4:58 p.m. Senate votes to ban Blagojevich from ever holding office again
The state Senate voted 59-0 to ban former Gov. Rod Blagojevich from again holding elected office in Illinois.
The vote is the equivalent of the political death penalty.
Senate Removes Blagojevich from Office
According to the Tribune, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn was sworn in an hour later:
5:42 p.m. Quinn takes oath...'the ordeal is over'
Following a standing ovation, newly sworn in Gov. Pat Quinn said he was honored to be in "the people’s house in our state capitol."
"I want to say to the people of Illinois, the ordeal is over," Quinn said. "In this moment, our hearts are hurt. And it’s very important to know that we have a duty, a mission to restore the faith of the people of Illinois in the integrity of their government."
He struck a tone of optimism that the state’s democracy will recover from the political disruption of the Blagojevich impeachment. But he also warned that the state has much work to do in the days and weeks ahead.
Senate Removes Blagojevich from Office
Let me just emphasize something here. An impeachment trial isn't something to recover from in a democracy; it's part of the recovery. As with the impeachment itself, the vote was overwhelming in favor. This is what the system does when the person who's running it is out of control. As I've noted before, this is a system that worked, which is a stark contrast to the workings at the federal level.
So, congratulations Illinois. Now, don't take any crap from this governor, either.
No comments:
Post a Comment