Results tagged “michaelmadigan”

 

The impeachment charges against Gov. Rod Blagojevich could be deeply rooted in his past blunders rather than the recent allegations he tried selling, among other things, Barack Obama’s open senate seat. That’s because the impeachment panel most likely understands that they won’t receive cooperation from the FBI, so they’re digging deep in the reservoir of past screw-ups committed under Blagojevich’s watch. The committee, which will outline the rules for impeachment, began its work yesterday under the premise that the governor will receive a fair hearing despite the fact the panel is headed by House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who is an ally to Blagojevich nemesis House Speaker Michael Madigan. Currie insists the committee will act in a professional manner. “Frontier justice will not prevail in this proceeding,” Currie told reporters yesterday. “A rush to judgment does not serve the people of the state well.”

She's the woman who could have been Governor. But in 2006, Judy Baar Topinka, longtime Illinois politician and State Treasurer under Jim Edgar and the not-convicted-yet George Ryan, was defeated in the Gubernatorial race by incumbent Rod Blagojevich. And just look where that's gotten us. While most of our day-to-day political thoughts right now are focused on the presidential election, we're also in the beginning of the race for Illinois Governor in 2010. So what does Topinka think about how the state is being run? No surprise here - she isn't much of a fan of Blago - but what about beyond that? Who's going to step up for the Republican party in two years? Who's going to try to replace G-Rod in the Democratic party? And is there any shot at getting him removed before 2010? All these answers after the jump.