Democrats Misstepped In Handling Burris Matter

[Purveyor]

(01-07) 16:17 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

Senate Democrats who thought they could push away Roland Burris misjudged the racial fallout, underestimated public reaction and wound up on shaky legal ground.

The blunders began when the Democrats, including President-elect Barack Obama, insisted they would not seat Burris as the Senate's only black member because the appointment came from a governor accused of trying to sell Obama' former seat.

On Wednesday, they all but admitted being outflanked by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, praising Burris and suggesting he soon will be a senator.

Eight days ago, Obama and Senate Democratic leaders saw Blagojevich as so politically damaged that they announced they would reject anyone he appointed to finish Obama's term. Every Democratic senator signed a letter to the same effect.

Privately, key Democrats now admit they miscalculated from the start. They spent this week trying to backtrack and save face.

They had overstated their legal powers to block Burris's appointment, they said, and failed to foresee the ability of Burris — a little-known Democrat with no apparent ties to Blagojevich's misdeeds — to make himself a sympathetic figure in the national media.

MORE...

AP: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/07/national/w161729S18.DTL

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Gee, ya think?

:rofl:

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Hubris at work

[rpannier]

3. Public Reaction?

The nomination has gone over like a lead balloon in Illinois.

Most people in Illinois think he shouldn't be seated.

[Cha]

22. Well there ya go..I'm with

Illinoisians on this one. It's one convoluted mess.

[terisan]

4. Shaky legal grounds is the key. Sad for us, considering many are lawyers.nt

[AtomicKitten]

5. This will be a blip on the screen in no time.

[AlinPA]

6. McConnell (I saw it on CSPAN) said today that all republican senators want an election in IL

to select the senator. He also talked in the next sentence about filibusters. Sounds like a filibuster re:Burris to me.

[AtomicKitten]

9. The wingnuts want a special election regardless of the disposition of Burris.

No worries, Obama sent down a directive from on high that Burris should be seated. I think I would have preferred Lt. Gov. Quinn making the appointment because Burris lost five primaries and isn't a good bet for 2010. Still, I prefer this to risking the seat to the wingnuts in a special election.

[AlinPA]

10. The full senate will decide. We don't have 60 votes.

[AtomicKitten]

14. Wouldn't they evaluate the legality of the Burris appointment first?

The appointment is and should remain the prerogative of the Governor or the Lt. Gov. in his stead as the legal remedy for filling the vacant seat.

Fitzgerald sure left Illinois in the lurch by requesting a 90-day extension on the Complaint before filing an indictment.

[AlinPA]

17. It's IL business, yes. This case + Coleman's lawsuit will keep us at minus 2 seats in the senate

for a long time. Enough for the republicans to slow down everything, including cabinet confirmations with filibusters. The best we might hope for is 55 D, 1I, 2R (Collins,Snowe maybe).

[ProSense]

19. That's nonsense.

The Republicans are not going to filibuster everything. I doubt they will succeed in any of their attempts. They do not have a strong enough coalition to do that. There are several of them who will be more worried about re-election in 2010.

[AlinPA]

21. They will stay in lockstep. No way they will allow Obama to succeed at anything.

Their constituents won't care; for them its God, Guns, Gays and Flags.

[ProSense]

25. That's ridiculous.

By your extremely pessimistic view, Obama should pack up and return to Chicago.

Let go of your fear of Republicans.

[AlinPA]

27. Without a strong senate majority leader to bend some republican arms, we will

see some serious obstruction.

[ProSense]

29. Right, I'm sure that's

why every single Democrat re-elected Reid: they want to see "some serious obstruction."

The Republicans can attempt to obstruct, they will not have nearly the same success they did when they had 49 seats.

[AlinPA]

32. It is very strange that they see him as a "leader". Maybe they voted for his administrative skills

in scheduling things. It baffles me.

[earthlover]

23. Yup, the Repukes know Burris is a Democrat. Many Democrats haven't learned this yet...

[Cha]

26. Like Blago is a Dem? Who voted for the War

on Iraq when he was in congress and was the only one from Illinois to do so.

[NashVegas]

37. Yes, Of Course They Do

They've had plenty of time to think about strategy while Dems allowed themselves to fall into a stupid set-up.

[bigwillq]

8. As long as Burris is seated

as soon as possible. And I think the DEMS know that now. Seat and move on, and get this circus to leave town.

[AtomicKitten]

11. Yep, Obama agrees it's time to move on with this mess.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/07/dem-aide-obama-wanted-sen_n_155909.html

[bigwillq]

15. After saying he supported the Dems not seating Burris.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081230/ap_on_go_co/illinois_governor_obama

Obama shouldn't have said anything right away and just let the process play out.

[AtomicKitten]

16. The Dems threw themselves on a grenade at first only to discover it's still in limbo.

What a mess.

[bigwillq]

18. Indeed a mess.

That's why I want it over as quickly as possible and we can cut our losses from there. A lot can happen from now until 2010 (when the seat is up again) so I don't think it's as bad as some here think, as far as the DEMS possibly losing that seat. We have time to recover.

Blago (and the seat) are another story but, to me, the Senate seat is more important. No, I don't live in Illinois but I have a GOP Gov., and it's no too bad.

[Cha]

20. Yep, Obama makes

mistakes.. I didn't like the whole thing either and was hoping Burris wouldn't get seated.

[bigwillq]

24. Everybody makes mistakes.

It happens. It won't be Obama's last.

My count is too high to even mention! :)

A lot of people jumped the gun on this one instead of just letting the process play out like it is happening now.

[Cha]

28. I can see why they would jump the

gun what with freakin' Fitzgerald arresting blago and making all those noises but I guess it would have been better to let it play out.

[bigwillq]

30. Yup, Fitz made

mistakes, too. Again, it happens.

Hopefully, we can get this straightened out one way or another.

[Still Sensible]

7. I really think it was a planned mishandling

so that top dems could make some political cover for themselves in case Burris is an embarrassment or the whole thing goes south for some reason. This way they can say "...we knew this wad bad, we tried to stop it, but we couldn't because of the law."

[jberryhill]

33. Bingo /nt

[dansolo]

38. Well that does seem to be their MO

That is the same way they handled Bush for the past 8 years. Make some meek objections, but go along with everything that Bush wanted, and then when everything was all fucked up, claim that they were against it from the start. What total bullshit.

[question everything]

12. Right. And perhaps Reid will learn to stay out of states' affairs

including New York and Minnesota.

[ProSense]

13. Well, the media will call it a misstep

Though there was no agreement yet to swear Burris in, he posed for photos at the Capitol with Senate leaders, then joined them for a 45-minute meeting followed by supportive words that bordered on gushing. The events came one day after Burris had left the Capitol in the pouring rain in a scripted rejection.

Obama had spoken to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday on the need to find a quick solution to defuse the dispute, according to Democratic officials. Reid was told by Obama that if Burris had the legal standing to be seated — despite controversy surrounding his appointment by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich — it should be done "sooner rather than later," said an Obama transition aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because the conversation was private.

<...>

The Democratic leaders brought Burris in from the rain and into Reid's spacious personal office just off the Senate floor. They invited news photographers in to capture the three — Burris in the middle — laughing and chatting.

Reid and Durbin then retreated from their won't-be-seated rhetoric and cast the dispute as a procedural delay caused by concerns about why Blagojevich made the appointment.

"First of all, understand we don't have a problem with him as an individual," Reid said of Burris, calling him an "extremely nice" and "forthright" man. "At this stage, the process is working out," he said.

Added Durbin: "I've known him for such a long time. We are friends and on a first-name basis."

The embraces reflected a growing expectation among Senate officials in both parties that the former state attorney general eventually would be seated.

As Reid and Durbin described it, the process depends on two developments: Burris securing the right signoff on his appointment papers, plus a sworn declaration that he didn't offer anything to Blagojevich in exchange for the seat.

"There was certainly no pay-to-play involved, because I don't have no money," Burris told reporters after his Senate meeting, previewing his sworn answer to that question.

link

Then there is the matter of Blagojevich's impeachment

[Cha]

34. Thanks, PS

"As Reid and Durbin described it, the process depends on two developments: Burris securing the right signoff on his appointment papers, plus a sworn declaration that he didn't offer anything to Blagojevich in exchange for the seat."

[IsItJustMe]

31. Hell yes they did. And they also fucked up when they were telling Blago to resign.

[NashVegas]

35. The "We Told You So" Contingent Wishes Reid Would Start Looking For a Graceful Exit

ASAP.

[elleng]

36. Sure won't be the first time

the Dems 'misstep!'