I’m a citizen of Illinois, but I don’t like Burris.
Even if he did run for the Senate seat in ‘10 I doubt that he would even be able to render a ‘show’ in the primaries.
My distaste for Burris goes back to when he was our state’s Atty General and his treatment of two young men in prison and death row for crimes that Burris know they didn’t commit and had nothing to do with, but he failed to intervene because of politics.
As a Black person, I have seen our laws used many times to prosecute innocent black persons, how Burris could allow this to go on regardless of the race or ethnicity involved is repugnant to me. Dupage County States Attorney Joe Burkett is also guilty in this travesty. Although I usually vote Democrat, I might have been willing to vote for Judy Barr Topinka had not she included Burkett on her ticket.
As for Burris, let him have that Senate Seat.  Regardless of the title for him, there will always have an asterick attached to it to describe Burris. He will be trounced in the primaries.  And as for his friends US Reps Danny Davis and Bobby Rush in their constant call for a Black person to represent our state in the Senate, look although I understand and share the sentiment, the issue should always be about who can best represent the state’s interest regardless of race.  Burris wasn’t that person.  Burris to me, compared to Obama is what Clarence Thomas is to Thurgood Marshall. Tomatoes may be scientifically a fruit, but…..

I agree with Cyrena that it is petty but I’m not convinced that Roland shouldn’t resign.

We can make the argument that Roland is a light weight and shouldn’t represent the people of Illinois but look at the empty suit we had for president.

We could say that Roland lied to his fellow members of Congress and to the people but it wasn’t a big lies. Anyway Bush, Palin, and McCain have told more big lies in 60 seconds than Burris has in his time in office.

The criminal activity of the Bush crime family and many of the criminal neocons cannot be an excuse. We are drowning in lies, equivocations, distortions and lack of ethics—to the point of abysmally low standards for leaders.

When does it stop?

Well Roland Burris is guilty of breathing too.  So if he is a little bit pregnant do we make him get an abortion or abort him himself?  Or does he get the chance to do something for Illnois?  The state has been without an effective senator since November.  Kind of unfair to the people of Illinois who are victims of sh*t politics. 

Now we knows dere ain’t no debble.  Glogobitch is just a self-serving-like-all-politicians-kind-of-man.  Burris is included in that class.  Now since all politicians are like that, to one degree or another, our job is to find the ones less so and give the rest a kick in the proverbial *ss.  Somebody has to do the crappy job of running the country.  We have a republic, remember?  A government by representation. And we do have freedom of speech!  Or do you want the Islamists to take over?  They are just pantingly waiting in the wings, fool.  Their breath is hot and heavy and applauding every stumble Americans make.  Americans are inept but not to the degree of other countries. The way I know is because Click and Clack are still giving yuking-it-up advice on cars on the radio.  I hear they even have a TV show these days.

Roland Burris is a small man with big dreams for the inscription on his own tomb.  Blagoff used him, used his weakness.  Burris is just a man; Blag is the devil.

this is a sideshow.

BUT….it is telling.  the odor of congressional corruption seems to be even more odious than usual and is drifting further afield into the olfactory organs of everyday people.  is the cat out of the bag?  do people “get it” yet?  probably not, but i dont know how much more painfully obvious it can get.

our system is broken.  no bandaids.  raze and rebuild.

Burris is guilty of lobbying

I have to agree with the majority of my fellow posters on this one Eugene…this is PETTY in relative terms of our real time circumstances.

Roland Burris has been a State public servant and Illinois politician for decades. He tried to raise some flippin’ campaign cash at the local level, and was unsuccessful. Bloggo won anyway. BFD.

He either forgot to tell about it, or *intentionally* didn’t ‘tell about it’ in anticipation of exactly what is happening now, because you’re scrapping it up. Where’s the “money”? Where’s the “fraud”? Where’s the “connection”? Where’s the “crime”?

There’s no Tom DeLay or Ted Stevens type action happening here. There’s no Maddox ponzi scheme worth billions under Roland’s floorboards, and he hasn’t just been tracked down by the FBI for a similar scheme perpetrated by yet another TEXAN.

FBI tracks down Texas financier in fraud case

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_bi_ge/stanford_sec

(I swear there’s more political corruption and fraud in Texas than the rest of the states combined thanks to it being the State Clubhouse of the neocons)

He isn’t ‘living large’ off the public dime.

Maybe you could write about this guy the FBI just tracked down. He’s been served but isn’t under arrest or anything.

Then check this out too, one of many of these cases now actually getting some real attention for investigation and prosecution:

US steps up pressure on UBS in bank secrets case

“WASHINGTON – A government lawsuit Thursday seeks the identities of tens of thousands of possible U.S. tax cheats who hid billions of dollars in assets at the Swiss-based bank UBS AG. A defiant Swiss president pledged to maintain his country’s bank secrecy laws.

In the suit filed in Miami, the Obama administration wants UBS to turn over information on as many as 52,000 U.S. customers who concealed their accounts from the U.S. government in violation of tax laws.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_bi_ge/ubs_secrets

This is a very interesting case for Comparative Law Scholars, and the US taxpayers should be interested in it as well. It boils down to about ‘$14.8 billion in {U.S. taxpayer} assets in the past decade.’

•  “At a time when millions of Americans are losing their jobs, their homes, and their health care, it is appalling that more than 50,000 of the wealthiest among us have actively sought to evade their civil and legal duty to pay taxes,” the acting assistant attorney general, John DiCicco, said in a statement.”

Check it out….

Gene, Gene, Gene Would you effen give it a rest on Burris? With the kind of crimes that are going on in the house, senate and white house you concentrate on this? We have senators approving of torture, spying and stealing our money to give to wall street and the banks. We have Feinstein’s husband’s KBR killing our soldiers with negligence, and other soldiers killing themselves at a higher rate than ever. We’re starting a new un-winnable war, we have people in America squatting in their house and this is your beef? Somebody is too immature here to write a blog. Grow the heck up. You don’t see how Dirty Harry Reid is a bigger crim than Burris ever could be? You see nothing so why bother?

This is a joke. Billions of dollars have just been stolen from us and we’re discussing this? Compared to his fellow senators, Burris is a saint.

Let me get this straight: Blago’s brother asked Burris for campaign help, Burris tries but doesn’t deliver, gets the job anyway…and now we’re supposed to grab our torches and pitchforks? This is just another story to keep people occupied, there is nothing here.

“The intricacies of grammar don’t change the basic equation”

That may be true in the real world. But unfortunately in the world of politics, it’s not always so. The whole debate over stimulus, bailout, a collapsing economy and preceeding that, funding an unnecessary war, has hung on a politicians ability to reshape the debate with grammar. True the equation never changes, but since few understand grammer, it’s easy to not notice.

Near as I can tell, Burris is guilty of being a typical politician. “I forgot,” is as handy as “I didn’t know,” and “what I said is not what I meant.”

Too bad the press has never been as enamored by obvious corruption as they are by obvious stupidity. For example, starting an unnecessary war based on lies, then so badly managing that war that only those war profiteers put in place by the same liars who started the war, think it’s gone well. Where was an outraged press when all that was going on?

This has been an embarrasment for Illinois. Will be another embarrasment for the Democrat Party, and the Senate. But that’s not because Blagojevich is crooked (still waiting for the trial) or Burris is “forgetfull.” It’s only because Illinois, the dems and the Senate are not accustomed to having their respective shortfalls “clearly” focused on and questioned. But then neither are the repubs. In fact when comparing party to party, the repubs have had a long, press looking the other way, bump-free ride.

bye roland. you can have ‘he was a senator for umpteen days’.. emblazoned on your mausoleum. go home now. your 15 minutes of fame is over. great column gene

He is committing a grave disservice to IL and the Black community.
Holder said we are cowards about discussing Race. Proof positive came when a White ‘analyst’ stated that the Senate would not make him step down because he was the only black Senator.‘Scuse Me?
As a female this set my hair on fire. Granted to derail someone without cause because of their race or gender is an ‘ism’. But it is just as much an ‘ism’ to lower the bar to accomadate them.
What you are essentially saying is that person is unable to compete without special considerations being provided. Not to mention the assumption that they are naturally inclined towards ‘weakness’.
Case in Point, I’m playing pool with this guy- he informs me ‘slop counts for women but not guys so that counted’...Meaning I am unable to play this game and actually win without this clause- I informed him ‘win or Lose, I’ll play by the same rules you do, because I am perfectly capable of kicking you ass without having to resort to slop shots’
Do we need such laws as Affirmative action still- yes. But not for Us minorities, but for those who have yet to realize rules stay the same for everyone. When this type of guy never even thinks to allow me to ‘play slop’.When he immediately pulls my ball out of the pocket and proceeds to take his shot without a word- just likehe’d do with any other guy. Then we won’t need affirmative action- it’s our way of saying ‘We don’t play slop and we are offended you should even suggest it’

Dear burris…...You are one of the SLIMEY TYPES of POLITICIANS we need to GET RID OF…..Don’t HOLD OUT UNTIL til the bitter end.That just costs the taxpayers more money and takes time away from someone descent who could use that time to do the job.Just REMOVE YOURSELF…It’s “people like you” that give American Politics the BLACK EYE….Along with “ole bullshit”......“made-off”......“stanford?”[isn’t that the new thief?]

Roland Burris Roland Burris Roland Burris, it is simply amazing that men think they won’t be found out when they make bargains with the debble.  He claims he committed no crime, broke no law.  Well maybe.  He is doing the ritual jitterbug “I am innocent” dance that vain peccant politicians do without fail.  But is misleading the entire country let alone Illinois maybe a little bit of what is called misrepresentation?  What does that say about his authenticity?  Money and power have conversations don’t they?