Illinois Replacement Final "Official" Predictions. It costs $20k per post now

[Sam Spade]

It gets even better...

"..... Throughout the intercepted conversations, Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including: frustration at being "stuck" as governor; a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor; a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016; avoiding impeachment by the Illinois legislature; making corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office; facilitating his wife's employment as a lobbyist; and generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office...."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.charged.2.883170.html

[kevinatcausa]

Yesterday's news: "defiant Gov. Rod Blagojevich says anyone who wants to tape his conversations should feel free to do it openly because doing it "sneakily" smells like Watergate, the scandal that brought down former President Richard Nixon.

Today's news:"A 76-page affidavit from the United States Attorney’s office in Northern Illinois says Mr. Blagojevich was heard on wiretaps over the last month planning to “sell or trade Illinois’ United States Senate seat vacated by Pres-elect Barack Obama for financial and personal benefits for himself and his wife.”"

Oops...

[BM]

I wonder if "senate candidate #5" from the FBI affidavit is part of this poll.

[ilikeverin]

I wonder if "senate candidate #5" from the FBI affidavit is part of this poll.

An interesting question!  I can't wait to see what happens with this...

[ill ind]

  I think the topic of the thread should be changed to "Who will incoming Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn appoint to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Obama, or will he have the state hold a special election to remove any taint from the process of choosing a replacement for Obama."

  There is no way in "HE double hockey sticks" that Blago is going to make an appointment now, and nobody would take it if from him should he offer them the position.

  Yes, he is still the Governor, and I predict that he will not leave office by his own choice, but he isn't going to make this appointment.

  My guess, given Quinn's history, is that the state will hold a special election.

Ill Ind

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It gets even better...

"..... Throughout the intercepted conversations, Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including: frustration at being "stuck" as governor; a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor; a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016; avoiding impeachment by the Illinois legislature; making corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office; facilitating his wife's employment as a lobbyist; and generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office...."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.charged.2.883170.html

lol

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

I think if it wasn't for the race issue Alexis would be the odds on favorite to suceed
Barack Obama, I think either Alexis or Jesse Jackson Jr. would be my picks to succeed Barack in the Senate.

[Lunar]

Jan Schakowsky will almost certainly get the seat now.

Quinn and Schako are buddies

[minionofmidas]

It gets even better...

"..... Throughout the intercepted conversations, Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including: frustration at being "stuck" as governor; a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor; a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016; avoiding impeachment by the Illinois legislature; making corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office; facilitating his wife's employment as a lobbyist; and generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office...."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.charged.2.883170.html

lol

Waahaahaahaa.

Wow. Just wow. Who holds Rosty and Blago's former house seat now? Put whoever on corruption & insanity alert.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It gets even better...

"..... Throughout the intercepted conversations, Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including: frustration at being "stuck" as governor; a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor; a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016; avoiding impeachment by the Illinois legislature; making corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office; facilitating his wife's employment as a lobbyist; and generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office...."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.charged.2.883170.html

lol

Waahaahaahaa.

Wow. Just wow. Who holds Rosty and Blago's former house seat now? Put whoever on corruption & insanity alert.

Rahm Emmanuel. Yes, Obama's next chief of staff.

[BM]

Emil is speculated to be #5, and others include Jarrett, Madigan, and JB Pritzker. They better all hope they're as pure as Snow White.

[muon2]

There's also some suggestion that state law should be changed to provide for a special election. The most recent person to suggest that is incoming Senate President Cullerton.

[CultureKing]

I'm trying to decide if Alaska or Illinois is worse now in terms of corruption. On one hand you have two corrupt governors in a row, one of whom tried to sell a senate seat. On the other hand Alaska nearly elected an indicted felon who couldn't even vote for himself and then went on to re-elect a house member facing many simular charges.

I think I am going to give this one to Alaska because there it seems the public is actually endorsing the corruption.

[minionofmidas]

It gets even better...

"..... Throughout the intercepted conversations, Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including: frustration at being "stuck" as governor; a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor; a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016; avoiding impeachment by the Illinois legislature; making corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office; facilitating his wife's employment as a lobbyist; and generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office...."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.charged.2.883170.html

lol

Waahaahaahaa.

Wow. Just wow. Who holds Rosty and Blago's former house seat now? Put whoever on corruption & insanity alert.

Rahm Emmanuel. Yes, Obama's next chief of staff.

Of course, maybe Rosty's just corrupt and the Rahmbo is just insane.

We can only hope.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Ugh. This was a stupid, stupid thing of Blago to do, and he should have known he would get caught, especially with the cloud already over him. What's the law in Illinois as to the mechanism to remove him from office?

I suppose he could appoint himself to the senate seat now, though the Senate would likely refuse to seat him.

[Franzl]

There's also some suggestion that state law should be changed to provide for a special election. The most recent person to suggest that is incoming Senate President Cullerton.

Durbin has suggested it as well.

[minionofmidas]

I suppose he could appoint himself to the senate seat now, though the Senate would likely refuse to seat him.

That would be funny.

[muon2]

There's also some suggestion that state law should be changed to provide for a special election. The most recent person to suggest that is incoming Senate President Cullerton.

Durbin has suggested it as well.

Senate President Jones has just indicated that he will call the Senate back into session to consider legislation to hold a special election.

[CultureKing]

Breaking News: Bill Gates appointed to Illinois senate seat. Governor Blagojevich present at the appointment was last seen swimming in a pool of money on a floating island made of gold.

[Lunar]

Breaking News: Bill Gates appointed to Illinois senate seat. Governor Blagojevich present at the appointment was last seen swimming in a pool of money on a floating island made of gold.

Blago did attempt to hustle Gates & Buffet out of money in the allegations..

[CultureKing]

Breaking News: Bill Gates appointed to Illinois senate seat. Governor Blagojevich present at the appointment was last seen swimming in a pool of money on a floating island made of gold.

Blago did attempt to hustle Gates & Buffet out of money in the allegations..

Really?!? Like themselves or their charities?

[ill ind]

  Blago was trying to 'deal' with Obama in getting Candidate 1 installed as Senator.  In return Obama was going to get together with Buffett and Gates to set up a 'non-profit' foundation probably in the area of health care with 10 or 15 million in seed money to start out with.  Blago was then going to head up the foundation.

Yup--its true.  Couldn't make this stuff up!!!

Ill Ind

[Bacon King]

 Blago was trying to 'deal' with Obama in getting Candidate 1 installed as Senator.  In return Obama was going to get together with Buffett and Gates to set up a 'non-profit' foundation probably in the area of health care with 10 or 15 million in seed money to start out with.  Blago was then going to head up the foundation.

Yup--its true.  Couldn't make this stuff up!!!

Ill Ind

Was there any actual involvement of Obama, Buffett, and Gates, or was this all just Blago's silly plotting?

[Lunar]

“I'm hoping that it's not how it looks. It looks terrible. It looks bad. I mean I've read the information and the allegations and they're hard to believe,” Davis said. “You know, Gov. Blagojevich has a way sometimes of talking where he's sort of joking saying things, and who knows? I mean it may be a part of that, though I'm not suggesting that it is or that it actually looks that way.”

“I'd like the job, I would like for the governor to be cleared of these allegations of wrongdoing. I'm hoping that he will be, and that's where I rest my case.”

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It gets even better...

"..... Throughout the intercepted conversations, Blagojevich also allegedly spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat and expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including: frustration at being "stuck" as governor; a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor; a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016; avoiding impeachment by the Illinois legislature; making corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office; facilitating his wife's employment as a lobbyist; and generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office...."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.charged.2.883170.html

lol

Waahaahaahaa.

Wow. Just wow. Who holds Rosty and Blago's former house seat now? Put whoever on corruption & insanity alert.

Rahm Emmanuel. Yes, Obama's next chief of staff.

Who has cloud over himself as well. He is accused of helping in covering up Rep Tim Mahoney's affairs so he could win FL-16. I wouldn't be surprised if thats the case cause RAhm strikes me as the "stop at nothing to achieve an objective" kind of guy.