It's a Circus: Di Feinstein says Seat Burris (Update)

Via AP: Senator Diane Feinstein after today’s refusal to accept Senator-designate Rolland Burris (D-Ill)has parted with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; on day two she flexes her ~~muscles~~ chairmanship:

Feinstein says Senate should seat Burris

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the Senate Rules Committee has parted with many of her Democratic colleagues and says that the Senate should seat former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said Tuesday that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, however tainted by corruption charges, has the right to appoint someone to President-elect Barack Obama’s former seat. The Rules Committee decides whether Burris is qualified to serve.

Feinstein said that blocking Burris would have ramifications for other governors’ appointments.

DiFi has a good point here. Reid is not the Lord of the Senate.

Imo, after all the implications and legal issues are weighed, Senator Reid and Dem colleagues will be on the loosing end.

We live under a judicial regime of innocent until proven guilty. Governor Blagojevich’s responsibilities and power of the Governor’s Office remains valid.

[Update 1]: The Harry Reid Circus:

Burris was rejected by the Secretary of the U.S. Senate on the basis his credentials was not in order — missing is the signature and seal of Illinois Secretary of State.

Oops via Politico

Illinois Secretary of State backs Burris, downplays own role

The Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White, downplayed his own role in preventing Roland Burris from joining the Senate, and put the responsibility for not seating Roland Burris on the shoulders of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

He also said he hopes Burris is seated.

“They could have seated him without my signature,” White — previously seen as a key opponent of the pick — told WGN Radio, saying his signature was purely “ceremonial.” Burris was not seated because the Illinois State Seal — which White controls — was not on his credentials.

White’s words put the ball firmly into Reid’s court, and leave Burris on offense in the public fight.

“What the senate did to Roland Burris yesterday…they played a little bit of a game with him,” he said.

The host asked him if he thought Reid had made him a “fall guy.”

“You’re absolutely correct,” he said. “It’s ugly.”

[.]

(highlights added)

3 Comments

idredit on January 6, 2009 at 8:51 pm

According to further AP reporting: Chicago Tribune

…the Democrats’ opposition cracked when a key chairwoman said seating him was simply the legal thing to do. Democratic leaders, set to meet with Burris on Wednesday, were searching for a way to defuse the dispute before it further overshadows the 111th Congress.

Knowledgeable Senate officials of both parties widely predicted that the saga would end with Burris being seated. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the were not authorized to speak publicly.

Seating Burris seemed more likely late Tuesday, when Sen. Dianne Feinstein rejected the reasoning that all of the chamber’s Democrats, herself included, had cited in a letter last week — that corruption charges against Burris’ patron, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, tainted his appointment.

“Does the governor have the power, under law, to make the appointment? And the answer is yes,” said Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, which judges the credentials of senators.

Late Tuesday, Feinstein urged the Senate to settle the matter.

“If you don’t seat Mr. Burris, it has ramifications for gubernatorial appointments all over America,” the California senator said. “Mr. Burris is a senior, experienced politician. He has been attorney general, he has been controller, and he is very well-respected. I am hopeful that this will be settled.”

[.]
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus said Tuesday that Burris should be seated.

“A lot of people want to talk about race or the governor and his problems, but the bottom line is you have a sitting governor who has certain legal rights and authorities and he’s made an appointment,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. “This is an issue that goes beyond race.”

dada on January 7, 2009 at 5:29 pm

lot’s of folks weighing in on this matter
the rude pundit gets after the burris snafu, as well as franken and c. kennedy, with Advice to Senate Democrats: Just Fucking Seat Burris:

…Democrats, you’re gonna waste time and political capital on whether or not to seat a liberal black guy for a couple of years? Or, Republicans, you’re gonna debate whether or not the legally elected comedian gets to fuck with you in person? Or, some members, you’re gonna wonder whether or not Caroline Kennedy is qualified?

Are any of these questions in any way more important than the work that’s gotta be done? Will any of these people actually cause harm? (Well, that question’s not to you, Republicans, because you’re just a bunch of fuckin’ low rent drama queens who think everything is gonna cause the end of the world.) No? Then you have the answer to whatever internal debate’s going on.

and digby, along with jane hamsher, had a great take on reids’ and the demoRATs early infighting, vis-a-vis burris the other day:

Fighting The Good Fight

…maybe it’s actually good for them to have a big public, interparty hissy fit right now. With enough practice on each other, they might develop enough courage and skill to outmaneuver the Republicans someday.

and reid’s working overtime to walk it back after using a specious, at best, tactic to hold it up. according to npr:

…Burris said Wednesday he should be able to join the Senate “very shortly,” after talking to newly supportive Democratic leaders and working on lingering legal obstacles. Talking to reporters on the second day of a Washington power odyssey that would intimidate many, the 71-year-old Burris declared himself happy and said he was pleased with his meeting with Sens. Harry Reid and Dick Durbin.

…

Senate leaders were under significant pressure to resolve the Burris matter quickly before its racial and political themes further overshadowed the 111th Congress …

…

The Congressional Black Caucus voted unanimously Wednesday to support seating Burris. Chairwoman Barbara Lee of California said the 41-member caucus plans to send a letter to Senate Democratic leaders calling for Burris to be seated immediately.

Meanwhile, Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, sued the Senate Wednesday, saying the refusal to seat Burris is unconstitutional.

“This is a situation where we have a senator who has now missed out on his first day,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. “It’s only fair that he be sworn in immediately. This is a no-brainer.”

Senate leaders weren’t quite ready to do that, but they were pivoting abruptly from their posture a day earlier that Burris lacks the proper paperwork to be seated and that the taint of Blagojevich’s corruption charges would strip him or anyone the governor appoints, of credibility…

reid meanwhile, continued his argument that “l don’t work for Obama” with this bit of sophism…or revisionist history, if you will…

“I don’t believe in the executive power trumping everything… I believe in our Constitution, three separate but equal branches of government.”

you have to wonder where that particular belief’s been hiding the past two years, eh.

idredit on January 7, 2009 at 5:59 pm

Reid: “I don’t believe in the executive power trumping everything… I believe in our Constitution, three separate but equal branches of government.”

So let me ask where was Reid during the last eight years going along with Bush to get along? On the Burris seating, Reid is the loser — makes him look like a whimp when he caves:

via Ben Smith: Oddly enough, in Illinois court filing today by the State Attorney General, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White argues that his signature on Roland Burris’s credentials is a mere technicality, neither compelled by law nor — evidently — necessary to make Burris a senator.

idredit on January 6, 2009 at 8:51 pm

According to further AP reporting: Chicago Tribune

…the Democrats’ opposition cracked when a key chairwoman said seating him was simply the legal thing to do. Democratic leaders, set to meet with Burris on Wednesday, were searching for a way to defuse the dispute before it further overshadows the 111th Congress.

Knowledgeable Senate officials of both parties widely predicted that the saga would end with Burris being seated. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the were not authorized to speak publicly.

Seating Burris seemed more likely late Tuesday, when Sen. Dianne Feinstein rejected the reasoning that all of the chamber’s Democrats, herself included, had cited in a letter last week — that corruption charges against Burris’ patron, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, tainted his appointment.

“Does the governor have the power, under law, to make the appointment? And the answer is yes,” said Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, which judges the credentials of senators.

Late Tuesday, Feinstein urged the Senate to settle the matter.

“If you don’t seat Mr. Burris, it has ramifications for gubernatorial appointments all over America,” the California senator said. “Mr. Burris is a senior, experienced politician. He has been attorney general, he has been controller, and he is very well-respected. I am hopeful that this will be settled.”

[.]
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus said Tuesday that Burris should be seated.

“A lot of people want to talk about race or the governor and his problems, but the bottom line is you have a sitting governor who has certain legal rights and authorities and he’s made an appointment,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. “This is an issue that goes beyond race.”
dada on January 7, 2009 at 5:29 pm

lot’s of folks weighing in on this matter
the rude pundit gets after the burris snafu, as well as franken and c. kennedy, with Advice to Senate Democrats: Just Fucking Seat Burris:

…Democrats, you’re gonna waste time and political capital on whether or not to seat a liberal black guy for a couple of years? Or, Republicans, you’re gonna debate whether or not the legally elected comedian gets to fuck with you in person? Or, some members, you’re gonna wonder whether or not Caroline Kennedy is qualified?

Are any of these questions in any way more important than the work that’s gotta be done? Will any of these people actually cause harm? (Well, that question’s not to you, Republicans, because you’re just a bunch of fuckin’ low rent drama queens who think everything is gonna cause the end of the world.) No? Then you have the answer to whatever internal debate’s going on.

and digby, along with jane hamsher, had a great take on reids’ and the demoRATs early infighting, vis-a-vis burris the other day:

Fighting The Good Fight

…maybe it’s actually good for them to have a big public, interparty hissy fit right now. With enough practice on each other, they might develop enough courage and skill to outmaneuver the Republicans someday.

and reid’s working overtime to walk it back after using a specious, at best, tactic to hold it up. according to npr:

…Burris said Wednesday he should be able to join the Senate “very shortly,” after talking to newly supportive Democratic leaders and working on lingering legal obstacles. Talking to reporters on the second day of a Washington power odyssey that would intimidate many, the 71-year-old Burris declared himself happy and said he was pleased with his meeting with Sens. Harry Reid and Dick Durbin.

…

Senate leaders were under significant pressure to resolve the Burris matter quickly before its racial and political themes further overshadowed the 111th Congress …

…

The Congressional Black Caucus voted unanimously Wednesday to support seating Burris. Chairwoman Barbara Lee of California said the 41-member caucus plans to send a letter to Senate Democratic leaders calling for Burris to be seated immediately.

Meanwhile, Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, sued the Senate Wednesday, saying the refusal to seat Burris is unconstitutional.

“This is a situation where we have a senator who has now missed out on his first day,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. “It’s only fair that he be sworn in immediately. This is a no-brainer.”

Senate leaders weren’t quite ready to do that, but they were pivoting abruptly from their posture a day earlier that Burris lacks the proper paperwork to be seated and that the taint of Blagojevich’s corruption charges would strip him or anyone the governor appoints, of credibility…

reid meanwhile, continued his argument that “l don’t work for Obama” with this bit of sophism…or revisionist history, if you will…

“I don’t believe in the executive power trumping everything… I believe in our Constitution, three separate but equal branches of government.”

you have to wonder where that particular belief’s been hiding the past two years, eh.
- idredit on January 7, 2009 at 5:59 pm
  
  Reid: “I don’t believe in the executive power trumping everything… I believe in our Constitution, three separate but equal branches of government.”
  
  So let me ask where was Reid during the last eight years going along with Bush to get along? On the Burris seating, Reid is the loser — makes him look like a whimp when he caves:
  
  via Ben Smith: Oddly enough, in Illinois court filing today by the State Attorney General, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White argues that his signature on Roland Burris’s credentials is a mere technicality, neither compelled by law nor — evidently — necessary to make Burris a senator.

It’s a Circus: Di Feinstein says Seat Burris (Update)

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