All we need is an Auctioneer!!!!
Posted on 12/30/2008 11:49:22 AM PST by BAW
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said in a statement this afternoon that the Senate will not seat anyone Gov. Rod Blagojevich chooses to fill Illinois' vacant Senate post, amid word that the governor is set to name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris.
The statement also is signed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has repeatedly urged Blagojevich not to name a replacement for the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The statement specifically names Burris, but applies to any choice the governor might make.
"This is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat," the statement read. "Anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus."
The decision was made during a 10-minute conference call that included Reid, Durbin and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), as well as representatives of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). There was little discussion and no dissent in reaching the position, said a Senate aide.
"The goal was to get this statement out before Blagojevich made his announcement," the Senate source said.
Blagojevich, who has sole authority to name a replacement senator, scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference at his downtown Chicago office.
Burris left his downtown consulting office about 1:15 p.m., getting congratulatory hugs from several employees. But Burris refused comment when asked whether he was going to accept the appointment after word that Senate Democratic leadership would not seat him.
Shortly after Obama's Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich's arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor's support.
Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama's replacement should be able to win re-election and he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor and U.S. senator, he's never lost to a Republican.
Blagojevich's criminal defense attorney Ed Genson had said Blagojevich would not name a Senate successor to Obama. The governor had indicated he agreed with other Illinois politicians that the best option might be a special election to fill Obama's seat. But state lawmakers have not taken up the necessary legislation.
Burris has given more than $20,000 to Blagojevich's campaign fund on his own and through his consulting and law firms, state campaign finance records show. Burris' consulting company received about $290,000 in state contracts with the Illinois Department of Transportation a few years ago, according to state comptroller records.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada previously warned Blagojevich, following the governor's Dec. 9 arrest, that Senate Democrats would not seat any appointment the two-term Democratic governor made. Reid's warning was contained in a letter signed by all 50 sitting Democratic senators, including the No. 2 Democrat in Senate leadership, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Federal authorities, citing secret wiretap recordings, allege Blagojevich sought a Cabinet position, an ambassadorship or a high-paying job from the incoming Obama administration in exchange for naming a candidate favored by the president-elect to the vacancy. An internal report by the Obama transition team found no offers of any quid pro quo in conversations held by incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Blagojevich and the governor's staff regarding the seat.
Burris became the first African-American to win statewide office in 1978, when he won the first of his three terms as comptroller. But Burris repeatedly stalled in his quest for bigger political office. He failed in three consecutive runs for governor--1994, 1998 and 2002, when he ran against Blagojevich--in the Democratic primaries.
Burris, an attorney in private practice, could not be reached for comment at his home today.
A special state House committee is weighing whether to recommend impeaching Blagojevich, and a leading member of the panel today called the news "incredibly ill-advised."
Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said he believed his colleagues on the panel "will take the position that the timing is so wrong as to put a cloud over the appointment."
"It certainly wouldn't be a legal cloud," Lang said. "It would be more of a political cloud."
Rep. Jim Durkin, the Republican spokesman on the impeachment panel, said he is drafting a letter to Burris calling for him to reject the appointment.
"I think the governor can do what he wants, but I think that Roland Burris should not accept it," Durkin said. "He left government under a good standing, and this is not a way to re-enter it. If he does accept it, I will take any means necessary to have him testify before the special (impeachment) committee."
Durkin, citing the federal probe into Blagojevich's alleged attempt to sell the Senate seat, said the matter is at the heart of the impeachment investigation and the federal criminal charges against the governor. Durkin said he wants to know when Burris talked to the governor or any of his aides about the Senate appointment, what was discussed and what, if any, material was submitted.
"If he does accept this," Durkin said, "I want to know the circumstances on which his name rose to the top in the last 24 hours."
Durkin said he knew of nothing that Burris had done improper, noting "he's a good and decent man."
Oh, this is so much fun.
I just heard the audio from Rep. Rush's news conference. To be honest, I wasn't familiar with Mr. Rush so I have no frame of reference for his somewhat less-than-articulate oratory. But, this guy sounds like he's in the middle of a three day bender. Really, he sounds baked.
The people of Illinois must be so proud of the elected officials.
That didn’t take long, Dingy Harry!
Nope ... read POWELL v. McCORMACK 395 U.S. 486 (1969). This has been adjudicated before, albeit for the House but they didn't have the specificity of Amendment 17 to go by either.
The House of Representatives did this with an elected member back in the ‘70’s. They just voted not to seat him.
And SCOTUS overruled - read the case, esp. Justice Douglas' opinion. Seat him they must and then expel.
This is exactly how racism gets propagated - in politics, in sports, in employment, in life. Everyone has to tapdance around a black guy and perceptions. This is why some folks (in any walk of life) won’t give an otherwise qualified black person a chance - if you interview and don’t hire, you’re racist. If they don’t perform and you need to fire/separate, you’re racist. If you’re critical of them in any way, you’re racist. It ends in an expensive legal defense or lawsuit if things go bad. So of course the best path to go is the one where you’re not put in that position.
This is NO different.
Harry Reid is checkmating Blago, not the other way round. As Majority Leader he’s telling Blago not to bother since the Federal Constitution trumps State Law in this area.
Amendment 17 actually says State Law is the factor here:
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.The Illinois Legislature did so.
I read somewhere that he is recovering from surgery.
All we need is an Auctioneer!!!!
That won't help his re-election bid. Please, Nevada Dims, just stay home in '10.
He doesn't. But the Senate majority does. I.e., the Democrat caucus can, for their own reasons, refuse to seat Burriss.
Article I, Section 5: Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members
Where such an action would leave the voters of Illinois -- unrepresented -- is, of course, another issue. But I doubt Harry Reid gives a damn about that.
He’s a former Black Panther
I don’t know where this video of the boy screaming racist came from originally, but I wonder what he thinks of it now being used on FR?
Let the games begin!!!
This is so typical of IL rino's. Burris is 71 and is not not an inspiring figure. He would be very beatable in an election. The Gov has the sole authority to appoint the replacement Sen, so why push out a beatable person and get a young, dynamic, financially backed person?
Democrat Uncivil War
(Rush)
Didn’t Jim Crow Democrats not want a black man seated before?
I’ve been saying all along, or at least since he refused to resign, that Blago is our friend:)
I've seen him on TV a few times: same impression. But being understandable is apparently not a requirement in Chicago politics.
He's a former Black Panther, by the way; maybe that fried his brain.
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