Keeping in mind Jane’s Poker With Harry Reid post and the slap in the face theme, the Illinois Supreme Court refuses to do Harry Reid’s dirty work (via) and just slapped the Senate Dems in the face:
The Senate Democrats appear to be readying themselves to back off their refusal to seat Roland Burris, but they’re going to have to find a new excuse: The Illinois Supreme Court just refused to force the Secretary of State to certify Burris’s appointment.
Unless I am gaming this wrong, Senate Democrats now have four options:
1.) Pressure White behind the scenes to take the hit and go back on his refusal to sign the certificate, so the Senate Dems have an excuse to seat Buriss.
2.) Engage in a protracted smear campaign of Buriss and hope upon hope some legitimate reason pops up to refuse to seat him (Protip: You will need better than the fact he told Blago he is interested in the seat).
3.) Cave completely and seat Buriss.
4.) Do nothing, and drag this story out for as long as possible, completely overshadowing the inauguration, the stimulus, and everything else the Democrats have waited eight years to do until the firm narrative in the minds of the entire American public is Democrats=Corrupt and giving the media the kind of story the love to run.
Personally, I am betting on option 3, but only after a few more weeks of option 4. If I have missed an option, fill me in.
*** Update ***
After some additional thought, it is possible they could try option one until White goes back onto Chicago talk radio and spills the beans that he is now being pressured to sign the certificate and then creates a messy and uncomfortable mini-scandal, all while trying a little bit of #2, ruining Burris’s rep a touch before moving on to the inevitable embrace of 3 and 4. After all, we are talking about Democrats here.
mellowjohn
no more slapping, dammit. if you kids don’t stop slapping each other in the face, i swear i’m gonna turn this blog around and go right back home! and you’ll never see wally world!
mapaghimagsik
Why are you throwing "throw under the bus" under the er…bus?
They’re all in a circular firing squad that is a slap in the face to joe sixpack, and will never achieve consensus.
Pass the Popcorn.
Alright, now we need "Political commentary bingo"
But really. This is *exactly* what the voters wanted when they voted Democrat. A distraction from the troubling issues of the day with little dramas that are mind-numbingly boring to anyone who doesn’t follow day to day politics.
TenguPhule
5. Make up a bullshit excuse that pisses of Burris, leading him to drag this out even longer. Then letting the GOP rickroll the Dems into letting a seated Burris change colors to the other side.
Remember Harry’s Law: If our Senate Leadership can fuck it up, they will do so in manner that exceeds all expectations.
Just Some Fuckhead
You can’t fold once yer all in John.
Mark-NC
Ask Mitch McConnell what he wants and then do whatever he says – like that’s something new!
John Cole
@Just Some Fuckhead: I am well aware of that, which is why I said that this is how Harry Reid plays poker. I am embarrassed to admit how much time I have spent playing poker in my lifetime.
Just Some Fuckhead
@John Cole: I’m with ya brother. It’s practically all I do anymore.
justcorbly
If Blago is convicted and removed before Burris is seated, will the new Illinois governor have the power to appoint someone else?
Cris
But I bet it was real poker, not that trendy Texas stuff that’s all the rage these days.
Joshua Norton
It’s a slap in the face! It’s a slap in the face! It’s a slap in the face! It’s a slap in the face! It’s a slap in the face! It’s a slap in the face!
It’s a slap in the face! with a happy little song thrown in.
/don’t hit me
Just Some Fuckhead
If I had to liken your take on Harry Reid to a poker game, he’d limp in with a 5 7, go all in on the flop with nothing, get called by everyone at the table who had more chips, then muck his hand after he lost.
My take, he went all in on the deal with nothing, tried to insist sevens were wild after everyone called him and then caught a seven on the river to pair and win the pot after everyone else miraculously failed to pair their aces.
Fuckhead +2
Darius
Looks like Dick Durbin has just gone for Option #4.
Dreggas
I sometimes lie awake at night dreamin’ about bein slapped at in the face!
javafascist
John, you forgot an important first step with us Democrats: nothing can happen until at least three rounds of strongly worded letters have been sent, each more strongly worded than the one before. It’s a devastating strategy.
douglasfactors
Unfortunately for Burris, it’s not for the Illinois Supreme Court to interpret the Senate’s rules, much less to limit its power under Article I, Section V.
David
I have an option 5: Stick to their guns and not seat Burris. THIS choice has many advantages:
1) It is just what Reid promised to do;
2) It is what the majority of Illinois voters WANT to see done based on the latest poll http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=6594113)
3) It wont effect the ability of the Dems in the Senate to do anything.
4) It will piss off Republicans.
Blago has been impeached. He will be convicted within a matter of 2 months at most. Then his replacement, the Lt.Gov. can re-appoint Burris (as he said he would likely do), and that is the end of the problem. EVERYBODY is happy . . . except for the partisan whores on the right who don’t give a flying fuck about good governance and just want an issue, any issue, with which to beat up anybody with a "D" after their name.
David
ff
Napoleon
PBS Newshour reported that White is now going to sign.
slag
Option 5: Accuse Burris of being a suicide bomber and throw him in Guantanamo never to be seen or heard from again.
The Democrats signed onto that Patriot Act for a reason, ya know.
JGabriel
Dude, nothing is going to overshadow the inauguration of America’s first black president.
.
mellowjohn
justcorbly @ #8…
yep. he’ll be the new governor.
Comrade Stuck
If Reid still refuses to seat Burris after the il SC has taken away the signature excuse then Burris will promptly get an injunction (because Burris is right legally) to force Reid to seat him. Then Harry can relent and save face and give the appearance of senate dems trying their best, and that will be that.
But I’m guessing he’ll just go ahead and seat him after reading the writing on the wall, and not wanting this sorry issue to get any sorrier. The dems have much bigger fuckups lined up to entertain us.
Brick Oven Bill
A decade ago we had a pick-up game in the garage of a model house on Friday nights consisting of a group of small businessmen and a Catholic Priest. The same two guys tended to win consistently. There was one guy who was an aggressive bluffer.
The businessmens’ results at the poker table closely paralleled their success as the housing cycle played out. The aggressive bluffer ended up in jail. The Catholic Priest became a Realtor in 2006.
The people who are good at poker are good at poker because they understand people. The reason this crop of liberal arts graduates is not doing well is that college now teaches them to not understand people, but instead to believe a dogma that has strange parallels with the Catholic Church.
In this analogy, Ron Paul is Galileo.
Mithras
I wonder if justcorbly isn’t onto something. Just as Bush could pull back his pardon of that guy because the pardon had not yet been delivered, perhaps a new governor can rescind the appointment of Burris before the Senate has accepted his nomination.
Worth a shot. Throw it to a judge. The facts get you out from under Powell v. McCormack. If you lose, then it’s a shrug and "welcome, Sen. Burris."
Martin
The Senate *could* refuse to seat Burris now that Blago has been impeached over the assignment and demand the Lt Gov sign off. There’s a certain logic there that I’m sure Reid will miss, however. This would only be half as bad if Franken had been seated already, but the idea that Burris would get seated before Franken is really absurd and more than a little insulting.
sgwhiteinfla
Uhmmm MSNBC just announced that the Sec of State of Ill. has decided to sign the certification. Burris is a sitting Senator by Monday evening is my prediction.
p.a.
Sadly, it’s what they live for. As The Rock said, "know your role…"
Can’t at least a few Senate Dems say some version of the following, "He may have been appointed by a crook, but he’s not. We’re going to seat him because there are more important things going on than this, and the people of Illinois deserve representation NOW" ?
Radon Chong
I was living in Kyrgyzstan eight years ago, and when asked by people there, who had almost no knowledge of US politics aside from the names of the candidates, why the election had been so close, I used to tell them to imagine what would happen if you gave 150 million people a choice between a white circle or a black square. The result would be a near 50/50 split, as those two things are basically the same, even if they look a lot different. I don’t feel that way anymore, of course, as the Republicans spent their time in power revealing themselves to be much more worse than the Democrats than I ever thought they could possibly be, but fucking hell. It would be nice if all my arguments for voting Democrat didn’t boil down to saying the Republicans are worse (which, granted, they are, and WAY worse, but, as an electoral strategy, as the Republicans themselves can attest, sucks ass).
shortstop
I don’t see that. Burris was legally appointed by a sitting governor and what happens to Blago after that has eff-all to do with it.
David Hunt
When Election Day comes, it’s not too sucky…in the short term. In the long term however, it means that all the Dems have to be is slightly less bad than the Republicans. And as we have seen, they are becoming more and more batshit insane as they lose power. In the long run, it’s a very bad trend. The way to fight this to get informed early in the election cycle and try to throw support to the guys you like in the primaries. Even if your guy loses, a good showing will have a mitigating effect on the sucky positions of his sucky opponent. Or at least we can hope so. But once the primary’s over, the Dem can always say, "What are you gonna do? Elect a Republican?" He can’t say that when he’s got a viable primary challenge.
In theory, this should work equally well on Republicans. However, as Congress-critters go, I’m doubtful. The Repubs have shown that they have a marked talent for wrangling their Caucus to vote in lockstep, even when they’re absolutely screwing their own districts.
JasonF
I choose secret option #5: pressure bigwigs in the Illinois Democratic Party and/or Patrick Fitzgerald to come out in support of Roland Burris and vouch for his non-involvement in any wrongdoing and his general fitness for the Senate. Bonus points if they can get Lieutenant Governor Quinn to say he supports the Burris appointment.
Secret option #5 will never happen, of course, as it would require a competnet political party able to think strategically and plan for the long term.
TheHatOnMyCat
I cannot for the life of me figure out why people give a flying fornication about Burris and this seat.
The guy is going to do whatever the Dem caucus tells him to do, unless he wants to be all by himself for two years, and then probably get defeated in a reelection bid. Nobody will remember his name by Memorial day.
WTF,O?
demimondian
@John Cole: All, I can say is — I think I would enjoy playing poker with Harry Reid.
Where by "enjoy" I mean "win money while"
CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMIX
I like that trendy Omaha stuff, personally.
wheaton pat
Convince Anderson Cooper that Bobby Rush is an Idiot Savant. Show Bobby beating Wolf Blitzer at chess. Then have Rachel Madow refer to Bobby as "My Mandingo Man" then we can unseat Burris. Otherwise option #5 or Hawk harrelson
Church Lady
Why can’t Harry Reid take the option of just seating Burris on the pretext that the Illinois Supreme Court has said that the Sec of State’s signature is not required in order for the appointment to be valid, and if it’s ok with the appointing state’s Supreme Court then it’s ok with the U.S. Senate. Or is the easy, and logical, way out of this mess too much to hope for?
bago
So a liberal arts major, a priest, and a businessman walk into a casino.
RON PAUL!
bago
HAHAHA! Pon Raul sets off the moderation filter!
TenguPhule
See GOP, pride cometh before the fall.
We won a battle. Not the war.
TenguPhule
If Harry Reid ever plays strip poker, eyes will weep tears of BLOOD.
hypusine
Word. So mystifying. This qualifies as a syndrome, which I hereby christen the Democratic Self-Hatred Infliction Tic (DemSHIT).
It has a name, people. Therefore this is a legitimate affliction to be studied and (for the love of god) cured. Let’s get to work.
Michael D.
I wish they’d just seat the guy. There is a little honor in Reid saying something face-saving like,
fuyura
I think the only way this can be salvaged at all is with a quick impeachment and Quinn re-appointing Burris. Whatever mud may be sticking to Burris, it ain’t like the Senate is a hotbed of morality to begin with. At least everybody can save a little face, which seems more important to all the players than actually doing either their jobs or the Right Thing.
Brien Jackson
@ 15
But they do have the authority to judge Illinois law, and the states have the authority to establish election law. The Senate’s Article I Section V power has to work within that framework and the other aspects laid out in the rest of the Constitution (they couldn’t require members to be 60 years old, for example) the same way their authority to legislate exists within the constraints of Article 1, Section 9 and the Bill of Rights.
And the media totally botched this story. What the Court said was that Illinois law said nothing about any requirement of SoS certification to make it valid, meaning that it’s a legal appointment with or without certification, and Reid/Durbin’s cop out has no legal footing at all.
magisterludi
Anyone have any insight as to how the hell Harry Reid ever got to be leader?
Blackmail and extortion seem the only possibilities to me.
Others?
rikyrah
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse ” They’re not going to make ME the patsy” White has indeed signed on the dotted line.
From Politico.com:
Following a decision by the Illinois Supreme Court, Jesse White, the Illinois secretary of state, has certified Roland Burris’ appointment to the Senate, removing a major roadblock blocking Burris’ ascension to the body.
According to his office, White has signed a certificate saying that Roland Burris’ appointment document is “true and accurate.”
Um, Dick…Harry….
The shyt ain’t subtle and you ain’t slick. Stevie Wonder can see your stalling tactics.
But, it’s time for you two to act like GROWN MEN.
Point 1: Admit you got PUNKED by Blago
Point 2: Swear Roland Burris in and get about the business of this country
Brien Jackson
@ 45
To be fair, Reid was decent enough so far as whips go, and as I argued the other day, from a legislative standpoint there wasn’t much he could have really done differently last Congress in th face of a minority who was going to filibuster just about everything, and a President who would veto the rest.
And on the other hand, not only has the caucuses ranks swelled from 45 to 59 in just the 4 years Reid has been in charge, Democrats haven’t lost a single seat in the chamber. I’m pretty sure that’s unprecedented, both in terms of the size of the shift and the unanimity of it. Now I’m not saying that Reid is responsible for that, or even that it wasn’t accomplishe in spite of him, but it’d be really hard to replace a leader under those circumstances, in the same way it’d be hard to replace a football coach whose team had just won back-to-back Superbowls, even if you could point to a few dozen really bad coaching decisions he made every year. If nothing else, it’d create a media sideshow in itself, and there’s really no reason for that, at least not yet. I mean, a so-so defense can get pretty good if their teams up 3 touchdowns and the other team is just throwing the ball around, so in that vein, let’s wait and see how Reid manages with 59 seats, a progressive House, and a friendly President. If he can’t move bills under those circumstances, then I’ll favor dumping him as much as anyone.
rikyrah
For me, the whole Burris fiasco is about the rule of law.
Either we’re a country of laws again after 8 years, or we are not.
It’s time for someone to follow the Constitution.
That means YOU Dick Durbin and Harry Reid.
Seat Roland Burris.
Will
How will it piss of Republicans for the Dems to be down 1 Senator?
Will
Reid was an excellent Minority Leader. He did great work stopping the Social Security privatization attempt. He doesn’t get enough credit for how much tougher he was on Bush than Daschle. Once he got a 1-seat majority, his powers dramatically weakened. Now that he has a sizeable majority, he somehow is doing even worse. He should be replaced at some point soon, though the political pyrotechnics involved in pulling that off will be pretty ugly. However, people shouldn’t forget how effective he was from 1/2005-1/2007.
magisterludi
@47
Good points, but Reid comes across as a dithering toady. And he sets himself up as a political punch line on a daily basis. Even if he doesn’t have a spine, he should at least try to appear to have one.
Brien Jackson
@51
I’m gonna get accused of being a broken record, but I think that misunderstands, a) what exactly Reid’s problem is and, b) the nature of the Leader position. Long story short, the Senate is not the House, and for a variety of reasons Senate leadership really can’t enforce the same sort of caucus discipline and lord over members the way the Speaker and House leadership can. And I think Reid’s problem is that he still doesn’t really understand that, and he creates embarrassment for himself by stiffening his spine and running his mouth when he really doesn’t have any kind of solid footing. He really needs to leave the bombast at the door. It’s great for a minority leader, or even a majority leader with the opposing party holding the White House, but it doesn’t really work when you control everything.
tam1MI
I read a brief news story somewhere about how Burris firm "just so happened" to wangle Blago’s wife a sweet job right about the time Blago gave the nod to him to be Senator. Don’t know if this is a brewing scandal or a bogus story or what.
But, knowing how Hapless Harry rolls, he’ll do a humiliating cave and seat Burris shortly before stories of a [i]quid pro quo[/i] between Burris and Blago get splashed all over every news source in the country, thus once again making Reid look both spineless and stupid.