Observing the impeachment

The news about our governor's impeachment today probably sounds terrible to the rest of the country. But if you live in Springfield, there is a strange feeling of great relief that it's finally happened. At UIS, we have a keen eye on state government. Professsor Kent Redfield and others have been interviewed dozens if not hundreds of times around the country in recent weeks. Illinois Issues has an award-winning blog with a unique up-to-date perspective, and WUIS public radio covers everything in-depth. Being in the state capital, for UIS, is another way of saying "location, location, location" makes all the difference to people seeking accurate information.

Arrested

The state is abuzz today with the arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. It's only the latest thing that he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat just vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Illinois Issues columnist Charlie Wheeler said months ago he expected the governor to be indicted, because an investigation has been ongoing for years. So inside Illinois, it was no great surprise, except that it happened today. Many people on our campus specialize in studying Illinois politics -- and it's shocking even for us to hear U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald call Blago's corruption "a truly new low" in Illinois. This is absolutely stunning. As Rich Miller said in his Capitol Fax column today, what kind of nutball would do this?