Ken Dunkin: State Rep. Missed Blago Impeachment Vote For Caribbean Cruise

CHICAGO - While his Illinois House colleagues were voting to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Rep. Ken Dunkin was cruising the Caribbean with his family.

Dunkin, who returned home on Sunday, says the trip was planned before he knew of the vote Friday to impeach the governor, with whom the Chicago Democrat has claimed in the past to have a positive working relationship.

Although Dunkin has previously called the impeachment process a "witch hunt," Dunkin said Monday he would have voted in favor of impeachment. He said state government had fallen into chaos, adding there is a need for state government to return to functioning normally.

The House, by a 114-1 margin, voted to impeach Blagojevich. Another Chicago Democrat, Rep. Milton Patterson, was the lone House member to vote against impeachment.

Comments

[jade7243]

Hmmmm.... tough decision.... Let's take a quick one person poll, shall we?

hang around in the bitter cold of Springfield for this ridiculous vote to impeach Blago -- with all of the attendent screaming rhetoric....

OR

take your family on a cruise to the sunny warm Carribbean and make family memories to last a lifetime.

Cruise 1, impeachment vote zero.

[Brookyln35street]

People should stop being so quick to pass judgment. He should have taken the trip with his family. So, we don't hear about another politician creeping outside his marriage.

I could see, if the vote was in jeopardy of not passing, then join your family later, but really. Some of the bloggers are crazy, and I would not count this vote historic, but another day in Chi-town/ILL politics.

[henning2000]

The most important vote in the history of the state and the comments are in support of taking a vacation? We pay him to vote and look out for our interests are Illinoisians. To continue to take this vacation while the state is in peril is unacceptable and another example of self interest over the pubic interest. Show up for work or find another job.

[ohpuhleezee]

Oh get real. Illinois was not in peril. We weren't going through Katrina. We were dealing with a (allegedly) crooked politician, nothing new. Dunkin planned this vacation. He shouldnt have had to cut it short for something like this. Nobody died.

[ohpuhleezee]

and he was on a cruise. what was he supposed to do? rent a helicopter to hover over the boat and get picked up? would you have been upset if he had done all of that at tax payers expense to come all the way back to Illinois and put in his vote?

[tel8034]

Henning2000,

Come on now ..........­..........­.... The family vacation cruise was planned long before there was a known time for the impeachment vote, so why the beating up of gums on your part?.

And furthermore, with the vote to impeach being 114:1, how would Dunkin's vote (either way) have changed the outcome? ................. If the vote was tied and Dunkin was needed to cast the tie-breaking vote, then and only then would it have mattered.

And exactly what peril is the state in at this time? Are person's lives in danger? Is the state itself sinking underground? Has a plague of some sort broken out? ................... Please tell us.

Dubya an his entire administration has been in a LAME DUCK status/position for several months now, and has not shown up for work, and yet we still breathe.

[ohpuhleezee]

So what. Its not like the vote was close.

[LITNUP]

Speaking of witch hunt , that is what this is..... SHEESH , now if he votes present a 100 or so times.

[Pharos]

Unless Dunkin has a history of not showing up, this is a non-story and a waste of everyone's time.

[chitown]

Good for him. Quality time with your family is more important than being the 115th vote for impeachment.

[ChicagoSpook]

Well he may or may not have a history for not showing up.

But the fact that Dunkin couldn't wait (as a member of our part time legislature with full time pay) for a non work day to take his vacation, makes me wonder about his policy of showing up. But I guess because he was selected by 27th ward boss committeemen Jesse White to represent one of the poorest districts in Chicago, he is deserving of all the perks of office after as a member of the Chicago Machine.

However Rep Dunkin HAS made history last year by giving the entire Il House of Representatives the finger after every member( a record) voted against his Trojan Horse bill he sponsored to award public funds to his lobbyist pals.

You folks make it easy for me to be forgiving toward Blago who at least seems to be some what concerned with poor people, as opposed to just stealing and the perks

Spook out!

[VOTER]

Provide links for your comments.

I don't recall the House of Rep. incident and can't
locate information about it on the Internet.

Also, which bill is the "Trojan Horse?"

Illinois VOTER