CapitolFax.com: Quinn now wants appointment power for himself
VanillaMan
· 1 year ago
Quinn is going to appoint himself and bail on us.
A Citizen
· 1 year ago
"Quinn wants appointment for himself" . . . My first reaction to your Headline was - Senator Quinn and then Governor Lisa M. Then I had another pot of coffee and realized what you meant. LOL
Ghost
· 1 year ago
Is Quinn a Bill supporter?
VanillaMan
· 1 year ago
Pat has always been the odd guy out. Senators are like that. They are not players in state capitals, they are guys that feel above the rest. Quinn exhibits more of the senatorial qualities than gubernatorial ones.
When it looked like Obama was going to win and we started discussing his replacement, remember how I said that Blagojevich would select himself in order to get a new legal position? Well, the FBI tapes confirmed that. Blagojevich's number one order in importance was "legal benefit".
Also I predict that we will discover that on the Tuesday he was arrested, Blagojevich was going to make his selection. It was going to be Jesse Jackson Jr.
I'll explain more when you start a Jackson thread why I foresaw this...
But I predict today that if Quinn gets it, he's going to select himself, bail on the problems we face in order to get an inside player in the gubernatorial office, and enjoy DC.
Paul
· 1 year ago
I'm afraid that the news coverage is helping to perpetrate a dangerous misconception: that the U.S. Senate has blanket power to refuse to seat a new Senator. That is what the current Senate leadership appears to think unfortunately, but the Supreme Court decisively rejected that understanding in 1969. For Harry Reid to now say that they could refuse to seat Blago's appointee is exactly like a state pretending that Roe v. Wade never happened and they can forbid all abortions.
That ruling has never been challenged, there have been no attempts to reject a new Senator or Congressman since then, and whether the new member of either house was elected or appointed is irrelevant to the Court's reasoning. If Blagojevich appoints himself, or someone else with whom there is no evidence of corruption in the selection, and the Senate then refuses to seat that person, Blagojevich can and no doubt would seek emergency relief in the federal courts. The 1969 decision is the unambiguous law of the land so the current Supreme Court is likely to ask Harry Reid, "Which part of 'has no power to exclude' is unclear?"
The Court in 1969 explicitly sought to debunk the notion that Congress has blanket authority to refuse to seat members: "In judging the qualifications of its members under Art. I, 5, Congress is limited to the standing qualifications expressly prescribed by the Constitution." Anyone who thinks the governor wouldn't fight this issue tooth and nail doesn't know this governor, and he has plenty of campaign cash with which to pay lawyers.
May I suggest that you review this issue with some constitutional-law experts and correct the public record before we have a national constitutional crisis on our hands.
Lefty
· 1 year ago
Wouldn't this be something. Blago resigns; Quinn appoints himself to the Senate seat, and under the Constitution, Lisa is the acting Governor.
The Doc
· 1 year ago
VM, I disagree. Quinn gets the big stage to himself and the opportunity to show how he's the antithesis of Blagojevich, not to mention a 2-year head start on all the other gubernatorial wannabes.
In the Senate he's the low man on the totem pole at age 60 and has to play nice with Durbin.
Concerned Observer
· 1 year ago
Don't usually post, big-time lurker.
Paul, you're most likely right. They probably can't "refuse to seat" the Illinois representative.
But they can sure as hell vote to expel him/her, probably the same day he/she sits down. So it's a matter of legal-ese and semantics more than anything.
Also, this is the Governor who got a 'C' in constitutional law, right? So maybe he doesn't know this part.
wordslinger
· 1 year ago
Is Durbin really willing to risk handing the GOP an Illinois Senate seat? Because of antipathy to Quinn? What a statesman.
Quinn wants to be governor, not senator. If he were willing to leave the state, impeachment would be rolling right now.
Anonymous
· 1 year ago
Rich, you really need to change this headline...its pretty misleading...
bored now
· 1 year ago
the first thing i thought of when i saw the special election meme was that the machine didn't want quinn making the appointment. which is strange, because i can't imagine quinn appointing someone who the machine was unhappy with (e.g, duckworth). it's about power, and trying to minimize quinn. show him who's boss...
Pat Collins
· 1 year ago
In fact, Powell specifically discusses not seating a member VS expelling one.
So it seems that Powell does not apply to an expulsion at all.
VanillaMan
· 1 year ago
Quinn knows he doesn't get a clean slate as governor and recognizes the horrific problems if he stayed in Illinois. He wants to preen, not work, and preening is what senators do while enjoying an even bigger stage close to the White House and all those major players...
Carl Nyberg
· 1 year ago
During the '96 Dem primary I got the impression Durbin and Quinn didn't like each other.
If the gov appointing Senate vacancies was good enough from 1970 until Dec 8, 2008, why isn't it the right way to go now?
Because Durbin, Madigan and the Dem Party don't want Pat Quinn making the appointment? Why is Quinn's appointment any less legitimate than another Illinois governor's appointment?
Are the Madigans worried Quinn will get too popular? If Quinn appoints someone will that give him a powerful ally?
Carl Nyberg
· 1 year ago
bored, can you explain why the Machine would object to Duckworth? Is it simply that she has too few obligations and ties to the Dem establishment and therefore she wouldn't "understand" the import of not crossing certain interests?
Rich Miller
· 1 year ago
Paul, check your history books. Frank L. Smith was appointed to the US Senate by Illinois Gov. Len Small after he won a GOP primary. The Senate refused to seat him.
True Observer
· 1 year ago
"But I predict today that if Quinn gets it, he’s going to select himself, bail on the problems we face in order to get an inside player in the gubernatorial office, and enjoy DC."
Wont happen.
Rule One - Look out for Number One.
Quinn has better chance of winning gov nomination than Senate nomination.
Concerned Observer
· 1 year ago
Rich -- the Powell case takes precedence, seeing as how it took place in 1969, when Len Small had been dead for 33 years :)
You do great work, and this week has been stupendous, so please don't consider me a troublemaker. Just wanted to point it out.
True Observer
· 1 year ago
"Rich — the Powell case takes precedence, seeing as how it took place in 1969, when Len Small had been dead for 33 years :)"
Also, the Small appointee probably didn't even litigae it.
MikeND05
· 1 year ago
If Blago does appoint himself and (assuming it's possible for argument's sake) either Jesse White refuses to certify the appointment or the Senate refuses to seat him, will Blago have already given up his office to Quinn at that point, or would he simply remain governor? In other words, does he legally give up the governorship upon accepting the nomination or upon taking office?
fedup dem
· 1 year ago
Having Quinn appoint a Senator would be the fiscally sounder move to make. A special statewide election would be costly for local election units.
Not that many communities will have primary elections on February 24; most just have a single election scheduled on April 7. Chicago (except for those voters in the 5th Congressional District who have to elect a replacement for Rahm emanuel) have no election scheduled in 2009. with most governmental budgets already straining, letting Pat Quinn appoint a Senator for two years may in the end prove to be the more fiscally prudent course of action to take.
Capitol View
· 1 year ago
I thought Pat Quinn was "Mr. Public Referendum" - let the voters weigh in. How can he oppose a special election here???
Don't Worry, Be Happy
· 1 year ago
Just for the record, I posted on this blog about 10 months ago that Quinn would become governor, cut a deal with the Madigans, and then appoint himself to the Senate elevating Lisa to governor, and the two of them would then support each other for reelection in 2010. As Casey Stengel would say, you can look it up.
But back to reality, the best possible solution for all involved is for Quinn to quickly appoint Valerie Jarrett to the vacancy. End of story.
Captain America
· 1 year ago
Quinn's change of heart is related to his desire to reamove a strong potential rival for the Governor's mansion in 2010. It's understandable. Any one of his major potential rivals would probably do a good job as U.S. Senator.
Mike B.
· 1 year ago
Pick me, Pat! Oh Please Pick ME!
Captain Flume
· 1 year ago
There are deals being cut, my friends. I wonder how many of them are being done with a fly on the wall.
L.G. Quinn should make the appointment. I know of nothing to date that warrants taking theat authority away from him if he becomes governor.
Martin
· 1 year ago
Have Quinn appoint Adlai Stevenson. Stevenson is 78 - and would make it clear that he would not run in 2010. Let the campaign for 2010 begin - and save us a lot of money while the campaign spending for the next two years gives the economy a little boost.
Bookworm
· 1 year ago
VM and others, if Quinn plans on appointing himself to the Senate seat, why is he already talking about what he's going to do as governor, including reopening the state parks and historic sites and reviewing the Traffic Safety and Pontiac Prison moves.
This makes me suspect that one of the ways Quinn will attempt to burnish his anti-Blago credentials is by going out of his way to be nice to Springfield and downstate.
I predict that when (it's not a matter of "if" any more) Quinn becomes governor, some of the first things he will do that aren't related to the current unpleasantness will be to move into the mansion, visit Pontiac and tour the prison, and tour a reopened state historic site (with cameras present, of course).
If he could get into office before Christmas and reopen either Bishop Hill or the Dana Thomas House (or both) in time to do some holiday tours, he'd have the photo op of a lifetime.
Curious
· 1 year ago
If Quinn wants to show he has "matured" he will not associate with his colleagues from the Walker era - specifically, John Filan. If Quinn brings Filan back, it will be another 2 years of budgetary flim flam. Lt. Gov. Quinn - your move.
Park Shasta
· 1 year ago
== He wants to preen, not work, and preening is what senators do while enjoying an even bigger stage close to the White House and all those major players… ==
VM, suggesting Quinn's lazy is foolish. Talk to a reporter who's covered him or a staffer who's worked for him.
All Comments
My first reaction to your Headline was - Senator Quinn and then Governor Lisa M. Then I had another pot of coffee and realized what you meant. LOL
When it looked like Obama was going to win and we started discussing his replacement, remember how I said that Blagojevich would select himself in order to get a new legal position? Well, the FBI tapes confirmed that. Blagojevich's number one order in importance was "legal benefit".
Also I predict that we will discover that on the Tuesday he was arrested, Blagojevich was going to make his selection. It was going to be Jesse Jackson Jr.
I'll explain more when you start a Jackson thread why I foresaw this...
But I predict today that if Quinn gets it, he's going to select himself, bail on the problems we face in order to get an inside player in the gubernatorial office, and enjoy DC.
perpetrate a dangerous misconception: that the U.S. Senate has blanket
power to refuse to seat a new Senator.
That is what the current Senate leadership appears to think
unfortunately, but the Supreme Court decisively rejected that
understanding in 1969. For Harry Reid to now say that they could
refuse to seat Blago's appointee is exactly like a state pretending
that Roe v. Wade never happened and they can forbid all abortions.
The Supreme Court ruled 7-1 that Congress "has no power to exclude a
member-elect who meets the Constitution's membership requirements."
Those specified membership requirements are simply age, citizenship
and being a resident of the state.
http://supreme.justia.com/us/395/486/index.html
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.p...
That ruling has never been challenged, there have been no attempts to
reject a new Senator or Congressman since then, and whether the new
member of either house was elected or appointed is irrelevant to the
Court's reasoning. If Blagojevich appoints himself, or someone else
with whom there is no evidence of corruption in the selection, and the
Senate then refuses to seat that person, Blagojevich can and no doubt
would seek emergency relief in the federal courts. The 1969 decision
is the unambiguous law of the land so the current Supreme Court is
likely to ask Harry Reid, "Which part of 'has no power to exclude' is
unclear?"
The Court in 1969 explicitly sought to debunk the notion that Congress
has blanket authority to refuse to seat members: "In judging the
qualifications of its members under Art. I, 5, Congress is limited to
the standing qualifications expressly prescribed by the Constitution."
Anyone who thinks the governor wouldn't fight this issue tooth and
nail doesn't know this governor, and he has plenty of campaign cash
with which to pay lawyers.
May I suggest that you review this issue with some constitutional-law
experts and correct the public record before we have a national
constitutional crisis on our hands.
In the Senate he's the low man on the totem pole at age 60 and has to play nice with Durbin.
Paul, you're most likely right. They probably can't "refuse to seat" the Illinois representative.
But they can sure as hell vote to expel him/her, probably the same day he/she sits down. So it's a matter of legal-ese and semantics more than anything.
Also, this is the Governor who got a 'C' in constitutional law, right? So maybe he doesn't know this part.
Quinn wants to be governor, not senator. If he were willing to leave the state, impeachment would be rolling right now.
So it seems that Powell does not apply to an expulsion at all.
If the gov appointing Senate vacancies was good enough from 1970 until Dec 8, 2008, why isn't it the right way to go now?
Because Durbin, Madigan and the Dem Party don't want Pat Quinn making the appointment? Why is Quinn's appointment any less legitimate than another Illinois governor's appointment?
Are the Madigans worried Quinn will get too popular? If Quinn appoints someone will that give him a powerful ally?
Wont happen.
Rule One - Look out for Number One.
Quinn has better chance of winning gov nomination than Senate nomination.
You do great work, and this week has been stupendous, so please don't consider me a troublemaker. Just wanted to point it out.
Also, the Small appointee probably didn't even litigae it.
Not that many communities will have primary elections on February 24; most just have a single election scheduled on April 7. Chicago (except for those voters in the 5th Congressional District who have to elect a replacement for Rahm emanuel) have no election scheduled in 2009. with most governmental budgets already straining, letting Pat Quinn appoint a Senator for two years may in the end prove to be the more fiscally prudent course of action to take.
But back to reality, the best possible solution for all involved is for Quinn to quickly appoint Valerie Jarrett to the vacancy. End of story.
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail...
This makes me suspect that one of the ways Quinn will attempt to burnish his anti-Blago credentials is by going out of his way to be nice to Springfield and downstate.
I predict that when (it's not a matter of "if" any more) Quinn becomes governor, some of the first things he will do that aren't related to the current unpleasantness will be to move into the mansion, visit Pontiac and tour the prison, and tour a reopened state historic site (with cameras present, of course).
If he could get into office before Christmas and reopen either Bishop Hill or the Dana Thomas House (or both) in time to do some holiday tours, he'd have the photo op of a lifetime.
VM, suggesting Quinn's lazy is foolish. Talk to a reporter who's covered him or a staffer who's worked for him.