Legal Commentary

Senate Dems Blunder On Blago/Burris

By Big Tent Democrat

Unlike John Cole, I thought the Senate Dems were taking the proper course, as a matter of law and politics, in not seating any appointment to the vacant Senate Illinois seat by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been credibly accused of trying to sell the appointment. But Cole is right about this:

Harry Reid has now, according to this [Gallup] poll . . . helped create popular support for Burris to not be seated. Since Burris will be seated anyway, these people will be pissed, Reid will look like a clown for being rolled over and put in his place by Blagojevich, and Republicans, with an assist from the Democrats who ran around calling Burris tainted for several weeks, will now claim Democrats are just as corrupt as Republicans. . . You couldn’t game out a worse scenario for the Democrats . . . If you could be sued for political malpractice, I would be leading a class action suit against the Democratic leadership right now.

More . . .

Once the Senate Dems announced their principle that any Blago appointed was tainted, they are stuck with it. Seating Burris now is the worst possible step politically. If he was going to be seated anyway, then Dems should never have staked out a position. Political malpractice indeed.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 07, 2009 (boomark / email).