The Burris situation

I was really amused to find this post from a neighborhood blog featured on the CapFax blog today. It's about a strategy to help Roland Burris as he is currently embattled due to who appointed him. I should have you know I may not have discussed the context, but I had the link on The Sixth Ward a couple of days before he used it.

He basically took excerpts from a letter and basically supported his idea that there is a plan afoot to draw the dreaded race card. To me the only reason the race card is used to shut people up, because you know, there are people out there who don't want to be called racist. Even if on a particular situation you might be right about a particular issue or situation.

That being said, there are a lot of people interested in helping Burris keep his seat. Chicago's Aldemanic Black Caucus are certainly behind him:

At a City Hall news conference, the aldermen warned that there would be a price to pay for Quinn, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Treausurer Alexi Giannoulias, and others who have climbed aboard the anti-Burris bandwagon. The price is black support.

“To just muck up somebody's 30-plus year record of loyalty to the Democratic Party — for all of them to turn turn on him — we say it's time for this to stop. And if it does not, we shall remember this at the next election,” said Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chairman of the Black Caucus.

Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th), city chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, said the “anti-Blagojevich hatred” has unfairly been transferred onto Burris.

“I would just suggest to those people who seek to run in the wards of the city of Chicago where there are people of color living that they should tone it down because some of us are taking notes. They will run at their peril,” Lyle said.
...

Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 — about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house.
For the aldermen, the story was over the top.

“You all are attacking people's children. That is crossing the line,” said Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th).

Oh yeah I forgot to mention this scandal threatens to also take down Burris son. He had the misfortune of running afoul of the IRS. Not only that he's got his job thru the preceding corrupt ex-governor's administration. It's getting to become a big mess.

Bobby Rush isn't backing down on his support for Roland Burris just yet:

"I think Sen. Burris should not resign," Rush said. "He did not do anything inappropriate, he did not do anything arrestable, he did not do anything indictable."

Though this story is old news there isn't yet a united front on this yet.

A faction of black ministers plans to ask for Burris' resignation following revelations that the senator tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, one of the ministers told The Associated Press on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because a meeting with Burris had not yet been scheduled.

Clergy Speaks Interdenominational, an umbrella group that includes hundreds of Chicago's black churches, will meet Friday to discuss its support for Burris, spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin said. For now, the group still supports him and its leaders are unaware of discussions about asking him to resign, she said.

Ok, to be honest this seems a bit short sighted here. Black political leaders are latching onto Burris almost as if there is no one else on the horizon who could even run for a Senate seat. Especially if it happens to be the seat that was warmed by both Carol Moseley Braun and President Barack Obama. What about Jesse Jackson Jr? He was gunning for that seat hard!

I'm thinking some people out there should have taken a deep breath on this issue (especially Bobby Rush) and found someone to groom to take this Senate seat. Burris unfortunately is himself flawed and only because of who appointed him. If it wasn't for the corrupt ex-governor of Illinois, I'm sure no one would have a problem. My Alderman called it correctly, but the questions asked aren't entirely bad questions to ask. It may very well come out that there was no quid pro quo and that Burris may have left some things out of his affidavit but that he didn't committ perjury.

As for going after Burris' son well I don't think that's out of line. There should be questions especially if he is the son of a known political figure and he got his job thru those connections. The question here might be how he got the position and it certainly doesn't help if a tax lien was slapped on him in the process.

Fact is that this could get ugly. The racial component is about to come out. That would be unfortunate because who knows if this could make it difficult for another black to get elected to the US Senate. Instead of finding someone who could possible take that seat, they're coalescing behind someone who probably shouldn't have accepted that seat due to the situation at hand.

It's very unfortunate and a big mess!