Timewaster's Guide Archive

General => Everything Else => Topic started by: Peter Ahlstrom on December 09, 2008, 05:30:27 PM

Title: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on December 09, 2008, 05:30:27 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/ap_on_re_us/blagojevich_corruption_probe

This is utter and complete craziness.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: CthulhuKefka on December 09, 2008, 05:31:41 PM
Wow, this guy sounds like a complete loser.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: little wilson on December 09, 2008, 05:38:48 PM
That is one unintelligent governor....Still. I think it's hilarious he tried to sell the seat. Horrible, yes. Corrupt, yes. But hilarious....And how would that work? It's the people who vote, so anyone the gov appoints wouldn't really last long enough to do a whole lot if the constituents didn't like them....
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Loud_G on December 09, 2008, 05:49:52 PM
I just heard about this from a coworker. We had a great laugh at the sheer idiocy of the guy. :D
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Eerongal on December 09, 2008, 05:54:29 PM
That is one unintelligent governor....Still. I think it's hilarious he tried to sell the seat. Horrible, yes. Corrupt, yes. But hilarious....And how would that work? It's the people who vote, so anyone the gov appoints wouldn't really last long enough to do a whole lot if the constituents didn't like them....

Actually, the 17th amendment give the governor the ability to appoint someone to the senate if a sudden vacancy becomes available before the current senator's term limit ends, until an election is held for that position. I'd always assumed the person fills the role until the next election (could be wrong on this, as I have no proof), and the Illinois election JUST happened on nov. 4th (i live 20 minutes from Illinois, so i get all the news for elections from there locally), and obama resigned from the position on the 16th, so anyone who got put in now would still have a full term ahead of them.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: little wilson on December 09, 2008, 05:58:09 PM
It's even better at the end of the article....The last governor is in prison, and this guy said he'd do better....LIES! :D

And I know about that amendment. I believe that the person would come up for re-election in the next election. A little under two years isn't time enough to do a whole lot, politically.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Eerongal on December 09, 2008, 06:14:07 PM
And I know about that amendment. I believe that the person would come up for re-election in the next election. A little under two years isn't time enough to do a whole lot, politically.

depends on the position, IMO. Senate, you're probably right, can't muck up too much in 2 years, though.

Honestly, I'm not surprised about this, though. He always struck me as an untrusworthy guy. (as i mentioned prior, being pretty literally right on the border between two states gets both states politics coming at my face in full force. For those wondering, I live in a suburban are just outside St. Louis, called O'fallon.)
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: little wilson on December 09, 2008, 06:21:28 PM
depends on the position, IMO. Senate, you're probably right, can't muck up too much in 2 years, though.

That was what I meant. Position. I know there are political positions that holding for 2 years can do a lot (ie president, etc), but Senate really isn't one of them...especially with the Dems having the majority...
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Comfortable Madness on December 09, 2008, 06:22:43 PM
It's even better at the end of the article....The last governor is in prison, and this guy said he'd do better....LIES! :D

And I know about that amendment. I believe that the person would come up for re-election in the next election. A little under two years isn't time enough to do a whole lot, politically.

I live in Chicago and it's quite ridiculous how corrupt the politics are out here. We are now going to have two governors heading to the big house with Ryan the first and now Blagojevich.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Eerongal on December 09, 2008, 06:41:48 PM
depends on the position, IMO. Senate, you're probably right, can't muck up too much in 2 years, though.

That was what I meant....

Oh, well, sorry for the misunderstanding, then :P

....especially with the Dems having the majority...

I take it you're republican, then, since this sounds like a stab at the democrats?  Note that it doesn't really matter to me, just curious, as I'm one of the proverbial "Swing voters". I vote for whoever has the most policies I agree with, dem or rep.


It's even better at the end of the article....The last governor is in prison, and this guy said he'd do better....LIES! :D

And I know about that amendment. I believe that the person would come up for re-election in the next election. A little under two years isn't time enough to do a whole lot, politically.

I live in Chicago and it's quite ridiculous how corrupt the politics are out here. We are now going to have two governors heading to the big house with Ryan the first and now Blagojevich.

I say we just go with the old "three strikes, you're out" rule. 1 more and illinois is no longer part of the US and is it's own country! (kidding, obviously :P )
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: Hanami on December 09, 2008, 06:54:54 PM
When I read the title of the topic I thought it had to be some kind of joke...

In fact, I cannot believe how is it he was appointed as governor in the first place... I mean, if you want to play dirty... you don't dou it from your own phone, you buy a new one whose number nobody but you knows!

Anyways, it's a good thing he's arrested if he really wanted to get out with something like that.

By the way, thaks for the explanation in the previous posts about how the election system works. As I'm not from the US, I know very little about it.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: little wilson on December 09, 2008, 06:56:03 PM
I take it you're republican, then, since this sounds like a stab at the democrats?  Note that it doesn't really matter to me, just curious, as I'm one of the proverbial "Swing voters". I vote for whoever has the most policies I agree with, dem or rep.

Well, yes, I am, but that's not what I meant by that. It was just a statement of fact. Since the gov is a Democrat, he'll appoint a Senator who is a Dem, and therefore that Senator won't be able to affect a whole lot since the Dem's hold the majority....
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: MrPaperCamel on December 09, 2008, 06:58:47 PM
Either someone was unhappy they didn't get an offer, or they were unhappy their offer was not considered. Either way, more than just this guy is a culpable person.

Just blows my mind every time I hear something like this. Seems like people are incapable of learning.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: readerMom on December 09, 2008, 10:30:08 PM
Quote
Seems like people are incapable of learning.

I would say incapable of thinking in the first place.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: stacer on December 09, 2008, 11:45:41 PM
I'm from IL, and I thought we were done with this when Ryan went to prison. This is ridiculous. I don't remember Chicago politics being like this when I lived there, but then, I was just there for a little over a year and a half, and I grew up downstate. They do get down and dirty, though. I'm not sure it's much better downstate, given that the governors who have been in office for the last 10 years or more have turned out to be corrupt. (Blagojovich replaced Ryan.) No doubt they've got cronies from all over the state by now.
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: hoid354 on December 22, 2008, 05:33:27 AM
Wow... this is old news by now, but this is just completely idiotic... the next corrupt Illinois governor will try to sell state rep. time shares or something...
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: CthulhuKefka on December 23, 2008, 08:56:08 PM
Bah, is IL trying to become a state with more corrupt politicians than MA? Not on my watch.  8)

 :D
Title: Re: Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to sell Senate seat
Post by: The Jade Knight on December 23, 2008, 10:10:24 PM
Are you suggesting that you're either a) intending on becoming a corrupt politician in MA, or b) intending on encouraging more politicians in MA to become corrupt?