Posted by John Publius Jr. on January 30th, 2009 — in Blog
Yesterday, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to remove Governor Rod Blagojevich from office. Lieutenant Governor Patrick Quinn was sworn in as the 41st Governor of Illinois.
This is good news for Illinois and for everyone concerned about “pay to play” government corruption. We will never eliminate government corruption, but it is encouraging when perpetrators are caught and thrown out of office.
Blagojevich chose to appear on many television shows rather than participate in his own impeachment trial. He claimed that the impeachment process was unfair and denied him the opportunity to present witnesses in his defense. His claim is false, only some witnesses were not permitted because of the ongoing criminal investigation. Many analysts believe that Blago was purposely attempting to “taint the jury pool” for his upcoming criminal trial, and of course, this may be true. He probably was also motivated to improve his public image, at least in the eyes of his family and the handful of remaining supporters.
Based on what we, the public, know so far about the Blagojevich criminal case, it is uncertain that Blago actually violated any laws. The Illinois legislature has much more leeway to impeach and remove a Governor than a criminal court has to convict someone of a crime. Impeachment is usually politically motivated. Over the years, Blagojevich made it impossible for the state legislature to work with him. The allegations of Blago’s “pay to play” deals were sufficient to move the legislature to act. Impeachment should be used sparingly, and Blagojevich is the first Governor of Illinois ever impeached.
Blagojevich has many more rights to defend himself in his criminal trial. My guess is that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has plenty of evidence to convict Blagojevich on criminal government corruption charges. I am less concerned about this because I am mainly happy that Illinois now has a legitimate Governor. If Blago broke any laws, he should serve time in prison, obviously. I am interested to see if any other politicians will be indicted for involvement with Blago.
Political deals and fundraising happen every day in all levels of government. The Blagojevich case is interesting because it raises the question of where is the line between legitimate deal-making and criminal “pay to play” corruption. For example, the National Rifle Association (NRA) or a labor union may donate campaign contributions to a candidate that supports sympathetic positions on issues. For better or worse, this is every day legal politics. The Blagojevich case includes allegations of: selling a U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, supporting specific legislation on the condition of donations (Children’s Memorial Hospital), and government approval on the condition of firing editorial writers (Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Cubs deal). If any of these allegations are true (probably each is true), then Blagojevich clearly crossed the line into criminality. The line is often fuzzy, and additional ethics and campaign finance reform measures are needed to make the line clearer. Politicians should always avoid even the perception of impropriety to make sure they are always on the clean side of the line.
The Blagojevich case also raises the issue of whether Governors should have the power to appoint U.S. Senators in the event of a vacant seat. When in doubt, I generally believe “let the people decide”. U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) is proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to change the rule to mandate that special elections always take place to fill vacant U.S. Senate seats. I hope this amendment is enacted quickly, before we face another fiasco.
In Illinois, we feel as if a big weight has been lifted. We can move forward finally. Pat Quinn has an excellent reputation and has a sincere desire to run effective government. He can and will work with other elected officials to address the many important tasks facing our state. The next election for Illinios Governor is in 2010. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out when the voters finally have their say. My guess is that by 2010, Illinois voters will focus on economic issues and look to elect the person with the best plan to reduce unemployment and hold the line on taxes.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on January 18th, 2009 — in Issues/Policy, Barack Obama, Blog
The song “Happy Days Are Here Again” was written in November, 1929, shortly after the stock market crash. It became Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1932 election campaign song, and has been the unofficial song of the Democratic Party ever since. To many, this song evokes bittersweet emotions: an acknowledgement of hard times and hope for a brighter future.
The U.S. (and global) economy is in very bad shape, the worst since the Great Depression. President Barack Obama takes office at a time when we need hope and a new beginning. I don’t expect the Obama administration to fix the economy immediately, but I want to see significant action soon. Obama also faces major foreign policy and security challenges. I’ve heard much discussion about the Bush administration recently, and it makes sense to evaluate the outgoing administration now. I am much more interested in turning a new page and looking forward to the long-awaited and promised change. I essentially gave up on the Bush administration in 2005, after its inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina.
It’s very encouraging that a large percentage of Americans are happy with the Obama transition team and the incoming Obama cabinet choices. Obama has wisely crafted policies and decisions to unite us. In spite of gloomy economic conditions, optimism is in the air. Some of the ideological warriors are showing a willingness to collaborate on solutions. The Obama Era starts with an ideal that “we are in this together”, rather than the tired paradigm of the past: “us against them, survival of the fittest”.
We are in for a month-long debate about the 2009 fiscal stimulus package. Obama must work with the U.S. House and Senate to pass legislation that will produce new jobs quickly. State and local governments are facing bankruptcy. Many industries need some kind of “bail out”. Critics complain about federal spending and deficits, but we have no real choice other than to “print money” and inject the economy with many billions of new dollars. “The velocity of money” is an important concept. The federal stimulus must circulate money widely for it to work effectively. Funding “shovel ready” projects is smart and rebuilding U.S. infrastructure is necessary. This will create jobs quickly and strengthen our long-term economic standing.
Democrats prefer increased spending while Republicans emphasize tax cuts. The Obama proposal offers both. I suspect this is primarily a political decision rather than the best economic choice. Nevertheless, doing something reasonably effective now is better than fighting about the “perfect plan” for months. Rebuilding inner-city schools is a great idea even though some may label it as “pork barrel spending” and an “earmark”. Funding development, research, and production of green technologies is an obvious step and essential to our future. Restructuring the health care industry also must happen. Health care is simply too expensive for corporations, families, and individuals. How about giving nurses more power?
I hear some people still argue that Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal was not effective. This argument is misguided. While it’s true that the depression lasted until World War II, Roosevelt prevented the economy from getting even worse. His administration gave people hope and that is worth more than a specific dollar amount. The U.S. depression of the 1930s was in the context of a global economic meltdown. Roosevelt kept America true to its democratic ideals while other parts of the world sank into totalitarianism. Roosevelt’s rebuilding efforts positioned the United States to enjoy tremendous prosperity once the depression ended.
Spring is just around the corner. Americans have many reasons to be grateful. By electing Barack Obama, we proved we can unite around good leadership instead of wallowing in the counter-productive ethnic conflicts of the past. Despite massive economic problems, we still enjoy a standard of living well above most of the world. As we watch the violence in the Middle East, we realize that we are lucky to be here instead of many other places.
Many people have strong opinions about the economy, regardless of their expertise on the subject. What I find interesting is that award-winning economists disagree with each other fervently. No one really knows what is the best solution or even what will work to some extent. Roosevelt did quite a bit of experimenting, and in retrospect, many believe he should have spent much more right away. Obama has a mandate for change. We need bold actions, professional follow-through, and transparency. The Obama team has great talent, and I find it annoying to get bogged down in tedious arguments about Timothy Geithner’s tax filing mistakes.
Economists agree that ultimately psychology plays a primary role in the economy. A dollar is worth a dollar because we all think it is. The word “credit” comes from the Latin word “credo”, meaning “I believe”. Our economy has fundamental structural problems. We cannot wish these away, yet optimism vs. pessimism impacts decisions throughout the economy. Ultimately, money is not important. We have our dignity and we have each other. I agree with many people who feel that Barack Obama is the right person at the right time. Through his strong leadership and intelligent decisions, we will overcome the huge financial hardships we face as individuals and as a nation. Happy days are here again, but we need to have some patience because it will take some time for the economy to recover.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on January 11th, 2009 — in Democratic Party, Blog
The Rod Blagojevich political sideshow spawned a new spin-off series: Mr. Burris Goes To Washington. These sideshows are interesting topics, up to a point. The economy and foreign policy issues are much more urgent and important.
Just about everyone was happy that the Illinois House of Representatives voted 114-1 to impeach Governor Blagojevich. Now the Illinois Senate must hold hearings and vote on whether to remove Blagojevich from office. Soon, please.
I don’t mind Blago’s appointment of Roland Burris to the United States Senate. Burris is a fine choice, it’s only a shame that it was Blago who appointed him. Good political theater by Blago, and even better by Burris. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid looked a bit silly refusing to acknowledge any Blago appointment. He probably didn’t even realize he was playing political chess with Blagojevich until checkmate was inevitable.
We are learning about arcane Senate rules and traditions, and it’s possible that Roland Burris would take his case to court to decide what the rules really are. More likely, the Democrats will end their counter-productive stall tactics soon and give Roland Burris his seat in the United States Senate.
Roland Burris has one of the best resumes if you search the Illinois Democratic Party talent pool database. It’s somewhat unfortunate that racial politics came into play. The upside is that it reminded us that the U.S. Senate currently does not have a single African-American. We have moved forward in racial understanding, but the U.S. Senate should be more representative of the diversity of America.
As an Illinois voter, I mainly want to see us move forward. We need a new Governor and two Senators as soon as possible. I want clean government and I want politicians to do everything they can to improve the economy quickly.
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