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[Updated, comments open and bumped up for visibility.]
* The CBS2 story about Sen. Roland Burris preparing to announce his campaign yesterday has disappeared from the station’s website and has been replaced by a different story. Sen. Burris’ PR flak says Burris is still deciding….
Delmarie Cobb, Burris’ political director, said Burris was still deciding whether to run in the 2010 Senate Democratic primary.
“We always said he was going to take it one step at a time . . . and one of the things he had to weigh were the perjury charges hanging over his head. Now that the perjury charges have gone away, that does not make the decision for him, that was certainly one of the steps in the process.”
But about a dozen people forwarded me a Burris fundraising e-mail yesterday which was originally sent by Cobb’s company and included this header logo…
Notice what’s in the upper right corner?
The same logo is used at Burris’ campaign website…
Welcome to the “Support Burris 2010” Web site.
*** UPDATE *** Burris spoke at an honors luncheon for African-American students and pretty much showed what his campaign will be based on should he run…
…Burris also spoke to the students, telling the audience it was “outrageous” that the Senate has only two Hispanic senators and one black.
“And that’s me,” he said. “And friends, we might not have any black in the Senate if I’m not there. But that’s another story.”
* And Mark Brown has some good insights…
[Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Schmidt] appears to have been thorough and fair, just as Burris says, but the Chicago Democrat overclaims when he says Schmidt’s decision confirms he got his Senate seat “in an honest and legal way.” Legal, maybe. Honest, no way.
It’s still plain as day Burris intentionally misled everyone about his dalliances with disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in pursuit of the Senate seat until the job was safely his. It’s just not nearly so clear that he committed the very specific act of knowingly making a false statement while being questioned under oath.
Schmidt, a Republican, said Burris’ incomplete answers to the broad questions asked of him by legislators didn’t amount to perjury, explaining that the burden was on them to pin him down. They’ll know better next time.
It’s better this way anyhow.
The last thing the people of this state needed right now was a sensational but marginal prosecution of a public official who has already shown his willingness to turn his tribulations into a racial cause.
* Related…
* No proof for perjury
* Roland Burris: ‘I never perjured myself’
* Burris feels vindicated by probe’s end
* SJ-R opinion: Burris will be judged in court of public opinion
* Former Blagojevich Fundraiser Faces Sentencing
* Former Blagojevich fundraiser to be sentenced today
* Patty B. tugging heart strings, mine included
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 9:30 am
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the problem that burris has with trying to employ racial politics is that kendrick meek is ten times more likely to be elected to the senate than burris. meek has garnered support for his fellow elected democrats and has a national fundraising base.
burris has a mausoleum…
Comment by bored now Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 9:43 am
Can’t an argument be made that by Burris not running there’d be a lot of money saved?
Burris won’t win. He seems a bit creepy, slow, and out of date. Money will be spent propping up his tombstone dreams.
It’s not worth it. It’s a waste of money. If we’re in a mode of “shared sacrifice,” then couldn’t Burris make a significant and important decision to not run? Money spent on Burris is money wasted. We all seem to hate waste these days.
*shrug*
I’m astounded that he’d consider running. He’ll lose. And he knows he’ll lose.
Comment by Macbeth Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 10:20 am
Macbeth, Given his history, why would anyone be astounded that Burris would consider running?
Comment by Rob_N Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 10:35 am
for some reason — completely unknown to me — burris and his supporters seem to think that washington operates like illinois. cobb has been quoted as saying (in the press, no less) that she believes that senate democrats are obligated to prop up burris and raise the money he needs. not because he’s black but because that’s how it’s done here.
there are other examples of burris’ utter naivete in the ways of washington. in the end, it really comes down to whether illinois needs an incompetent senator. i agree that burris has no chance of winning election, but i’d be surprised if he understood that…
Comment by bored now Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 11:00 am
The Senate ethics committee is still free to boot Burris, if they have any guts left inside them.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 11:18 am
I have no doubt Burris will gather signatures to get on the ballot. He’s had no problem with getting beaten in a race before.
I suspect he might have delusions that a federal appointment could be in the offing if he would withdraw. He doesn’t seem to understand how radioactive he is, and how dangerous anything resembling a deal with him would be to the person who would broach it.
Worst outcome? He draws a paycheck, makes the most of the considerable Senate perks, and adds a line to the mausoleum. Even a year ago, could he have expected a better gig?
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 12:37 pm
Burris….new term for vague.
Comment by Amy Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 1:27 pm
I can see it now, a TV ad by Blagojevich endorsing Burris.
Blago….”For truth, honesty and the American way, vote for my good friend Burris, he will always steer you towards the truth”
What you don’t see is Blago with his fingers crossed and hysterical laughter after filming stops. Better yet, why not get Patti Blagojevich (aka - “his tarantula eating wife“) to endorse Burris since she appears to garner more sympathy then Blago.
Burris should be ashamed of himself. Is his son still working for the State of Illinois?
Comment by this voter will remember Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 3:06 pm
Burris can run for the U.S. Sneate ,but he won’t be able to hide from the Illinois electorate in Illinois. His day of electoral reckoning will be here before he knows it. Retreat/retirement would be the better part of political valor!
Comment by Captain America Monday, Jun 22, 09 @ 5:17 pm