Memnison Journal

Not-Surprise: Democratic leaders (such as Sen. Reid) reportedly pushed Blago not to pick a candidate for Senate (this was before the phone calls came out) that couldn’t win downstate, which included pretty much any of the main black players in Illinois Democratic politics.    Obama suggested others, including two of the same group: Illinois Veterans Affairs [...]

…now thinks that the nomination of Burris to the Senate is of vital importance To All African Americans everywhere, and he Just Got Over His Outrage at Blago.  I agree with Ta-Nehisi Coates on this; this is ridiculous.

Blago’s selection of Roland Burris as the new Senator from Illinois is an interesting pick, mostly from the direction of Blago deciding to stir the pot in a reaction against the Feds and everyone railing in the press and whatnot against him.

Roland Burris until this weekend had become a has-been in Illinois politics; he got [...]

From flooding earlier this year (click on image to enlarge):

From Dick Meyer at NPR on Blago and Made-off:
As audacious as Blagojevich’s political gluttony is, it is easy to find far worse political corruption, much of it perfectly legal: Distorting intelligence to invade Iraq, torturing prisoners, failure to regulate Wall Street, and systematic pork-barrel boondoggling come quickly to mind. If you’re feeling expansive, how about [...]

More details on the huge legal bills he’s already built up, and who he owes them to.

Well, if you’d never heard of our Governor before, you have now.    My reflections on this inside.

Various Illinois politicos are asking for a pardon for former Governor George Ryan, whose corruption in office led to a lot of people in jail and several deaths.  One paper wrote: “Instead of selling license plates, [Ryan] gets to make them.”
Otherwise, Ryan will stay in jail till 2013.
Good.  Let him rot there.

All your questions about the reason why Illinois’ budget is broke…

From the Daily Kos, in regard to who Blago would pick to fill Obama’s now vacant Senate seat:
The list of possible names is a mile long: Reps. Jesse Jackson, Jan Schakowsky, Danny Davis and Luis Gutierrez, VA Secretary Tammy Duckworth, Congressional candidate Dan Seals, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, [...]

Apparently Blago thinks that whoever he would appoint to Obama’s vacant Senate seat should be someone who would be a serious contender in a 2010 election for a new term.  He was interested, it seems, in Luis Gutierrez, but Luis said no, not interested in running in 2010, and that was that.
I honestly think, in [...]

In the case of a Illinois HOUSE vacancy, there’s a special election “within 115 days”. In the case of a SENATE vacancy, Blago picks someone.
10 ILCS 5/25‑8
“When a vacancy shall occur in the office of United States Senator from this state, the Governor shall make temporary appointment to fill such vacancy until the next [...]

Susan and I took advantage of the federal holiday (but not one for the elections people) to go for the first day of early voting.  We have to, because we’re election judges.  The ballot was light - only a scattering of races, and in our heavily red area, a lot of the more local stuff [...]

Federal prosecutors are pumping him for information, now that he’s got serious time to look forward to at the federal pen on corruption charges; the people who will probably be hurt by this are Blago and some of the statehouse boys in Springfield.  Doesn’t bother me a bit.  Can’t stand Blago.  Not fond of Daley, [...]

Obama will announce his pick this Saturday on the steps of the Illinois State Capitol. You heard it first here on Roller Derby.