I live in Illinois. Just want that out there right away.

I don't think the Democrats can constitutionally deny him the seat, but I really don't know the particulars. I do know our secretary of state won't certify Burris' appointment. That's just a formality, but it goes to show how much even public deep in bed with the establishment in Illinois have abandoned Blago.

Burris also should know better than to have accepted. He was Illinois' ATTORNEY GENERAL! He also was also a Black Panther...

Blago's been crooked all along. You people outside the state are just seeing the surface of the corruption here. This all stinks so very, very much. I have a feeling Rod's just become something of a catch-all for state Democrats whereby he takes all the blame for the corruption and they get off the hook. We'll see if I'm right. I'd rather not be.

I doubt the Senate can reject Burris since Hot Rod Blagojevich is still innocent till proven guilty, but Burris ought to be the bigger man here and withdraw so he doesn't cause a constitutional crisis. The Democrats in the Senate have made clear that they wouldn't even accept Adlai Stevenson if Blago appointed him (regional joke).

This is all to say nothing that O'bama is in a scandal (thank God only tangentially) even before he takes office. I hope we don't get more stuff like this these next 4 years.

"I have a feeling Rod's just become something of a catch-all for state Democrats whereby he takes all the blame for the corruption and they get off the hook. We'll see if I'm right. I'd rather not be."

That's so true. Over in Virginia we have an atrocious former governor (Jim Gilmore) who everyone hates, so the Republicans have used him as a scapegoat for their other problems, and to distract people from other corrupt people.
Actually, he's hated so much he lost the senate race this year to another former governor (Mark Warner, no relation to John Warner) by a larger margin than even most challengers to incumbents.

"The Democrats in the Senate have made clear that they wouldn't even accept Adlai Stevenson if Blago appointed him (regional joke)."

Hmm, interesting. I heard that exact same joke except with Lincoln instead of Stevenson on BBC. And I don't think that's just a regional joke; it may have a different/greater meaning, but I've heard that plenty of times. And yes, I know who Stevenson is.

I believe we're on Adlai XXXII now.

The sad thing is the only way to clean house is to elect Republicans. Just for new faces, even. Not even ideology. It'll never happen because there aren't Republicans here anymore.

Oh, it makes me sick. Illinois needs some National Guardsmen to stage a coup like in Guinea here to throw the rascals out. I'm not even sure if I'm joking anymore.

They very much can deny him the seat. It is within the constitution. That being said, he is a man who has earned much respect and may actually be the right man for the job. I think, if the Senate votes to vonfirm him, that should clear up any confusion. And if they deny him this time around, then the Vice Governor, who will be governor soon enough, can re-appoint him. The governor makes the appointments, so if Blago is impeached and removed, then the new governor can make the appointment. Ill. just needs to get moving and remove him from office.

Actually, they can't. I did a little homework. Congress can only stop someone from taking a seat if they don't meet the constitutional requirements, as decided in Powell v. McCormack. It's a pretty circuitous ruling, but I think I got the gist of it. Burris is old enough and a citizen. He fits.

That's a really good thing. Can you imagine if Congress had the power to refuse to seat anyone?

He's not the right man if he accepted under these circumstances. It's a disgrace. He's a disgrace. Do you people know what Burris said at the press conference where he was announced? He basically said that it would be wrong to deny him a seat because after Obama's election there are not African Americans in the Senate. After Barack's election to the PRESIDENCY! Who gives a rat's ass about the racial makeup of the Senate when there's a black PRESIDENT? He was using the race card in the most despicable way imaginable, purely for personal gain.

The Senate doesn't vote to "confirm" him, the Democrats just agree to seat him, being the majority party. Our state senate doesn't even get to confirm him. He'd never make it out, by the way.

Another thing, it's not the Vice Governor, it's the Lieutenant Governor. I hope you're not from America if you don't know that, they're called Lieutenant Governors in every state.

You do raise an interesting point. If Burris refuses to step down, can the new Governor after Blago's likely, no, inevitable, impeachment (Pat Quinn, by the way) rescind the nomination? What happens when Quinn appoints someone else, since your idea that Burris would get it again is quite ludicrous?

If this were a movie no one would believe it.

I know you and others haven't been following this guy Blago at all before this travesty broke, so I apologize for coming off as dismissive or something. The law might have him be guilty until proven innocent, but there's really no denying he was sodomizing the public trust during his whole time in office.

"Vice Governor"? You mean "Liutenant Governor", right?

@Invictus: sorry, i didn't see your post while i was typing that; apparently you replied first.

Oops! I meant "innocent until proven guilty." I never said I was unbiased, just more familiar with the particulars.

Oh, and I think Pat Quinn *will* support Burris' nomination. Sort of like Caroline Kennedy getting a senate seat without doing anything. They wouldn't want to annoy voters.
(NY Gov. Paterson is up for re-election soon; he knows he would look bad if he refused a seat to a Kennedy, even a lazy one. CNN commentators currently won't shut up about how the Republicans can be seen as supporting a black guy when the Democrats opposed one - they're thinking "Hey, we can win back NC!")

" Illinois needs some National Guardsmen to stage a coup"

<Ding-dong> Sicarius...its for you.

Nope. Sicarius is taking the day off. You'll have to call him.

Wanna bet? What we want is an election, not a stooge. Race ought to be irrelevant. I thought that's what Obama's change was all about. I've heard there can be a special election around June, so the real issue is whether to have a caretaker or not in the Senate for a few months. It's not like the Democrats really need the vote to get Obama's stuff done.

Blago is poison and if Quinn doesn't want to cede the Democratic nomination in 2 years to Attorney General Lisa Madigan (the Illinois Speaker's daughter, by the way) he'll pick someone else. Anyone else.

Maybe Kanye?

Why not himself? (yes that is allowed)

Because he might be tarred and feathered for that.

No! They would never!

Besides being "morally wrong" or whatever it is, why would they give up the opportunity to reinstate the firing squad?

I also am from Illinois.

To back up a step. The Senante can not refuse to seat Burris, but they can seat him then expel, him leaving the Governer to make a new appointment. That has been done before in a Senate corruption case (though that case did involve the corruption of the Senator himself - indited after election I beleive).

As for the Race issue, that is neutralized by the fact that

1) Burris has not been able to get past the primary in any race for over a decade, including the Senate primary

2) The equally black US Rep Davis (D-IL) refused to accept Blagojevich's appointment - Burris was the 2nd choice.

3) Burris condemed Blagojevich after the inditement, accepted the appointment, then turned around and stared to defend Blagojevich which makes him look like an unprincipled opportunist.

My prediction is:

1) The Senate refers Burris's appoinement to the appropriate committee which bottles it up for a month or three preventing him from taking a seat.

2) Illinois impeaches the Governer and Lt. Gov. Quinn takes over.

3) The Senate seats Burris, then expels him due to a tainted appointment process.

4) Quinn appoints Davis to the seat.

Sepcial election just won't happen. TheIL house and senate are controlled by the democrats and there is a real chance that a republican would be voted in a special election. Were it otherwise, the legislation would have passed to strip Blagojevich of appointment powers two weeks ago.

@idrut: Are you insane? The senate will expel Burris? That takes a 2/3 majority, not 51!

Governors should not have the power to make permanent senate appointments. It should be done through a special election, or at least through the state senate. Otherwise we just have a time bomb waiting to explode when someone like Blagojevich comes along.

Why not? There IS a special election. That's what happens two years from now. He's only there until the next senate election.

The fact is that chances are he will be there longer than until the next senate election. The success rates for incumbents in the senate up for reelection is over 80%. Beyond that, the duration of a senator's stay is irrelevant: a governor should not have the opportunity to take away a state's population's representation and replace it with his own henchman.

I realize that the Blago case is an exception, but it an unnecessary risk that should be eliminated.

no it's not valid, the entire system of bullshit electoral politics has been invalidated

@invictus: "they're called Lieutenant Governors in every state.
"

Not every state has an LG - AZ, for instance. Not sure how many others. But our Governor (who is a Democrat) has been selected by Obama for a Cab position (Homeland Security). When she leaves, our Secratary of State (who is a republican) will take over the Governor spot here. Good for AZ, bad for the Nation - Napolitano is not big on Border Security, even coming from a border state. Now she get's to help run it for the entire country ... lovely! I'm glad she's out of here though!

Oregon doesn't have a Lt. Governor either. Constitutionally the Secretary of State is second in line.

I was under the impression the Senate can refuse to seat someone if they believe the election was rigged or illegal (and has done so in the past). I would think that despite lacking an election, the Senate could refuse to seat Burris because they felt his appointment was "rigged."

There is no court case regarding the Senate, but the court has held that the House can not refuse to seat a representative that meets the requirements of age, citizenship, and residency (but can review and refuse to seat someone who fails those). It is generally expected that the Senate will have the same rule if it came to the court, so they could not refuse to seat a senetor but can expel on with a 2/3 vote.

That would be difficult given that the democrats have nearly 60% of the senate, but so many people have backed themselves into corners regarding Blagojevich suitability to make a pick, there may be no choice.

"no it's not valid, the entire system of bullshit electoral politics has been invalidated"

Um, Sicarius, this ISN'T electoral politics. This is a farce of a governor betraying the people.

If only we could have an election...

"The success rates for incumbents in the senate up for reelection is over 80%. "

Actually, it's 96%*. Yes, really.
*Chances of having another term if you win one are not 96%. It's 96% if you run for a second term (basically this excludes voluntary retirees).