Well, I'll give Roland Burris this much: I wouldn't listen to Dick Durbin either.
"I told him that under the circumstances, I would resign," fellow Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Burris. " He said, 'I'm not going to resign.'" "I can't force him," Durbin added. AP Story.
Why would Durbin even say this if he didn't know if Burris would listen to him? Does he think that after all this, calling on Burris to resign is going to exculpate his responsibility for this debacle, which is second only to the Illinois General Assembly for not taking the appointment power away from former Governor Blagojevich months ago?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Is Roland Burris a Liar, Or Just a Victim of a Bad PR Plan?
This morning Politico has an article up that seems to paint Roland Burris as a victim of his own mismanaged PR strategy, not a liar who is trying desperately to parse words to hide the fact that he was not forthcoming as to the extent of his contacts and involvement with disgraced former Governor Blagojevich before he was admitted into the U.S. Senate.
You decide- is Burris just another career lying Chicago politician that has now been abandoned by all of the other career lying Chicago politicians, or just a sad old man who didn't have enough time to put together an effective PR team to deal with all of the purely circumstantial issues that snowballed into the political nightmare we are all watching?
MEANWHILE... Over at Illinois Review, they are pushing Peter Roskam for consideration as the best GOP candidate should Burris resign now, or live to fight it out in 2010. As we've said before here, we like Roskam, we just think Mark Kirk would have more appeal statewide. Some point to the failed candidacies of Judy Baar Topinka, Christine Radogno and Dr. Steve Sauerberg as proof that a moderate GOP candidate can't win statewide. We suggest that it's not the issue of moderate or conservative so much as simply having the right candidate.
Let's hope that however this plays out, that the GOP comes away stronger from the process of determining a candidate, rather than weaker.
You decide- is Burris just another career lying Chicago politician that has now been abandoned by all of the other career lying Chicago politicians, or just a sad old man who didn't have enough time to put together an effective PR team to deal with all of the purely circumstantial issues that snowballed into the political nightmare we are all watching?
MEANWHILE... Over at Illinois Review, they are pushing Peter Roskam for consideration as the best GOP candidate should Burris resign now, or live to fight it out in 2010. As we've said before here, we like Roskam, we just think Mark Kirk would have more appeal statewide. Some point to the failed candidacies of Judy Baar Topinka, Christine Radogno and Dr. Steve Sauerberg as proof that a moderate GOP candidate can't win statewide. We suggest that it's not the issue of moderate or conservative so much as simply having the right candidate.
Let's hope that however this plays out, that the GOP comes away stronger from the process of determining a candidate, rather than weaker.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Dems Resist GOP Call for Special Election; Can We Not Afford Democracy? (UPDATED: Quinn Supports a Special)
UPDATED: Governor Pat Quinn said at a press conference this morning that Burris should resign and a permanent successor to fill the remained of the term should be chosen by a special election.
Original Post: Have you had enough yet? Between the Tribune, Sun-Times, Washington Post and other major media sources, plus politicians on both sides of the aisle (many more Republicans than Democrats, as you might expect) calling for the resignation of Senator Roland Burris, in the wake of the Blago arrest and impeachment, you would think the Democratic leadership in Illinois would finally get the message: end this, and put the senate seat to the vote of the people in a special election.
Well, it's clear the Democratic leaders of this state, are still not ready to let their iron grip on power slip by putting this up to a vote. The demands of the people may be becoming irresistible, however. Yesterday, Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) introduced legislation (SB 285) to ensure that all future vacancies are filled by a special election, and to hold a one-time special election to fill Burris' seat.
The Dems are still resisting, claiming the price tag is still too high (where have we heard that before) and that booting Burris would cause a protracted legal battle. Well, not if you yo-yo's convince him to quit.
So, I guess Blago has managed to run this state so far into the ground, we can no longer afford Democracy?
This morning the Tribune turns up the heat significantly, calling out the Dem leadership and asking them to demand that Roland Burris resign. The Tribune even throws President Obama into the mix. Oh my, is Obama finally getting muddied up with Illinois politics? Who woulda thunk that would ever happen?
The Tribune doesn't quite get it right, at the end, however. The Tribune says:
Folks, the people of Illinois, the people of this country, are watching and waiting. They saw each of you on national television during the Blagojevich fiasco. Now you're ringside at the Burris fiasco. The longer you tolerate this, the more you own it.
Wrongo, Trib. The Dems created this mess, step by step.
They already own it.
And we need to take the state back from them.
Original Post: Have you had enough yet? Between the Tribune, Sun-Times, Washington Post and other major media sources, plus politicians on both sides of the aisle (many more Republicans than Democrats, as you might expect) calling for the resignation of Senator Roland Burris, in the wake of the Blago arrest and impeachment, you would think the Democratic leadership in Illinois would finally get the message: end this, and put the senate seat to the vote of the people in a special election.
Well, it's clear the Democratic leaders of this state, are still not ready to let their iron grip on power slip by putting this up to a vote. The demands of the people may be becoming irresistible, however. Yesterday, Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) introduced legislation (SB 285) to ensure that all future vacancies are filled by a special election, and to hold a one-time special election to fill Burris' seat.
The Dems are still resisting, claiming the price tag is still too high (where have we heard that before) and that booting Burris would cause a protracted legal battle. Well, not if you yo-yo's convince him to quit.
So, I guess Blago has managed to run this state so far into the ground, we can no longer afford Democracy?
This morning the Tribune turns up the heat significantly, calling out the Dem leadership and asking them to demand that Roland Burris resign. The Tribune even throws President Obama into the mix. Oh my, is Obama finally getting muddied up with Illinois politics? Who woulda thunk that would ever happen?
The Tribune doesn't quite get it right, at the end, however. The Tribune says:
Folks, the people of Illinois, the people of this country, are watching and waiting. They saw each of you on national television during the Blagojevich fiasco. Now you're ringside at the Burris fiasco. The longer you tolerate this, the more you own it.
Wrongo, Trib. The Dems created this mess, step by step.
They already own it.
And we need to take the state back from them.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Is a Special Election Back In Play?; What Does the Future Hold for Mark Kirk?
One of the very latest twists in the saga of the hapless (and perhaps very temporary) Senator Roland Burris is that the notion of a special election is being revived, by none other than Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), who, as we know, has had her eye on this seat as long as anyone, if not longer. Dems, while they seem to be almost universally abandoning Burris (heck, even Ellen of the Tenth says give him the axe), are not all quite ready to sign on to the idea, with some, such as Congressman Phil Hare (IL-17), insisting that Burris resign, but favoring the idea that Governor Pat Quinn should make an appointment and save the cost of a special election, especially since the primary is less than a year away.
As we all know, prior demands for a special election fell on deaf ears and were ignored, as soon as the original call for such a special election from the likes of Senator Dick Durbin were withdrawn as soon as the Dem leadership realized they might be in serious danger of losing the seat. That led to paralysis, which led to Blago making the appointment, and the rest is history (although the history appears to be unfolding right before our eyes). The Chicago Tribune in a Friday editorial calls for Governor Quinn and the state legislature to revise the law to provide for a special election. Will it happen? And if so, who will be the likely contenders for the spot?
(re)Enter Mark Kirk.
Once again, Kirk's name is making the top of the list of likely contenders on the GOP side, and the Dems on the local and national levels are UNhappy. Once again, there seems to be a rift among the leading Democrats as to whether their party can risk an actual, fair race decided by the people at this point. And, once again, Pat Quinn seems to be in the middle of this and may make the deciding call as to whether the people of Illinois finally get a say in this mess, or if the Democrats continue to circle the wagons and shoot down anyone who tries to thwart them.
Will Kirk get a shot at a special election bid, aided by Schakowski, who is apparently willing to risk losing if it means she gets a shot at winning? The line on this issue changes by the hour, so stay tuned, campers.
As we all know, prior demands for a special election fell on deaf ears and were ignored, as soon as the original call for such a special election from the likes of Senator Dick Durbin were withdrawn as soon as the Dem leadership realized they might be in serious danger of losing the seat. That led to paralysis, which led to Blago making the appointment, and the rest is history (although the history appears to be unfolding right before our eyes). The Chicago Tribune in a Friday editorial calls for Governor Quinn and the state legislature to revise the law to provide for a special election. Will it happen? And if so, who will be the likely contenders for the spot?
(re)Enter Mark Kirk.
Once again, Kirk's name is making the top of the list of likely contenders on the GOP side, and the Dems on the local and national levels are UNhappy. Once again, there seems to be a rift among the leading Democrats as to whether their party can risk an actual, fair race decided by the people at this point. And, once again, Pat Quinn seems to be in the middle of this and may make the deciding call as to whether the people of Illinois finally get a say in this mess, or if the Democrats continue to circle the wagons and shoot down anyone who tries to thwart them.
Will Kirk get a shot at a special election bid, aided by Schakowski, who is apparently willing to risk losing if it means she gets a shot at winning? The line on this issue changes by the hour, so stay tuned, campers.
With Blago Gone, Burris Now the Democratic Albatross for 2010
In light of Senator Roland Burris' complete integrity implosion over his constantly changing story, which could possibly get him booted from the U.S. Senate (after serving only for about a month), or perhaps shame him into resigning (a longshot for Senator Tombstone, I know), the Democrats, both on the national and local levels, are fretting that unless Burris is hastily shown the door that was so recently opened for him by the same Dems, a Republican like 10th District Congressman Mark Kirk has a real chance to win the seat in 2010.
Kirk's chances against a severely battle-damaged Burris seem to improve every day, and its not clear at all whether the super-sized ego of our new senator would allow him to voluntarily step aside. The best hope for the Dems to avoid having Burris as the nominee in 2010 is to pressure Burris into quitting, although an appointment "up" to some other position isn't out of the question. More drastic action taken by the U.S. Senate itself to remove Burris seems a distant possibility at this point, and will no doubt take a while to sort out. Meanwhile, other Dem contenders like State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Congresswoman Jan Schakowski wait impatiently in the wings praying that Burris will exit one way or another. Both potential candidates are no doubt desperately hoping that they can win the Democratic nomination without a bloody primary battle that would risk alienating the African-American portion of the Democratic base for the general. A primary battle against Burris would also probably neuter the considerable influence that President Barack Obama might inject into the race, perhaps for both the primary and the general elections.
Who's to say what may happen in the next few days or weeks, but it's clear that many interested folks will be watching these unfolding events very, very closely.
Kirk's chances against a severely battle-damaged Burris seem to improve every day, and its not clear at all whether the super-sized ego of our new senator would allow him to voluntarily step aside. The best hope for the Dems to avoid having Burris as the nominee in 2010 is to pressure Burris into quitting, although an appointment "up" to some other position isn't out of the question. More drastic action taken by the U.S. Senate itself to remove Burris seems a distant possibility at this point, and will no doubt take a while to sort out. Meanwhile, other Dem contenders like State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Congresswoman Jan Schakowski wait impatiently in the wings praying that Burris will exit one way or another. Both potential candidates are no doubt desperately hoping that they can win the Democratic nomination without a bloody primary battle that would risk alienating the African-American portion of the Democratic base for the general. A primary battle against Burris would also probably neuter the considerable influence that President Barack Obama might inject into the race, perhaps for both the primary and the general elections.
Who's to say what may happen in the next few days or weeks, but it's clear that many interested folks will be watching these unfolding events very, very closely.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
"Fatal Wound" to Roland Burris Not Necessarily Good News for GOP in 2010; Is This Alexi's Opening? (UPDATED)
The Chicago Sun-Times and other major news media are reporting this morning that newly-minted U.S. Senator Roland Burris has changed his story (once again) about contacts with Rod Blagojevich and/or his representatives prior to Burris being nominated by Blago to fill the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
"If it turns out this was some sort of attempt to avoid this coming out as part of the appointment process, then he doesn't deserve to be senator," Radogno said. "I think the whole thing stinks to high heaven."
As many know, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias seems to be already laying some serious groundwork for a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate seat (including praise just short of an endorsement from senior Illinois Senator Dick Durbin), with a presumed primary against Burris the only roadblock. (UPDATED: Capitol Fax Blog has a lively discussion going on about U.S. Senator Dick Durbin taking Alexi along on a trip to Greece, presumably to burnish Alexi's foreign policy creds!) If Burris has now 'fatally wounded' himself, if forced to step down or commit to not running in 2010, that clears the field for Alexi, whose problems would have included alienating the Dem African-American base and not being sure of having President Barack Obama's support (even though Alexi is known to be a favorite of Obama's, it would have looked bad for Obama to have endorsed against the only African-American in the Senate, don't ya think?)
Burris has submitted a new affidavit seeking to supplement his testimony before the state house impeachment committee in which he failed to disclose that he had talked to Robert Blagojevich, Blago's brother, prior to the appointment, and in fact, Burris was asked by Robert to contribute to Blago's campaign. None of this was revealed to the impeachment committee despite some fairly close questioning by State Rep. Jim Durkin. The Chicago Sun-Times quotes Durkin as saying: "I'm very surprised he didn't make these disclosures. I don't know if Mr. Burris was purposely being evasive during the committee or had selected memory issues."
Interestingly, some Dem sources are already throwing Burris under the bus, with one comparing him to Alberto Gonzales, if you can believe that.
Interestingly, some Dem sources are already throwing Burris under the bus, with one comparing him to Alberto Gonzales, if you can believe that.
The article also says this:
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) said Burris' new statement regarding his contact with Blagojevich's emissaries represents a "fatal wound" to a potential 2010 Burris re-election bid. His new account contains "extraordinary detail" Burris should have disclosed to the impeachment panel when he testified and to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) before being seated, Radogno said.
"If it turns out this was some sort of attempt to avoid this coming out as part of the appointment process, then he doesn't deserve to be senator," Radogno said. "I think the whole thing stinks to high heaven."
As many know, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias seems to be already laying some serious groundwork for a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate seat (including praise just short of an endorsement from senior Illinois Senator Dick Durbin), with a presumed primary against Burris the only roadblock. (UPDATED: Capitol Fax Blog has a lively discussion going on about U.S. Senator Dick Durbin taking Alexi along on a trip to Greece, presumably to burnish Alexi's foreign policy creds!) If Burris has now 'fatally wounded' himself, if forced to step down or commit to not running in 2010, that clears the field for Alexi, whose problems would have included alienating the Dem African-American base and not being sure of having President Barack Obama's support (even though Alexi is known to be a favorite of Obama's, it would have looked bad for Obama to have endorsed against the only African-American in the Senate, don't ya think?)Now that Burris' already tarnished political reputation has taken another hit, if it clears the way for Alexi (who is associated with Obama much more closely than with Blago), that takes away a major argument for the GOP in the 2010 race, and makes it a lot less attractive for any GOP wishfuls, including our own Mark Kirk of the 10th District. Alexi is young, wealthy and a prolific fundraiser, and would have the full force of the Dem machine (plus Obama, no doubt) if he were not forced to beat up on Burris in a bloody primary battle.
Wonder if Mark is having second thoughts this morning about that Senate bid?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Ethics Watchdog Senator Susan Garrett Finally Starts Barking... at a Township Clerk Election???
Democratic State Senator Susan Garrett has finally found her voice and taken a firm stand, speaking out against an important (dare we say critical?) election issue for the citizens of Illinois.
No, it's not about former Governor Rod Blagojevich and the years of corruption, pay-to-play and running this State's finances into a $9 billion hole.
It's not about her fellow State Senator Terry Link and his petition scandals, which recently resulted in one of his campaign workers pleading guilty to perjury, with the trial of the other worker on the way.
And it's not even about the Democratic candidates for Lake County Board who were called out for making baseless allegations of corruption and sweetheart tax deals on their campaign literature, and who were bankrolled by Garrett's other colleague in the state senate, Michael Bond.
No, it's actually about a vitally important race to the citizens of Illinois: the re-election of Shields Township Clerk David Barkhausen. Garrett's ethical eagle eye (which has apparently been fairly myopic up until now) has noted that Barkhausen owes some campaign fines to the Illinois State Board of Elections (due to late filing of some pre-election documents between 2001-2004), to the tune of around $1200, says Garrett. Garrett wants County Clerk Willard Helander to remove Barkhausen from the ballot (it should be noted that there is no law that requires Helander to take any action in response to Garrett's complaint).
"It's a matter of ethics. Do we just let these things go?" asked Garrett.
TA's take on this: thank goodness Senator Garrett is right on top of ethical issues to protect the integrity of the ballot here in Illinois. I'm not sure what took her so long, but I feel much better that Senator Garrett has now undertaken the mantle of ethical watchdog for the North Shore. I'm sure we can expect her to quickly organize an ethical task force that is going to get to the root of such issues as Link's petition scandals and the Lake County Board campaign materials scandal.
Good thing Senator Garrett didn't wait to find her ethical principles until the State was mired in corruption and it was too late to save us all... um... well, you folks figure that out for yourselves.
No, it's not about former Governor Rod Blagojevich and the years of corruption, pay-to-play and running this State's finances into a $9 billion hole.
It's not about her fellow State Senator Terry Link and his petition scandals, which recently resulted in one of his campaign workers pleading guilty to perjury, with the trial of the other worker on the way.
And it's not even about the Democratic candidates for Lake County Board who were called out for making baseless allegations of corruption and sweetheart tax deals on their campaign literature, and who were bankrolled by Garrett's other colleague in the state senate, Michael Bond.
No, it's actually about a vitally important race to the citizens of Illinois: the re-election of Shields Township Clerk David Barkhausen. Garrett's ethical eagle eye (which has apparently been fairly myopic up until now) has noted that Barkhausen owes some campaign fines to the Illinois State Board of Elections (due to late filing of some pre-election documents between 2001-2004), to the tune of around $1200, says Garrett. Garrett wants County Clerk Willard Helander to remove Barkhausen from the ballot (it should be noted that there is no law that requires Helander to take any action in response to Garrett's complaint).
"It's a matter of ethics. Do we just let these things go?" asked Garrett.
TA's take on this: thank goodness Senator Garrett is right on top of ethical issues to protect the integrity of the ballot here in Illinois. I'm not sure what took her so long, but I feel much better that Senator Garrett has now undertaken the mantle of ethical watchdog for the North Shore. I'm sure we can expect her to quickly organize an ethical task force that is going to get to the root of such issues as Link's petition scandals and the Lake County Board campaign materials scandal.
Good thing Senator Garrett didn't wait to find her ethical principles until the State was mired in corruption and it was too late to save us all... um... well, you folks figure that out for yourselves.
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