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Will Harry Reid Barricade the Senate Door?
If he physically blocks the only black senator from entering, he's going to look like George Wallace.
When scandal-ridden Governor Rod Blagojevich defiantly chose to appoint former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate he did not play the race card … he played the whole deck.
In the process, he put the Democrats in the Senate between the proverbial racial rock and a hard place. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has made it clear that he will not allow Burris to be sworn in on Tuesday when the Senate assembles: but will he physically block Burris from the floor of the Senate?
On June 11, 1963, Alabama’s Governor George Wallace kept a campaign pledge to stand in the schoolhouse door to block integration of the state’s public schools. Governor Wallace physically stood in the doorway to block the attempt of two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, to register at the University of Alabama. When President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard and ordered its units to the university campus, Wallace stepped aside and allowed the black students to enter. As a result of the incident, Wallace became a hero to some and a pariah to most. Does Reid want to follow his lead by blocking the only black Senator from the Senate floor?
The racial implications of “the mess that Rod made” were ratcheted up when the Chicago Sun Times reported that Reid called Blagojevich on December 3 and argued against the appointment of Chicago Congressmen Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Rep. Danny Davis, or Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones, all of whom are black. Instead, Reid reportedly wanted Blagojevich to select either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth, who is Thai-American and recently lost a bid to be elected to Congress, or Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is white.
Reid’s conversation with Blagojevich was almost certainly captured on tape by federal prosecutors who have been tapping the governor’s calls, and it may ultimately be available for public consumption. In the meantime, most political analysts surmise that Reid’s concern about the potential appointment of one of the three black men was more about politics than racial prejudice. Those same political concerns apply to Roland Burris.
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Steve Gill is a political analyst and statewide radio talk host in Tennessee. His website is www.gillreport.com.
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25 Comments
1. cedarhill:Reid will find a way to seat him. Votes still count in the Senate. Whatever “agreement” he and Burris announce will be changed. After all, when’s the last time this cohort of Democrats ever kept any promise or told the truth?
Jan 5, 2009 - 4:39 am 2. nadadhimmi:So what is new here? In the Civil War the Democrats always hated blacks, and Dems called Copperheads (like the snake), actually assisted the Confederates. It was the Demo governers and senators that barred blacks, not the Republicans. But the Dems bribed the blacks with welfare and other things like descrimination FOR blacks to get their votes. And of course, the black voter willingly sold his vote to those Copperheads, and entered into collusion with those very people that tried to keep them slaves right up to the 70’s. It’s about power and manipulation, not race equality. Just ask Jesse and Al Sharpton, and the messiah too. Ask most blacks what the party was of Lincoln: most will NOT say Republican, but Dem.
Jan 5, 2009 - 4:54 am 3. Sami:Sorry, but the whole idea that failing to seat a black as the only black Senator just doesn’t fly. Blacks have plenty of representation in Washington.
Hasn’t anyone noticed that in two weeks the most powerful man in the world, the U.S. president will be a black man?
He has already appointed the rather dubious, Eric Holder, black as Attorney General, and the ethically challenged Chicago pol, black woman, Valerie Jarrett as a chief advisor. He will doubtless appoint a large percentage of blacks throughout Washington and the country in key judicial and political jobs. Hopefully, most of them won’t be as ethically challenged as Holder and Jarrett.
That said, it seems Reid doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on. But the race card is no longer applicable. Unfortunately, the media hasn’t caught on.
Jan 5, 2009 - 5:02 am 4. AnninCA:Reid and others jumped on the Blago bandwagon for publicity. Like so many PR moves, there’s a downside. Burris is a very huge misstep for Reid.
He now looks like a buffoon, either way he goes.
Jan 5, 2009 - 5:58 am 5. Bob:Harry Reid vs. the Rule of Law:
Amendment XVII. Popular Election of Senators
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
10 ILCS 5/25-8
When a vacancy shall occur in the office of United States Senator from this state, the Governor shall make temporary appointment to fill such vacancy until the next election of representatives in Congress, at which time such vacancy shall be filled by election, and the senator so elected shall take office as soon thereafter as he shall receive his certificate of election.
While I agree that Blago is a jerk (and most likely a crook), I don’t think the Senate can ignore his acts. There is no evidence that Roland Burris was involved in any bribery. Reids and his ilk should swallow and accept that the law supports seating Burris.
Jan 5, 2009 - 6:19 am 6. Mike:Will Shabby Harry block the door? I guess we will see. I hope he does because the more problems the Dems have the better off all of us will be. That way they won’t have time to put the screws to all of us if they are too busy messing with each other. Can Shabby Harry block the door?? Yes he can. Read the excerpt from the Constitution:
“Section. 5.
Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.”
I love the way Blogoyevich has played this. Right out of the Clinton playbook!
—————————————–
You liberals need to pay lots of taxes cause someone needs to pay for all the free stuff Obama promised me!
Jan 5, 2009 - 6:26 am 7. Cybergeezer:Why hasn’t Reid used the New York Times, CNN or Newsweek to totally bash and discredit this guy with lies and deceit, like they do with anyone else they disagree with? They could make him as repugnant as Sarah Palin. Maybe they’re a little slow on the draw for this one. Deference and party loyalty, I guess.
Jan 5, 2009 - 7:35 am 8. D Palmer:The two situations are only coincidently analygous.
Wallace attempted to bar the door BECAUSE the students were black.
Reid’s attempt to bar Burris has NOTHING to do with Burris’s race.
The repeated attempts by you and other bloggers to draw this parallel are stupid.
I have no doubt that Bagojevich chose Burris in part to create just this situation knowing that any attekpt to block him would be treated as racism, even though it is NOT.
Real racism exists and happens, but every time the shepherds cry racist when it doesn’t exist it only makes it harder for people to care when it does.
Shame on you.
Jan 5, 2009 - 8:07 am 9. tanstaafl:I think it’s silly to cast any potential Reid/Burris confrontation in the context of black/white, racism etc.
I also think it’s silly (and highly unfortunate) that Barack Obama’s Senate seat is now considered (and for always and forever?) a “black” seat. And that Blago gets a leg up from a black constiuency in Illinois and Mayor Daley is pleased as well with an “appointment” from the same vantage point.
All this stuff, it seems, more important than any particular consideration of Roland Burris’ credentials and aptitudes.
It all smacks of (ignorant) politicks as usual.
(it’s funny, Burris originally expressed outrage at Blago’s alleged misdeeds, but, since the appointment, has been mum on the subject of the dear Illinois guv)
Jan 5, 2009 - 8:29 am 10. mojo:I like Don Surber’s idea: have the Republicans ask for unanimous consent on a resolution welcoming the new senators from Minnesota and Illinois – Democratic Sen. Franken and Democratic Sen. Roland Burris.
Make them OWN that sh*t.
Jan 5, 2009 - 8:38 am 11. Jimmy37:Blago pulled a brilliant move by appointing a supposedly clean black. Racist groups like the Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, and the Urban League, and demagogues like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will whip up their moronic constituencies and claim racism
Jan 5, 2009 - 8:53 am 12. willis:“The repeated attempts by you and other bloggers to draw this parallel are stupid.”
Such attempts (to play the race card) are unfair Palmer, but not stupid. Obama recognized that and is now president. Race will always win the argument, a fact that Blago, Obama, the MSM, in fact, everyone but you, recognizes.
Jan 5, 2009 - 8:55 am 13. FLMom:Oh, but they can’t wait to seat Al Franken. Perhaps he more closely exemplifies the caliber of individual the Democrats seek to join their noble ranks. Their enthusiasm for Franken speaks volumes about their definition of ‘qualified’.
I plan to think AL FRANKEN whenever I think ‘Democrat led Senate’. I feel sure they will appreciate my ability to discern their true visage.
Jan 5, 2009 - 9:00 am 14. laughing...:Harry Reid has always been careful to say that Burris won’t join the “democrat caucus” in the Senate, it’s still stupid and just as damaging as blocking his way at the Senate door itself.
I always thought that VP Dick Cheney as Head of the Senate, oversees the swearing in of new members…
Jan 5, 2009 - 9:33 am 15. SamIam:My hope is that Burris will be escorted by New Black Panther Party members and others from Rev Wright’s congregation and they chant “We Shall Overcome” as they bum rush the Capitol doors and cause a huge scene.
America has to wake up to what they did last election and the new paradigm of a radicalized Democrat party fully in charge of the entire United States government.
Jan 5, 2009 - 9:34 am 16. RGR:Senator Reid is a egocentric idiot. First governor Blogoyevich has the right to choose the replacement; so just because of that they don’t have any authority to stop him. What about everybody is presume innocent until proven guilty. or Senator Reid like must of the congress believed that they can do anything they want. they are just a bunch of crooks.
New salaries for the congress; Planes for Pelosi, pork projects, go to jail free cards, etc, etc. etc. and now we continue to add more crooks like Al Franken who manipulated and twisted the election process.
Jan 5, 2009 - 9:44 am 17. Sandra:ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…..I can’t stop laughing thinking of how this is going to play out! Maybe this debacle is all the fault of Bush! Yeah, that’s it -see how that plays, Harry. I can’t wait to see him standing astride the Senate door blocking the way for the esteemed Senator from Illinois. But my bet is they will wind up locking arms and singing,as they sashay the new guy in town into the hallowed Senate chambers.
Jan 5, 2009 - 10:08 am 18. Gilley:Let’s see, black Congressman and former Black Panther Bobby Rush has claimed for a few weeks that racism is blocking Burris from the Senate and he was the one who first invoked not only George Wallace but other white racists from the Civil Rights era in comparison to what Burris faces from the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. Just yesterday he referred to the Senate as the last bastion of “plantation politics.”
Burris himself appeared at a black church yesterday surrounded by black ministers (apparently the separation of church and state doesn’t apply to him) and claimed that God had placed his hand on Blagojevich and told him to pick Burris. That he was “ordained by God” for this seat. Can you imagine if Sarah Palin had claimed that God told John McCain to pick her as his VP — the leftist media would have burst into flame!
And lest we forget that it was Harry Reid who is apparently opposed to two black congressmen, the black Senate President in Illinois and now the former attorney general of Illinois becoming the U.S. Senator from Illinois. But he had no problem with Blago picking a white woman or a Thai-American woman.
The race card is not being played by bloggers, it is being played by Burris and his supporters.
Jan 5, 2009 - 10:13 am 19. drjohn:How funny can this be?
Hairy Reid can’t wait to seat a white, tax evading pornographer and block a black career politician.
Jan 5, 2009 - 10:44 am 20. Nate:I’d prefer the tax evading pornographer over a career politician too. Less sleazy.
Jan 5, 2009 - 11:23 am 21. Buford Gooch:The idea that Reid’s December third antagonism toward the three Black candidates for the position is all political and due to re-electability and not racism looks good until one remembers Reid’s interview on Meet the Press in 2004. That’s when he denigrated Justice Thomas, and lauded Justice Scalia. Thomas’ skin color is the only likely reason. It appears that the re-electability excuse is just that, an excuse, and Reid’s covert racism is the real culprit.
Jan 5, 2009 - 11:25 am 22. tanstaafl:Burris himself appeared at a black church yesterday surrounded by black ministers (apparently the separation of church and state doesn’t apply to him) and claimed that God had placed his hand on Blagojevich and told him to pick Burris. That he was “ordained by God” for this seat.
Roland Burris appears to have a little…
Megalomaniacal thing going on
Can you imagine if Sarah Palin had claimed that God told John McCain to pick her as his VP — the leftist media would have burst into flame!
There appears to be no shame, or even awareness, of double (even triple) standards from the entrenched media.
If something is uncomfortable to the Left, the topic is dismissed as trivial.
Harry Reid has been (astutely) named by the inimitable Dennis Miller as the #1 pinhead of 2008.
Jan 5, 2009 - 1:50 pm 23. Charles L. Morse Sr.:Let the man serve his two years. Let the voters decide if they want to keep him .
Jan 5, 2009 - 5:18 pm 24. Maverick:Let reed shut his mouth and do all of us a favor dump him next vote for his office .
As long as Burris has his papers certified by the Illinois Secretary of State and Blagojevich there’s not much Harry Reid can do. As of today the Illinois Secretary of State has not certified Burris. Thats the only way Harry Reid is going to bar Burris from the Senate. If Harry Reid goes the route of questioning Burris Senate requirements, he must do so for all Senators along with Burris. Burris should have met with Reid long before it got to this point. It wasn’t wise of Burris to plead his case in the media and make the Senate Democrats look like a bunch of racist. Then again, you can’t help but draw your own conclusions based on a all white Senate.
Jan 5, 2009 - 7:47 pm 25. Sheri the Military Wife:I find this all so funny………..
Maybe our African American Brothers and Sisters are realizing who it was that fought for their freedom.
Sure was not a Democrat
Jan 5, 2009 - 10:25 pm