Posted on 12/30/2008 9:25:49 AM PST by ConservativeMind
Edited on 12/30/2008 1:38:29 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
WLS just broke in to say Roland Burris, a former Illinois Comptroller, has been named to the Senate by Rod.
(Excerpt) Read more at wlsam.com ...
Interesting to look at the background of Burris business partner Fred Lebed, who appears to be well connected to Gov. Blago and was former Exec. Director of Cook County Democratic Party (Lebed is listed after Burris, they are the only two principals of this consulting firm):
http://www.burrislebed.com/partners.html
Executive Management Team
Roland W. Burris:
# Served as Illinois’ State Comptroller for three unprecendented terms
# Served as Illinois’ Attorney General for one term
# Served in Governor’s Cabinet as Director of the Illinois Deparment of Central Management Services
# Currently Of-Counsel to the Burris, Wright, Slaughter, and Tom Law firm, LLC.
# Former Managing Partner of Jones, Ware & Grenard Law firm
# Former Of-Counsel to the Bufford & Peters Law Firm, LLC.
# Former President of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers
# Former Executive Board Member of Government Finance Officers
# Former Chair of the Civil Rights Committee of the National Association of Attorneys Generals
# Former Trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation Board
# Former Board Director of the Illinois CPA Society
# Served as Vice Chair of Governor Blagojevich Transition Team
Roland W. Burris can be reached at roland@burrislebed.com
Fred G. Lebed:
# Served as Co-Chair of the “Re-Engineering Government” Sub-Committee of Governor Blagojevich’s Transition Team
# Former Assistant to Illinois State Comptroller
# Former Assistant to Illinois Attorney General
# Served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
# Served as Cook County Liquor Control Commissioner
# Served as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee in 1985
# Managed more than a dozen Illinois campaigns
# Former Delegate to five Democratic National Conventions
# In 1996, served as Executive Director of Cook County Democratic Party.
# Served as President’s liason to Board of Commissioners.
Fred G. Lebed can be reached at fred@burrislebed.com
US Sen Democrats: Will Block Blagojevich Appt-Fox Business
Last update: 12/30/2008 2:05:15 PM
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
Reid & co. would refuse to seat the man who would be the only black Senator now serving?
It will be ‘interesting’ to see how Democrat Party politics deals with that.....
Anyway, can the US Senate really refuse to seat an otherwise qualifed Senator who was duly selected/appointed by the legal process in place????
The Constitution says each house of Congress can judge “qualifications” but wouldn’t the SCOTUS interpret that as having to do with meeting constitutional requirements plus legal procedures re election and/or appointment?
Not sure the Constitution really empowers the US Senate to reject a legally elected or selected candidate who meets the constitutional requirements??
You go Rod! Don’t let the Nattering Nabobs of Negativism tell you what to do! You’re in the drivers seat!
Oh, good...Sudanese Arab!
Burns acts to White?
Their candidate will get elected at that time, that's the way things happen in Illinois.
It tasted like screen.
From the Illinois insider political newsletter The CapitolFax Blog
" * 12:11 pm - A quick check of campaign finance records shows Burris’ consulting company has contributed about $11K to Blagojevich’s campaign fund. The consulting company has benefitted from a bunch of state contracts since then, many of which doing PR work on behalf of IDOT minority contracting efforts.
Blagojevich privately credits Burris with playing a major role in the governor’s 2002 Democratic primary win. Burris took the African-American vote away from Paul Vallas, who was always quite popular in the black community. Blagojevich finished behind Burris and Vallas in Chicago (he barely won his own congressional district), so Burris’ spoiler role was crucial to Blagojevich’s win."
That was my reaction too. (thought at first I was over reacting a bit)...It was just too easy to find...Blank-O is really putting the squeeze on BHO! WOO HOO!.....Got several links that still need to be followed on CHI Crime thread....BUT it’s certainly is a popcorn, pizza, beer kind of day!
My guess is that someone (maybe from the Obama administration) suggested this fix, to make the issue go away. The man was probably not on anyone’s short list of candidates, but would make all happy.
If he is accepted as the nominee, it will mean that the Illinois legislature is accepting that Blago is still the governor, and that they should just let the incident go. The only alternative is to deny the man the nomination and hold the special election as planned. It’s a no win situation for the state of Illinois.
Burris is the first black to hold statewide office in Illinois (elected Comptroller in 1978), the last Illinois Attorney General people actually LIKED, a life member of the NAACP, and a former exec director of Operation PUSH, considered squeaky clean (clean and articulate) and a "respected elder statesman" of the party that is well liked in Illinois, he's 71 and retired, BUT unlike Jesse White, he's got Oberweis syndrome and lost his last FOUR elections in a row (losing the Dim primary for Governor in 2002, 1998, and 1994, and the Dim primary for Mayor of Chicago in 1995, as well as a Dim primary for U.S. Senator in 1984), but all the RATs feel sorry for the guy and often speculate how things would have been better if he won, sort of like poor Peter O'Toole never getting that coveted Oscar he always deserved. He'd be a seat warmer and it be the capstone of a long "distinguished" career. The Dims know that the ONLY way Burris will ever be a U.S. Senator is by appointment because his chances at running his own right are long past.
So now Reid and the RATs either have to make good on the letter that "all 50" of them SIGNED in writing -- pledging to oppose ANY person Blago picked -- and reject a high qualified, beloved black "trailblazer" elder statesman of the party (which would especially enrage their boss Je$$e), or they flip-flop and break their OWN written pledge -- invoking constant ridicule from the Republicans who circulate copies of the letter to voters in 2010 and endlessly "remind" voters that every RAT Senator capitulated and confirmed a "tainted" Senator appointed by a indicted Governor who accepted bribes to name the selection. It won't make any difference to voters in the other 49 states, who have no idea who Roland Burris is.
It doesn't make any difference to Burris either -- he wouldn't have run in his own right in 2010 anyway. (though he's probably aware accepting an appointment under these circumstances will destroy his reputation, my guess is he's so desperate to hold major office one last time in his career that he'd probably accept)
And I bet Mike Madigan is REALLY kicking himself now for refusing to name a special election and calling Blago's bluff that there's NO WAY he'd name a Senator in the current political environment. Uh oh, looks like Blago's got some brass balls, eh Mike?
He didn't have to accept..........
>LOL. So am I!
Who isn't? Well, maybe Caroline Kennedy.
" In December of 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) in Chicago, IL. The goals of Operation PUSH were economic empowerment and expanding educational, business and employment opportunities for the disadvantaged and people of color."
Thank you for the refreshments. Now to just sit back and enjoy.
Maybe more than you realize. He's pointed a finger (your choice which one) directly at BHO. see post 74
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