UPDATED: I just had to add this cartoon of Roland Burris and any knocks to his own personal ego. Via the State Journal Register.
Mark Brown has some harsh commentary about Roland Burris:
For those who see this as a matter of racial pride for the African-American community, let me point out that in taking the seat for the next two years, Roland Burris is destroying any chance of an African American holding it during the following decade.Brown seems to argue that Obama should take more of an interest in this. Of course Brown notes that the President-elect hasn't really spend most of his time in politics tackling business as usual in this state. At the same time conventional wisdom has often been that the President doesn't interject himself into Congressional affairs and he should stay as distant from Illinois affairs as possible.
In the first place, he's not going to get elected. Most Illinois voters wanted nothing more to do with him before this, and now he's finished. But he's going to run anyway because his ego is so big, and in the process, he'll keep any another African American from getting through the 2010 primary.
That's the certain math of racial politics in Illinois, the only state in modern history to elect two African Americans to the Senate and certainly capable of making it three with the right candidate.
BTW, the Senate Democrats might allow Burris his seat despite the controversy. There are those who are hammering them because they won't seat Burris, yet they're willing to seat Al Franken from Minnesota despite the challenge launched by Norm Coleman. Coleman was the Republican incumbent US Senator who lead that race against Franken (a former cast member of SNL) until challenges placed Sen. Coleman from the lead into second place to Franken. Franken is expected to be seated pending these challenges.
Rich Miller says that the US Senate Democrats are weak. Polling suggests that a majority of people want Burris rebuffed. It's been in the news already that by people like Bobby Rush or even Jesse Jackson Jr. they're using the race card to help Burris get his Senate seat. Of course I can still portray this as abotu the same old game played by Rod Blagojevich making a tense situation more difficult anyway.
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