Ill. gov: I'm skipping trial because it's 'unfair'

[HopeHoops]

Source: AP via Yahoo News

CHICAGO – Impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) says he's boycotting his impeachment trial next week because the process is unfair, not because he's being defiant.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_re_us/illinois_governor

---

WHAH! WHAH! WHAH!

I'm sure his protest will have an impact on the outcome ;}

[rcrush]

1. I think I'm developing a man crush on Blago.

[HopeHoops]

2. It is the hair, right?

[rcrush]

3. Oh hell yeah.

Plus I like his crazy.

[swishyfeet]

7. ROFL

I gotta say, that was some AWESOME crazy. Does he have Youtube channel I can subscribe to or somethin?

[rcrush]

11. I willing to donate for a white house run

[Rebubula]

12. LOLZ

His crazy is almost without peer...even in Illinois politics.

[Robbien]

4. Yesterday he said he was leaving it up to the people of Illinois

The people of Illinois were on his side he said. Ha! He went on a Chicago radio WLS talk show and all the callers were rabidly against him.

So today he is now saying it's all unfair so forget about it.

[EFerrari]

21. He seems to be clinically paranoid. I hope someone is watching him. n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

30. We are talking serious bi-polar here.

or else there really is some kind of Repub. kool-aid and he drank it.

Sounds just like a Bushie, don't he?

[orleans]

44. i'm sure lots of people will be "watching"

i hear he is doing an apperance on good morning america (or whatever morning show is on abc) and the view and larry king monday night. but he's skipping the impeachment trial. very weird.

[No Elephants]

47. And callers to radio talk shows == a fair trial for a Democrat?

[Venceremos]

5. Damn, I heard rumors

he was going to "sing" on other dirty state politicians during his Senate testimony. I was looking forward to the circus.

[nyc 4 Biden]

6. Nice strategy Blago!

If i am ever on trial, God forbid, I will use this same strategery.

Dear Judge,

I am sorry, but I will be boycotting this trial because it is unfair.

P.S. I am not being defiant.

[Pike]

8. Get Him Out

They can't get rid of this guy soon enough.

[swishyfeet]

10. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Pike]

38. Thanks, glad to be here.

[jhrobbins]

19. ANd this is what I like about us(Democrats/liberals). We are just as vocal calling

for justice with this guy as we have been with Republican miscreants and I assure you that if he were a Republican, they (Republicans/conservatives) would be justifying everything he did.

[AlbertCat]

29. would be justifying everything he did.

Hell, he'd get a 20 minute standing ovation, then a huge fund to pay for his legal troubles.

BTW....is Tom Delay in jail yet?

[No Elephants]

48. Judging him guilty before he is even indicted does not equal calling for Justice. I have

no problem calling for Justice, but justice is waiting until the trial is over before you render a verdict.

[Fearless]

9. Good luck!

:nopity: :rofl:


...So he's boycotting the chance he has to defend himself because he wasn't given a chance to defend himself???? Help me out here!

[KamaAina]

13. Quick! Call Pay-Rod a Waaahmbulance!

Dial Whine-One-One!!!

[yellowcanine]

14. "unfair"?????? How second grade of him. Grow up Blago.

[HopeHoops]

33. He hasn't grown into his hair yet.

[KamaAina]

15. The very latest: Pay-Rod is a victim of a conspiracy to raise taxes!!!

I'm SERIES!!111!!11!!!11!! :tinfoilhat:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_re_us/illinois_governor

Launching an all-out media blitz as his impeachment trial draws near, Gov. Rod Blagojevich compared himself Friday to an honest, hardworking cowboy about to be lynched by a band of black-hatted political insiders eager to raise taxes. fter keeping mostly out of the public eye since his arrest on federal corruption charges, Blagojevich is reversing course with a series of interviews and public statements portraying himself as the victim of vengeful lawmakers eager to toss him out of office.

"The heart and soul of this has been a struggle of me against the system," Blagojevich said at a news conference Friday....

Blagojevich, a fan of Western movies, drew a long analogy Friday between his situation and that of a cowboy accused of stealing a horse. His story ended with one cowboy suggesting the accused thief be hanged, with the other suggesting he first be tried, then hanged.

"Under these rules, I'm not even getting a fair trial; they're just hanging me. And when they hang me under these rules that prevent due process, they're hanging the 12 million people of Illinois who twice have elected a governor," he said.

Does that make it a Clarence Thomas-style "high-tech lynching"? :eyes:

If he's got stuff already carved on his headstone like Burris has, may I suggest: "I fought the system and the -- system won, I fought the system and the -- system won." :P

edit: add link

[christx33]

16. Funny adbot

Did anyone else get the ad for the obituary archive at the bottom of this threat? I think it's funny. Kind of like where Blago's career should be listed.

[Ian David]

17. Next, he'll show-up in his pajamas.

Is Blago trying for an insanity defense?

[Psephos]

32. That's what Coleman Young used to do n/t

[sutz12]

18. It's hard to imagine this guy is from....

It's hard to imagine this guy is from the same ethereal plane as Obama, let alone the same state. :silly:

[surrealAmerican]

37. Blago appears to reside in an alternate reality.

It's the only way his actions make sense.

[glinda]

20. Following precedent set by Rove and Cheney

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

22. This guys sounds like a Republican more very day

[TroglodyteScholar]

23. Check out the brass ones on this guy

Seems like every time we hear from him, he's topped himself

[Enrique]

24. didn't Saddam keep doing this?

:rofl:

[eilen]

27. Bagdad Bob! nt

[GinaMaria]

25. I heard him on the radio claim this is unconstitutional

that his rights have been violated and this action was done because the reps want to raise taxes and he was stopping them. He said this violates his presumption of innocence. He also believes this sends a bad message that anytime a gov disagrees with the reps, all they have to do is impeach. It renders Gov's powerless and makes them cowards.

This is great theater. He just won't go down. He's like one of those punching clowns you hit and he bounces right back. I have to admit to being mildly entertained. I kinda can't wait to hear what he comes up with next.

[rocktivity]

26. This sounds like a gig for the DU "Cry Me A River" String quartet

:nopity::nopity::nopity::nopity:

:headbang:
rocknation

[damntexdem]

28. Yeah, many criminals want to do the same.

But they still get dragged into court, in chains. Of course, the Illinois Senate doesn't need to do that because it is not a court of law -- it can just convict no matter how Blago postures.

[davsand]

31. Rod's past political craziness is biting him on the ass big time.

Rod screwed himself with the IL Senate a LONG time ago, and now those screwups are biting him on the ass. I have zero doubt Rod will be convicted by the Senate if he does testify or if he doesn't--either way they are gonna extract their pound of flesh.

Rod is a living illustration of that old axiom "Be careful what ass you are kicking today because it might one day be the same one you have to kiss to stay alive."

Sucks to be him, but I cannot muster one bit of sympathy for that asshole given how bad he's screwed the Dem party here in Illinois.



Laura

[The Second Stone]

34. He is not allowed to call witnesses

that would interfere with the federal government's case. That is, pertinent witnesses. Per the yahoo article: "He has repeatedly said he wouldn't be allowed to call witnesses in the Senate trial, but that's not correct. Trial rules prohibit witnesses that federal prosecutors feel would interfere with their criminal case, but Blagojevich could have called other people."

A trial at which the accused cannot call the witnesses arrayed against him or which could exculpate him is not a fair trial in any respect. I haven't seen any of the evidence against Blago except the innuendo that he was selling the Senate seat and the evidence was: "what are you going to do for me?" Frankly, he may have meant what are you going to do for my political agenda, which would have been entirely legitimate. Before he is convicted, including in the press and on the blogonet, it would be nice to see the evidence. We are Democrats, we are supposed to stand up for the rights of the accused.

[elleng]

35. Thanks for helping me put the facts in order.

Its certainly problematic. I haven't read the rules he's referred to, but it makes sense that he'd be upset (VERY upset) if the pendency of the Federal case hampers or prohibits his defense in the impeachment.

[The Second Stone]

36. A sane person?

I was losing hope.

[davsand]

39. Impeachment is a POLITICAL function not criminal.

He is pretty much allowed whatever the Senate is willing to grant him as far as witnesses go. The impeachment is a political process in a POLITICAL setting.

The criminal case is presented by the Feds, and that is a completely different procedure in a different (legal) venue. That proceeding has a completely different set of procedures along with a completely different level of proof needed for conviction.

There has been a lot of confusion about this on here, and it really is problematic because people on here are NOT understanding why or how the IL Senate is "allowed" to limit testimony in this impeachment. Simply put, under our Illinois Constitutional law this is NOT criminal at this level and this "trial" is under the Senate rules as they choose to make them.



Laura

[elleng]

42. i understand;

i'm a lawyer.

[No Elephants]

46. The reverse is worse, though. What if his defense in the impeachment

hampers his defense in the federal case? If he loses the impeachment, he loses his office, which he is going to lose anyway. If he loses the federal case, he ends in jail.

[Critters2]

41. This selling the Senate seat stuff is just the latest.

He's been corrupt and incompetent the whole time he's been in office. I'm so tired of people who haven't lived under this idiot's governance jump to his defense. He's done serious damage to this state. He needs to go.

[rangersmith82]

43. Yep he is done..

These are just his last political breaths....

[Raskolnik]

49. The thing to remember is that this is not a criminal trial--it is a political process

Blago's appeals for his notion of "due process" are attempting to graft an inapplicable standard onto the process.

[barb162]

40. Yeah, that's my Rob B all right!

But he has a good point; if he can't defend himself, why go?

[No Elephants]

45. He needs to use ALL his resources--money, time, energy--to keep himself out of

federal prison. He is going to get ousted from office no matter what and his political career is dead, no matter what. He and his lawyers can use whatever excuse they want re: the impeachment, but the bottom line reality is that he does not have the money to fight on all fronts.

Is he guilty because a Republican D of J investigated him relentlessly for several years? No.

Is he guilty anyway? I have no idea. But, Democrats ought to at least wait for the evidence instead of gleefully feeding on their own prematurely.

I heard a PUB pundit say Blago did nothing different re: Obama's seat than any Governor in the same situation does. Blago was only more clumsy about it than most. Think on that.

He may be guilty. So may some or all of the prisoners in Gitmo, but Democrats cut them more slack than they cut one of their own. I am not saying we should defend him or cheer for him. But, for pity sakes, at least reserve judgment until he has a trial. You'd do no less if he were accuesed of plotting to attack the US.

[meow2u3]

50. Blago sounds as if he has Oppositional Defiant Disorder

He must have had the "terrible twos" even into his fifties! This guy acts like a petulant toddler when he doesn't get his way. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) has to have begun during childhood or adolescence. Blago must have been a holy terror to his mom and dad when he was a kid. He still shows signs of ODD even in middle age!

http://itsaboutthem.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/adults-with-odd/

http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Oppositional-defiant-disorder.html

http://www.depression-doctor.com/disorders/oppositional-defiant-disorder.html

OOPS! I forgot something! ODD in adults is sometimes referred to as (chronic) passive aggressive behavior. Passive aggressive people deny they're being defiant, but think everybody else is unfair--entitlement issues, IMO.