Word: blagojevich
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...Sunday, Quinn and Madigan made the rounds of national talk shows, saying the evidence and allegations against Blagojevich - that he engaged in pay-to-play politics for years, tried to purge the Chicago Tribune editorial board and, perhaps worst of all, tried to auction off a Senate seat - made it all but impossible for him to govern. "I hope the governor does resign," Quinn said on NBC's Meet the Press. "I think that's best for the people of Illinois, as well as for himself and his family...
...most accounts, Quinn hasn't even spoken to Blagojevich - with whom he was twice elected, in 2002 and 2006 - in more than a year. At one point, as Quinn was pressing the governor over taxes and electricity rates, Blagojevich said Quinn was no longer a part of his administration. "Quinn is known as a gadfly," Blagojevich told a radio station last year. "That's one of his charming qualities...
...office, he has pushed environmental causes, veterans' affairs issues, consumer and taxpayer rights, and health-care matters. But the whiff of scandal has hit him too. While a state treasurer from 1991-95, he accepted nearly $20,000 from a company tied to Tony Rezko, a now convicted Blagojevich fundraiser and controversial area developer who also backed Obama early in his political career. When questioned about the money - as well as previous dealings with the disgraced Rezko - during the last election cycle, Quinn said he would contribute the Rezko funds to charity...
...Even if Quinn does end up replacing Blagojevich, the process of making things better may not include his appointing Obama's replacement. In the wake of the scandal, there are growing calls to let the people of Illinois decide whom to send to Washington, no matter who is in the governor's mansion. State Republican Party leaders are launching a TV campaign to make the case that a special election should be called to fill the vacancy, and Blagojevich, clearly in a bargaining mood, has indicated that he might be willing to sign such a bill. "Blagojevich Democrats like...
...Quinn's behavior since the Blagojevich case was revealed has been called into question. Critics have suggested that he has been making a naked power play by initially supporting a special election for Obama's Senate seat, only to then support a speedy impeachment process so he could make the appointment himself. The lieut. governor tried to square those two positions over the weekend...