Burris Still Has Senate Clout, Despite Furor
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Despite the furor surrounding Sen. Roland Burris, experts say Illinois is unlikely to suffer much from having a senator who's getting the cold shoulder from colleagues and faces constant calls for his resignation.
Burris can still vote and serve on committees. He can still help constituents getting the run-around from government bureaucrats. Experts say he'll probably be able to bring home money for Illinois.
"As long as he's senator, he still can accomplish things for this state," said Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican who represented Illinois in the Senate for one term.
Even Sen. Dick Durbin, who says his fellow Illinois Democrat should consider resigning, promised to continue working with Burris _ and ensure his home state isn't left wanting.
"We will find ways to cooperate and work together," said Durbin, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat. "I don't want the people of Illinois to lose anything because of this controversy."
Burris would hardly be a major power under normal circumstances. He's among the newest members in an institution built around seniority, and other Illinoisans have far more influence in Washington _ notably President Barack Obama, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Durbin, who's in his 13th year in the Senate.
Burris was appointed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich just before Blagojevich was tossed out of office over allegations he tried to sell the Senate appointment. Senate leaders agreed to accept Burris' appointment only if he gave a full explanation of his contacts with the Blagojevich administration.
Burris testified he had spoken to only one Blagojevich ally about the Senate seat and that there was no discussion of him doing any favors for the governor. But after he took office, Burris revised his story at least twice, acknowledging he talked to several people close to Blagojevich and looked into raising money for the governor but couldn't find anyone willing to donate.
The changing accounts have been greeted with outrage. Illinois politicians, including new Gov. Pat Quinn, are calling for his resignation, as are many newspapers.
Still, Burris is taking great pains to demonstrate he's going about business as usual. He named a chief of staff and communications director Wednesday and gave a two-minute speech from the Senate floor in support of a voting rights bill before presiding over the Senate for an hour, a tradition for freshmen lawmakers.
"Sen. Burris may be new in Washington, but he's certainly no stranger to politics and relationships," said his spokesman, Jim O'Connor. "He's fully convinced that when the facts come out, things will normalize."
But Durbin questioned whether Burris can be an effective advocate while ducking reporters' questions.
"I think we found there are limits to what he can do _ when he can't travel to certain places because of media interest, for example," Durbin said Tuesday after meeting with Burris. "He is limited in what he can do because of the circumstances. Maybe that will change, I don't know."
Another senator who defied calls for his resignation was Larry Craig, who was accused of soliciting sex in an airport bathroom in June 2007. The Idaho Republican served out the rest of his term despite pressure from party leaders.
Bryan McQuide, a political science professor at the University of Idaho, said Craig lost a great deal of clout because he was stripped of committee chairmanships. Burris doesn't have any chairmanships to lose.
The pressure and public attention on Craig eased once it was clear he wouldn't run for re-election, making it easier for him to perform basic Senate duties, McQuide said. He speculated Burris also might get out of the spotlight by promising not to run in 2010.
In the meantime, McQuide said, Illinois has at least one senator at full strength.
"If I were living in Illinois, I wouldn't call Burris," he said. "I would call Durbin."
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Associated Press writer Henry C. Jackson contributed to this report from Washington.
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CHRISTOPHER WILLS | February 26, 2009 05:52 AM EST |