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Put Down Your Nanowrimo And Leave The House
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It's the morning after and we're still somewhat shocked at the chutzpah of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. With all the protest from Congressional Democrats, will Roland Burris ever be seated as a U.S. Senator? As we pointed out yesterday, officials across the spectrum are chiming in to denounce the appointment, including President-Elect Barack Obama, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. So what happens next?
White has already said he'll refuse to approve the appointment:
He's a gentleman of impeccable credentials...However, I'm standing by my previous statement that I will not certify any recommendation coming from the governor's office...I'm not a rubber stamp. I'm also the keeper of the seal of the State of Illinois.According to CBS 2, Burris could force a vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
What's most likely to occur in the Senate is a vote to halt Burris' seating "pending the outcome of an investigation into the propriety of his appointment" by the Senate Rules Committee. That investigation will likely have a 60-day period limit.This would give the Senate time to wait out Blago's impeachment, something state leaders, including Lt. Gov. Pat "The Mighty" Quinn, have promised will happen by mid-February. If thing shake out in that manner, then that would allow the Senate to nullify the Burris pick and allow then-appointed Gov. Quinn to make a selection, who would be immediately sworn in. However, if Blago is the fighting man he claims to be, he could bust out the lawsuit stick and we could have a battle that could go all the way to the Supreme Court. This seems unlikely at this juncture, but it's still a possibility.
While Burris's appointment has many in the state shaking their heads and asking, "What was he thinking?" Lynn Sweet reports that U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who has been mentioned as a potential fill-in before, was offered the seat last week, but turned it down. He told Lynn, "I indicated I came to the conclusion there was too much discomfort on my part and the part of my family...It would be difficult to generate the trust level people would have to have in me. I just decided there was too much turmoil, too much disagreement. It was something I wanted to do, but I said I would not take an appointment from the governor."
Something else that Davis told Sweet caught our attention: he expressed disagreement with Rep. Bobby Rush's claim that the new Senator needs to be black.
I always said that I don't think it is a seat that belongs to anybody...The person should be who can best unify the state and bring back a sense of integrity and trust...The seat does not belong to any race or any ethnic group or any category of individual. It belongs to the voters.For once, we couldn't agree more with Davis.
Photo of Blago & Burris - AP Photo/M. Spencer Green
Photo of Rep. Davis from his website
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Uh, that seat belongs to the Governor in situations like this. It won't belong to the voters again until 2010.
"However, if Blago is the fighting man he claims to be..."
How much evidence do you need? If there's a way Blagojevich can force this to the Supreme Court, that's exactly what he'll do. Personally, I think it more likely the U.S. Senate will back down and seat Burris.
Personally, I think it more likely the U.S. Senate will back down and seat Burris.
Agreed. That's what I said earlier. They may just throw up their hands and say fuck it, it's only a couple of years and let Burris say. But if that happens, they will definitely put the hammer down on Blago. The next time you see him that mop of hair will be gray.
Exactly who did you quote here?:
"He's a gentleman of impeccable credentials...However, I'm standing by my previous statement that I will not certify any recommendation coming from the governor's office...I'm not a rubber stamp. I'm also the keeper of the seal of the State of Illinois."
I know it's a quote from the format, the indent & vertical line.
This is a problem with the new format, you're quoting other sites & publications, but not stating where it's from.
It was a quote by White. Apologies, I'll restructure the paragraph so that's more clear.
Danny K Davis, eh? That certainly provides more evidence that Blago is just playing the race card. I haven't generally found much to agree with him on, but he was right not to accept the appointment.
I agree that the Senate will back down. Reid is all bark and no bite. He always backs down. The man really has no spine. The only legal grounds I could see for them not seating Burris (IANAL) is if Jesse White follows through on his promise to not certify the appooinment. This would most likely force Blago and Burris to go to court to force White to certify it. If White caves, so will Reid & Co.