Posted on 12/30/2008 12:32:54 PM PST by radar101
Senate Democratic leaders are refusing to seat Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s choice for President-elect Obama’s former seat.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) issued a joint statement blasting Blagojevich for naming Roland Burris to the seat and said they will block his appointment.
“It is truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety,” Reid and Durbin said.
“Under these circumstances, 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 two leaders emphasized they were not judging Burris, but simply noting the ethical cloud over Blagojevich. They also pointed out the Senate faces a heavy legislative calendar in January. They repeated their call for the Democratic governor to resign and their threat to refuse any appointment he makes.
“We again urge Gov. Blagojevich to not make this appointment,” the statement reads. “It is unfair to Mr. Burris, it is unfair to the people of Illinois and it will ultimately not stand. The governor must put the interests of the people of Illinois and all Americans first by stepping aside now and letting his successor appoint someone who we will seat.”
But questions remain as to what authority the Senate has when it comes to accepting or rejecting a gubernatorial appointment.
Associate Senate Historian Don Ritchie said the four examples since 1913 include Democrat Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi, who died while a Senate committee was investigating corruption charges against him in 1947; Republican Frank Smith of Illinois, whom the Senate voted against seating due to corruption charges in 1928, and Democrats Henry Clayton and Franklin Glass of Alabama, both of whom withdrew their bids in 1913 after a dispute arose over the governor's authority to appoint them.
Ritchie also said senators are often seated but then investigated by the chamber’s Rules Committee to determine whether any charges against the senator have merit.
That was the case in Sen. Mary Landrieu’s case, Ritchie noted for example. The Louisiana Democrat won a narrow election in 1996 and was seated while the Rules Committee probed charges of voter fraud before ultimately exonerating Landrieu after 10 months
But Ritchie conceded the Blagojevich situation was different.
“We really haven’t had a case like this,” he said. “There’s just nothing quite comparable.”
Burris, 71 and African-American, is a former state comptroller and attorney general of Illinois. He also was Blagojevich’s Democratic primary opponent in the 2002 governor’s race and was endorsed by Obama in that primary battle. Burris and Blagojevich have long since patched over any differences — Burris praised the governor to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2006.
"I can't see how anyone can say he is not governing," Burris said at the time. "I think he is doing a helluva job."
Blagojevich’s move comes despite allegations that he attempted to sell Obama’s seat for his personal benefit, according to a complaint filed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, which cited wiretapped conversations.
Burris was not on the list of preferred candidates that Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s incoming White House chief of staff, sent over to Blagojevich’s staff.
An Obama spokesman said the transition team had no comment on Blagojevich’s move “right now.”
After Blagojevich’s initial arrest, Reid and Durbin both reacted early, pressing him not to make any appointment. At a Dec. 9 press conference, Durbin called for a special election, saying, “No appointment by this governor under these circumstances can produce a credible replacement.”
A day later, in a letter to Blagojevich written by Reid and Durbin and signed by all other Democratic senators, the Democratic leaders told the embattled governor “any appointment by you would raise serious questions … For the good of the Senate and our nation, we implore you to refrain from making an appointment to the Senate.”
Reid and Durbin also threatened Blagojevich that “should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment, we would be forced to exercise our constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated.”
Blagojevich's move Tuesday surprised even his own lawyer, who said only a week and a half ago that the governor would not make an appointment.
“The governor must put the interests of the people of Illinois and all Americans first by stepping aside now and letting his successor appoint someone who we will seat.”
Gee, if only they’d said that to The Nameless One.
I wonder if The Kenyan will issue a statement from his Hawaiian villa...
Lt Gov Quinn speaking now. Everyone seems to want their 15 minutes of fame today!
Quinn says Blago is not fit to make appointments!
Yep, that’s the thing to do. Deny a black man his just reward.
I doubt he will. He’s too busy fuming right now.
These Democrats are squealing like stuck pigs. The Republicans are queit as a mouse. Hmm. Either somethin is stinking in obamaland or..The Republicans are a bunch of RINO Whussies glad to back in the minority role. I gotta go get more popcorn.
It might be wise for The One to remain in seclusion in his Hawaiian Villa until he is smuggled into DC shortly before inauguration time on Jan 20.
We haven’t yet heard from the crime family ‘mr big’. So I would guess Chumpy apparently told them to get out there and squeal.
Republicans should oppose attempts to block this fine man.
Sorry to have to tell you, but calling Illinois Republicans “RINOs” would be flattering them. Republicans (not to mention Conservatives) are somewhere South of Square One in this blue state.
It is memorable however, for the first time I am rooting for Harry Reid.
This demonstrates once again why the Democrat Party is the Party of Bull Conner, dogs, fire hoses, cross burnings, lynchings, and every kind of despicable racist behavior.
Harry Reid and his racist ‘Rat colleagues would no doubt tell Roland Burris to be sure and get a ticket for the BACK of the bus, for his trip to Washington to be refused his rightful position.
A shameful day indeed.
An interesting shift in Reid's position. It's not clear that the Senate has the authority to refuse to seat an otherwise qualified member, but they could certainly refuse to include him in the Democratic Caucus or give him committee assignments.
Cue Kanye West: “Reid hates black people!”
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? Counting Crows.
From David Horowitz's FrontPageMag.com/DiscoverTheNetworks.org:
PROFILE: BOBBY RUSH:
* Democratic Member of Congress
* Member of the radical Progressive Caucus
* In 1968, went AWOL from the U.S. Army
* Co-founder of the Illinois branch of the Black Panther Party
* In 1969, served six months in jail for an illegal weapons conviction
* Advocates reparations for African Americans
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1198
________________________________________________________
From the Maoist Internationist Movement:
[1960s/original] Black Panther Party [BPP] Archives
From the article: REVOLUTIONARY HEROES
"On May 1st, May Day [1969], the day of the gigantic Free Huey rally, two of Alioto's top executioners vamped on the brothers from the Brown Community who were attending to their own affairs. These brothers, who are endowed with the revolutionary spirit of the Black Panther Party defended themselves from the racist pig gestapo.
Pig Joseph Brodnik received his just reward with a big hole in the chest. Pig Paul McGoran got his in the mouth which was not quite enough to off him.
The revolutionary brothers escaped the huge swarm of pigs with dogs, mace, tanks and helicopters, proving once again that "the spirit of the people is greater than the man's technology."
To these brothers the revolutionary people of racist America want to say, by your revolutionary deed you are heroes, and that you are always welcome to our camp."
Source: Maoist Internationist Movement
Article: REVOLUTIONARY HEROS (May 11, 1969):
http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/bpp/index.html
Genson (Blago’s mob lawyer) knows Chicago. They are working on reasonable doubt and jury nullification. Burris said he hadn’t spoken to Blago until 48 hours ago. This is probably true. This means that Burris isn’t on any of the tapes.
Reasonable doubt: “I may have mentioned something that sounded like “pay for play”, but when I acted, I acted in the best interest of Illinois by appointing someone with no quid pro quo involved. There is no thought crime in my America!
Jury nullification: They will seek a Chicago venue with minority jury members and go for the idea that if you convict Blago, you eliminate Burris, the first African-American elected nationwide!
This is great.
They can legitimize Blago by respecting his pick or they can anger blacks by refusing to seat a black man in the “black seat”.
Who knew I would ever see a statement like that describing a Democrat on this site. Why do you think he's such a good pick?
Just love it when the Rats get all twisted up in their underwear! Hope it lasts for a few more weeks (months)!
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