No, I'm working for the people, truth, and justice, in that order. Here, they don't even get the spelling right:Over at Legal Insurrection Blog, they've been banging the drum for Governor Blagojevich and against a guilty verdict on the Impeachment for quite some time. Blogger William Jacobson has been pointing out Ricky Hendon as a guy who has it right, and Hendon himself has been on the hustings speaking about his doubts about the Impeachment the past few days. Legal Insurrection has been arguing that the Impeachment is flawed, and that may be why we saw the Chief Justice Fitzgerald turn over the deliberations to Sen. Cullerton. While the author of that blog is a law professor, I imagine he is also a lawyer who from time to time takes on a few cases. While his arguments were also carried on the local blog, Illinois Review, I think he's working for the Governor.
Hope I don't run into this guy in a dark alley, although he did spell my name correctly:Could you explain this in more depth? You say Professor Jacobsen is making "some excellent arguments," and you excerpt a few lines from his posts, but I went over to his blog and I couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying.
Based on the comments I'm receiving, I think I am living with the consequences.Well then, Mr. Jacobson, I have just one last question for you: if the Senate took your advice and did not convict him, would you then, knowing what you know now, be willing to move to this state and live under Rod's misrule for the next two years? ...
My point is this: Your concern for the rule of law is commendable, but what part of "impeachment is a POLITICAL process, not a criminal one" don't you get?Sorry if I get a little carried away about this topic, but it's easy for you to sit there and pontificate about how he shouldn't be removed, because you won't have to live with the consequences if he isn't.
How sad that a sitting U.S. governor has fewer due process rights than a Guantanamo terrorist detainee. Sadder still: very few people care.
ReplyDeleteFew indeed. None in the Illinois Senate.
ReplyDelete1. The same rules were used in Illinois as were used in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and he was found not guilty of the Articles.
ReplyDelete2. Your arguments were the same ones used by the defenders of Gov. Blagojevich, so can you blame anyone for questioning whether there was a nexus?
3. Keeping Rod Blagojevich in office would not be working for the people. In fact, Blagojevich continues to say that his only interest is working for the people. The people of Illinois are sick of government for sale. The legislators were sick of being called for long and inconvenient sessions in Springfield as the Governor jetted back and forth to Chicago on state planes. The state is broke, contractors are not getting paid, state workers have mandatory unpaid furloughs, yet Illinois' former Governor treated the state treasury as a private pocketbook.
4. You think Ed Genson getting off the case didn't mean something?
5. Reasonable people can differ.
6. I can't think a lawyer would be too sensitive to criticism from strangers.
7. Working for people, truth, and justice wouldn't include keeping President Blagojevich in office, though you might have some very valid comments about the rule of law, people, truth and justice weren't in the equation.
8. We have a lot of law schools in Illinois. You could come over here for a while and see what it's like.
9. Maybe it's time to write a law review article; impeachment law isn't exactly loaded with cases that have gone up on appeal.
10. You aren't anybody in politics until you have enemies
11. No hard feelings?
Why would I have hard feelings? I welcome open debate. I just wish the Illinois Senate were as welcoming to a full examination of the tapes and transcripts. If you read my writings going back to early December, I never have defended Blagojevich on the merits, but I consistently have called for a full and fair impeachment trial. A fair trial results in a legitimate verdict because the public gets to hear all the evidence, rather than just the excerpts Pat Fitzgerald wants us to hear. The way it went down, the trial was nothing more than a preordained political power play by opposing politicians who are as power hungry as he is. By the way, I like your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis is awful: "My point is this: Your concern for the rule of law is commendable, but what part of 'impeachment is a POLITICAL process, not a criminal one' don't you get?"
ReplyDeleteSince when is a POLITICAL process immune from the due process of the law? I suppose by that arguement, anyone can be removed from office merely from innuendo, slander, bad press and poor PR.
AND I just knew you were secretly working for the governor (heh, heh...joke).