* Everybody has been getting interviews with Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn lately. Here’s one by CBS2…
Q: You’ve been called a gadfly, a consumer activist. You’re the only guy that I know of who got a standing “boo-vation.” The Illinois House stood up and booed you for 3 minutes.
A: When they introduced me to the House of Representatives, they stood up and booed, as you said, for a long time. Led by Mike Madigan, who said I wasn’t worthy of being called an Irishman, for goodness’ sake.
Well, he and I are good friends today. He maybe over spoke back there in 1976. And I look forward to working with him on more ethics legislation. I think we can do a great job this year.
Times are changing, campers. In a huge way.
* Sun-Times…
The Bible is ready. The oath has been prepared. The lieutenant governor and his family are on their way to Springfield. And the current governor’s belongings are boxed up and waiting to be picked up at the Executive Mansion.
“I definitely plan to be in Springfield and I will be ready,” Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday. Quinn said he has been careful not to be “presumptuous” over the last seven weeks as the Legislature has marched toward today’s expected impeachment and removal from office of Gov. Blagojevich. […]
If the Illinois Senate votes to remove Blagojevich from office, Quinn will immediately head with his mother, sons and supporters to the state House chamber and place his hand on a Bible while his longtime friend, Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, will administer an oath of office prepared by Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
At that moment, Blagojevich will no longer be welcome in the governor’s office.
“The attorney general has already made it crystal-clear that under the law, if the Senate acts, then the governor is no longer the governor of Illinois,” Quinn said. “He is a private citizen and the appropriate thing for him to do is leave the office and go home.”
“Private Citizen Blagojevich.” It has a nice ring to it, no?
* Related…
* Your tax dollars at work
* Tollways will be free of Rod Blagojevich’s name, Pat Quinn promises
LIVE session coverage...
- OneMan - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:48 am:
== And the current governor’s belongings are boxed up and waiting to be picked up at the Executive Mansion ==
So what did that take, a shoe box?
- Ghost - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:49 am:
There is karma to “Private Citizen Blagojevich” given the large number of people he has removed from their jobs.
- Bill - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:49 am:
No.
- anon24 - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:55 am:
Do right by us, Pat, and good luck—learn from the past and please do what you can and undo what must be undone. Play well with others!!!!!!!!!!!!
- OneMan - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:55 am:
Bill, I kind of hear your No as a Kirk from Wrath of Kahn going ‘Kahnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn’ both plaintive and angry at the same time.
However you deserve credit for sticking by the man and I feel sympathy for you that it is going to end this way.
- the Patriot - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:56 am:
I don’t mind Quinn as a whole, but I wish he would man up and explain or at least appologize for his endorsements of the Governor for the last two terms. He may say he hasn’t spoke with the Governor in 18 months which tells me he was willing to go along with the Guv as long as he needed to to get re-elected. For me, if Quinn wants to have a shot in 2010, he has to man up and say he is sorry, and that he felt supporting the governor was what was best for the people at the time. I am a strong republican and looking down the barrel at JBT, I can’t really come up with a great argument as to how that is unreasonble.
- scoot - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:57 am:
Yes it does.
Thank you to the House & Senate. It’s over baby!!!
- Anon - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:58 am:
Bill — What part of “private citizen” don’t you like? Do you mean he should be stripped of his citizenship? Or that he should be in a public institution, like his predecessor?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:59 am:
Bill, nothing wrong with being a private citizen.
It’s like Lincoln said: “God must love the common folk, he made so many of them.”
- Beowulf - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 8:59 am:
As a Republican, I can honestly say that I welcome the change in the state’s leadership down in Springfield and wish Pat Quinn the best of luck. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Quinn has always been considered an honorable man. Just that fact alone makes me like the man. Another “Plus” is that he doesn’t have any of his family members and other relatives sucking off of the taxpayers like many others (Strogers, Madigans, Jacksons, etc,) do. Perhaps we will finally get an elected public official who doesn’t believe in the concept of “Political Entitlement” for a change. Wow! I like it.
- Stooges - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:02 am:
Question for anyone who wants to ponder - Blago says this is all about raising taxes, that the fix is in and those that want to raise taxes are removing him. If that is so, why don’t the reps and senators that want to raise taxes just pass a bill, send it to him, let him veto it, and then they can just over ride the veto and the taxes are raised. You need just as many votes to over-ride a veto as to impeach, so why would they go to the trouble of impeaching if they could just vote the increase with him still in office?
- Jechislo - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:02 am:
I’m in Florida following the proceedings at capitolfax on my laptop. Yes, it has a superb ring to it.
- Lefty Lefty - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:02 am:
A new governor, a new Senate president, a new administration and Congress in DC….It feels like Christmas. This is better than getting a Wii.
And to be clear– if they stink, we throw them out too!
- Anon1111 - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:04 am:
Does Quinn plan to reside at the Mansion?
- bored on 1 - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:07 am:
“Private Citizen Blagojevich.” It has a nice ring to it, no?
Not as much as Inmate No. 402666
I added the 666 for fun.
- Little Egypt - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:09 am:
MSNBC just showed the State plane leaving the Chicago airport. Does he fly in/out of Midway or O’Hare? Doesn’t mean Blago will be on time but the likelihood is better than most other times.
FREEDOM DAY in Illinois. Hey Springfield, let’s all enjoy it by having an “imPEACHtini” tonight at the Amber Jack Ale House (this is true, it was in Sunday’s paper that they were serving the drink this week only).
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY’S (almost) OVER.
- Say WHAT? - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:13 am:
Finally, Illniois will have a Governor - NOT a king. Please, Pat - let the legislature in on things. I agree with the other posters. In order to be successful you will need to work well with others in a spirit of cooperation. Our soon to be former Governor governed by press release (usually sent on Friday after 5:00 PM with no time or date stamp) I guess he thought everybody goes home before 5:16 or 5:20. Usually the release was for an event in Chicago on Monday morning. Pat, I wish you all the best. You have my prayers. You will need them. From what we are hearing, things are messed up pretty badly.
- BigDog - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:14 am:
The Private Citizen status will certainly be temporary - he better enjoy it while he can. I still think the ideal way for him to go out today is to go “Britney” on us and appear at the hearing with a shaved head. Think of the publicity!
- State Holiday - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:22 am:
===and place his hand on a Bible while his longtime friend, Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke===
While I look forward to Blagojevich leaving and the new governor having a working relationship with his good friend Mike Madigan and John Cullerton, the whole outsider/reformer stuff is nothing but PR. I’m not necessarily saying its a bad thing but Quinn has been around long enough to be chummy with enough of the establishment types (interesting Channel 7 story about the gaming board and talking his buddy Brian Hammer last night). The above statement about his friendship with Burke says a lot. A real lot. He also was a ghost payroller back in the Walker years before they put people in jail for it. He sits in the cheap seats and drives a dumpy car because he is cheap, not frugal.
Enough bashing though. I’m willing to give him a long enough honeymmoon. Anybody would be better than what we have. They should make this a state holiday for all of us to remember.
- Downstate weed chewing hick - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:25 am:
Who ownes those Box Seats at Wrigley? RB? The state? The campaign fund? I wonder if they have been renewed.
- Concerned Observer - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:26 am:
Frankly, I think Quinn should announce his election campaign soon, promise to only stay one term, and call it “Restore Illinois”. Since he’s apparently hired Jay Stewart, open up all the books, let everything be public. Sunshine is key.
I think he could get a lot of support fast that way. I hope he does it.
- Say WHAT? - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:27 am:
Is it 10:00 yet?
- Excessively rabid - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:29 am:
I especially like the “private” part. If only. I’d be willing to see him skate if he’d just shut up and disappear.
- he gone - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:31 am:
Here is the answer to one question, one last ride on the plane:
Guerrero said he did not know the substance of what the governor would say, but expects him to recount his accomplishments during his six years as governor. After the governor’s statement, Guerrero said, he would fly back to Chicago, leaving the trial before senators vote.
“I think he’ll be 15,000 feet over Peoria when that decision is made,” Guerrero said.
- Can't wait - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:34 am:
So he’s going to get us to provide him one last plane ride home. It’s so him to do that. Wish there were a way for them to keep him in that room and not let him leave until it’s over.
- Deep South - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:37 am:
Will the plane land in Peoria so the ex-Gov. can get off?
- Muskrat - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:37 am:
==“I think he’ll be 15,000 feet over Peoria when that decision is made,” Guerrero said. ==
Hey, his use of the plane ought to end when he loses the office. Hope he brings a parachute.
- Bill - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:40 am:
I’m getting a real kick out of all the state employees celebrating and planning their pathetic little parties. Go ahead, have your fun. The purge starts Monday. As that great former Illinois statesman Rod Blagojevich used to say, “You ain’t seen nothing yet. The best is yet to come.”
- Secret Square - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:42 am:
O my gosh, now I have this mental picture of him parachuting into the Illinois River (a la D.B. Cooper) with lots of ill-gotten cash stuffed into his pockets …
- Can't wait - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:44 am:
This state employee is on vacation and really wish I was at work on this historic day. It’s been a long time coming. Bill, you have no idea what this man has done to our agency…..we deserve to celebrate.
- Downstate weed chewing hick - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:46 am:
Oh, give the guy a break. Fly him home…… Then bill him.
- Little Egypt - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:46 am:
But Bill, the purge will largely involve your people.
- Lefty Lefty - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:47 am:
The purge started when the DNR and other budgets were cut, the CMS debacle started, and the waste and criminality associated with this bum really kicked into gear. Monday we’ll see a peaceful change in power and its resulting adjustments in decision-making and staffing. It happens.
- dupage dan - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:48 am:
I agree with “can’t wait”. I know of some state employees who can relate horrible corruption that occurred at the hands to patronage staff GovRod forced on their agencies. Bill, the damage that has been done to some agencies, mine included, will affect our work for years to come. We don’t worry too much about a purge - there ain’t much left of the agency anyway.
- Can't wait - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:48 am:
I’ll pack the parachute for him…..he he
- SangamoGOP - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 9:49 am:
As someone who was purged and has seen an ongoing purge for the past 6 years that has included professionals, military veterans, doctors, small businesses, hospitals, and all the rest at the hands of this ‘governor’ for the greater greed, it is long past time that he be removed from office and then convicted in Federal court. It won’t be just state employees who will be celebrating this event.
- steve schnorf - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 10:20 am:
I think he was also the other gunman on the grassy knoll, and he also killed Hoffa. Give it a break, people. We elected him, he did what he did, we re-elected him, he did it some more. Big surprise. I’m certainly not enjoying this.
- Amy - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 10:36 am:
fun watching Quinn get on the plane, hands full of newspapers and folders jammed with papers. you just know he will actually read and consider things with thought to issues. even when you don’t agree with him, a policy approach to government will be a refreshing change.
- 312 - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 10:44 am:
So where does one send resumes to work for Quinn? (sorta, but not really, kidding…)
- Bill - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 10:50 am:
312,
Send them to Amy.
- Amy - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 10:54 am:
Bill…..i’m Amy, the original Amy, and have nothing to do with Quinn. but thanks for thinking that.
- Rob_N - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 11:08 am:
…““Private Citizen Blagojevich.” It has a nice ring to it, no?
If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone. Wait. We already are private citizens.
- emyjo - Thursday, Jan 29, 09 @ 1:06 pm:
Anyone know how long a prison term Blago could possibly get if convicted?