If Obama's Administration doesn't learn how to govern and not just win elections, he'll be a one-term POTUS.

If Obama's Administration doesn't learn how to govern and not just win elections, he'll be a one-term POTUS.

Obama's legislative fights will take place in the senate and he is already facing stubborn resistance from Harry Reid who has made it clear that he will not provide any significant support for the Obama administration. Reid's push back will be in the form of his usual complaint heard in the last congress that he could not “get the votes” to bring critical legislation to a floor vote. However, this time he will use the same wimpish complaint concerning his failure to get key parts of the Obama stimulus package to the senate floor for a definiitive vote. Harry is a cute clever politician and he will run circles around the Obama White House. Therefore, Obama NEEDS every Democratic vote he can get in the Senate, and screwing around with an empty Illinois seat for 60 or 90 days is not going to cut it for the problems that the country is facing. The Franken/Coleman battle for the other seat will most likely find its way onto some court calendar for final resolution, and nobody knows how long that will take. So there is currently another empty Senate seat that Obama urgently needs to get this stimulus package moving.

The republicans are loving what they see coming from the Democrats. It fits right in with their (Repubs) plan to sidetrack Obama's stimulus package so that as the depression deepens and millions of Americans become destitute, homeless, and hungry, the American public will get totally fed up with Obama and the Democrats and in between riots, turn the congress over in 2010. The Repubs are elated to see that their plan is starting to work courtesy of the Senate Democrats, even before Obama takes his oath of office.

If Barack wants to have a chance at winning this game, he needs to forget all of that Lincolnesque crap about building a government that embraces and includes one's political enemies. We ain't living in Lincoln's time and those who know how to play the political game will be the winners. Some people rave over what an astute politician Tip O'Neal was in his day in Washington. Tip was a great Boston Pol and a lousy Pol in Washington. Whereas, People like Rayburn, Johnson, and Stevenson were real Washington movers and shakers. Political idealism is just like graffiti, a lot of people may become aware of it but it is totally insignificant respective of its impact on society. If Obama wants to win his first major fight as President, he needs to choose a smart floor team for the Senate and most importantly start building political capitol. These things are urgent and must be done even before he takes the oath of office.

“I believe that the acts that are alleged to have been committed by the Governor are so heinous that he has forfeited his right to appoint someone to fill the seat of President-Elect Barack Obama. My bottom line is that the Governor should not be the one to make the appointment to this important office.”
http://swside.blogspot.com/2008/12/congressman-...

Al Franken is a separate case, and I won't presume to know how the courts will sort that out either.

However, it is important either way for senators to have legitimacy of the office. As far as the logic of the appointment — I've reiterated my stance enough times.

However, when you have clear cases of officials who comprimise their office through sheer stupidity, ignorance or some combination of idiocy stumble into federal cases and still engage in more idiocy… jeez..

The 17th Amendment of the US Constitution states the Executive Authority (Blago) of the state (IL) is the one who fills vacancies to the Senate (Burris). Blago did that.

The Senate can examine the qualifications of the person trying to be the member, but the US Constitution is clear: you must be 30+ years of age, a US Citizen for 9 years and a resident of the state you're trying to be the Senator from. Burris fulfills all those qualifications.

They can't expel Burris “jus cuz.” Powell vs. McCormack addressed this. Burris has to be guilty of disorderly behavior. Burris hasn't done anything disorderly. The only thing Burris has done is accept a legal appointment to the US Senate.

The IL legislature did not/could not act swiftly enough to strip Blago of his power or declare him “disabled” and therefore unable to carry out his duties. In fact, Blago has NOT been charged, impeached or convicted of anything.

Jesse White legally MUST certify Roland Burris as the junior Senator from IL. If he doesn't, he's acting AGAINST the IL Constitution.

When/if blocked, Roland Burris can/must fight for a legal remedy to this situation (Marbury vs. Madison).

The Senate CAN delay Burris to investigate the Burris appointment, but they have to show that the BURRIS appointment (election) in particular was tainted, not what Blago wanted to do for Jesse Jackson Jr. or Valerie Jarrett. They can't block him indefinitely or they're preventing the citizens of IL from enjoying their Constitutional right to have TWO Senators.

Even if Blago is impeached and tossed out of office on February 1st, the fact remains that his appointment (election) of Roland Burris is legal unless proven otherwise. Unless ALL of Blago's actions from Dec. 9th to the present are also deemed tainted.

And that's another thing: Blago can perform all his other gubernatorial duties EXCEPT appointing a US Senator? That's not going to fly.

It doesn't matter if Blago allegedly tried to sell the Senate seat to Candidate 1 or Candidate 5….did he sell it to Candidate Burris? And if not, and the appointment of Roland Burris is determined to be legally above board, Roland Burris is your new US Senator.

And they ain't gonna “expel” him either. This Senate, the one that gave a damn standing ovation to Ted Stevens?

They'd need 2/3rds of the Senate to expel him. 57 ain't gonna cut it. They need 60+ and there's no guarantee that all of the Democrats will vote in lockstep to keep Burris out — especially if explicitly shown that the appointment of Burris was legal (which until proven otherwise, it is).

Harry Reid is going down a slippery and dangerous slope because once he opens this door, ain't no turning back. The GOP is already trying to block Al Franken from taking the MN seat. What's to stop the GOP or anyone else from blocking somebody by claiming “the election was tainted?”

The latest Blago actions are sad alright — sad for Harry Reid & the Democrats because they jumped the gun and ran their mouths instead of sitting back and evaulating the situation.

1. Allowing other witnesses to beat a path to his door and testify.

2. Making it easier for Obama to have his Inauguration and installation in the White House before all this stuff breaks out once more.

We are the change we need. That's why people pushing for the Burris appointment and using race as the primary factor to support a corrupt governor are doing black people a horrible disservice.

In addition, if skin-color is your only “guide,” well you'd think people would be pleased with a black president who lived on chicago's south side for the last twenty years. However, those are sort of non-sequitors….

But, I find it hilarious — Bobby Rush claims to want more black senators — yet

The case at hand — well Republicans love cases like this! They can go out to the suburbs and implicitly run on racial grievance.

They were both VOTED DOWN by the voters in Illinois this past November.

First, delay Burris being seated in a procedural fashion — that will last 90 days.
Then, use the “tainted process” to try to unseat him via constitutional authority.

The “tainted appointment” is the heart of the Senate case.

It's a fairly clear argument:
1.) Blago tried to sell the senate seat.
2.) Blago comprimised the process, much like a comprimised election due to fraud.
3.) As a result of Blago's fraudulent process, the senate can unseat his selection.

Whether the Senate wins or not, they will have signficantly delayed Burris being seated.

Due to the democrats large majority, Dem Leadership will not be concerned with the absence of one vote in the Senate (presently 57-41). Regardless, the Senate will exhaust all options to unseat Burris, likely ending in a special election.

The latest Blago actions are quite sad to watch — even sadder to watch folks sucked in b/c Blago has used racial grievance to try to save his career.

Regardless of where one stands on this issue, this discussion challenges the usual (and shortsighted ) “Support Sump'n Cuz It Involves Black People” way of thinking!

Big Ups, sistah!

This ain't no black seat. It's a seat.

We had an opportunity to seat someone in the Senate who was a competent, relatively clean black individual in it who could possibly stand for election after the two years are up. We don't, now.

Blago is laughing his ass off. He really fixed this good. This is a smokescreen. He knows our psychology pretty well: we'll support almost anyone we know who is black, sometimes regardless of politics. As Dems and indies, we need his crooked ass out and stand competent individuals in the State House and the Senate.

Burris is an old man with hubris. He's closer to death than I am. He may be competent, and he may be qualified, but he is an embarrassment just like Bobby Rush. He didn't think anything about how he might be a pawn in a game between Obama, the national Dems, and Blago. He went out for himself, not for black folks and not even for Blago.

Months after this, folks are going to say to themselves once again, what the f@ck did we get so excited about this for?

Just like with O.J., Unca Clarence, and other mistakes we have made in publicly supporting the wrong brother/sister.