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TechnoratiBlagojevich Names Roland Burris as Replacement for Barack Obama in Illinois Senate Seat
Democratic anger and embarassment in the debacle over Barack Obama's vacant US Senate seat deepened tonight as the disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich named Roland Burris, a 71-year-old former Illinois attorney-general, to replace Obama.
![[Former Illinois attorney general Roland W Burris. (Photograph: AFP/Getty)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/burris_1230.jpg "burris_1230.jpg")
The
extraordinary move at a press conference tonight will amount to the
biggest demonstration of contempt so far by Blagojevich for his own
party and public opinion.
Democratic leaders in the US Senate said they will not allow anyone appointed by Blagojevich to take the vacant seat.
Blagojevich, as governor, is legally entitled to make the appointment. But anyone appointed by him will be automatically tainted.
At the press conference, he said he was "required" to make the appointment, otherwise Illinois would be deprived of a voice in the US Senate.
He described Burris as having unquestioned integrity and extensive experience. He pleaded for Burris's appointment to be treated separately from the scandal.
"Do not allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man," Blagojevich said.
Burris tried to distance himself from the scandal: "I have no reslationship with the situation."
But the press conference was undercut when it emerged that Burris and the legal company he works for had donated $14,000 (£9,700) to Blagojevich's election campaign.
Burris said he had not realised it was that much: "I will have to check the records."
Blagojevich was arrested earlier this month after federal investigators, in a wiretap, was allegedly heard trying to trade Obama's seat for a political favour such as a post in his cabinet or an ambassadorship.
Although Blagojevich is to fight the charges, Democratic and Republican legislators in Illinois have already begun impeachment proceedings to force him out of office.
A recent opinion poll showed 84% of the Illinois public wanted him to resign.
The row is casting a shadow over Obama's inauguration on January 20. The electorate, tired of the Republicans after almost eight years of President Bush, voted not only for Obama as president but for Democrats in the House and Senate. But the publicity about the murky world of Chicago politics from which Obama emerged is damaging both him and the party, and there is no end in sight.
An aide to Obama said he was surprised by Blagojevich's move.
After Blagojevich was charged, the Democratic party discussed whether the appointment should be made by someone other than Blagojevich or whether a special election should be held.
Burris was the first African-American to win a state-wide election in Illinois and to become the first African-American attorney-general in the state. But he lost a series of Democratic primary contests, though he stresses he has not lost to a Republican. He failed in bids for the governor's post in 1994, 1998 and 2002.
Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the US Senate, and all the other Democrats signed a letter after Blagojevich's arrest saying they would not allow anyone appointed by the governor to take up the seat.
A spokesman for Reid tonight said such an appointment would be "unacceptable".
Blagojevich may be trying to show he is still in charge or be intent on making a nuisance of himself to force the party into make a deal with him.
The move is a surprise because his lawyer, Edward Genson, said a fortnight ago he would not attempt to make an appointment given that the Democratic leaders in the Senate had said they would not accept such an appointment.
Obama's team was in contact with Blagojevich about who would fill the seat, in particular whether the post should go to his friend, Val Jarrett, who dropped out of contention after being named as a senior White House adviser. An internal report by Obama's team published last week found there had been no offer of a quid pro quo between his team and Blagojevich.
Several other Senate seats are up for grabs following Obama's appointment of senators to his cabinet.
The battle for Hillary Clinton's vacant US Senate seat has also created embarrassment for the Democrats after a series of lacklustre interviews with one of the favourites, Caroline Kennedy.
Kennedy's stumbling performance has been widely viewed on YouTube while a transcript of a weekend interview with the New York Times revealed she used the phrase 'you know' 144 times.
20 Comments so far
Show AllHornblower: NotOneMore you are spot on. While the premise that you're 'INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY' is viewed as nothing more than a ruse by anyone who has represented a criminal defendant in this country, this is especially true in the Federal system. Let's not forget that Blago has not even been indicted. Moreover, if one carefully reads the 79 page 'complaint,' there really is nothing put forth that is sufficent to sustain a conviction. Blago also gave the idiot members of the Illinois legislature the opportunity to come up with an alternative approach to fill the EMPTY senate seat! They did nothing. Blago is the governor and has not only the power but the duty to fill the EMPTY seat in order to provide the citizens of Illinois and this nation with proper representation. Finally, the boneheaded democrats are bending over to allow Fitzgerald to cause them harm. Now all of them from Obama on down are going to look like complete fools when Burris, an upstanding public servant, and the now only Black Senator, has to be seated by the Supreme Court. I agree the whole thing is like a sci fi movie with a bad plot. Meanwhile the country and world are going to hell in a bucket, but at least we're enjoying the ride. Or are we?
the governor is not sane
It's not Blagojevich himself but the hysteria that has developed around him that will cause any political damage regarding the pick to replace Barack Obama. All Blagojevich has done with his pick of Burris is his duty as Governor, which is what he is the last I checked.
Its as if the wiretaps of Blagojevich' wild and reckless but hypothetical conversations were the last straw needed to throw everyone in Illinois into total hysteria after the economic collapse and all the other Bush-caused fiascos. The whole thing is like the plot from a bizarre, loopy science fiction movie where an alien presence has caused everyone to take leave of their senses.
Blagojevich is not even indicted yet; he is simply under investigation. Can't anyone in Illinois take a few deep breaths and realize that whatever Blagojevich did, and we don't even know what he actually did yet, that it would be a relatively normal political activity, although maybe more normal outside the US than in it?. Why did so many people in Illinois have to go berserk over the wiretapped calls, including Lieutenant Governor Patrick Quinn, who himself appeared to be half mad during his news conference after the Burris pick? Why did so many possibilities other than Burris refuse to be appointed by the embattled Governor?
Why is the US Senate setting itself up to be embarrassed, by claiming they will stop Burris when it is unclear the courts will let them do that, and/or when the only way they may be able to do it is to vote out the only African American in the US Senate? Why did everyone in Washington forget that the Senate has never been allowed by the federal courts to simply not seat a fully qualified new Senator? Does Harry Reid always have to be on the silly or losing side of every confrontation the Senate ever has? Why is Barack Obama very possibility setting himself up for a fall on this?
When the Blagojevich hysteria and fiasco finally winds down, the Republicans are going to be the huge winners here, due to that circular firing squad the Democrats so often get into. Remember, as Naomi Klein realized, whenever there is disaster or hysteria afoot, the right wing Republicans will be found lurking in the corner licking their chops. Therefore, is this whole twisted movie in real life a parting gift from Karl Rove or the like, who may be the one who set in motion a chain of events that resulted in Blagojevich' strange and hysteria-causing conversations to be recorded?
Everyone: please calm down, take a few deep breaths, and stop listening to so many wiretaps of crazy phone calls.
It's funny that a day later when Blagojevich stands up to the thuggish Bank of America, that he is being prosecuted for alleged wrong doing. Would Fitzgerald have given his little press conference had Gov. Blagojevich let the B of A get away with their criminality? Who's really paying for this prosecution? Is Fitzgerald doing the B of A's bidding? There needs to be disclosure. BTW innocent until proven guilty!!!
Blagojevich is a criminal, he dared to stand up to Bank of America, even if it was for a moment! And Bank of America is an up standing drug laundering entity that has just pocketed over $25,000,000,000 of tax pay money, so maybe they should be the ones to choose the person to fill Illinois's senate seat (and Bank of America helps fund war all over the planet, just like all banks). Fairs fair.
Don't conflate some good deeds with a pattern of wrong doing. Former IL Governor Ryan put a moritririum on all daath sentences (he claimed anyway) because of his comcern over the poor record of veracity in such prosecutions and before he left office (to be fitted with his very own dayglow orange jumpsuit for the prison term he would serve for corruption convictions)he commuted a whole bunch of death xentences to the consternation of prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, and victim's families and loved ones and the delight of anti death penalty activists.
Sincere people thought he finally "got religion" and cynics thought he was trying to keep from having to become someone's bitch to survive his prison sentence.
Poet
It's a shame that a respectable and decent public servant has allowed Blago to drag him into the sewer with himself.
Alex
Upon further thought I have come to the conclusion that by far the most egregious blunder in Blago-Gate was made by......Patrick Fitzgerald! He could have waited until Blago had appointed a US Senator from Illinois. If that person or someone for him/her had "bought" the seat Fitzgerald would have known. He would have had an iron clad case against Blago and the U.S. Senate would have had an iron-clad case to refuse seating this person. If no "payment" had been made the appointee would be legal and seated.
I find it unbelievable that the Senate would even consider spending a microsecond on voting Burris "out" at a time when a tanking economy needs every second of their attention.
It is also retching that TV people like Rachel Maddox and Anderson suggest Burris is "guilty by association" because of his contributions to the election campaign of Blago. I hope that Burriss made contributions to Obama's campaign. Then Obama is linked to Burriss who is linked to Blago, ergo Obama is linked to Blago.
poet said "the secretary of state has no choice but to certify the appointment." what is your source?
for peace and sustainability
Jim Thompson, former Governor and Atty. General for IL--(listen to the interview with Robert Siegel on All Things Considered which you can retrieve from the NPR archive for today's show).
If Secy of State refuses it should be a slam dunk case for the IL supreme court to override the decision according to Jimbo--(who despite being a Republican was one of the very few recent IL governors not convicted of corruption of some sort or another and who as Atty. Gen prosecuted corruption cases in IL.)
Poet
thanks, poet.
for peace and sustainability
illinois secretary of state jesse white said he would not certify a blagojevich appointment to fill the vacant senate seat.
http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/36889899.html
why do the media continue to hype a controversy about this?
for peace and sustainability
Common Dreamers the Democratic Party is starting to sound like the Bush Adminstration foreign policy towards those Palestinians who legally and democratically elected Hamas to run their government. Fret, grumble, and seethe all you want over Blago's actions snd Roland Burns willingness to accept the appointment to Obama's Senate seat, but:
Blago is still governor
As such he has the power to appoint a replacement for Obama in the Senate
The Secretary of State has no choice but to certify the appointment and
The Senate is compelled to accept the appointment of Obama's replacement.
Blago is not the problem, Roland Burns is not the problem, the problem is the power of Governor's to appoint replacement Senators for those whose terms are not expired and can no longer serve in the Senate. It is past time such royalist nonsense is replaced by direct election of replacement Senators.
Poet
Problem there is that elections ain't cheap, and state governments everywhere are strapped for cash.
Online elections would be very cheap and could be made much safer than today's elections.
ezeflyer I know your heart's in the right place, but electronic voting at this point in time is where we have had the most fertile field for corruption and fraud. Read Professor Mark Crispin-Miller's articles and book as well as the writings of Bob Fitzrakis and Harvey Wasserman for the gruesome details.
Poet
The solution to that dilemma is to require that the electorate elect a potential resplacement during the general election. In other words, this past November, there should have been contests for the Senate seats of McCain, Obama, and Biden in the even they won their election to an alternate office. Should that not happen, the replacement election would be null and void. No extra expense and democracy would reign instead of royalist privilige.
Poet
This is all kind of funny to me. And I'm looking forward to seeing that prick Harry Reid being put into the position of refusing to seat the Senate's only African-American. And Reid's all the sudden worried about ethics? After he backed Pelosi in taking Impeachment of the Bush junta off the table?
That's rich...
This could have been expected when the Illinois House started impeachment procedures before Blago had been either convicted or acquitted of a crime.
Someone called Blago "confused". He is not of course. He is daring the US Senate to refuse seating a black man whose only "misdeed" seems to have been that he gave money to Blago's election campaign. Wait for the announcement that he also gave money to Obama's campaign. Should Obama resign then?
Impeach a petty liar, but not a liar like Bush who murders, maims, and is destroying the social, environmental, and economic structure of this country.
I don't find any hypocrisy in that. Why should someone care about billions being stolen when we can focus all our attention on the thousands being stolen.
When Obama supports the removal of Blagojevich but is quiet about Bush, there is something seriously amiss.
WAKE UP. Oh wait, it may already be too late. We are destroying our environment, we are allowing billions of our tax dollars (public money) to be handed over to the very people who lost billions and billions of dollars, and there is no war that we won't support (so lets ignore the Gaza tragedy).
Life is good, if you are dumb, blind and deaf.
www.NotOneMore.US