Area Soldier Killed In Fort Hood Rampage
Stolen Booze Truck Found
Stroger Makes Hollywood Play
Put Down Your Nanowrimo And Leave The House
Sox Shuffle Continues
Mayor Daley chimed in on the question of recalling Blagojevich yesterday, telling the the Sun-Times that "calling [for] a recall is unnecessary. I may have differences with the governor. But I really believe his mind is on public transportation and on infrastructure as [much as] everyone else. You can't say just because I'm upset with [him about] an issue, two issues that you're gonna have a recall. I disagree with that." In case you missed it, he was referring to an editorial in Sunday's Chicago Tribune which called for an amendment to the Illinois constitution giving voters the right to recall elected officials from state office. After laying out the case against Blago (state and federal investigations, corruption, cronyism, and a fundamental inability to lead), the Tribune concludes that this amendment is really the way to go. They asked readers to write in to the paper with their thoughts.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, an overwhelming majority of the Tribune readers that responded said that Blago should be recalled. Amending the state constitution is doable, but it isn't easy. Article Fourteen, Section One provides for amendments to the state constitution:
Whenever three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly so direct, the question of whether a Constitutional Convention should be called shall be submitted to the electors at the general election next occurring at least six months after such legislative direction.
This is the flaw with the Tribune's logic. By their own admission, there is no way in hell the general assembly is going to call a constitutional convention: "it's doubtful legislators could bring themselves to such drastic action." Here's a group of people that can't even approve a budget. Which brings us back to the reason we are in this situation in the first place: the voters don't really control the political process in this state. Until the people can put together a democratic movement to remove the governor from office, the General Assembly can't be counted on. And unless the Tribune is going to make recall the centerpiece of their media activism, editorials like this are barely worth the paper (or pixels) they're printed on.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
And this is the same, brave Trib that, editorially at least, supported Daley and Dubya and Ryan; and the same, brave Trib that until a few months ago, basically ignored the mass transit problems, and still has barely addressed TIFs. [I realize the Trib does do a fair share of heavy lifting on reporting corruption, though.]
...open rebellion? I've always kinda sorta wanted to punch a guy who's wearing a suit.
Brave Trib indeed.
Makes one wonder if they'd be calling to impeach the the governor if he/she were republican.
Also, since they took part in the Clinton witchhunt, where are their calls to impeach a president who lied to get us into an illegal war and thus ruined our country's reputation for generations to come.
Guess this doesn't hold water to an office bj.
I'm not declaring that we should impeach every failed leader. Impeachment should always be used as a last resort. It just infuriates me that a supposedly major newspaper would choose to spend their editorial gravitas (if they have any left) to take down an ideological rival.
Badger: I would say they have no credibility on the editorial pages anymore. They gave that up a while ago, even I happen to agree with the view they generally have of our useless gov.
And lets be honest( and I am equally disapointed in Blagp), but is Madigan or Emile any better than Blago?
Daley is just worried if we could recall them he would be on the list.
And remember the Tribune has new owners so give them a chance.
I say recall them all.
The Tribune has its faults, but remember that the Tribune endorsed Jim Ryan over Blagojevich, while the Sun-Times endorsed Blagojevich.
Furthermore, the Tribune endorsed Peraica over Todd Stroger, while the Sun-Times endorsed Todd Stroger.
The Tribune made the right calls with both of those endorsements.
It is the Sun-times that is the true Daley News in this town.
The Illinois Constitution requires a vote from the public every 20 years as to whether there should be a constitutional convention.
We next vote on that in 2010.
Everyone should vote YES!
I left out the exact language, here it is:
ARTICLE XIV
CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION
SECTION 1. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
(a) Whenever three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly so direct, the question of whether a Constitutional Convention should be called shall be submitted to the electors at the general election next occurring at least six months after such legislative direction.
(b) If the question of whether a Convention should be called is not submitted during any twenty-year period, the Secretary of State shall submit such question at the general election in the twentieth year following the last submission.
(c) The vote on whether to call a Convention shall be on a separate ballot. A Convention shall be called if approved by three-fifths of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting in the election.
(d) The General Assembly, at the session following approval by the electors, by law shall provide for the Convention and for the election of two delegates from each Legislative District; designate the time and place of the Convention's first meeting which shall be within three months after the election of delegates; fix and provide for the pay of delegates and officers; and provide for expenses
necessarily incurred by the Convention.
(e) To be eligible to be a delegate a person must meet the same eligibility requirements as a member of the General Assembly. Vacancies shall be filled as provided by law.
(f) The Convention shall prepare such revision of or amendments to the Constitution as it deems necessary. Any proposed revision or amendments approved by a majority of the delegates elected shall be submitted to the electors in such manner as the Convention determines, at an election designated or called by the Convention occurring not less than two nor more than six months after the Convention's adjournment. Any revision or amendments proposed by the
Convention shall be published with explanations, as the Convention provides, at least one month preceding the election.
(g) The vote on the proposed revision or amendments shall be on a separate ballot. Any proposed revision or amendments shall become effective, as the Convention provides, if approved by a majority of those voting on the question.
Until the people can put together a democratic movement to remove the governor from office, the General Assembly can't be counted on.
We already have that -- it's called not being dumb enough to re-elect the guy in the first place. How is what *any* of what Blago is doing in his 2nd term a big surprise?
What y'all need is to resurrect the ghost of Vernon Jarrett. That brotha would have Bobby Rush out there runnin' for guv-nah and that hair piece Elvis back on his heels inside County a'waitin' trial. Power to the people!
I'm just sayin'.
OK, Halloween is over you can take off your Spook costume, now.
Believe me, one is enough.
The new guest number 2, we have to stop agreeing this way. I mean seriously, we might set in motion the Second Coming
Not to split hairs, but the Tribune's endorsements of Jim Ryan and Peraica over Rod & Todd only makes them not wrong. As I recall, neither of those elections offered much of a selection. Not saying that the other guys would have f-ed things up as much as the those we elected, but we'll never know for sure.
My beef with the Trib is that they are gutless. I'm pretty sure the idea of recalling Rod came up weeks ago (wish I could remember where I saw it), and even if they were the first to raise it, it's not like they're going out on a big limb here. Raise an idea that everyone will love and has no chance in succeeding...sounds like, well, a politician! I would like to see the Trib take a stand, but I have to disagree with Kevin's thinking that they should make a stand about this. Rod is gone in the next election. It's not the first time we have had to ride out a mistake in that office...
"My beef with the Trib is that they are gutless."
Well its also written at an eight grade level. But actually its( the Tribe)not gutless, only liberals are gutless, the problem is that its actually takes itself Serious. I mean can a paper written at an eight grade level have any thing to say above an Archie Bunker level?