Roland Burris: Reid Embraces Him, Says No Deal (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Roland Burris will not likely take Barack Obama's Senate seat until a court in Illinois rules on a dispute surrounding his appointment.

While Reid embraced Burris, he said the Senate is awaiting a court ruling in a case that tests whether the signature of the Illinois secretary of state is needed for Burris to take the seat. He suggested that would be a step toward seating Burris.

"One of the first things he said to us was, 'Hey, this is nothing racial, do you understand that?'" Reid said. "A lot of people tried to make this a racial issue. Roland Burris has not, and will not."

"He's not trying to avoid any responsibility to hide anything," Reid added.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who also met with Burris, praised the man and said he hoped the legal matters would be resolved "so we can fill all the vacancies and have a full compliment of the Senate."

"That decision will be before the Illinois Supreme Court today or tomorrow. We are hoping that they act on it in an expedited fashion. I called the Attorney General of Illinois, Lisa Madigan, yesterday, as well as the Secretary of State, and urged them not to delay the decision," Durbin said. "Whatever the decision of the Supreme Court, we want it to be made on a timely basis, and we both agreed that was their intent as well."

Democrats had claimed the appointment was tainted by allegations that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell the seat.

Comments

[gmlaster]

Clearly, the system of governor appointments is not working anymore. First Kennedy in New York, now Burris in Illinois...THIS LAW SUCKS AND NEEDS TO BE CHANGED!!!

[oldbrit]

It's state law. Some states would have held a special election.

[ciotog17]

The weird thing is that, until about 100 years ago, almost ALL midterm senatorial appointments were made by the state governor. As with the last governor, George Ryan, not everything Rod Blagojevich does is evil. George Ryan was corrupt and took payoffs so unqualified jerks passing bribes could get truckers' licenses and some kids got killed. But he also realized the death penalty process in Illinois was messed up and put a moratorium on it. Blagojevich may have tried to sell Obama's Senate seat, but in the end, Roland Burris is not a bad choice if it's true there was no money changing hands. Blago might have done much worse.

How would you change the law? Force a special election every time there's a vacancy? They don't come for free, you know? You aren't paying enough taxes yet? The special elections also are much easier to win if you have more money than sense, since the campaign period would be shorter. So you would see jerks like Oberweis or crackpots like one of the LaRouchies winning. Is that what you want?

[kyeblue]

As a democrats, i am so shamed, and will root for whoever challenge Burris in two years. the new democratic majority is going to be the old republic majority, arrogant and has no respect to american people.

[oldbrit]

Don't you think you should wait to see how Burris does before you decide to oppose him?

[gmlaster]

No. I'm from Illinois and I already know how much he totally sucks. At best, he'll be completely superfluous. At worst, he'll get himself embroiled in some scandal in an effort to hold onto the Senate seat for life. Illinois can't take much more of this.

[Veganie]

He has been up the hill and is three quarters down the other side and is still a religous extremist, we already have too many scary senators.

[britethere]

Anyone who doesn't realize that somebody paid $$$$ big time to Blago for the Burris appointment and the ownership of a US Senator didn't listen to the Blago tapes and doesn't understand how business id done in Chicago.

[HeavyHitter]

Burris is a joke. Accepting the appointment from Blago showed a lack of class and self respect. He has been a prennial doormat in Illinois polictics and has failed to distinguish himself in any way. He is selfishly taking the place of someone who may have a real future in politics; he has none. He is a fool, blinded by ambition and unable to see the big picture. He just wants another line on his tombstone. There may be no legal way to stop him, but I don't blame Reid or Obama for trying.

[snakepliskin]

So lets forget about things like intelligence in picking our candidates. Maybe if we used 'Intelligence' as a criteria instead of political savy we might have a better country. Burris is as competent as anyone for the job. If he had appointed Duckworth would you be squaking the same noise?

[oldbrit]

I suppose if the job had been offered to you, you would have turned it down.

The problem isn't Burris anymore than the problem with the inaugural invocation is Rick Warren. Burris was offered this senate seat and he took it. Warren was offered the invocation and he took it.

I find it much more offensive that Obama invited Warren than I do that Blago appointed Burris.

[Madison007]

Good lord! you are still offended by Obama inviting Warren to do a speech at his inauguration.....a one day deal.....wow! GET OVER IT. TOO BAD.

[DogTown]

Seat Senator Burris. He is a good egg. He will do right by Illinois, and the USA!

[Hempy]

Sen. Burris should be seated. Sen. Reid is messing around with minors, and not dealing with the big stuff.

Get on with the big stuff Sen. Reid--seat Burris.

[Veganie]

He his been up the hill and is two thirds down the other side and is still a religous extremist, we already have too many scary senators.

[oldbrit]

I have seen nothing about him being a religious extremist.

"He his been up the hill and is two thirds down the other side"

That sounds rather ageist to me. I suggest you watch the film "Wild In The Streets" if you get a chance. My favorite scene is when they put LSD in the DC water system and congress is enacting legislation while tripping its collective butt off - which has nothing to do with why you should watch the movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063808/

[zitlight73]

The master of minutiae strikes again. How long are these Demorats going to call this slithering ameba their Senate leader? As much as I despised the Bush Administration I know now that they had a good reason for doing all the things they did, they were criminally retarded. What's Reid's and Pelosi's excuses? The country on fire and Reid is asking the firemen where they bought their firehoses and how much they paid for them.

[podge]

Having elected two African-American candidates to the U.S. Senate and having elected Burris himself to state-wide office on three occasions, Illinois voters have demonstrated that they don't hesitate to vote for minority candidates. But the Burris appointment was the most race-conscious political act by a politicain in recent memory. For those of you not immersed in Illinois politics, you must understand that the ONLY reason that Rod Blagojevitch selected Mr. Burris was the Governor's need to manipulate the Northern District Illinois jury pool to at least hang the jury in his inevitable federal criminal trial. He has repeatedly sought to manipulate Black voters in Illinois to look on him as their champion by appointments, promises to Black churches and politicians and other means. The federal wiretaps revealed that since the federal investigation of him became known publicly his illicit pay-to-play shakedowns have been intended to amass a criminal defense fund. Mr. Burris let slip that it was the Governor's criminal defense lawyers who contacted him about his Senate nomination! The Governor and his lawyers know that it only takes one vote to hang a jury and he is betting that pandering to a racial minority will guarantee him that vote.

[samerbayer]

but what you said is no excuse for the senate to reject the "junior senator from IL". I commend IL for what they have done including giving us a black president. I'm not black but feel there is alot of racism their in the US by people who ae not aware of it. Why some minorities in the senate has 7 times their proportion and african-american has none is a very good question that need to be answered

[suuzie]

Under normal circumstances you have to run for the office and black are not running and hence they are not elected to office. i am an AA and I am so insulted with burris accepting this appointment from a man who really should not have the power to appoint a clown to a circus. Burris did not earn the seat and just because the senate seat was held by a black/white man does not mean it should go to a black man. If blacks want to be members of the senate they need to run for the office. I don't get why everyone is caving to the idea Burris somehow is being mistreated, I am sure if Blago appointed a white man they would have rejected him. I am disappointed in Harry Reid for giving in to Burris and Rush (he is more racist than anyone).

[gmlaster]

This is about a governor who is probably going to jail pandering to protect himself from prosecution by using black voters as some kind of human shield. Illinois has sent more African-Americans to Washington than any other state. This is nothing but old-style Chicago politics at work.

The people of this state deserve a say in our representation. Burris is a perennial also-ran, who has never been able to win ANY election to high office because no one will vote for him. Now he's trying to circumvent the process by accepting an appointment from a disgraced governor who is facing indictment. This Senate appointment is being used as a weapon against the people of this state.

He was told not to exercise his power to appoint anyone until he can be cleared of his corruption charges...you know, the ones accusing him of selling political appointments called "pay-to-play". Is it really so hard to understand why we don't want anything to do with ANYONE he appoints? We will never be able to clean up this state until we cut out this cancer. Burris is just another political malignancy.

[NewDayDawn]

I'm glad he made it.

[mikep007]

I hope the court says NO to Burris. A man of decency would have turned down the appointment.

[zerotimes10]

The Law on this is clear and he will be seated. I don't know the name of Supreme Court Case but it dates back to the 19th Century. Maybe somebody here can reference it. If the Illinois Legislature impeaches Blago then maybe they can rescend Burns' appointment. I don't know.

[DogTown]

Burris is a good man.
Blogo did one thing right!
Burris is a man of decency

[gmlaster]

Burris is a pig. When he was Attorney General, he tried to get an innocent man sitting on death row executed (Google Rolando Cruz), just so he could look tougher on crime when he ran for governor (thankfully, he lost). Why do you think nobody in this state would vote him into the Senate? We know all about his "decency".

[britethere]

You're right. Rep Danny Davis who is African American turned down the first attempt of Blago to use the race card and make an appointment. Unlike Burris Davis has been elected to office
( Burris has run 5 times and been defeated)

[BayouBoy]

How depressing.

[pab08]

Could the Dem Leadership have handled this matter any worse than they did? NO.
It was very questionable whether the Senate had the leagal authority to deny Burris. Blago is the governor. He has the legal authority to appoint Burris. The Senate can really do nothing about it. They Dem leadership decided not to chance their hold on the seat with a special election, and Blago isn't going anywhere for months - if at all. Burris has to be seated. The mindless hand-ringing only fed the media. What bumblers.
ANd don't even get me started on Bobby Rush. This was never about the color of Burris's skin. It was about the content of Blago's character. Bobby Rush's comments then (and the continuation nof them this afternoon) are disgusting and shameful.

[endex05]

What a travesty if Burris is seated-- a bad day for democracy, the Democratic Party, and principles. Reid and Burris seem to have no moral compass. If all that mattered was a legal issue, what if Blago had appointed his wife (foul mouth and all) to fill the vacant seat? After all, it would have been legal. Would everyone have jumped to her support, simply because it was "legal"? By the same logic, I suppose Bush can legally pardon all the felons ever convicted, but even he had the decency (political spine?) to reverse his decision in the case of one felon he had already pardoned.

[WhatIKnow]

This is the kind of stuff that drives me crazy about Democratic leadership in the House and Senate. I am particularly disappointed and have been for some time with Harry Reid. He hesitates in vigorous decision making and he does not show skilled leadership qualities. Mr. Burris is not "tainted" and if he is, he is no more "tainted" than Harry Reid and the rest of the bunch. Is there evidence to support Mr. Burris is "tainted?" He certainly is qualified and if so he should have been seated.

My hope is that Harry Reid will "back bone up" and start leading and if he can't he should resign! How in the world will he handle oppositional Republicans with all we're faced with to get this country on the right track. I'm not impressed with the man!