Burris Drama

For nothing that he’s done wrong? So accepting the nomination was somehow right? Playing the race card after an African-American was elected President in a landslide was right?

He should be laughed out of town, and likely will be. This is a non-story. His footnote will appear in an end-of-the-year piece of journalism in 360 days, and his name will be remembered no longer.

While Blago matches William Marcy Tweed and George Washington Plunkitt in lack of ethos, he is the duly elected Governor of a sovereign state. He has been arrested but neither indicted nor brought before a preliminary hearing to be bound over for trial and has the power to appoint anyone he chooses to fill the vacancy held by Barack Obama.
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while the recordings paint Blago as a reprehensible person, Burris should be granted the seat by the Senate. they have no legal grounds for not seating him. The courts will validate that in the coming days.

Ask me the questions, Senatekeeper.

Just seat the guy. The Republicans are the ones that ignore/change the rules when they don’t like the outcome.

Whadya mean, “Panetta aside”?

It’s looking more and more as though the diss of torture-and-warrantless-wiretapping-enablers Feinstein and Rockefeller was intentional, because both of them are complicit in the crimes Panetta denounced, and Obama is distancing himself from those war criminals like he’s distancing himself from criminals like Blagojevich.

If it’s true, all I can say is “BOO-YAH OBAMA!”

I look forward to Justice investigating Richard C. Blum’s war profiteering, and Feinstein’s involvement in it.

Harry Reid is completely ineffectual as Majority leader. He should step down and focus on getting re-elected in 2010.

We should start a pool here at Swampland to determine what day and hour Harry Reid caves in? Any takers?

P-Caf: excellent choice.
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Ditto Tom. Clean house.

Speaking of debacles and drama, how about covering this tasty bit MS?
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The Return Of Schiavo: Conservatives Plan To Revive Embarrassing Debacle To Block Obama’s DOJ Nominee
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Oh wait, my mistake. MS doesn’t do repuglican debacles.

My mistake ^3, this is not a MS post. Sorry for the mistake JNS.

wvng: I’m gone two weeks and you forget me?! Belated Happy New Years, swampees. A (teeny) part of me missed you while I was abroad. JNS

I’ve arleady said that Reid doesn’t have a legal basis for doing what he’s doing. It’s not the first time Constitutional principles have been gutted for political expedience and it won’t be the last. Seat him and be done with it.

I know we’ve gone over this before but what is the legal, not moral or political, case for not seating Burris? Blago hasn’t been removed as governor. – but then IANAL.
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Ditto Tom and wvng. Feinstein and Rockefeller have zero credibility on this issue.

as this circus lands in washington i have yet to hear from the people from ill or chicago. this is their problem that needs to be solved.They elected these officials. To be considered an elite city of the US you need to take care of own corruption. Come on people of the windy city go get your pride back!

With apologies to Swamplanders and out of love for Groucho, JNS, haven’t you always been abroad?

We should start a pool here at Swampland to determine what day and hour Harry Reid caves in? Any takers?
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Fifteen minutes after his meeting with Burris.
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Welcome back, JNS!

Cliff, I’ll take Friday at noon ET.

Andy from MA: Ouch! Washington may seem alien to you, but it is, I assure you, on U.S. soil. JNS

JNS, I guess my generational joke really backfired. If preview was my friend I would have inserted a space between a and broad. All I can say JNS is that you’re no Margaret Dumont. Please go rent “A Night at the Opera.”

I have to agree with Andy, from a legal perspective, the best thing they should do is seat him. Does that mean they have to engage him, treat him as a valuable member of the Senate. No, and to be honest, Burris is not doing himself any favors. Does he really think no one in IL thinks he’s just an opportunist whose trying to use the race card as a way of avoiding such a radioactive political situation. Of course, the IL electorate did put Blagojevich and his predecessor in the gov office in the first place.

Anyway, the Senate should be clear, it is a state matter, and IL must come up with a solution themselves. The Senate can treat Burris as a glorified observer, but behaving this way, just makes the whole thing worse.

Viaduct? Why not a duck? I got your joke, Andy.

Anyone who worked in law enforcement and knowingly tried to execute an innocent man, as Burris did, should be in jail, not in the Senate, but the powerful do protect their own, political differences notwithstanding. That said, there’s no way ultimately they can keep him out and they’ll look weak when he gets in anyway.

Apparently, the rules of the Senate require the certificate of appointment to the Senate to be signed by both the Governor and the Secretary of State. Blago has signed, but the Illinois SOS, Jesse White, has not. So, as long as White continues to refuse to sign off on the certificate, Reid can continue refusing not to seat him.

Andy #15: I got it without the space, and I don’t even know the Groucho reference!

could the dems just lock it up in the courts for 2yrs? seems like alot of more important issues have been locked up longer

You can’t fool me. There IS no sanity clause!

I say tomorrow night right or right after the meeting.

@Paul Dirks: Blago should get ten years at Leavenworth, or eleven years at twelveworth or five & ten at Woolworth’s.

[...] more like a stroke of genius designed to take the spotlight off the embattled governor, while as Larry Sabato described it giving the middle finger salute to the Democratic Party. Blagojevich has created a [...]

“in a scene reminiscent of a lot of Civil Rights scuffles”

Say what??? It’s way over the line for Ms. Newton-Small to drag that specious angle into this. There is zero evidence to suggest that Mr. Burris being turned away has ANYTHING to do with race, or that it represents any group’s disenfranchisement. It’s a cheap-shot reference used to amplify the drama and gin up reader anger. Leave that to cable or right-wing talk radio.

It’s ridiculous for Burris to have shown up expecting to be seated. Clearly he didn’t think he’d get the job any other way or he’d have avoided the controversy.

We should start a pool here at Swampland to determine what day and hour Harry Reid caves in? Any takers?
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I suggest the pool is based on a false premise. If this were not good for repugs, (actually good for them) Reid would already have caved. He only disciplines Dems (see: Dodd, Senator Christopher).
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So I say Reid doesn’t allow Burris in until an external force (the courts/ maybe?) makes him, or until the Repugs tire of the game.

Now why in hell is Reid growing a backbone now? And why this? Is it because Blagojevich defied his warning?
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Reid is going to take the Democratic party through all types of embarrassment with this bit of determination. And, on top of it, they will lose. No questions there.
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Seat Burris. He didn’t do anything wrong!
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He shoulda grown one of those backbones a while ago. You know, when it was the Republicans that needed standing up to…

In a surprising move DiFi just came out publicly for seating Burris. First she hits Obama in the mouth yesterday over Paneta, today she bloodies Harry Reid’s nose. Is she angling for Majority Leader?

Apparently, the rules of the Senate require the certificate of appointment to the Senate to be signed by both the Governor and the Secretary of State. Blago has signed, but the Illinois SOS, Jesse White, has not. So, as long as White continues to refuse to sign off on the certificate, Reid can continue refusing not to seat him
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unfortunately, its the US Constitution, and not the senate rules, that are relevant here. And the Constitution states:

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided that the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the
legislature may direct.

Absent a requirement in Illinois law that the Sec of State must sign off on an appointment (and there is no such requirement – the power to appoint is given to the governor alone) the Senate has no authority to deny the people of Illinois their representation.

The only time Reid grows a backbone is when he’s been personally slapped.
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Just wish he coulda grown one a couple years ago…

Calling it a drama doesn’t make it one, except to the likes of Halp & Co. Blago is corrupt scum, but so are countless others–though they temper their hubris a bit more for the cameras (and FISA mikes).

But I personally don’t care–I think they should seat him temporarily until IL gets their crappy house in order. Otherwise, do a real job and start posting on matters of real concern. You know, the cratering econ, two wars, the fact that our $/weaponry are being used to kill Gazans, that stuff, the less dramatic stuff. Note: no longer my $.

53_3: Now why in hell is Reid growing a backbone now?
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Same reason Reid is “well respected” amongst his colleagues; that Lieberman gets a pass; that Stevens could divert billions of $$ to Alaska; that Feinstein opposes Panetta.
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The Senate is a fraternity, and they care more about enforcing their weird social norms than they do about governance.
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Torture, illegal wiretapping, wrecking the economy – we can overlook. Bucking the rules? That is crossing the line, sir!!

“Torture, illegal wiretapping, wrecking the economy – we can overlook. Bucking the rules? That is crossing the line, sir!!”
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But why can’t I just have a sharply worded memo, like everyone else?
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Now where is Rahm Immanuel…

it’s crazy what Blagojevich has gotten away with already… he’s an international embarrassment

Says Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page:

“Contrary to Rep. Bobby Rush’s prediction, Roland Burris turned away at the door to the Senate did not look like a scene from the segregated 1960s in the South. It looked more like a disco in the 1970s where the bouncer ordered him to wait his turn behind the velvet rope.