Checkmate Blagojevich!!!

There was never a law requiring the Illinois Secretary of State's signature (as he continually told everyone) on certification papers for Roland Burris. And now that the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled they are in order, the Keystone Cops in the U.S. Senate were forced to do what they should have done all along - seat Burris in the U.S. Senate. And they need to do it - before the inauguration.

Crowing to every willing media outlet that they would not seat Roland Burris after he was appointed - was bad enough. But adding insult to injury, they had him running here, there and everywhere trying to prove that he was "worthy." And most disguting of all, he was forced to stand in the rain after being turned away, while they held the big swearing in of all the other new and only-white senators. They displayed their Plantation Owner behavior for all the world to see. As former NFL coach, Denny Green said once in a beer commercial clip, "They are who we thought they were."

They were wrong. And worse, they came off as megalomaniacs (which many of them seem to actually be). And the President-select was front-and-center on this from Day One, I don't care how you revisionists try to spin it.

I'll bet you a nickel that their apology to Roland Burris will hardly be as public, or as vociferous as was their refusal to seat him. And the media? Well...

I have more respect for Roland Burris and his legal team's "strategy" of knowing the law and using it slap them upside their damn heads, than I have for any of them. Congratulations Sen. Burris (and please, no Stepin Fetchit behavior once you get in there, m-m-mkay?).

"Bruised but not Broken" - Blagojevich a media joke or Rahm's worst nightmare?

For countless media outlets, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was the joke of the day as he responded to his impeachment by the Illinois House today. Seems no one was really listening to what he actually had to say - too busy laughing and asking, "What is this guy talking about?"

He said a lot. To a few people. And in their continued unbalanced, "Obama love" - the media missed it all. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but here's some of what I heard:

Click :38 - "Let me tell you what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to do what my accusers and political enemies have been doing and that is talk about this case in 30 second soundbites on "Meet the Press" or the TV news." (emphasis his) Direct hit - Sen. Harry Reid.

Click :59 – “And I want to assure everyone who’s here and everyone who’s listening, that I intend to answer every allegation that, uh, comes my way. However, I intend to answer them in the appropriate forum – in a court of law.” (emphasis mine) Direct hit - Obama & Co. on that first part. He let them know that he plans to tell it all (unless of course, in requisite Chicago-style, they do something to get him out of this mess). The second part, direct hit - Illinois House. He told them to kiss his behind. He didn't show up to their kangaroo court because a court of law is the finder of fact - not them.

Click 1:46 – "Now I know there are some powerful forces arrayed against me. It’s kind of lonely right now. But I have on my side the most powerful ally there is. And it’s the truth." (emphasis his) Direct hit - Obama & Co. Just a reminder, if it comes down to it, he's tellin' the whole truth.

Click 1:05 - "From the very moment of my reelection, I've been engaged in a struggle with the House to get things done for the people...The House has stood in the way...In my view, those of us who make the rules ought to be able to uh, follow a simple lesson that I was taught to believe in in Sunday school. It's called the Golden Rule. That you do unto others as "you would have them do unto you." That sounded like a veiled threat to e-e-erbody!

When he entered, I said, "Now why did he bring all these people up there?" He answered, here:

Click 3:09 - 4:43 " So the House's action today and the causes of the impeachment (emphasis his) are because I've done things to fight for families who are all with me here today. Now I'm gonna talk about some of the examples that I'd like you-to share with you and some of the counts that the House is actually choosing to impeach me on. For example, The "I- Save" Prescription Drug program is among the things the House said I should be removed from office for. That was a program we began, I believe it in late 2002, or early 2004. That was a program brought to me by then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel (emphasis his) who suggested that since the big pharmaceutical companies had a tremendous amount of sway with the FDA (emphasis his), that too many senior citizens were being forced to ration their medicine or couldn't afford to buy their medicine...that maybe we should try somethin' different and go to Canada. And Go to the place where ya' make the exact same medicines, for the exact same companies only if you have free and open trade (emphasis his) and go to Canada you can help our senior citizens save up 30-40-50 percent on the cost of their medicines. We did that in Illinois, being the first state in America to defy (emphasis his) the FDA and the big drug companies. And I'm happy to say we were joined by the state of Wisconsin, the state of Kansas and the state of Vermont and a lot of senior citizens in Illinois have had the benefit of being able to afford their medicine at prices they can afford. The house is impeaching me for that. Is that an impeachable offense?"

The 11th Article of Impeachment reads, "The Governor's actions with regard to, and responsibility for, the I-SaveRx Program, as more fully detailed in the Final Report at Section IV-F and in the Committee Record as a whole."

The House Committee on Impeachment's report , upon which the articles were based, is a detailed accounting of the governor's alleged, illegal activities involving the I-SaveRx program (Pgs 39 - 42). And Rahm was right there with him. So why is Blagojevich headed to federal court, while Rahm is headed to the White House "Court" to sit at the Changeling's right hand? Will anybody in the mainstream media ask that question? Particularly since there's this pesky, little thing over at the Illinois state government site.

"Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) were joined by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle for the launch of the new I-SaveRx prescription drug importation program -- the first program in the nation to allow Illinois and Wisconsin residents to purchase lower cost, safe prescription drugs from Europe and Canada."

I don't know if it's an impeachable offense or not but, Direct hit - Obama & Co., Senate Dems, Illinois legislature and especially, Rahm Emmanuel! Blagojevich made sure we knew that he and Rahm had been "talking" way before his "President-elect Advisor" status popped up in Fitzgerald's complaint (not indictment as I'd said previously - shame on me for picking up the media's terminology).

And if the President-select's right-hand man was "talking," with the governor for all that time, I'd venture a guess -he was not alone in doing so (no wonder he's all but blended into the background since the story broke. I guess they figure if he draws no attention to himself, no one will ask the important questions). People, we are fiddling while Rome burns.

(Blagojevich - 5/Democratic leadership - 0)

Illinois Secretary of State says, "Don't Blame Me!"

When I first heard Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White was refusing to certify credentials for Roland Burris, I said, "Man! Is evererybody in on this charade?"

Turns out I was right - and wrong. According to the podcast here, Senate: Burris Needs Sec. Of State Signature {audio}, Mr. White spoke about how "they" had all agreed not to accept anyone appointed by Blagojevich - including Bobby Rush. But then, it became a problem.

I won't spoil it for you. Follow the link, read the article and do listen to the podcast. Jess White knew he'd been had and he wasn't havin' it! Rich!

(P.S. Undying Obamalove reigns at HuffPo as they've now revised history - yet again, crediting Obama for putting an end to this, rather than the law - which Burris used to back those Senate Dems the hell up!)

Burris will be seated

According to a report at Salon about 20 minutes ago, Roland Burris will be seated. Alex Koppelman writes:

"No more information than that is available so far. First impression, though, is that this news just reinforces the impression that the Democratic leadership handled this really, really badly. If they were going to let him in as of Wednesday, why not seat him Tuesday? Why allow the embarrassing spectacle of Burris walking out in the rain after being turned away? Not a good way to start the new Congress." (emphasis mine)

Yes, the Democratic leadership, and I use that word very loosely, handled this "really, really, really badly" - for all the world to see.

The questions are legitimate. But of course, I cannot speak for them. I do believe however, the very simple answers lay in the questions themselves: "let - allow - embarrassing spectacle." The selection of Barack Obama notwithstanding, America's white supremacist capitalist patriarchy believes it is, and always has been, up to them - and them alone - who does what, when and even how in this country, as evidenced by Sen. Reid's statements in the video at my "The Emperor Strikes Back" post. He reminded us, emphatically and repeatedly, "We are the ones that determine" (Read: "Nobody, not even the law of the land, will tell us what to do." - at least that's how I read it.) He went on to say, "So there's clearly, legal authority for us to do whatever we want to and this goes back for generations." (emphasis mine) And therein lies the problem. The "we," of whom he speaks, has been all-white from the birth of the nation up until Reconstruction when Hiram Rhodes Revels (R-MS) was elected to the senate in 1870 - that's 94 years! Here's an ironic piece (as we kick around "barring" and "citizenship" issues this election) from the United States Senate site, Arts & History section:

February 25, 1870 First African American Senator On February 25, 1870,visitors in the Senate galleries burst into applause as Mississippi senator-elect Hiram Revels of Mississippi entered the chamber to take his oath of office. Those present knew that they were witnessing an event of great historical significance. Revels was about to become the first African American to serve in the Senate. Born 42 years earlier to free black parents in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Revels became an educator and minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. During the Civil War, he helped form regiments of African American soldiers and established schools for freed slaves. After the war, Revels moved to Mississippi, where he won election to the state senate. In recognition of his hard work and leadership skills, his legislative colleagues elected him to one of Mississippi's vacant U.S.Senate seats as that state prepared to rejoin the Union.

Revels' credentials arrived in the Senate on February 23, 1870, and were immediately blocked by a few members who had no desire to see a black man serve in Congress. Masking their racist views, they argued that Revels had not been a U.S. citizen for the nine years required of all senators. In their distorted interpretation, black Americans had only become citizens with the passage of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, just four years earlier. Revels' supporters dismissed that statement, pointing out that he had been a voter many years earlier in Ohio and was therefore certainly a citizen.

Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner brought the debate to an end with a stirring speech. "The time has passed for argument. Nothing more need be said. For a long time it has been clear that colored persons must be senators." Then, by an overwhelming margin, the Senate voted 48 to 8 to seat Revels.

Three weeks later, the Senate galleries again filled to capacity as Hiram Revels rose to make his first formal speech. Seeing himself as a representative of African American interests throughout the nation, he spoke—unsuccessfully as it turned out—against a provision included in legislation readmitting Georgia to the Union. He correctly predicted that the provision would be used to prohibit blacks from holding office in that state.

When Hiram Revels' brief term ended on March 3, 1871, he returned to Mississippi, where he later became president of Alcorn College.

Though Sen. Revels was the first Black to serve, he was not the first to serve a full term. That distinction goes to this equally interesting guy, Sen. Blanche Kelso Bruce, another Republican representing Mississippi from 1875 - 1881. The son of a white Virginia plantation owner and a Black house slave, he was (and will forever be) the only freed slave ever to preside over the U.S. Senate in 1879 (for the day, Dad was a stand-up guy). I live two miles from his residence in DC, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975 (Hm-m-m wonder who lives there now? Think I'll drive by there tomorrow. I'll post a pic. Also going to find this book about him, "The Senator and the Socialite." Can't critically think and form intelligent opinions without a well-rounded perspective right?)

It would be another 86 years ( somebody check me, I hate Math!) before Blacks would have another successful go at a Senate seat. But in 1966, yet another Republican - this time from the North - Sen. Edward William Brooke, III (R-MA) was elected. In 1993, he was followed by Sen. Carol Mosley Braun (D-IL), the first Black Senator from the Democrats and through some strategic maneuvering, Barack Obama (D-IL) in 2005.

That's it people. Only five Black Senators in the almost 233 years this country has been a country - only five (now I have to go back and and check the stats for my Latino, Asian and Native-American brothers and sisters! - ea, got anything?). Sen. Reid was right. Doing "whatever they want" does go back for generations. But, he is incorrect that there is "legal authority" for them to turn the brother away in the rain.

Today, despite Gov. Blagojevich or because of him, the Senate will have to consider what the law and somebody else wants. Now that's "Change We Can Believe In!" - and it had nothing to do with the President-select who supported the barring in the first place.

(Blagojevich - 4/Democratic leadership - 0)

Richardson steps down, before he even steps up

In my No Permanent Friends, no permanent enemies... post back in April '08, I pretty much summed up what I thought about Gov. Richardson - nothing's changed. Though I am a bit surprised that in exactly one month, we went from this... To this...

M-m-m-m... *smdh* This Andrea Mitchell video is interesting: "The Obama team has been rigorous about demanding......to have everything examined before their hearings are scheduled." Yep - and they knew about this too - even as he was being nominated. From the Hartford Courant: "A senior Obama adviser said Richardson gave assurances before he was nominated last month that he would come out fine in the investigation and the president-elect had no reason to doubt it. But as the grand jury continued to pursue the case, it became clear that confirmation hearings would have to be delayed for six weeks or even longer until the investigation was complete, said the adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity."

So what was this one-month appointment real-l-y about? Hubris? Strategy? What? I just do not believe Obama & Co left such an obviously long, and potentially garment-ripping thread hanging off the presidential cloak this close to the crowning for no reason. Look at the number of people jammed up under those huge charter buses of his for reasons way less important. Unless, there is a reason.

When asked, "Any idea who might be on this next list then to take over this job?" Ms. Mitchell said she frankly wasn't sure which way it'll go. Is that other Daley, you know, William M., former-Secretary-of-Commerce-in-the-Clinton-Cabinet-integral-cog-in-the-Chicago-Daley-Machine Daley? Is he still lurking around?

And doesn't it sound like there should be violins in the background as she quotes him saying he said, "I will remain in the job I love, governor of New Mexico and will continue to work every day..." (under investigation). More ammunition for Blagojevich? Hey! He only has to show there was no actual quid pro quo right? Then he can return to the job he loves - until impeachment and conviction anyway.

I read Earl Ofari Hutchinson's, "Richardson the Odd Democrat Out" over at HuffPo (Yes, I go there - sometimes). While I found nothing new as I scanned it, that very last paragraph seems awful prescient - for a few people, not just Richardson:

"The play for pay scandal just reinforced the notion that politicians who try so hard to be major players in the political ranks will often wheel and deal, cut corners, and or not averse to lining their campaign and even personal coffers with dubious contributions to get ahead. When they do, and they're called out on it, it insures that they remain not just odd men out of the rarified political circles they desperately want to crack, but disgraced ones too."

I'm sure if Molly Ivins were alive today, she'd have told the governor in that deep, smoke-laced, Texas drawl, "Now Bill, ya'll know ya'll gotta dance with them what brung you if you want to get anywhere!"

By the way, any statements from the Clintons yet? Why am I picturing that car insurance commercial with those squirrels jumping up and down, high-fiving each other as the car runs off the road?

The Emperor Strikes Back!

Not 43 seconds in, and David Gregory brings up the "defied" word. That just has such a master-subject, elite-commoner, parent-child, unequal connotation to me. This man hasn't even raised his voice, hasn't "performed" like a lot of us say. Gotta keep that Angry Black Man image out there I guess. Now that the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy has their approved-version of a Black man (A "white man" too, as it relates to Blagojevich! Kitty over at Aroo wrote this nail-on-the-head piece about that dynamic), seems there's no intent to suffer any of us fools gladly who don't match those requirements.

~#~

Now Senator Reid, I'm going to be one of the ones to go out on a limb here and suggest there is some very, inherent racial bias, not only in the Burris instance (seeing as you've not offered any reason other than what someone else may have done), but in quite a few things you said. And I assure you, I'm not part of the Blagojevich anything! Just a few examples:

• Click 4:15 - "We are the ones that determine. Democrats and Republicans, determine who's going to sit in the Senate. It's been that way f-f, since before 18(inaudible)." Sounds eerily familiar to "I'm the Decider!" don't you think? And by the way, the "we" looks decidedly different than Burris, or did you miss that?
• Click 6:02 - "We determine who sits in the Senate and the House determines who sits in the House. So there's clearly, legal authority for us to do whatever we want to and this goes back for generations." Exactly the issue, on both counts.
• Click 7:40 - A picture's worth a thousand words, eh??
• Click 9:20 - "I went to the Clark County District Attorney's office to find a nobody, s-s-s-people thought was a nobody to become a federal judge, Johnnie Rawlinson." That'd be the "nobody" on the left of course.

(Judge Johnnie Rawlinson (9th Cir.) (photo left) looks on as Justice Sandra Day O’Connor thanks participants at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference last month for the gift of a box of flies. O’Connor is an avid fly fisher. Photo Credit: Ninth Circuit, Office of the Circuit Executive)

And he did that himself ya'll! Please!!!

And Senator Reid? Don't rip your arm out of its socket pattin' yourself on the back there, M-m-mkay?

(Blagojevich - 3/Democratic leadership - 0)

"I Hear You Knockin' But You Can't Come In!"

"You went away and left me long time ago and

Now you come back knockin' on my do'

I hear you knockin' but you can't come in

I hear you knockin', go back where you been"

Okay, so Fats Domino was singing about something else - but the first verse certainly works for this lunacy:


First of all, why did CBS splash that big blue "Corruption Scandal" banner across the screen as Burris got into his car? Why imply he's part of the corruption scandal even though, in this very clip, they said, "...since there's no evidence Burris did anything wrong, there is no taint?" Conflating the two visually will, no doubt, make it so - in the minds of many.

And another thing - why'd the media reach into their "angry Black man" trick bag on Burris? Every description of him, from them - is that he's "defiant," or he "defiantly...," or he "defied..." Why is the brother "DEFIANT??" Must be because he' didn't just shuffle on back to where he'd been, hollerin' over his shoulder, "Yassuh, ya'll sho' is right. I'se gwine now." Sure didn't take long for the media to revert to their Pre-"post-racial" bogeyman antics.

I'm telling you these people have lost their damn minds! What is this, high school? If Roland Burris shows up in Washington this week, the rest of "the class" plans to play, let's ostracize the new kid? Please watch CNN's, "What if Burris shows up?" video (I tried to embed it, but it's not working and I don't know why.) and tell me it doesn't sound like a bunch of kids. And what says the President-select? Well, no big surprise there.

Look, I know what Blagojevich is doing. It's part and parcel of those political games we, the people, tend to watch from the sidelines. But as it relates to Burris - it's the principle of the thing for me, along with a healthy dose of schadenfreude, I must admit. But seriously, here's a "qualified" Black man, a seasoned politician whose hands are clean as far as we know. Why that doesn't work for those Senate Dems is the real question we need to be asking.

And that, "He's a great kid, he just hangs around with the wrong crowd." is just not a good enough answer.

(Blagojevich - 2/Democratic leadership - 0)

"You Must Not Know 'Bout Me!!"

This is just too rich!! I just had to post the whole thing. Either Obama & Co. have forgotten how things go at home, or maybe he just hadn't reached this level of Chicago-style politics before he made his grand leap.

Anyway, after delivering their fox-guarding-the-hen-house report exonerating themselves (I repeat -themselves!), they let their guard down. And Blagojevich said, "Aw-w-w yeah! But you got to do better than those Madigan pawns you threw at me - he with this and she, who, incidentally, is also on the list for the same seat (no conflict there!), with this thing! Okay, let's play! And by the way - Check!" Too rich!

I could be wrong but, legally, since he's not been convicted of anything, doesn't he have every right to do his job - as the governor - and fill that seat? The premature indictment (shouldn't they have waited until some money actually changed hands or something?) is technically, just that - isn't it? Hell, nobody kept William Jefferson from doing a damn thing while under indictment for that $90,000 block of ice in his freezer (among others charges)! She-e-e-et, he's still under indictment more than a year and a half later! Even though he lost, he was allowed to conduct business as usual, trying to get re-elected.

And I wonder now, if my people are having any critical discussions about flocking to the Changeling like some "Great Black Hope?" Seems Bobby Rush is trying to give them something to chew on.

I have no doubt however, with Obama & Co., the Illinois legislature and the U.S. Congress all chomping at the bit to get rid of this guy, there'll be some kind of check-mate coming soon. Unless of course, the governor really has, and intends to use, some of that good, ole Chicago dirt he's saved-up. I don't know what's next, but I've got a huge supply of hot, buttered popcorn for the next installment of, "As the Crooked Obama World Turns."

(Blagojevich - 1/Democratic leadership - 0)

Slipped, Tripped and Fell??

**Correction: There was a complaint not an indictment against Gov. Blagojevich**

After running a tightly controlled, very well-financed and some would say - flawless campaign, it seems Obama & Co., in their hubris, may have loosened the reins a little too soon and now, somebody's about to slip, trip and fall knee-deep into a whole heap of trouble - maybe.
And wonder of wonders, someone in the mainstream media seems to have been awakened from their Obama-love induced slumber long enough to slip in a relevant question or two about this Changeling/Blagojevich, "somethin' in the milk ain't clean" drama going on. ABC's Jake Tapper at least stuck his toes in the water with "Questions Arise About the Obama/Blagojevich Relationship."
Along with a little background information on the - according to the Obama camp -"non-relationship," he raises the same two questions I did when I read the indictment:

1. How did Blagojevich know the Changeling wasn't willing to give him anything in exchange for the Senate seat -- who told him?
2. Did that person report Blagojevich to the authorities?"

And if the answer to question #2 is "No," were it you or I, wouldn't we be looking at some kind of charges right about now for failing to report the overture? I'm just sayin'.

Let's see just how long it takes Obama & Co. to come up with something a little more believable than his little-boy-caught-doing-something-wrong, Shaggy sounding, knee-jerk response of :

"I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not — I was not aware of what was happening, and as I said it is a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment."

Especially since, basking in the glow of his selection, he made sure it was all over the damn news that he WAS meeting with the governor on November 5th. I read "Ill. governor meeting with Obama today" by Carol Stowers at ConnectTristates.com. myself!! I'd saved the link in one of the many drafts started, but not finished - but when I linked to it (as you can see), it was "unavailable."

But that's okay, Not only did I find the text, but got this screen shot.
Man! I guess information about this guy being "disappeared" so often from the internet sure has taught people to quickly capture whatever's online hasn't it? I'll have to remember that. Oh, and after the shit hit the fan, ConnectTristates.com quickly ran this about the "disappeared" article. Sounds like somebody's ass got chewed!!

People, people, people!! We are asleep at the wheel, yet again, when it comes to politicians and the press. By the time we wake the hell up, we'll find ourselves with a genuine government-run media with no pretense at all about being unfair and unbalanced.

The RNC may have paid for this, but they're right - "Questions Remain":