As Barack Obama prepares to become the next President of the United States, politics in the state where he served as a United States and Illinois State Senator have gone absolutely, completely wild.
There is no law and order. We are playing personality politics vs. constitutional law. We are playing political gotcha!
One of the principals of American democracy is the rule of law. Fairness and equality count. America has been hypocritical in following this doctrine, but at the end of the day when broken laws, rules and promises have been taken to the courtroom, justice in most instances has prevailed. It seems the "seat" is monumental in African American history. A historical stretch is to compare Rosa Parks' seat on the bus to Roland Burris' seat in the Senate.
In December of 1955, the law said Rosa Parks could not sit in the front of the bus because she was a Negro. The rationale was her skin color dictated where she sat. It wasn't racial, it was the law. She paid her money for the bus ride but law dictated where she sat, as practiced in the days of southern segregation. A young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said bad laws should be broken. After a year of car pooling and boycotting, the law changed and it was the beginning of the end of America's apartheid.
So here we are again fighting for a seat. Roland Burris is qualified for the Senate seat. He was so appointed by the sitting, ruling, elected Governor of the State of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich.
The appointment is constitutionally correct. Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State refused to sign the certification papers, thus causing the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, to decide that Burris is disqualified to assume his Senate seat.
The truth of the matter is Mr. White has fumbled. His is an administrative duty. Suppose the Secretary of State decided after each election or selection what papers would be signed, he could dictate the political position. The Mayor, The Governor, The Congressman, The Alderman, The Senator. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Absolutely out of order. This is the very thing our great country goes into other countries and fights against in the name of American democracy. The democracy has turned into a Secretary of State dictatorship.
Jesse White has abdicated his constitutional responsibility. He is not performing his responsibility. He is not being accountable to the Illinois public. He has refused to do his job.
So, it is the case with The Honorable "Mr. Nevada" Reid. He is holding the Illinois senate seat hostage. He let it be known to the Governor that he did not want Congressman Danny Davis or Jesse Jackson, Jr., or the President of the State Senate, Emil Jones, to assume the seat. His political preference was Tammy Duckworth or Lisa Madigan. The face value of this appears racist, because his choices were white women over black men.
All five of these people would make fine senators, but the point is Reid is not from Illinois and should not have a voice who our senator is, no more than Rod Blagojevich should have a voice in a Nevada senate seat. Senator Reid, in his role as Senate Majority Leader overstepped his constitutional bounds.
He treated Roland Burris like a schoolboy. Do you have the note from your Secretary? Sorry sir, I am unable to let you into the Senate Chamber. Thanks for coming.
So, the question becomes, in the Land of Lincoln, where are the laws?
Do we still follow the constitution?
Roland Burris will prevail because the law is on his side. It is unfortunate that we have to fight for the seat and that probably the Supreme Court will decide. Meanwhile, the people of Illinois might go without two Senate votes at a crucial time. And the irony is that Mr. Burris brings a lot to the table in this hour of need. He has an uncanny ability with numbers. This is his strength and unique ability with fiscal matters. And we the people of Illinois lose and should be outraged because in essence we have taxation without representation.
President-elect Barack Obama should also be outraged because this is not the way his great state should welcome him to Washington.
It is time for the politicians to get a grip and move the country forward.
Personality politics does not apply. Follow the law as it is written. Constitutionally, Illinois should have two senators.
Our politicians are looking like lunatics at this hour and we, the people of Illinois, deserve better.