Arkansas Blog

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has a day of reckoning coming. Until then the sob acts like a law unto him self. We're just finishing with two of those in the Wht House. Enough is enough.

I saw no mention in the NYT article of Pryor's or Ms Blanche's votes.

ROLAND BURRIS ALMOST CERTAIN TO BE SEATED LEGAL EXPERTS SAY...Now who these "experts" are and how much "expertise" they have is the question. Turns out the article only cites one unnamed "experts". Clik my name to see the article.

Any constitutional scholars out there willing to offer an opinion?

I heard on MSNBC last night that the courts are likely to support the seating of Burris if it's taken into the court. Apparently Blogo doesn't lose his ability to appoint unless and until he is convicted or evicted.

I don't remember other similar incidents, whatever they were, so I don't know......

Well, I'm not a constitutional scholar, but a few points to keep in mind:

(1) There is a requirement in the U.S. Senate rules (I believe that is where it is) that the governor's appointment must be certified by the state's Secretary of State. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (an African-American) has said as recently as yesterday afternoon that he will not certify. Maybe that goes to court.

(2) The Clayton case that people talk about where the U.S. Supreme Court required the seating of a member of Congress because he met the constitutional requirements for office, even though there some criminal issues, was one where the issue was the person's qualifications. Here, we would not be talking about Roland Burris' qualifications, but rather than the process by which he was appointed. It may still be a losing argument, but the case is distinguishable on its facts.

(3) Back in 74, there was an election for Congress in a northeastern state that was too close to call and the state told the Congress to decide. It's possible that if the Illinois impeachment process were to speed up that you might have now Lt. Gov. (soon-to-becom Gov.) Pat Quinn making his own appointment before Burris seated, and the Senate picks between the two.

(4) Just as an aside, Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush's attempt to make this a racial issue are reprehensible. On the day Blagojevich was indicted, Rush said he definitely should not make the appointment. And back when Obama was running for U.S. Senate, Rush supported one of his "white" rivals. Apparently, Bobby wasn't so concerned about African-American representation in the Senate back then.

(5) Unfortunatetly, because the ionvolvement with his former Senate seat, this item is going to consume wqay too much news time that ought to be spent instead on getting out the good work of the Obama administration beginning in about three weeks.

They tried it with Adam Clayton Powell. Didn't work.

Ah, politics. Blagojevich is still governor and will be until he is tossed out on his ear by impeachment(which will take time) or resigns (not likely unless he can get major Brownie legal points from it).
So you hold hostage this Senate seat until Lake Michigan freezes over from Chicago to Mackinaw City? (Hint to non-geography/climate buffs: that hasn't happened since the last ice sheets retreated to northern Canada.)
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Let's just hope Burris is not dripping political mud. Another small and ageist point: the man is 71 years old. True, he easily could be around another 25 years, but I doubt it. And even if he is, if that's the person Illinois voters want to represent them, that's their business.
Incidently, even senators who themselves truly run afoul of our legal system are generally treated to the "Hail fellow, well met" standard until they are led away in shackles. Even then, it takes a 2/3 vote of the Senate to oust them. Most recently the senators were relieved of that onerous duty by Ted Stevens' defeat in the Alaska polls.
Get real, Miz Blanche and Mark the Second.

Boy oh boy, The Ill state folks sure screwed this up when they declined not to do their duty and impeach Blago a couple of week ago.

The country needs as many genuine D senators in their seats as humanly possible by Jan 20, at the latest. Though Blago should not have been left in a seat to do this, he was and he did.. He selected a man who has been elected by the entire state four times.

I don't know his record and I don't like how this happened at all. It reminds me of the way Republicans play government.

But he's won four state wide elections... The People have also had their say about this man. he should take the seat now with a pledge not to run for it again... and get to work. That goes for the sitting D senators in DC as well.

"They tried it with Adam Clayton Powell. Didn't work."

Not a historian and could be wrong, but it seems as though the House did vote to expel Powell. A year or two later, members voted to reinstate him, but Powell decided against being reseated. Thus began the era of Rangel.