Can Burris Avoid the Blagojevich Taint?
In today’s press conference in which it was announced Rod Blagojevich would be appointing him to the U.S. Senate seat, Roland Burris brushed off media questions about whether his appointment would be “tainted” by the indictment of the governor.
Of course, the governor highlighted Burris’ supposed independence by noting they were opponents in the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
What what’s happened since that election?
Well, for one thing, Burris has been a pretty hefty contributor to the governor. In fact, state campaign finance reports shows that he’s a pretty regular $1,000 contributor to Blagojevich’s campaign coffers - including a $1,000 contribution as recently as June of this year.
He also a contributor to much-maligned and machine-supported Cook County Board President Todd Stroger - and Burris’ lobbying firm (in which he is a partner) has contributed to Stroger’s 8th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.
And, as we noted in this post, Burris’ business partner, Fred Lebed, is a longtime Cook County political insider who once served as Cook County Board President John Stroger’s top lieutenant.
Further, in a post entitled, Burris’ Pay-to-Play Political History, the editor at Illinois Review highlights some of Burris’ more “interesting” lobbying clients.
Bottom line: there is a reason Blagojevich tapped Burris for this seat. He called Burris. Burris answered the call and said “yes” to his political friend, Rod Blagojevich.
Roland Burris is not an independent voice for this U.S. Senate seat. He has close ties to the Cook County political machine and is a major contributor to Rod Blagojevich.
Let’s hope the media does their work on this and bets Burris properly. In the end, due to judicial precedent, it might not matter. But the voters of Illinois deserve an honest vetting of this potential U.S. Senator - and a spotlight shined on the contined dubious activities of our machine politicians.
Could White and Reid be Stiff-Armed by Judicial Precedent?
Harry Reid has said his caucus won’t seat any Blagojevich appointee…and Jesse White says he won’t certify Blago’s appointment of Burris.
So the Burris appointment is DOA, right?
Not necessarily.
Matthew J. Franck has this post up at NRO’s Bench Memos which points to a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision that may make the Reid/White refusals moot.
All for naught?
Well, our previous post about Burris may not matter much.
Harry Reid is saying he won’t seat a Blago pick, and according to this story, Illinois Sec. of State Jesse White is saying he won’t certify the appointment.
Reading Up On Roland
Well, it looks like Blago is going to appoint (or at least try to) former state Attorney General/gubernatorial candidate Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by Barack Obama.
Now the fun begins. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the Senate will not seat anybody appointed by Blagojevich.
And, even if he was seated, would Burris ever be able to escape the “Appointed by Blagojevich” label?
Burris is currently a lobbyist with the firm of Burris & Lebed Consulting, LLC. Look for some media interest into the clientele of that firm.
Look also for a discussion of Burris’ partner - Fred Lebed, a Democratic “strategist” with a long history of working with Cook County politicians. He served as a special assistant to former Cook County President John Stroger and also as County Liquor Commissioner.
Burris and Lebed are consummate insiders.
Read more about Burris here.
Here is some reading on the expected appointment:
- Greg Hinz: Burris Pick Faces Uncertain Fate
- Politico: Blagojevich Tries to Name Obama Successor
- Red County: Blagojevich to Appoint Roland Burris
- Crain’s: Blagojevich to Name Burris to Senate Seat
Understatement of the Year
Filed under: Blagojevich, Casino, Corruption, Mayor Daley, Reform, Taxes
In a post titled “The False Allure of Hope and Change,” the Media Monitors Network publishes the understatement of the year:
Illinois politics, which is run entirely out of Cook County, has always been riddled with corruption, and the allegations against the Governor likely only represent a tip of the iceberg.
No kidding.
Our international reputation for corruption and ineptitude is bad - and only getting worse.
What surprises us most about the revelations of our governor is how many voters are actually shocked and surprised by his behavior. Granted, the audacity and stupidity with which he engaged in this behavior (on the phone when just about everybody in Illinois knew he was under surveillance) was shocking.
But his actions? Shocking? Surprising? C’mon.
Most Corrupt Activities of 2008
Well, as New Year’s Eve draws closer, it’s that time of year for the “Best of” and “Worst of” lists…
So, without further adieu, we ask for your input on Cook County’s Most Corrupt Activities of 2008.
Email your picks to info@reformcookcounty.com or put them in the comments section on this post.
To get things started, we’ll suggest some entries:
- Blago’s attempted sale of the U.S. Senate seat (obvious)
- Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Anita Alvarez naming Blagojevich insider Bob Clifford (a trial lawyer who has made millions in lawsuit settlements with the county) as her Finance Chair.
- Enactment of a huge sales tax increase (the “Corruption Tax”) that gives Cook County the highest sales tax in the country.
- The arrest of 10 Cook County sheriff’s employees, four Harvey police officers and one Chicago cop on charges of aiding and abetting drug dealers.
Those are just a few - let’s hear your choices…
Illinois’ Top Reformers
Illinois Review is seeking input for “Illinois’ Top Ten Political Reformers.”
They start by nominating John Kass - an obvious choice. We also would nominate U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald - and, although he now lives in Virginia, former Senator Peter Fitzgerald’s choice of Patrick Fitzgerald as U.S. Attorney is still paying dividends here in the Prairie State.
We are obviously also partial to Commissioner Peraica.
Please visit Illinois Review to nominate your “Top Illinois Reformer.”
Your Reform Ideas: Visit our Cook County Suggestion Box
This Web site is for you. Your actions. Your ideas for reform.
That is why we bring you the Cook County Suggestion Box.
The Suggestion Box is visible in the right column of this site - in the top menu - or by clicking here.
This feature allows you to submit your ideas - and vote on the ideas of others.
Let’s start the conversation on reform. Nothing is more important to the future of Cook County.
Visit the Cook County Suggestion Box today!
Kass on the County’s New Casino
John Kass (as usual) hits the nail on the head in today’s column about the new casino slated for Des Plaines.
Here’s an excerpt that enforces what we’ve written here previously:
Board members couldn’t give the license to Rosemont, since politicians were shocked, shocked I tell you, when they found out a while back that Rosemont has connections to the Chicago Outfit…
… Last week, the gaming board members couldn’t give the casino to the other town that wanted it, Waukegan, because board members were privately worried that indicted Republican boss Big Bill Cellini had hidden connections with the deal, and they didn’t want to look stupid later.
So Des Plaines got the casino license. For some strange reason, perhaps it’s just hives, my itchiness tells me that politicians see a jackpot and that the guys behind the guys in Rosemont will wet their beaks in Des Plaines. It’s almost across the street.
Battleground: Chicago
Filed under: Mayor Daley, Spending, Taxes, Todd Stroger
As many of you may have read, the 500th homicide of 2008 was committed in Chicago during Christmas week.
That’s more than the amount of American soldiers killed in Iraq this year.
So, why don’t we see liberal protestors picketing outside City Hall, or Todd Stroger’s office, or the offices of the members of Congress who represent the city?
Simple: because these politicians still are effective at passing the blame for our city and county’s woes on to others. They’re favorite complaint is that they simply need more of our tax dollars to battle the challenges that face our region.
For example, they say they need more money to fight crime in our city and county. But then they refuse to answer simple questions when tens of millions of dollars in federal homeland security funds are reported misused or missing.
Should we really expect anything more from these politicians? Of course not. After all, these are the same people who have been throwing an increasing amount of tax dollars at our broken educational system only to see it continue to spin its wheels and remain stuck in the mud (and now, we’ll see this failure at the national level as the Chicago Public Schools chief will now head the federal Dept. of Education.)
When Cook County politicians face challenges, they choose simplistic demagoguery to deflect criticism and fool the voters. And we all continue to pay the price.
One final thought as we ponder the 2008 murder rate: how’s that gun ban working, Mayor Daley?
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