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Is Blagojevich blameless … or a blowhard?
By Lauren | January 26, 2009
Embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has sought to fend off his pending impeachment by soliciting the sympathies of the American public. Claiming that the Illinois Senate’s hearing rules deny him the right to defend himself, Blagojevich has refused to participate in the impeachment hearing and, instead, booked a series of national talk show appearances. Blagojevich claims that his arrest on corruption charges was based on snippets of conversation that were taken “completely out of context,” and laments the Illinois Senate’s apparent refusal to grant him the presumption of innocence.
What if he’s right?
The problem, of course, is that we’ve been down the corruption road too many times before. A public figure gets charged with wrongdoing and loudly proclaims his innocence … until he’s found guilty as sin. It’s enough to make a saint turn cynic. And then, of course, Blagojevich is further hampered by the fact that he just isn’t an especially sympathetic guy. He’s loud, he’s brash, he uses foul language, and he keeps raising irrelevant, off-the-wall points. (Yes, Oprah Winfrey is a beloved public figure, but who cares if Blagojevich thought briefly about appointing her to the Senate?) We’ve all heard those “snippets” on the news - it sure sounds like he was trying to sell President Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. So why not just impeach him and get it over with?
Trouble is, even loud, brash, foul-mouthed politicians are entitled to the presumption of innocence under the law. By impeaching Blagojevich before his criminal corruption trial is resolved, the Illinois Senate has already dealt him a brutal blow in the court of public opinion. He may be guilty of corruption but, according to the rules of our legal system, we’re not allowed to presume he is unless a jury says so. Being obnoxious is not, in and of itself, a crime.
The Illinois Senate’s attorneys have undoubtedly spent a lot of time confirming that the Senate has the legal right to proceed. Nonetheless, they might have been prudent to wait. If Blagojevich is, in fact, guilty of criminal corruption, we’ll know it soon enough. The Senate’s eagerness to condemn Blagojevich may call into question the impartiality of its process, making any decision to remove him from office a whole lot less credible. That might not be a crime, but it would certainly be a shame.
Topics: Social Ethics, ethics |
January 26th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
I find this post very impartial and interesting. Up until now, few even neutral comments have been made about Gov. Blagojevich. While I believe the governor is at fault and should be impeached, it’s always good to have people who stop to consider both sides, as well as the outcome of all decisions.
February 8th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
[...] presents Is Blagojevich blameless … or a blowhard? posted at The Business Ethics Blog, saying, “The Senate may have jumped the gun impeaching [...]