57 Responses to Roland Burris and the Senate Ethics Problem

1. BooRadley February 18th, 2009 at 9:47 am «

   Thanks Jane, appreciate you weighing in on this.
   digg is open.
2. Knut February 18th, 2009 at 9:50 am «

   Note to self: IOKIYAR.
3. Twain February 18th, 2009 at 9:54 am «

   Isn’t this, however, somewhat different since Burris either lied earlier to the Congress or withheld info? Any which way, this guy is bad news.
4. RAMA February 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am «

   The thing is, Stevens was a corrupt Village pol; Burris is just your garden variety corrupt Illinois pol. So Stevens has that going for him.

   And besides, like Knut says, IOKIYAR…
• Shoto February 18th, 2009 at 10:14 am «

  And Stephens got elected to the Senate about a week after fire was invented, so that makes him an insider – whether a convicted felon or not. Burris just waltzed onto the scene, so it’s much easier for them to shank him over the issue. He ain’t part of the club yet…

  Buncha clowns…
5. Teddy Partridge February 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am «

   Tweety said the other day that if Burris is indicted, he will certainly be expelled.

   The Ted Stevens example came immediately to mind. Wasn’t Harry Reid all “innocent until proven guilty” about his fellow club member then? Of course, Ted’s a GOP, and we know Harry likes them better.

   Can’t think of any other difference between Burris and Stevens that would cause Harry Reid to treat them differently, can you?
• FreedomNow February 18th, 2009 at 10:29 am «

  Ummmm…Stevens was acquitted…the judge basically says the prosecution manufactured the evidence.
• SouthernDragon February 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am «

  Got a link for that?
• katymine February 18th, 2009 at 10:34 am «

  I thought the case was on appeal but also hearing lots of motions….. so far as I know Steven’s is a convicted felon…..
• SouthernDragon February 18th, 2009 at 10:36 am «

  I think this is just another pearl of wisdom pulled out of ass. Drops by, leaves a little smelly present and slinks away.
• katymine February 18th, 2009 at 10:39 am «

  I found it….. it was Faux that reported instead of conviction but that he was acquitted and of course Faux is always right…… another one of the 18%er who gets dumber from watching them….
• prostratedragon February 18th, 2009 at 11:08 am «

  Can’t think of any other difference between Burris and Stevens that would cause Harry Reid to treat them differently, can you?

  I should change my handle to TabulaRasa.
6. Sufilizard February 18th, 2009 at 9:59 am «

   But Burris is a Democrat… there’s a different standard.

   sadly
• FreedomNow February 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am «

  Come on…Burris was a Machine Comptroller in Illinois responsible to the Daley clan…I grew up there…I liked Richard J, but Richard M. is just pure corruption where the dead vote and pay for play is the name of the game.
7. ratfood February 18th, 2009 at 10:00 am «

   Burris committed the cardinal sin of embarrassing the Dem leadership by showcasing their ineptitude.
8. eCAHNomics February 18th, 2009 at 10:00 am «

   Biggest difference is tenure.
• Teddy Partridge February 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am «

  Not for Harry Reid, necessarily.

  Party membership and, sadly but true for a convert to the Mormon Church, race may play a part. LDS has a long tradition of the dark-hued trickster.
• eCAHNomics February 18th, 2009 at 10:11 am «

  You don’t have to be a racist to think that Burris is a f**k up who needs to be exited asap.
• RAMA February 18th, 2009 at 10:24 am «

  Truth.

  Burris reached his level of incompetence when he was Illinois Attorney General and insisted that Rolando Cruz should be executed when it was clear the Cruze was not guilty of murdering Janeen Nacarico. In spite of his own office’s finding that Cruz was not guilty of the crime. That’s where he lost my support, and I’d endorsed him twice, once for Comptroller and once for AG. Much to my subsequent chagrin. His downhill slide into Lar “America First” Daley territory was pretty fast after that–the perennial, clueless, venal candidate. And he’s still all of those, and then some. The ONLY reasons Blago tapped him for the job was to give the finger to the Illinois Dem establishment and because he was sure Burris would be venal enough to take the job in spite of his earlier condemnations of Blago’s antics.
• eCAHNomics February 18th, 2009 at 10:28 am «

  Thanks for the history. I was vaguely aware that his was checkered but didn’t know the details. I’ll never understand why innocence is not a reason for release from punishment. That part completely baffles me.
• Shoto February 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am «

  Yup.
9. eCAHNomics February 18th, 2009 at 10:05 am «

   Heh. Margin calls on Goldman Sachs partners who can’t meet them. A huge helping of schadenfreude. But of course, GS is gonna help them borrow the money to meet the calls.
10. Bluetoe2 February 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am «

    Did WaPo ever ask diaper boy Vitter to resign? Probably sent him a carton of Pampers.
11. Liz Berry February 18th, 2009 at 10:10 am «

    Jane I couldn’t agree more than in regard to your comment about lack of moral authority on the part of the Senate. But that is part of their broken code: stick by your pals in the Senate no matter what kind of crap they pull. In regard to Burris, he is an outsider. The comment from the reader who said “biggest difference is tenure” got that right.
12. foothillsmike February 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am «

    One thing that I never understood is did Stevens list the gifts on his income taxes you know like Daschle forgot to list limo services?
• Shoto February 18th, 2009 at 10:19 am «

  If he reported the gifts, that would seem to be a defacto admission of guilt. And if he didn’t report the gifts, that sounds like a tax problem to me.
• foothillsmike February 18th, 2009 at 10:21 am «

  Ding
13. eCAHNomics February 18th, 2009 at 10:16 am «

    Besides, I’m always in favor of getting rid of embarrassing Ds asap. They did us a favor with Spitzer, who was a loose cannon who would have done a great deal of damage if he’d stayed around too long.

    So this double standard of letting embarrassing Rs stay around forever, but getting rid of those in the D camp, suits me just fine.
14. barbara February 18th, 2009 at 10:18 am «

    Or are some crimes too big to fail?

    Fab snark!
• Petrocelli February 18th, 2009 at 10:20 am «

  I know, eh … we take her for granted sometimes.
15. fuzed February 18th, 2009 at 10:23 am «

    Stevens or Rangel should be first. Burris, Third.
• foothillsmike February 18th, 2009 at 10:26 am «

  Stevens is gone from Senate therefore not appropriate anymore.
16. der1 February 18th, 2009 at 10:24 am «

    Not going to happen. Obama, Reid, and Pelosi need Burris’ vote and he’ll stay right where he is until and unless Illinois decides differently. There’s a lot that needs to be done right away with all hands on deck as the saying goes (broken wrists or not) so I don’t see anything changing other than how loud someone shouts about how it’s being (mis)handled. With Kennedy out and Minnesota unresolved Burris is needed. What choices are left? Appoint someone else with an expected Republican hissy fit or a Special Election, both choices less palatable than Roland even with his Bunning like memory problems.
17. dejadejavu February 18th, 2009 at 10:25 am «

    Wonder how much worse it would be if Senators were simply chosen by state wide lotteries.
18. SouthernDragon February 18th, 2009 at 10:28 am «

    OT – Working in mental health for 20 years I’ve known my share of patients who committed suicide over the years but not actually being a part of their family or extended family it is sort of a detached sensation. We felt sad and wondered what could have been done to prevent such action. I got a call right after I got to work this morning that a very good friend committed suicide yesterday evening. Now I know how extended family members feel when they lose a loved one to suicide. Sorry for dumping but I just can’t keep it inside.
• selise February 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am «

  (((((SouthernDragon)))))

  i am so so sorry SD.
• eCAHNomics February 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am «

  Stick with the survivors. The worst part about being a relative of a suicider is that the subject is taboo, so everyone acts embarrassed around you.
• Hugh February 18th, 2009 at 10:32 am «

  Sorry for your pain.
• Twain February 18th, 2009 at 10:36 am «

  Hugs. I do know how you feel and I am so sorry. Three members of my family and a childhood friend all committed suicide. It’s really hard to take. My thoughts are with you.
• Loo Hoo. February 18th, 2009 at 10:37 am «

  (((SouthernDragon)))
• foothillsmike February 18th, 2009 at 10:38 am «

  Had a very close friend commit suicide many years ago. Very sad. Hang in there bro.
• Cujo359 February 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pm «

  So sorry, SD.
• Margot February 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm «

  Oh no. ((SD))
• egregious February 18th, 2009 at 12:32 pm «

  Very sorry to hear that, SouthernDragon. My sympathy and love for you.
19. Hugh February 18th, 2009 at 10:29 am «

    I can’t say I’m surprised. I said before that no one with any integrity would accept such an appointment from such a corrupt and sleazy figure as Blagojevich. Even people would no integrity would think twice about.

    That Burris has come out now and admitted trying to raise money for Blago suggests that he thinks either Blago’s brother was talking to Fitzgerald or that there was something on tape that Fitzgerald had. Otherwise why bring it up now?
20. cwarddc February 18th, 2009 at 10:31 am «

    Diaper Dave and Wide Stance. That’s all I’m going to say.
21. peterboy February 18th, 2009 at 10:33 am «

    moderator at the WAPO has no response to this at their discussion site:

    
    double standard
    posted at 2/18/2009 1:08 PM EST
    ouch
    First post: 2/18/2009
    Last post: 2/18/2009
    Total posts: 2
    Does the WAPO have one standard for Democrats and another one for the GOP?

    Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t recall an editorial calling for the resignation of Sen. Ted Stevens, and he was convicted of several felonies in federal court.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..rentPage=0
22. Loo Hoo. February 18th, 2009 at 10:40 am «

    Hey, katymine. Didja get to see Obama?
• katymine February 18th, 2009 at 10:43 am «

  Cspan…. didn’t want to deal with the hassle ….. Did you see the people with signs? …. Obama’s car went right by them but didn’t see what signs said….. have not received any emails for an organized event….. hopefully it was supporters…
23. katymine February 18th, 2009 at 10:40 am «

    ((((((SD)))))) I cannot tell you how much my heart goes out to you….. thank you for sharing this with us….
24. timr February 18th, 2009 at 10:48 am «

    What is needed-but will never happen as congress lacks the will and “we the people” don’t seem to give a shit-is for both the House and the Senate(or if the people whould get poed enough about corruption) to farm out their ethics panels to real outsiders. Citizens who have no desire to become politicians, who, if such persons can be found, would take the ethics decisions out of the hands of those in congress who will not-god forbid- accuse their brothers with any crime. Non paying positions, volunteers, apolitical, non lawyers, not interested in being lobbyed or in being on TV. People who could be drawn from a large bank each time using different people-say, no more than 9, with at least 6 out of the 9 having to agree to throw the bums out. Complete transparency with all documents posted on the web along with all supporting or opposing arguments. Something like this is the only way to enforce standards. It has been proved over and over that self policing-except for the movie rating system-does not work.
    Any one want to volunteer for such a board?
25. Cujo359 February 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pm «

    My take on this is much the same as eCAHNomics’. Burris never had time to become part of the club. While I don’t like the apparent double standard of enforcement for Republicans and Democrats, I can see the silver lining. My guess is that if it continues, it will be apparent to the public, as well.

    As I wrote some time ago, Burris’ ethical stature wouldn’t make him stand out in the Senate (Jane, you’d get a kick out of the title). It would be nice if the answer to Jane’s question were “yes, there’s a new standard”, but the reality is that it won’t.
26. ChicagoTodd February 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm «

    Ha — I emailed Glenn Greenwald on this because he is always talking about the two-tiered justice system in this country. Here you have the same thing in the Senate — if you are Democrat — go after them, if you are a Republican Senator from Stevens to Vittner to Craig, nothing to see here folks. Darn crazy I tell you.
27. Kathryn in MA February 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pm «

    Big hugs, dragon man. it’s so sad when we can’t understand and heal what hurts others are feeling.
28. Kathryn in MA February 18th, 2009 at 2:20 pm «

    SouthernDragon – here is a link and a story –

    http://www.amazon.com/101-Ways…..amp;sr=1-2

    A friend of mine just sent me this coincidentally – the author was writing about helping people grieve when she fell sick and asked 6 friends to help finish the book for deadline. Friends did, author died, but willed proceeds of book to 6 friends.
• Kathryn in MA February 18th, 2009 at 2:23 pm «

  the reason friend and i were talking was over this piece of writing – author’s impression of inauguration =

  “I watched the Inauguration; the only way it could have been improved for me would have been if at the moment Obama was sworn in, the earth would have split open, and three flying demons with fiery pitchforks (Saddam and his rotten sons) would have attacked and speared Bush, Cheney, and that vile bitch Barbara Bush, and then flown them straight to Hell as the astonished crowd raised a rousing cheer.”
29. SouthernDragon February 18th, 2009 at 2:42 pm «

    Thanks everybody. It hasn’t really sunk in yet and since we don’t have the details yet just adds to the questions.