Blagojevich Unfazed By Impeachment

Illinois Gov. Accuses House Of Impeaching Him Because Of Health Care Initiatives, "Confident" He Will Be Exonerated

(CBS/AP)  Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached Friday by Illinois lawmakers furious that he turned state government into a "freak show," setting the stage for an unprecedented trial in the state Senate that could get him thrown out of office.

The 114-1 vote in the Illinois House came exactly a month after Blagojevich's arrest on charges that included trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. The debate took less than 90 minutes, and not a single legislator rose in defense of the governor, who was jogging in the snow in Chicago.

Later, a defiant Blagojevich insisted again that he committed no crime, and declared: "I'm going to fight every step of the way."

CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports that Blagojevich portrayed himself as a champion of the downtrodden caught in a power struggle with the legislature - sounding almost like a man running for a third term.

"The things we did for people have literally saved lives. I don't think those are impeachable offenses," Blagojevich said.

He said he was a victim of political payback by the House for his efforts to extend health care and other relief to the ordinary people of Illinois.

"The causes of the impeachment are because I've done things to fight for families," the 52-year-old Democrat said at an extraordinary news conference where he surrounded himself with some of the people he claimed to have helped, including a man in a wheelchair and a transplant recipient. He took no questions.

Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be impeached. Arizona's Evan Mecham was impeached, convicted and removed from office in 1988 for trying to thwart an investigation into a death threat allegedly made by an aide.

No other Illinois governor has ever been impeached, despite the state's storied history of graft. Blagojevich's immediate predecessor, George Ryan, is behind bars for corruption, and two earlier governors also went to prison.

The Senate trial is set to begin Jan. 26. While impeachment in the House required only a simple majority, or 60 votes, a two-thirds vote would be needed for conviction in the 59-member Senate.

During the House debate, lawmakers complained that Blagojevich had made a laughingstock out of the state.

"It's our duty to clean up the mess and stop the freak show that's become Illinois government," said Democratic Rep. Jack Franks.

Rep. Monique Davis, a Democrat, said: "If the governor walked down that aisle today, how many of us would fall over ourselves to greet him? I think we'd hold our heads down in shame. We wanted him, we elected him, we supported him and he's disgraced us."

The criminal case against the governor included charges he tried to sell the Senate seat for campaign cash or a plum for himself or his wife, and pressured people into making campaign contributions.

The impeachment case was based on the criminal charges plus other allegations - that Blagojevich expanded a health care program without authority, that he circumvented hiring laws to give jobs to political allies, that he spent millions on flu vaccine that he knew couldn't be brought into the country.

Blagojevich did not testify before the House impeachment committee and has not offered an explanation for the criminal charges.

"His silence in this grave matter is deafening," said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat.

Rep. Elga Jefferies voted "present." Rep. Milton Patterson, also a Chicago Democrat, voted against impeachment. Patterson said later that he was not defending anyone, but that he read the impeachment committee's report and wasn't comfortable voting against the governor.

"I went by my own gut feeling; it's as simple as that," he said. "If the government is going to indict him, let them go ahead and do that. That's their job, and I'm doing my job."

After returning from his jog, Blagojevich said his situation reminded him of the short story "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner," about a petty criminal who takes up running. "And that's what this is, by the way, a long-distance run," he said.

Later, at the news conference, Blagojevich portrayed the impeachment vote as another round in a long struggle with the House, which he said had repeatedly thwarted his efforts to help real people instead of "special interests and lobbyists."

He ended the news conference by reciting a few lines from the poem "Ulysses" by Lord Alfred Tennyson, ending with: "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

"When you saw him stand up there and reciting that Tennyson poem, you began to wonder if maybe he was going to lay the ground work for pleading insanity in this case," said CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. "But this is some serious business here and now that it looks like he's going to be removed and after you saw that vote, it's almost certain that he will be."

After his arrest, Blagojevich defied practically the entire political establishment by appointing someone to the Senate, former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. That provoked a furor as state and federal officials struggled over whether to seat Burris.

On Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Burris' paperwork was valid and that Illinois' secretary of state did not have to sign his appointment. But that may not be sufficient for Burris to take his seat: Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the Senate will not accept Burris without the signature.

"(Democrats) don't think this person, any person that Blagojevich would appoint, to be a strong candidate in two years," Schieffer said.

The Illinois Senate is working to draft rules for the impeachment trial. The state constitution does not specify what is an impeachable offense and does not lay out a standard for conviction, other than that senators must "do justice according to law." The chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court will preside.

[wendlo1]

What difference does it make if the governor sold the seat or not. From public representitives takng cash and gifts from lobbyists or soliciting gay *** from a toilet stalls. Our good representitives fail to even try to stop the bad corrupt behaviors. And we the people refuse to vote them out of office.So what if the governor Sold the seat. Aren''t they all bought by the highest bidder once they get in washington. They run on old stale platforms that once they get in office they table them after about six months until the next election, and stop working for the people that put them there. I think that is why any new president has the hundred day window to get anything done.
I have a low low opinion of our representitives. As long as our government lets lobbyists flow freely and buy their votes the representitives on either side will continue to work against the public. I decided after several elections ago to vote the flush every election. I have high hopes for our new president but feel he will be walking into a stone wall with the representitives there. he doesn''t have a chance to do anything for the us public as long as the checks and ballance system stays the way it is.

[scotch41-2009]

Let Illinois take care of the Blago problem and let Obama get on with taking care of our national problems. He''''s off to a good start, even though he hasn''''t even taken office yet.

Posted by libra217 at 01:19 PM : Jan 10, 2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, he''s off to such a good start that his own party is turning on his economic recovery plan...

[downtowner97]

Blago is the spokesmodel for Lego hair.

[spinproof]

The sad thing is this just the beginning and will drag on for months at a time when our nation needs to focus on 2 wars, the economy and addressing the nations more important business, we don''''t have time for this.

Posted by spinproof at 01:02 AM : Jan 10, 2009

Well then, quit trying to tie the Blago scandal to Obama when there is absolutely no evidence or indication whatsoever that he was involved in any way.

Let Illinois take care of the Blago problem and let Obama get on with taking care of our national problems. He''s off to a good start, even though he hasn''''t even taken office yet.

Posted by libra217 at 01:19 PM : Jan 10, 2009

Just because you support someone or a Political Party does not mean you agree with and support everything they say or do, does not mean that they get a "blank check" of support like Israel thinks it has with the U.S. for example. There is no way Pres.-elect Obama can distance himself from Illinois Politics, but what he can do is distance himself from corrupt Illinois political practices like Pay-To-Play for example. Pres.-elect Obama and his staff don''t look credible when they say things like they don''t know Gov. Rod Blagojevich, never spoke to the guy in my life, who is he anyway? LOL All because Blago is in trouble no one ever met him before, its just not believable since they all are from Illinois if you know what I mean. Pres.-elect Obama is tied to Illinois whether he wants to be or not, I don''t need to tie him there.

[brannigon]

Blagojevich Unfazed By Impeachment. They say that when a liar lies so much, he actually begins to believe his own lies. Its a sickness. This boy is sick!

[amurguz]

The eptiome of arrogance.

[libra217]

The sad thing is this just the beginning and will drag on for months at a time when our nation needs to focus on 2 wars, the economy and addressing the nations more important business, we don''t have time for this.


Posted by spinproof at 01:02 AM : Jan 10, 2009

Well then, quit trying to tie the Blago scandal to Obama when there is absolutely no evidence or indication whatsoever that he was involved in any way.

Let Illinois take care of the Blago problem and let Obama get on with taking care of our national problems. He''s off to a good start, even though he hasn''t even taken office yet.

[quickly101]

I wonder what he''ll say when state police remove him from office?

[soldat44]

''Blagojevich Unfazed By Impeachment''

''Blagojevich Unfazed By Body Cavity Search''

[spinproof]

Poor Chicago, when it rains it pours!

Five Shot At Chicago High School
CHICAGO (CBS) %u2015

Emergency workers respond to a shooting outside Dunbar High School late Friday Jan. 9, 2009.

Chicago police say they believe a shooting Friday night at a South Side high school that sent at least five male victims to the hospital was gang-related.

Police say the shots came from a vehicle that pulled up outside the building as a basketball game was getting out. Chicago police superintendent Jody Weis called the shootings at Paul Laurence Dunbar Vocational Career Academy "a tragedy."