Daley defends Blagojevich
Mayor Daley and Gov. Blagojevich have spent the last six years clashing over everything from education and CTA funding to casino gambling and business taxes.
Daley is one of the last people you would expect to defend Blagojevich.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)
But, that’s what happened Tuesday when talk turned to impeaching the embattled Democratic governor.
”You can’t be impeaching people because you dislike ’em politically or things like that. I disagree with that,” Daley said.
“America is a democracy. You vote for a person and they have the responsibility for that position for the elected time….You elect people to government. I don’t believe in” undoing the will of the electorate.
Last week, Springfield was abuzz about a 14-page memo that House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D-Chicago) sent to Democratic legislative candidates outlining “talking points” in favor of launching impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich.
It referred to corruption under Blagojevich as a “tumor” and said “criminal activity in the Blagojevich administration is no longer theoretical. It is proven.” The memo accused Blagojevich of abusing his power and acting “like an absentee governor.”
In making the case against impeachment, Daley made the same argument he used last fall to oppose amending the state’s constitution to give voters the power to recall Blagojevich.
But, that doesn’t mean things are hunky-dory between the mayor and governor. Far from it.
In fact, Daley accused Blagojevich of trying to sell his stalled, $34 billion capital plan with bogus claims that it’s vital to Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
“They’re not involved. Don’t throw it on the Olympics. . . .I don’t know who’s telling you these stories,” Daley said.
“This is a matter of trust. That’s your problem. You have to have trust. You have to have a good piece of legislation. You have to have good revenue. And you have to be able to spend it. Simple as that. We have not asked [for] any money from the state of Illinois. That’s completely wrong.”
Daley said he nixed plans for a land-based Chicago casino — not because the governor’s demand for an up-front payment was too big, but because the legislation was sprung on the city as the clock was winding down on the spring session.
“No one knew about it. It was the last minute thrown in there with a lot of changes. . . . Our people had no discussion whatseover about the bill. Never heard about it,” Daley said.
“This is a business. You just don’t put something on the table at the last minute and sign an agreement. You just don’t do that — without even reading it or discussing what ramifications that one sentence has or five sentences or 22 paragraphs have? No.”
And what about the governor’s claim that Daley refused to return a phone call from Blagojevich?
“How ‘bout getting a call at 3 o’clock on the same day? You know what [a set-up] that is,” Daley said.