Enabling
Mark Brown writes a somewhat bitter and spot on column about Burris.
Congratulations to everyone who stood up for the right of our crooked governor to pick the person who will represent the people of Illinois in the U.S. Senate.
It appears they will be victorious and that Roland Burris in short order will realize his long held dream to join the exclusive club of 100.
The other members of the club have lost their backbone and are preparing to sell the voters of this state down the Illinois River. They seem to have come to the conclusion that this whole stinky business –much like the polluted waterway — is a mess of our own making.
They may have a point, gutless as they are for abandoning us in our hour of need, the president-elect included.
Still, what a grand triumph for democracy and the rule of law.
It’s not every day that a man facing federal criminal charges of attempting to sell a Senate seat — and any other decision that would fetch a big campaign donation — is allowed the opportunity to make the appointment anyhow.
January 8th, 2009 at
Look: I despise Blagojevich,and this appointment was wrong, but I will not be lectured to by journalists about the need to follow the law. After all these are the people who refuse to disclose confidential sources, even when those sources are liars and spreading lies for political gain.
There was a problem here from the day Balgojevich was arrested and many saw what was happening. But the law did not leave us with any other option. Five minutes after the news came out that Burris would be picked many of us knew there was nothing to do to prevent it.
Maybe if journalists had questioned those politicians who thumped their chest and said “he will not be seated” and asked what the legal basis for preventing that was people would not have been led to believe that the appointment could be prevented.
“We have met the enemy and he is us.” This appointment is the child of many Illinois politicians and members of the media. To attempt to blame just a few is typical of the media, they do it that way because it is easy and they can get away with it.
January 8th, 2009 at
I’m with Stuart.
Blago: bad guy. Probably be impeached. Probably be indicted. Probably go to prison.
But he is the governor until such time as he is not. And Illinois law gives the governor prerogative to name a replacement senator.
All we had to keep us from a senator appointed by Blagojevich was the man’s own good will and/or a candidate with enough sense and humility to decline…and well, with Blagojevich and Burris…you know how that goes.