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As corrupt as...Illinois politics? |
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Written by Jeff Dubbin
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Tuesday, 09 December 2008 |
Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, whose responsibilities include filling Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat, was arrested Tuesday under charges of corruption. Allegedly, he was conspiring to sell that open seat, among other legal and moral violations.
Blagojevich may or may not be guilty...CNN reports that he spoke of securing a “substantial” salary for himself in addition to a $150,000 per year board position for his wife, or else appoint himself to the high position, to gain entry to deeper resources and the national spotlight. The New York Times reports that at one point (according to an affidavit citing wiretapped conversations) Blagojevich even said, “If I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself." Leaving office for the Senate would have the added bonus of helping him avoid impeachment from the governorship.
Illinois’s last governor, Republican George Ryan, is currently in jail for fraud and racketeering. And we all remember Tony Rezko, the contributor and fundraiser for both Democrats and Republicans, convicted of fraud and bribery earlier this year, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
However, he is certainly unfit to appoint Obama’s replacement.Blagojevich may or may not be guilty – the criminal justice system will figure that out, and like any American, he deserves (and is entitled to) a fair trial. However, he is certainly unfit to appoint Obama’s replacement. The very fact that he was arrested for federal lawbreaking presents an immitigable conflict of interest when it comes to hand-picking a federal lawmaker. Additionally, the prospect of appointing a replacement into an otherwise elected position – whose seat would not be subject to the people’s say for another two years – offends our finer democratic sense even before the decision is handed out from prison.
Keeping the democratic process respectable and stepping away from Illinois’s reputation for political corruption require that Blagojevich not choose Obama’s replacement.
[CNN, NY Times, Chicago Tribune]
Jeff Dubbin is a contributing editor for TheSequitur.com.
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