Mr. Burris Goes to Washington

Perhaps it is because the founding fathers of Illinois could not yet fathom corruption of this nature that they did not offer an alternative solution for filling a vacant Senate seat when they ratified our state's first constitution in 1818. Certainly, it would seem placing the governance of such affairs in the hands of a governor, whose sole duty is to serve the people, was sensible.

Certainly, if they could have imagined a situation where the sole responsibility would fall to a governor caught bartering congressional seats for personal gain yet defiantly refusing to step aside, they would've put in place some other measure, some alternative solution.

Governor Blagojevich -- deluded and defiant -- has wronged his state by refusing to step aside, and now he has wronged his country by putting the United States Senate in a frazzled state at a time where they need to be focusing their attention on our economic crisis. The Senate needs all hands on deck, and now it's quite possible that one pair of hands will get tossed overboard when the ship sets sail.

Blagojevich was wrong to make the appointment, and Roland Burris was wrong to accept it. For while he has served his state admirably, and Mr. Burris himself is not tainted, this appointment is. And in his haste to appear self-assured and confident -- no doubt what he correctly feels is needed in this new role -- he comes across as too eager, too pleased to accept a tainted job offer from a tainted man. Where others had the moral wherewithal to turn down the Senate seat, this appointee carries the same sense of defiance and entitlement as the appointer.

"I am the junior senator from Illinois," Burris repeated to a crowd of journalists at Midway Airport Monday. He appeared testy, his efforts at easy sarcasm with the media falling as flat as they did in his initial press conference a little over a week ago. Though Mr. Burris may go to Washington, he is not a senator until he is sworn in, and though he boasts his friendships with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and Senator Dick Durbin, it appears unlikely he will be joining the freshmen senators being seated this week.

Burris has won over Governor Blagojevich and Congressman Bobby Rush and perhaps a few others. But he has not won this seat. Perhaps most importantly of all, in a time when Illinois voters are clamoring for more ethics in government, Burris has not taken a strong enough stand, abandoning his initial calls for Blagojevich's resignation in favor of the less assertive "innocent until proven guilty."

Mr. Burris goes to Washington despite pleas from his new president-elect -- the man whose seat he seeks to claim -- and fellow Illinois Democrats, despite pleas from the Democratic Senate leadership and without the requisite certification of his Secretary of State. Mr. Burris goes to Washington at the behest of a scandal-plagued governor, and it is likely he will be unable to shake off the taint whether he stays there or returns, no closer to the Senate seat than he is at this moment.

Comments

[josesanders]

Initially, when the appointment was made, Reid and others in the senate immediately said that there was no way he would be seated. Abruptly, the senators changed their minds in recent weeks.

I think this is all about votes. The Democrats in the senate would rather have a reliable Democrat in the seat now, rather than wait months for a special election and run the risk losing it to a Republican. It is about as undemocratic as you can get, though, considering that Burris was rejected by the people of Illinois on more than one occasion.

[sue805]

Mr. Burris has not held any office for 14 years, because the voters of this state (IL) would not vote him in. It was not for a lack of trying. He was REJECTED by this state's voters, numerous times. What has he been doing for 14 years? he has become a lobbyist. He has donated much money to the govenor's campaign fund. His clients have also donated to the govenor's campaign fund. His clients have recieved lucrative state contracts handed out by the govenor of Illinois. That he has aligned himself with the govenor and accepted this appointment shows that hehas only his own ambitions at heart, not the voters. this seat does not belong to the govenor, the democrats, or Mr. Burris. It belongs to the citizens of the state of Illinois. There is not racism in this rejection of his "claim" to the senate seat. There is no support beyond a small enclave of people that see personal benefit in this appointment and helping Mr. Burris press his claim. His insistance that he is the senator from Illinois is delusional. He does not represent me, and he hopefully never will. Let the voters in Illinois decide who should sit in that seat-NOW. We're about to vote on a replacement for Rahm's seat. let's piggy back the senate seat onto this ballot. The money, at this point, for this special election, is minimal compared to the damage this govenor and faux senator are doing to this good state.

[Piatt]

We are a government of laws, not men. Like it or not, Blago is still the Governor of Illinois and his appointment of Burris was legal. Burris should be seated and run in 2010 if he thinks he has a shot at it. I found the Bobby Rush race-baiting offensive but Burris himself has served as Illinois Comptroller and Attorney General without being tainted by any scandal. We need to stop villifying him and/or attempting to make him an object of ridicule.

The hyperbolic reaction to Blago (who hasn't even been indicted yet) is starting to resemble a McCarthy witch hunt. I'm waiting for someone to start waving around a list of everyone that Blago's ever spoken to during his entire life.

[JimR]

Agree 100%. The Democrats are making themselves look no better than Bush, who also had no respect for laws.

[willman81]

"innocent until proven guilty." may not mean anything to this writer. But it still does to many Americans.

[Rockerbabe]

Here, here. Couldn't have said it any better. I know politics can be quite a theatre for drama, but the "queens" need to get a grip. . .Mr. Burris is an honorable man and needs to be treated in that manner.

[sciphy]

Queens? Really.

The Governor is unfit to serve and is acting irrationally. His decisions should be questioned. Furthermore, Mr. Burris' decision to accept should be questioned as well given the circumstance. Laws sometimes fail to meet the circumstances. In such conditions, calm heads should prevail. That has not been Mr. Burris's actions with all his preening in front of any available camera.

[RRonin]

Near the end of the press conference in Chicago yesterday, a reporter asked Burris what all the media attention was doing for his ego. Burris got visibly angry and refused to answer the question. Evidently Burris has a thin skin and no sense of humor. He comes across to me as a Ted Stevens in the making. Have you seen his mausoleum? Google "Burris mausoleum" and see what comes up! What a monument!! What an ego!

[easarsfield]

he has children children named Roland and Rolanda, lol.

[slytot7]

It appears this Burris guy has no sense of honor, only personal ambition. Shame on him.

[Rockerbabe]

Mr. Burris has done nothing wrong, except ignore the comments from members of the peanut gallery. Governor Rod has NOT been convicted of anything; he has been accused by a political hack lawyer of wrongdoing - that does not equate to a conviction. What ever happened to innocent till proven guilty by a jury of our peers? Or does the tenets of the Constitution not apply to him?
Mr. Burris has a legal right to be in the Senate; the appointment was legal. . .the idiots [of my party, the Democrats], need to seat Mr. Burris and let him represent the state of Illinois.
As for the "taint" of his appointment. . .that is NO worse than the "taint" that Reid and his fellow Senators, of both parties, have inflicted on the public at large, due to their incompetence with fiscal mgt, lack of oversight of the war, a spineless attitude to handling charges of torture and abuse of the Constitution by Dubya and Cheney; they have caved on so much, that it is laughable that they would talke about "taint". I'm sure Mr. Burris will do a very good job in representing Illinois - hell, he couldn't be any worse than the idiots already in the Congress!

[cobraxus]

For while he has served his state admirably, and Mr. Burris himself is not tainted...excuse me but please revisit The People v.Rolando Cruz.Burris ordered subordinates to prosecute an innocent man relying on perjured testimony and to seek the death penalty all because Burris was running for governor.There's nothing admirable about that.

[AntsyAmerican]

Details here:

http://antsyamerican.com/blog/roland-burris-obamas-senate-seat-one-concern-about-the-perso.html

[markg1956]

How about a simple nationwide solution. If there is an opening for any Congressional opening there
is a special election and the people vote. What a concept.

[AntsyAmerican]

Agreed, in normal times. Or a compromise like having the governor select from a panel.
But we also need a way to quickly fill empty seats in a time a national emergency. Neither the Congress nor the Senate can conduct any business without a quorum and certain disaster scenarios would leave the president with virtual dictatorial powers for months. See Tom Clancy's EXECUTIVE ORDERS for one fictional example. We actually came pretty close to a form of this disaster on 9/11.

Details:
http://antsyamerican.com/blog/why-special-elections-are-not-the-answer.html