Blagojevich Appoints Burris to Obama's Seat

The media received a belated Christmas present yesterday when beleaguered Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the US Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama. The move has thrown Illinois politics into a state of general chaos. Although the governor is legally able to do this and although Mr. Burris is a well-respected and capable man, this appointment will not go through.

Mr. Blagojevich is under political assault for having tried to “sell” the seat in exchange for campaign contributions. He is also under federal investigation on a number of other matters. He had promised not to make any appointment, but when the Democratically controlled state legislature opted not to pass a bill calling for a special election, he decided he could break his word.

The choice of Mr. Burris is a cynical and calculating one. He was the first African-American to hold elective statewide office in Illinois when he won the office of state comptroller in 1978. Thus, the Obama seat “stays black.” And thus, racial politics arises at a time when the new president has vowed to make America post-racial.

Shortly after the appointment was announced, Lieutenant Governor Patrick Quinn held a press conference in which he demanded Mr. Blagojevich resign or the legislature impeach and convict him. He maintains, as do a great many others in Illinois politics, that any appointment the sitting governor makes is tainted because of the allegations swirling around him.

Although legally the appointment is a done deal, at least one of two factors will prevent Mr. Burris from sitting in the US Senate. First, the Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White, has said, “I am not a rubber stamp. I am not buying into whatever the governor is doing. I will not participate in anything the governor does.” Whereas the US Secretary of State is the American foreign minister at the state level, the position has the duty of managing all official documents, running and certifying elections and handling all of the state's paperwork. If Mr. White chooses not to certify the appointment, the only recourse Messrs. Blagojevich and Burris would have is a legal appeal. By the time the case is heard and completely litigated, the state legislature may well have removed Mr. Blagojevich and passed legislation invalidating the appointment.

Even if that doesn't happen, the US Senate is under no obligation to seat Mr. Burris. The Senate has done this to only 4 individuals in American history, other than in cases where the election's results were unclear. Jonathan Allen of CQPolitics.com noted, “In 1926, Frank L. Smith of Illinois was rejected on the basis of allegations of corrupt campaign practices.” Something about Illinois.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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