, out of touch with events, and possibly harboring a grudge against state Dem leaders. It was a poke in their ribs to show his displeasure with their lack of support for him or his issues.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:06 pmIt wasn’t “someone.”
January 9th, 2009 at 3:49 pmAnd it wasn’t “feel free to add my name.”
Allegedly, it was Lon Monk (referenced in the charges against Blago).
On top of that, there are all sorts of shady financial dealings involving Burris.
Burris and Blago are a great team.
I like the idea of getting rid of the bad apples. The repubs have had to dump quite a bushel over the past few years. Maybe the repubs and democrats could get together and throw the rest out. I know that 25 senators and 100 congressmen would have trouble legislating but it couldn’t be any worse than what we’ve got now. They are all on the take.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:53 pmSkeeter1 Says:
It wasn’t “someone.”
And it wasn’t “feel free to add my name.”
Allegedly, it was Lon Monk (referenced in the charges against Blago).
On top of that, there are all sorts of shady financial dealings involving Burris.
Burris and Blago are a great team.
So putting that all together, what you’re telling us goes as follows:
Several months ago, Burris told __Lon Monk*__ that if Obama wins the election, “_________________.” Furthermore, Burris is involved in the following shady financial dealings: _______, _______, and _______. Burris and Blago are a great team.
*allegedly
Well, I’m convinced!
January 9th, 2009 at 5:13 pmsee how easy – and FAST! – that was done, nancy?
i just wish it had been a REAL criminal, THE criminals, bushco…
things are gonna go downfill fast for illinois now… the past repug admins taught them nothing…
January 9th, 2009 at 6:22 pmWow, the Illinois legislature does something no other legislature in the country apparently has the spine to do–they impeached a horribly corrupt public official instead of punting their moral authority off to a Federal prosecutor. Lets hope it gets taken as a good example by other legislatures, and maybe we can get a few of these corrupt congressmen out of Washington before their sentencing hearings and appeals.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:25 pmIf they had called a special session last week or the week before, the Burris fiasco wouldn’t be happening. Don’t give ‘em too much credit.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:53 pm.
Well,
At least Governors aren’t above the law…
.
January 9th, 2009 at 9:30 pmMore on lone impeachment dissenter Milt Patterson. He got so little support from his party (dems) at the last election he was forced to run as a write-in…. and got 37 votes.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:54 pm