Impeached

Upperdate - Those of us who had the same cynical thought as Russo (BI, 1st update) have some vindication - Dann apparently wants the GA and the party to play ball first, but for now he has decided to take his ball and go home. No more updates to this post. New posting as events warrant.


Update- the PD is reporting that Dann will resign this afternoon. Plunderbund apparently noticed first (Joseph was kind enough to stop by here as well, see comment below), BSB is teasing gossip, and Blogger Interrupted says what y'all may be thinking.

I can get some nifty info when it's a weekend and I have some alone time with the ODP. During a busy workweek, not so much. News has broken that Dems in the Ohio House have filed articles of impeachment against Marc Dann. Pick any major Ohio Lefty Blog (BSB, ODB, WLST, etc. etc.) and they will have more links and details. My initial lunchtime thoughts:

1) The tone of the meeting on Saturday turned out to be more predictive of the course the Dems were planning than the statements from officeholders in last weeks' papers.

2) Individual Republicans who called for Dann's resignation are going to have an awfully hard time lining up with the GOP position that impeachment at this time wouldn't be fair to Dann, as there isn't "enough information."

3) Once this gets to the Senate, there is almost no good outcome for the GOP, who seem determined to play this politically. They have an overwhelming majority, so it is pretty much a GOP decision to convict quickly (validating the ODP), convict slowly (allowing Strickland to appoint a successor), acquit quickly (losing any moral high ground) or acquit slowly (that could get ugly all around).

4) Which is why the GOP wants to delay the House vote as long as possible. That, and a possible strategy of planning to "find" some more dirt and imply that Dems haste had more to do with avoiding further dirt than seeing justice served and washing their hands.

In case it's unclear, I applaud the House Dems. The timing was swift, the articles well drafted, the course of action correct. Thank you.