Roland Burris is a disagreeable mediocrity as a politician.
Voters have rightly rejected him numerous times in his bids for higher office—governor, U.S. senator, mayor of Chicago—because he’s at least six parts ego to one part performance, a charmless, presumptuous irritant on the stump and at the debate lectern.
And they will reject him again, assuming, as I do, that his appointment to the U.S. Senate this week sticks and that he runs as an incumbent when the seat is open again in 2010.
The only quibble I have with Eric in the column is that Burris may well run for reelection in 2010 if he’s successful in taking the seat, but he won’t get past the primary.
My fear is that he may win a primary against divided opposition. Or if he loses it to a white candidate, there may be so much bitterness in the African American community that whoever wins the primary may not be able to win the seat in November.
David,
What makes you think his support is so universal in the African American community (that Burris’ defeat would doom any Democratic Senate candidate)?
I don’t think Burris himself is that universally popular in the African American community, but the idea of keeping at least one African American in the Senate may be.