Burris should resign from U.S. Senate

Illinois Republicans are taking the right stance in calling for Sen. Roland Burris to resign.

Burris perjured himself before an Illinois House committee when he said he had no contact with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich before he was approached by the governor about the appointment to the Senate. On Saturday Burris filed an affidavit stating he was in contact with Blagojevich several times prior to his nomination to fill President Barack Obama's empty Senate seat. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Burris now acknowledges having contact with five representatives of Blagojevich regarding his appointment to the U.S. Senate seat. Burris also confirmed that Robert Blagojevich, the since-ousted governor’s brother who headed his campaign fund, had solicited him for campaign cash. Burris also says he talked to the governor's office about a position in state government for his nephew.

Prominent Republicans are speaking out in calling for the senator to resign for the good of the people of Illinois. Sen. Dan Cronin, R- DuPage, called for Burris to step down, saying:

In light of everything citizens of Illinois been through with the corrupt administration of Blagojevich and with the public demand for honesty and open government, I firmly believe Sen. Burris needs to step down. Roland Burris was not honest and forthcoming in the process and there need to be consequences, which include him stepping down from his position.

Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinois GOP, said Burris is continuing to bring embarrassment to the state of Illinois. McKenna said the continued ethical shenanigans of the Blagojevich administration and obstructionists provided an object lesson in why Democrats should have stripped Blagojevich of his appointment powers and kept their promise to people of Illinois to hold a special election."

House Republicans are calling for Burris to resign and are urging the state's attorney in Springfield to investigate Burris for perjury.

Rep. Jim Durkin, R- Western Springs, told the Sun Times Burris is continuing to bring shame to the state of Illinois.

While the Illinois GOP will push for Burris' ouster, they may have an unlikely ally in Senate leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid did not want to allow Burris to take his seat because of Blagojevich's taint of corruption and this may fuel the powerful senator to urge Burris on his own to step down from that august body.

Blago's corruption keeps on a comin'

Seems like the corruption of the disgraced former Illinois governor is continuing with the Washington Post's revelation that U.S. Sen. Roland Burris lied about prior contact with the ousted Rod Blagojevich prior to his appointment to the senate seat.

According to the Post, Burris filed an affidavit last week that Blagojevich contacted Burris several times last year - starting in October - asking Burris to raise money for the governor. Burris also said he talked with John Harris, Blago's chief of staff, about the Senate seat back in October - prior to President Barack Obama's victory. Burris also said he asked Harris about a state job for his nephew.

Who knows if the affidavit filed by Burris is truthful, after all, he did swear in a previous affidavit he had no contact with the governor prior to his appointment to the seat.

The Illinois House is calling for an independent investigation into Burris' perjury.

Not only is Burris' revelation more mud on the name of clean politics in Illinois, it's also egg on the face of President Obama who, along with others, urged Senate leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to allow Burris to take the seat. With the latest revelations, it's possible Reid will seek retribution and seek to have Burris step down from the Senate - of course that will hurt the Democrat's numbers in the Senate if they were to lose any of their majority.

Illinois Republicans will surely use this to their advantage in the 2010 elections. While the nation called for change from GOP leadership in 2008, the people of Illinois may do the same in the next election by giving Republicans a chance to clean up the state.

Senate set to back down on Burris appointment

It seems the U.S. Senate Democrats are prepared to cave on the Senate appointment of Roland Burris. After President-elect Barack Obama met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., earlier this week and the Senate Democrats backed down from their refusal to allow Burris to take the seat he was appointed to.

It's an outcome that was almost assured from the get-go. Burris was appointed by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich who has been accused of attempting to sell that seat to the highest bidder. Now it is true that Burris donated money to the Blago gubernatorial campaign, according to an article in Sunday's Chicago Tribune, but Burris has not been accused of any wrongdoing. And Blago, as corrupt and ineffective as he seems to be, is still governor of Illinois and it is in his legal power to appoint a replacement for Obama.

Several things were at play in the Senate's backing down. First, Reid, who prior to Blago's Dec. 9 arrest, pushed for someone other than Burris to receive the appointment, does not want to start off the new session with a hostile relationship with the Obama administration. Obama took a personal interest in his former seat, and Reid is not going to go against the wildly popular president-elect.

Secondly there are legalities involved. Election law experts told ABC news that senators may not have the constitutional power to refuse to admit Burris into the Senate without some indication that his appointment was corrupt. In 1969 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. House must seat Adam Clayton Powell who was accused of corruption. The high court ruled the House did not have the authority to refuse his entry because he was legally elected to the House.

Thirdly, race plays a big role in the appointment of Burris. Obama was the only black member of the U.S. Senate. Burris is black. Democrats do not want to refuse to seat a black man who has not been accused of any wrong doing. The political backlash could create a rift between Democrats and the black community who overwhelmingly vote Democratic. U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Il., a former Black Panther, urged the Senate to allow Burris' appointment because of his race. Of course Rush backed a white politician for the seat when Obama ran for it, which negates his call for the need of a black man in the Senate. But this is politics where the winds of change are constantly blowing - especially for people who have no principle.

So look to Burris being the next U.S. Senator from Illinois. Of course he most likely won't keep his seat when it is up for grabs in 2010. Democrats and Republicans alike are salivating for that fight.

GOP should sit back and watch Democrats fight over Illinois Senate seat

As the comedy of errors is set to begin tomorrow in Washington, D.C., the republicans would be smart to sit back and let the Democrats handle the Illinois Senate seat.

Roland Burris is on his way to Washington to claim the seat he was appointed to by disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich despite having his paperwork rejected by Senate Democrats. Earlier today Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson rejected Burris' certificate of appointment to the Senate as invalid. Before flying off to the nation's capital, Burris told reporters that he is the state's junior senator and that his appointment by Blago was legal and constitutional.

Burris plans on going to the Senate on Tuesday to be sworn in despite having been told by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he would not allow Burris to take his seat in the Senate. Reid, D-Nev., said he would not allow Burris to be sworn in due to the controversy surrounding Blago's alleged attempt to sell the seat to the highest bidder. However, with reports that Reid attempted to sway Blago's appointment (prior to Blago's arrest) Reid is walking a thin line of piety.

So while the Democrats squabble over the Illinois replacement for President elect Barack Obama, Republicans should sit back and watch the fireworks. The Democrats have backed themselves into a politically correct corner. Can they afford to refuse a black appointee - to a seat held by a wildly popular black legislator (the only black member of the Senate) simply because he was appointed by a disgraced governor? The GOP, which has been marginalized in Washington and Illinois, should quietly hope for Illinois lawmakers to hold a special election for the Senate seat. Playing a petulant game of hardball over Burris and Blago will only remind voters of why Republicans lost overwhelmingly in November - and can remind Illinois voters of possible compliance during the corrupt administration of Republican Gov. George Ryan . If a special election is held in Illinois, that's when Republicans need to turn up the heat and remind Illinois voters of Blago's corruption and the corruption of the Chicago Democratic Machine. Remind voters they wanted change in DC, which brought about the election of Obama, but that change is needed in Springfield and the Illinois GOP offers that change.