Nagging Questions Remain About the Blagojevich Impeachment

Commentary

 Nagging Questions Remain About the Blagojevich Impeachment

(Springfield, Ill.)  That Gov. Blagojevich should be removed from office is obvious, however that he should be removed from office in the manner that he is does raise serious questions and implications for future officeholders as well as taxpayers.

 In general, while Senate removal is a political act, it should not be done lightly or in a manner that reeks of political pay back.  Because one has the license to act politically instead of legally, doesn’t mean one shouldn’t act judicially.  Just as one may have the right to act in a stupid manner doesn’t necessarily mean one must act stupidly.

 So what are these questions that should be asked of Illinois lawmakers as we begin the removal trial of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich?

 Gov. Blagojevich probably has a fair point in arguing that his defense is limited under Rule 15 in the trial.  Illinois lawmakers serve the people of Illinois and it is their constitutional responsibility; yet, they’ve given the Department of Justice a veto over witnesses.  Why is the federal prosecution of the governor a problem for the Illinoisans and not a problem for the Department of Justice? Who does the Illinois General Assembly represent?  We the people, or the Justice Department? 

 Our problem is Blagojevich and the assurance that our elective representatives are running a legitimate government not a banana republic.  Denying the governor access to witnesses sacrifices the legitimacy our impeachment process in support of the Fed’s effort at a criminal trial.  It’s pretty clear whom the GA is serving and it isn’t Illinoisans.

 Are the rules that led to the Clinton acquittal really being applied, here? 

 The governor’s defense can only call witnesses that are approved by a majority of senators and that is unlike the Clinton impeachment rules that required an objection to a proposed witness before a witness was to be rejected. It seems that the Democrats – who control this process – have finally found a criminal they can get tough on – a democrat governor threatening their chances at the ballot box.

 Next, the governor has portrayed himself as a victim who was only trying to help his constituents who needed “government services.”  When he ignored the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules, imported prescription drugs and expanded welfare programs (Medicaid) he was implementing policies that are part of his party’s platform.  He’s now being impeached for them.  A number of other governors joined the reimportation conspiracy.  Is supporting the Democrat Party Platform now an impeachable offense? 

 Again, at his Friday press conference the governor stated, “This [impeachment] will have a chilling effect on every governor in the future. No governor will be able to take on the General Assembly the way I have.” No doubt any free spending legislature loved hearing those words.  Yet, are future governors going to face impeachment for policy disagreements?   If a governor vetoed a popular but very imprudent program would he or she face removal from office? 

 This is particularly an important question for a potential Republican governor who in a blue state with a liberal media would be most likely to be up next on the guillotine.

 Unrelated to the impeachment, directly, are the governor’s allegations regarding tax hikes.  All of the Democratic leadership supports some kind of general tax hike — to pay for the fiscal mismanagement of the democrats.   When confronted they are demurring.  Lt. Gov. Quinn claimed on Friday not to know the state of the state regarding fiscal matters because the governor wouldn’t share information with him.  Quinn is apparently the only one in the state not aware of the state’s dire fiscal state. Either that or he is hiding something.

 Which is it?  Is he ignorant of the crisis or is this the kind openness and transparency the people in Illinois can expect from a Quinn Administration?

 Gov. Blagojevich, as a result of his actions in the criminal complaint, clearly merits removal from office.   However the manner in which he is removed should be a judicious one.   This should mean that the people of Illinois get first whack at the governor.  Outsiders shouldn’t determine who who can be called as a witness. 

 Defenders of the proceedings on the one hand claim it is fair and when it suits them they say it’s a political process and they can do what they want.  Well, which is it?  Is it a fair process where each side is allowed to put its best foot forward and decisions are based on merit?  Or, is it political where might makes right?   It really can’t be both.

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Greg Blankenship is President for the Illinois Alliance for Growth (www.all4growth.org).  He can be reached at gkblankenship@all4growth.org.

Commentary: Only in Illinois

Dem Gov Impeached for DNC/Obama Positions on Rx Drugs

(Springfield, Ill.) The Illinois General Assembly has impeached a member of its own party for implementing a program supported by not only the national party’s platform but by President-elect Barack Obama himself.

Hypocrisy is alive and well in the Illinois General Assembly as the House impeached their own governor for the reimportation of prescription drugs – long a staple of democratic politics – yet banned by Federal law.

House Resolution 1671 Section 11, the resolution impeaching the governor states, “The Governor’s actions with regard to, and responsibility for, the I-SaveRx Program, as more fully detailed in the Final Report at Section IV-F and in the Committee Record as a whole.”  The report, beginning on page 40, confirms that Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich is being impeached for supporting a plank in both the Democratic Party Platform and President-elect’s health care reform proposal.

Only in Illinois.

With great fanfare Gov. Blagojevich launched the I-SaveRx Program in Fall, 2004.  While governors from other states, such as Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty (R), joined the program, few consumers signed up.  The program flopped. And the federal government never charged anyone with committing any kind of crime.  Those opposed to prescription drug reimportation — such as myself — were largely ignored in our opposition to the program. 

That, now, prescription drug reimportation is suddenly an impeachable offense demonstrates that either a) by a 114-1 vote the Democrat dominated General Assembly is in opposition to President Obama’s plan to allow drug importation from developed countries, or b) shows the lengths to which Democrats are willing to go to get Rod Blagojevich out of office.  Someone should inquire which it is.

Impeachment is the nuclear option in American politics and it should never be taken lightly.  Yet, in Illinois it has been cavalierly done and it threatens to make a very guilty man look like a victim as well as set a dangerous precedent by lowering the bar for impeachable offenses.  Impeachment is serious because removing an elected official from office over turns the will of the people and the republican nature of our American system.

Gov. Blagojevich obviously merits removal from office from the actions outlined in the Federal Attorney’s criminal complaint.  However, many of the impeachment articles are mere policy disagreements such as not adhering to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and not hiring veterans (this from a state political class that jealously guards patronage hiring as a superior method of serving the public) that simply do not rise to the level of impeachment. 

The idea that Gov. Blagojevich has abused his power in Illinois is an easy sell, but it is just as easy to sell the score settling in the General Assembly as hypocritical abuse of power, as well.  By using impeachment as political payback the House cheapened the process and demonstrated that it was no better than the governor.  

State Senators are promising a fair hearing but as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee Rickey “Hollywood” Hendon (D-Chicago) put it, the noise behind you is the gallows being built.  

Illinois Democrats have much to fear.  The sooner one gets Blagojevich out of office, think many, the sooner you get rid of Federal Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. He’s done a lot of damage to the Illinois political machine.  The sooner Fitzgerald gets his trophy the sooner friends of the President can approach President Obama to suggest that its time for Fitzgerald to be promoted out of Illinois or otherwise “disposed of.”  They then can get back to business as usual.  As long as they move quickly and don’t stretch this out, the longer they will have to recover and fend off Republicans in two years.

This isn’t empty conspiracy theory, either. During the trial of Obama fundraiser Tony Rezko testimony revealed that people close to Karl Rove, then Deputy White House Chief of Staff, and then House Speaker Denny Hastert approached the two about getting Fitzgerald fired.  Both Rove and Hastert thought better of it.

Governor Blagojevich apparently recognizes this and his “bizarre” press conference following his impeachment wasn’t so bizarre when you understand the nature of politics in Illinois. Illinois is ruled by political clout not law.  While national pundits and his in-state opponents are shocked by the governor’s audacity by hiding behind his human policy shields, the governor is only working with what the General Assembly gave him.

The political class and the local media revel in the fact they hate this man and he may soon be gone. They revel in the fact that because impeachment and removal is a political process that they can completely disregard any sense of fair play.

What they fail to see is their own hypocrisy in impeaching a governor of their own party for implementing policies they support.  What they fail to see is that they are setting a precedent in which policy disagreements and low approval numbers are now impeachable offenses.  What they fail to see is that the monster they are creating could easily be turned on them.

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Greg Blankenship is President of the Illinois Alliance for Growth (www.all4growth.org) and can be reached at gkblankenship@all4growth.org.