-By Warner Todd Huston
It seems like a story written by a bad Hollywood script writer, but Illinois Senator Roland Burris is today challenging a federal judge’s decision to block any more candidates from being added to the ballot of the special election that has been ordered to fill the last few weeks of this Congressional session. Burris wants to be on that ballot but the judge said that only party nominees from the primary are allowed to be on the special election ballot.
First of all the whole thing is confusing. When Barack Obama vacated his Senate seat to take the White House, disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich underwent a decision process to fill that seat that ended up getting him indicted. Blago gave the seat to long-time Illinois politico Roland Burris. Burris’ appointed term is up on election day but that would leave Illinois without a second Senator for the last 60 days of the legislative session. So, a federal judge declared that Illinois would have to vote on both a special election to seat a Senator for 60 days as well as the regular election for the full term starting after that in 2011.
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Temporary Senator Burris Challenges Special Election for Temporary Senator”
I have been saying for some time that we will have our recalcitrant Illinois Senator Roland Burris representing himself… er, I mean us… at least until 2010 and quite probably during the upcoming primaries for those seeking a full term afterward, as well. This weekend more proof to that eventual end was arranged by a room full of black ministers from Chicago.