http://capitolfaxcom.disqus.com/NoneenTue, 23 Dec 2008 12:34:33 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196555<p>Okay Just read the news about Fiztgerald and his Hands off my criminal investigation approach. I have great appreciation for investigations and building a case. HOWEVER, times up Fizty, we have been WAITING for you for four years and yet all we have is an arrest with NO indictment and national drama. You could have moved the case and effected the last election to avoid the national shame we have now. Instead we wait while more crimes are being committed and government and the people of the STATE of Illinois suffer. Enough. Illinois lost $15 million as a result of the cost to borrow last week. The longer this drags on the more frustrated I become with Fitzgerald. Perhaps I am wrong, but this is bigger than one Criminal Governor. FITZ-Dont retard the impeachment process. Get rid of BLAGO so we can start to heal.....sheesh!</p>Larry MullhollandTue, 23 Dec 2008 12:34:33 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196554<p>This won't go on for very long - I would guess about two months.</p><p>Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings began 19 November 1998 with Ken Starr as the main witness. THIRTY ONE days later, on 19 December, the House approved two articles of impeachment. Senate proceedings began on 14 January 1999. Just THIRTY days later, on 12 February, the Senate voted to acquit Clinton.</p><p>But with Clinton there was no real hurry to get him out of office. The Republicans KNEW going into it they didn't have enough votes to convict so they just wanted to stretch out the proceedings, try to milk it for what they could politically and try to effectively cripple the rest of Clinton's presidency.</p><p>Here the Democrats know they have the votes (the speaker wouldn't have started it otherwise and the new senate president will keep his word to the speaker) and as far as they're concerned the sooner this governor is O U T out, the better! They'll only drag out the process long enough to make it look ok, i.e., minimum due process.</p><p>I expect the Illinois house will take about a month and then the Illinois Senate one more month, just like when the Republicans played out their charade with Clinton. Of course Clinton maintained a 70% popularity rating, had the house Democrats standing behind him immediately after he was impeached and didn’t lose a single Democratic senator. Rod has a 7% popularity rating and NO friends in either party in either house of the General Assembly. He has very little chance that any court will overturn his impeachment and conviction on appeal. In Federal impeachment trials there is no appeal.</p>TimbukTuTuTue, 23 Dec 2008 00:57:52 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196553<p>--Policies that are good for the state benefit all people of the state regardless of income level. Your attempt to somehow imply that there is some class warfare going on is a red herring. Do people who can afford the contribute $25k oppose policies that benefit the middle class or poor? That may be the Republican way but it is not reality in the Governor's administration.--</p><p>Bill, that's old school. You seem to be handling the cognitive dissonance better.</p>wordslingerMon, 22 Dec 2008 20:44:10 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196552<p>Sigh. Our fate is in the hands of Jay Leno, David Letterman and the cast of SNL. To Quote Martin Luther, "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture , is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."</p><p>Loss of support of the Legislature, loss of support of the public doesn't phase Blag....but because of his pride and narcissism ridicule is the silver bullet.</p><p>Jay Leno........please save us!!!!!!!</p>thurberMon, 22 Dec 2008 20:32:00 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196551<p>ChampaignDweller, you new around here? lol</p>Rich MillerMon, 22 Dec 2008 18:04:36 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196550<p>Rich, if the House did send this over while Emil Jones was still president of the Senate, do you really think he would reject, hold it in committee, or whatever it takes to make sure no vote is taken, while the entire country is looking on and Illinois becomes a bigger joke every day this drags on?</p>ChampaignDwellerMon, 22 Dec 2008 18:01:08 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196549<p>How do I always miss a banning by just a few minutes. Darn it!</p>How IronicMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:38:07 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196548<p><i>3:18 pm - Rep. Mendoza asked that Genson bring his client to the hearing next week.</i></p><p>...perhaps Genson's client will need to be reminded of his virility, it being of mythologic proportions and all...</p>Rob_NMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:27:05 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196547<p>Of course, by delaying submitting an impeachment resolution to the Senate until the new Emil-free General Assembly convenes on January 14, the House will force the Senate to organize on that day at a session with the Governor serving as its presiding officer, as called for under provisions of the Illinois Constitution - Article IV, Section 6 (b).</p><p>Even if Blago is for once on his best behavior and merely pretends for an hour or so as if nothing is amiss in his world or in state government, the sight of having him wield that gavel is going to look bad... really bad. It will make the Senators look bad, which cannot help heal the rift between the two chambers.</p>fedup demMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:23:12 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196546<p>Yes, Rich. I understand that the House can't send over the articles of impeachment until Emil is retired. That's why I called him out for gumming up the works in my post. ;)</p><p>But I really don't buy into the idea that Emil being an obstructionist is a legitimate excuse for the House throwing up their hands and not doing anything impeachment-wise until he's out of there because Emil wouldn't allow it to go ahead in the Senate. Public pressure and shaming Emil got the contractor contribution ban through and it might have worked for impeachment as well. But even if it hadn't worked I'd rather the House acted and forced Emil to show his hand rather than just drag their feet to accomodate him and let him set this state's timetable for getting rid of Blagojevich.</p><p>That's just my opinion.</p>hisgirlfridayMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:11:58 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196545<p>Rich - I want to thank you for your excellent coverage the past few weeks - you have successfully gotten me through finals this semester! But I blame you if I end up with a "C" in Constitutional Law. Have a great Holiday Break - you deserve it!</p>Chicago Law StudentMon, 22 Dec 2008 17:01:52 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196544<p>Many thanks to Bill for pointing out "Disgusted's" disgusting comment.</p><p>Really, what a moron to try to get away with something like that here. Good riddance to idiotic trash.</p><p>Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas to all!!!</p><p>lol</p>Rich MillerMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:59:10 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196543<p>Rich,</p><p>Swift justice...maybe you should be running the Committee?</p>Hoping For Rational ThoughtMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:57:41 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196542<p>hisgirlfriday, you do realize, don't you, that they can't really send this over to the Senate for trial until Emil Jones is safely retired?</p><p>Come January 14th you can start complaining that there's a big holdup. I figure the House will wrap things up by the 15th or so.</p>Rich MillerMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:57:37 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196541<p>Disgusted, you're banned. Go away.</p>Rich MillerMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:53:55 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196540<p>They're adjourning until Monday AGAIN?!?!</p><p>Aren't any other Illinois taxpayers annoyed by this? Not that I should be surprised since the first promise from the elected officials was we'd have a special election, then it was a promise of non-stop impeachmentfest with them only taking Christmas and New Year's Day off, then they give themselves a three day weekend and now they take a week off for Christmas?</p><p>WHAT A JOKE!</p><p>Of course what's another week for the state of Illinois to twist in the wind to this state's failed leaders?</p><p>It's not like anyone is going to hold Emil Jones accountable for gumming up the works and protecting his boy Blago and it's not like if they tried to hold him accountable he'd care.</p><p>It's not like anyone is going to hold the members of the House accountable for waiting until the governor is arrested before growing the spine to actually impeach our corrupt, incompetent, criminal chief executive and it's not like if anyone tried to they would care.</p><p>It's not like any citizens are actually going to organize a protest outside the governor's house or JRT or the Statehouse to actually demand Rod's immediate resignation and better government in general, although who can blame them since all of us know attempting such an action would accomplish nothing since our state politicians don't respect our opinions and removing one bad apple from this generally rotten batch seems to make little difference as the progression from George Ryan to Blago has shown.</p><p>Here's hoping Genson has a very holly jolly Christmas at the Executive Mansion and stays nice and toasty thanks to that $720,000 taxpayer-funded heated driveway.</p>hisgirlfridayMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:53:04 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196539<p>Rich, Have a great holiday, Your coverage of BLAGOGATE has been incredible, thanks.</p>He Makes Ryan Look Like a SainMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:52:12 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196538<p>Disgusted,<br>Its good to see that the morale of state employees is holding up well under all of the strain.</p>BillMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:46:03 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196537<p>allinfavorsayayeallopposednaythiscommitteeisadjourned!</p>TimMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:31:54 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196536<p>I downloaded #11 earlier when it was posted for awhile.</p>Hoping For Rational ThoughtMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:28:16 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196535<p>adjourned. Bill Black reminded to bring enough "unmentionables".</p>How IronicMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:19:24 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196534<p>@Narcoleptic</p><p>The 'Gensen' list would be interesting. Should make up a huge % of the 8% that think Blago is doing a fine job!</p>How IronicMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:16:25 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196533<p>Canary raised her hand in either a swearing sign or a salute to Lang.</p>NarcolepticMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:15:58 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196532<p>Any word on Exhibit 11 yet? Usually the one's worth reading are the one's they do not wish you to see.</p>Blago SphereMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:15:02 -0000http://capitolfax.com/2008/12/22/impeachment-hearings/#comment-18196531<p>Thanks for the chuckle Bill, enjoy your holidays.</p>Big Mama TMon, 22 Dec 2008 16:13:52 -0000