Save the Banana Boys
ArchPundit
Via OneMan
Wow, some administrator needs to get a life
1) It was funny
2) No one was hurt
3) There was no danger
4) There was nothing unwholesome about it
5) There was no significant disruption
The horrors.
Franks and Fritchey Looking at Impeachment Bill
Blagojevich quotes Hank Williams
Two House Democrats said discussions on a possible impeachment resolution targeting Blagojevich accelerated after Tuesday’s disclosure by Ali Ata, whom the governor appointed to a $127,000-a-year post running the Illinois Finance Authority.
In his surprise guilty plea to federal corruption charges, Ata said he gave two $25,000 campaign contributions to the governor and then got Blagojevich’s assurance of landing a state job in which Ata “could make some money.” Ata is expected to testify against indicted former Blagojevich fund-raiser Tony Rezko.
State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) and Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) said a decision on impeachment could come within two weeks.
“We now find ourselves in a very different environment, where an individual has pled guilty to being a co-conspirator in transactions involving the governor,” Fritchey said. “Can state government be effectively led by a governor who is apparently at the center of some very significant allegations of wrongdoing?”
Blagojevich surfaced Wednesday at a Springfield prayer breakfast that was not disclosed by his staff. In an eight-minute speech, the governor did not address Ata. But, perhaps offering a glimpse into his current mind-set, Blagojevich closed by invoking the lyrics of an obscure, 1950s Hank Williams song, “Men with Broken Hearts.”
” ‘You never stood in that man’s shoes or saw things through his eyes or watched with helpless hands while the heart inside you dies,’ ” Blagojevich said. ” ‘So help your brother along the way no matter where he starts because the same God that made you made him too, these men with broken hearts.'”
Huh
John Fritchey citing KRS One on violence. Not a natural pairing.
Only Spending $350,000
Ozinga won’t trip the Millionaire’s amendment.
One presumes that the RNCC is crying as they have no money and one of their recruited self funders just announced he won’t self fund.
Oh, and he wants to stay in Iraq for as long as it takes to have a functioning Iraqi state. That isn’t even working in Mississippi.
The Problem of People Being Bad At Math
Primary campaigns go on regardless of how utterly impossible the math is….
Quinn Jumps In
QUINN: To be running away and not fully engaging the people of Illinois, who are the voters, the taxpayers, the people who we are accountable to, I don’t think that’s the right way to go. I think Governor Blagojevich should speak to the public and answer questions about anything and everything.And if the allegations about the governor are true?
QUINN: Well, if anyone committed wrongdoing, I think they should, uh, turn themselves in and suffer the consequences.
Quinn says he hasn’t personally seen any evidence of corruption in the administration. The governor hasn’t been charged with a crime, and a spokeswoman denies that he’s done anything wrong.
And the Wall Starts to Crumble
Let me issue a challenge to Hynes on this. Dan is a good public servant, competent, steady, able. But he never takes that next step to lead and stand out. This is his chance. Connecting the dots on the state’s fiscal condition and the corruption and mismanagement of this administration is tailor made for him. This is a good start, but pound it and pound it and pound it.
There is no more need to pretend that anyone has to work with this guy, Blagojevich is on his way out whether he realizes it yet or not. Hynes has always been seen as too cautious which isn’t a bad characteristic in a public official dealing with the state’s fiscal condition, but it doesn’t move you up the ladder.
It was clear that in November the Lege could have impeached him for violating the Constitution and I urged them to do so then, but now we have boring corruption reasons to do so and it’s not a hard case to make to the public now. Let’s get this over with….
Can We Impeach Him Now?
Blagojevich was also initially identified as “Public Official A” in the separate corruption case against Rezko. The judge in that case eventually identified “Public Official A” as Blagojevich, and the governor’s name has repeatedly come up in testimony at the trial.In the plea agreement, Ata said he met with Rezko and Public Official A at Rezko’s Chicago offices and gave them a $25,000 check.
“Public Official A expressed his pleasure and acknowledged that the defendant had been a good supporter and a good friend,” the agreement said. “Public Official A, in the defendant’s presence, asked Rezko if [Rezko] had talked to the defendant about positions in the administration, and Rezko responded that he had.”
According to the plea agreement, Ata was interviewed in December 2005 and falsely told agents that he was not aware of any role Rezko had played in his appointment. He also falsely claimed that he got nothing in return for donations to Public Official A.
“Defendant then knew such statement and representation was false, namely, that in fact he did receive something for those contributions, specifically employment with a state agency,” the plea agreement said.
According to the document, Ata met with Public Official A in 2000 or 2001, and Ata agreed to support Public Official A in a run for higher office.
“Thereafter, defendant Ali Ata observed that Antoin Rezko was close to Public Official A and was very involved in fundraising for Public Official A’s campaign, including overseeing defendant Ali Ata’s own fundraising efforts on behalf of Public Official A,” the plea agreement said.
As early as 2002, the document said, Rezko was speaking to Ata about a state job should the candidate be elected.
In August 2002, Ata held a small fundraising event for Public Official A that the candidate attended. Before the event, Ata said he promised Rezko the fundraiser would generate $25,000 for Public Official A, and it did. Ata said $5,000 of the goal came out of his own pocket.
This isn’t even at issue in the current Rezko trial. Cal and I agree on this and that’s not your typical day where we agree on much.
Madigan should move to impeachment and put Jones on the spot to do it. No one can walk away from this without suffering at the polls.