UPDATE (January 6th): Roland Burris denied entry to the U.S. Senate, considers lawsuit
Whew. George Wallace is still deceased.
But I couldn’t come up with any other explanation for why leading Democrats in the U.S. Senate are planning to physically block Illinois Senator-designate Roland Burris from entering the Senate chamber if he shows up to work on Tuesday:
Burris will not be allowed on the Senate floor, according to this aide and a Senate Democratic leadership aide.
The aide familiar with Senate Democratic leaders’ plans said if Burris tries to enter the Senate chamber, the Senate doorkeeper will stop Burris. If Burris were to persist, either trying to force his way onto the Senate floor or refusing to leave and causing a scene, U.S. Capitol Police would stop him, said the aide.
“They (police) probably won’t arrest him” but they would call the sergeant-at-arms,” the aide said.
Burris is a black man. If he’s seated in the Senate, he’ll be the only African-American there. Does Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (pictured above) really want to go there?
Yes, I know Rod Blagojevich is a sleazeball. But he’s also legally the Governor of Illinois. It’s his job to appoint someone to take Barack Obama’s place in the Senate. And nobody with any juice in Illinois seems ready to take that power away from him.
Which leaves us with Senate Democrats looking very much like George Wallace, standing at a University of Alabama schoolhouse door, barring the way for the first black students to attend the de-segregated “white” school.
Just a few months after rallying “people of color” to the causes of Hope and Change, maybe this isn’t the most intellectually consistent thing for Democrats to be doing. I’m just saying.
p.s. George Wallace was also a Democrat. I had forgotten until just now.
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Can I just say it sucks to live in Illinois right now? Pasta, is there room in Indiana for us?
Oh don’t be daft! He’s not being seated because anyone picked by Blagojevich is automatically going to have a cloud of suspicion around them. I think they’ve made the right choice, and I also think, as a black person, that it’s absolutely nothing to do with race. Your comparison to desegregation is really an insult, IMO. You are really searching this morning, aren’t you?
Reid is no Wallace — Burris is not a very good choice:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-burris-profile-31-dec31,0,348552.story
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156384/posts
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/early/archive/early022698.htm
http://www.propublica.org/article/in-90s-burris-sought-death-penalty-for-innocent-man-1231
I don’t think this is about Burris. He’s no more corrupt than half the other Senators. Ted Kennedy? Ted Stevens? Please…
The Democratic Party is all about race politics. We all know that. Why stop now?
Here’s a picture of the main guy whose against the appointment of Burris.
http://tuohylawoffices.com/images/testimonial/jesseWhite.jpg
He’s the secretary of state. I’m gonna say he’s not exactly up for Imperial Dragon Exalted Cyclops or whatever of the Klan. There’s a black president now. All charges of racism now fall on my deafened ears.
It’s always about race with the Dems until it is inconvenient. This post is spot on. Harry Wallace Reid and his bunch are choosing to block this Senator on no specific grounds other than pride and ego.
If they wouldn’t have shot their mouth off prior to the pick, they wouldn’t be in this mess, and if they wouldn’t race-bait at every opportunity, then posts like this wouldn’t sting so badly.
Let’s be honest…If the Republican’s were doing this same move it WOULD be all about race. And it wouldn’t be just an article @ Deceiver.com, it would be non-stop, 24 hours a day on all the major news networks.
That is the Hypocracy I see here…
MY CHANCES AT BRIEF INTERNET FAME ARE OVER!!!
A curiously effective animated graphic.
Excellent strategic move by Blagoevich. Legally I don’t see any reason Blago would not be allowed to name a sucessor, but I do have a problem with the Governor’s of Illinois and New York naming replacements of the identical demographic.
If being a Woman isn’t Hillary Clinton’s most important qualification, why appoint a woman with no relevant experience/qualifications (Kennedy) to replace her?
If being Black isn’t Obama’s most important qualification, why are all three of Blago’s potential candidates (Jarrett, JJackson Jr, and Burris) all black?
If being Black ins’t Obama’s most important qualification, why are all four of Obama’s preferred candidates black?
If a white person had said “Make sure the replacement is white”, or a gay person had said “Make sure the replacement is gay”, or a Jew said “Make sure the replacement is Jewish”, the general public would be up in arms.
Its just completely inconsistent with the public election concept of picking the best person for the job.
*Person of the year by PETA….
That error might explain why I wasn’t chosen in the deceiver elite
And besides that, Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush basically said that if they didn’t support him, they were racist. Google that one. So We have Democrats using the well worn race card in their pocket against Democrats now! This is great entertainment and I can just sit back and watch.
In fact, Rush begged them not to “Lynch” the guy before he even got there. Who is playing the race card Iaa? lol
“A day after making racially charged remarks warning critics of Roland Burris’s appointment to the U.S. Senate to “not hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate”, Bobby Rush…”
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/bobby-rush-to-critics-take-a-chill-pill.html
LOL! So who stole who’s Idea?!!? lol
“As for Bobby Rush, in his interview this morning, he harkened to the days of segregation and the civil rights battles in Little Rock, Ark., and in Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s in warning the U.S. Senate Democratic majority shouldn’t try to block Burris.
“You know, the recent history of our nation has shown us that sometimes there could be individuals and there could be situations where schoolchildren — where you have officials standing in the doorway of schoolchildren,” Rush said. “You know, I’m talking about all of us back in 1957 in Little Rock, Ark. I’m talking about George Wallace, Bull Connor and I’m sure that the U.S. Senate don’t want to see themselves placed in the same position.”
Affimative Action, it’s not just for the private sector any longer, now we have to have a certain quota of races in all forms of government? Next we have to have the right amout of women and then we have to have the balance of sexual affiliations. Don’t forget ethinic quota’s as well.
Yep a perfect way to run a government, I see nothing but sunshine and lollipops for everyone in the next 4 years.
Blago is like the best politican ever. Crazy as hell and playing the system like Stradivarius.
Play Nero, play. Marshmallows anyone?
Fortunate Son’s right…why do the replacements have to share the same race and gender as their predecessors?
Hey guys, it looks like Burris is more than just a conveniant pawn.
Roland is really a great guy. Quite the trailblazer. A very humble man.
If you don’t believe me, just ask him…
http://flickr.com/photos/96929438@N00/196788746/sizes/o/
LOL Minnow. Play away indeed.
I don’t see a classic race issue here…but I do see a genius RACE BAITING play.Blagoevich just went crazy like a fox on this one.Douche.
God, I love the smell of politics in the morning (or afternoon in this case). This stuff is way better than any movie or tv show on now. And, I want to here what’s on those tapes and who Blago names. I’m sure some Dems and probably a couple Repubs are going to be shaking in their boots.
Direct from the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution. The law of the land. As far as I know, the Governor of Illinois has the power to appoint a person to the Senate. Where is the law that says the Senate can refuse a Senator? This is unseemly. Give the Dems control of Congress and this is the type of garbage you get.
Hello morons, the country is tailspinning with bad jobs numbers, bad sales numbers, bankruptcies, bailouts, bridge loans and this, keeping a Senator off the floor, is what’s important? The legislative branch should be so knee and elbow deep in trying to do something about the national economy that they couldn’t care less about what the state of Illinois is doing. Then again, maybe it’s good they’re focusing on this. I mean, them focusing on the economy didn’t prevent any of this and may make it worse.
On second thought, go on members of Congress, stand arm in arm around the Capitol Building and keep the Senator out! Just make sure you don’t go inside and do any work.
That’s the wonderful beauty of this Rocko.
What Blago did was perfectly legal and Reid is without any precident for denying Burris his seat.
Underneath that gorgeous head of hair lies a criminal mastermind.
Adding to the fantabulousness is that IL democrats had a chance to legally block a possible appointment. They could have ordered a special election for the seat but Dem leadership decided at the last moment against it. They were afraid a special election held under the current conditions would favor a Republican candidate. So they asked Blaggie-boy to pinky promise not to nominate anyone, then they were fool enough to believe him!
Best of all, Blagojevich can use this appointment as proof that he is perfectly capable of carrying out his gubernatorial duties. Another point in his his defense against impeachment.
This is like playing a seven letter Q word, using both Z’s and a X over a triple word score space.
It’s pure, unadulterated genius.
What will likely happen is that the Senate will seat the appointee and then immediately expel Burris. Expulsion requires a 2/3 majority, but it is hard to imagine that 34 senators would support Burris.
While Congress is hesitant to overturn the will of the people, appointments by scandal-plagued governors are a whole different kettle of fish.
If it goes to the Supreme Court it is also possible that whatever the court rules, the Senate could just refuse to seat the appointee saying basically it is the Senate, not the Supreme Court, that has the final word on seating senators.
That the race card is being played in this matter is disgusting, pathetic and irresponsible. It smacks of the same attempt of undue influence allegededly carried out by Blagojevich.
I love the usage of Nero, Minnow. That was awesome.
Oh come on, this has nothing to do with race or with right wing/left wing bickering. It’s all a matter of blood in the water. Politicians and all stripes are always happy when another politician gets skewered because it takes the spotlight off of them and gives them a chance to puff up their chests and proclaim their character. Burris is actually a good choice since A) he’s black B) he’s retired and has nothing to gain from the seat other than the paycheck and C) he’s old as hell so he’ll only be there until the next election. Now that everyone has piled on the Blago hate-wagon they can’t step back and admit that the douchebag actually made a good call. Now they’ll fight him when he’s merely performing his mandatory duties as outlined by the Illinois Constitutions.
Au contraire, mon ami…
Keep thinking race has nothing to do with it all you like but it does.
It doesn’t matter to me if the person who gets the seat is purple or hot pink but it matters to the players in this drama inasmuch as they can use to cast about for leverage in their self-aggrandizement with the issue of race. And on that note, contrary to what Rep. Rush thinks, no one has a ‘right’ to a political office no matter what their race or ethnic background.
Burris will be blocked by the Senate Democrats and if Blagojevich tried to appoint himself or his wife, they will be blocked, as well.
These folks’ petty hubris is going to help clog the works of our republic but good.
So much for ‘change’.
Capitol City Guy:
and 2 sentences later
Hmm…
So Burris is qualified because he’s a black guy with a bucket list?
That is so funny, because just the other day some black guy was telling me that race didn’t matter anymore!
OMG, Minnow, as soon as I heard Blago had appointed Burris I turned to my husband and said, “Wow, he sure can work the system, can’t he?” with grudging admiration.
But I like your Nero/Stradivarius analogy better.
Could you imagine if it were Republicans who were blocking Burris? The Pelosi-Reid Congress, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the race-baiters would be crying “racism!”