Progress Illinois

Today some of Illinois’ top political columnists gave Gov. Rod Blagojevich tongue -in -cheek props for his brazen decision to appoint Roland Burris to our vacant U.S. Senate seat. Editorial boards across the state took a more serious tone, though, renewing their calls for the governor’s removal and attacking Burris’ judgment for participating in this circus.  Read some excerpts below ...

The State Journal-Register sets the stage:

If you pitched this set of facts as a movie, you’d be laughed out of Hollywood for the sheer implausibility of it:

The governor is arrested for allegedly trying to sell the president-elect’s Senate seat. Blagojevich’s fellow Democrats talk about stripping him of the power to appoint a senator, then back off after the governor signals he is open to the idea, fearing they will lose the seat to the Republicans in a special election.

Now, after his lawyer, Ed Genson, indicated Blagojevich will not appoint a replacement, the governor appoints a black, elder statesman-like politician to the seat, apparently believing that it will be tough for people to object.

The Rockford Register Star questions why Burris would accept the appointment:

Burris, the first African-American elected to major statewide office, has a history of public service untainted by scandal. So it’s curious that while all others are running away from the governor, he’s running with a governor who has been under investigation for years.

The SouthtownStar argues that Burris’ ego is broader than his common sense:

We can only assume the lure of the national political scene, particularly during Obama’s first term, proved too tempting – especially to Burris’ ego. After all, this is a man who’s built a cemetery monument for himself listing every accomplishment in his 71-year-old life, including those from college, and leaving space for future achievements. How perfect “U.S. senator” would be as the final addition to the epitaph.

The Peoria Journal-Star condemns Rep. Bobby Rush’s racial appeal at the press conference announcing Burris’ appointment:

Further confusing the issue was the bizarre inclusion of Bobby Rush at the tail end of the announcement to put a whole new spin on the controversy, vowing that he would lobby senators not to deny an African-American the seat. We hope that not much comes of the racial angle, for the arguments against Blagojevich making a Senate appointment apply equally across lines of race, gender and politics.

Meanwhile, the Tribune uses this episode to renew calls for a special election:

The more that politicians connive to exploit the Obama vacancy, the more obvious it is that no one but the voters of Illinois should fill it.

The Sun-Times. agrees wholeheartedly:

The people of Illinois didn’t need another reason to throw Gov. Blagojevich out of office.

They had plenty already.

But on Tuesday, the governor gave the state one more excellent reason, this time by going back on his word and appointing a replacement to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat. [...]

We urge Illinois lawmakers to press on with impeachment.