Politics 2000

Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris, the first African-American ever elected to statewide office in Illinois, to fill the open U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. A Blagojevich aide had said previously the governor would not fill the vacancy.

Blagojevich has been charged in connection with attempting to sell Obama’s seat to the highest bidder. The Illinois Legislature briefly discussed impeaching the governor but has delayed action until it hears tape recordings the U.S. Attorney’s Office made before arresting Blagojevich. Federal prosecutors will make four of their tapes public.

The Legislature also considered calling a special election but decided against doing so. A Republican, especially given the outrage over Blagojevich’s alleged conduct, could have won an election in the next few months. Instead, Democratic leaders want the governor to resign and a Democrat appointed to the Senate who wouldn’t be associated with him.

Obama and the Senate Democratic Caucus had vowed to block any Blagojevich appointee from serving. Expect a court case if Democrats try to stop Burris from taking the oath Monday with the other incoming senators.

Even those vehemently opposed to Blagojevich couldn’t find a reason to oppose Burris, who was elected state comptroller in 1979 and was later elected Illinois attorney general, other than the fact he accepted an appointment from a man accused by the federal government of trying to sell that appointment. Should Burris be sworn in, he’d be the only black person in the 100-member Senate, a fact not lost on longtime Illinois politician Bobby Rush.

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