What to do with Roland
The Illinois legislature has been frantically investigating Governor Rod Blagojevich’s many alleged acts of corruption. Not wanting to be overly hasty, but simultaneously not wanting Blagojevich to sneak in some more bribe solicitation in the meantime, they were reassured by his attorney’s statement that he would not attempt to make an appointment. Then, of course… he did. And so it happened that Roland Burris made America’s acquaintance.
He’s quite an unusual man. He’s named his children Roland II and Rolanda. He’s already bought himself a mausoleum, which he has preemptively emblazoned with his many great achievements, such as being the first African-American non-CPA member on the Board of Directors of the Illinois CPA Society. While these things are not illegal by any means, I think they betray a way of thinking that’s extremely divorced from reality. If it were up to me, this man would get nowhere near any office with official decision-making authority.
The more blatant problem with Burris, though, is that he has displayed a complete disregard for the public trust. Who in their right mind would accept an appointment from Blagojevich in the middle of all this scandal? Could he possibly expect to be respected by his constituents, or by his fellow senators? I have no idea what Burris thinks (see above), but here in reality, the answer is clearly no. The right thing for a politician to do during a major corruption scandal is to get as far away as possible, and denounce the corruption thoroughly and completely. Even if his appointment involved no bribes at all, his service will always be under that cloud of suspicion.
Nevertheless, I don’t understand the basis for all that talk about the Senate “not seating” Burris. Congress doesn’t get to choose who joins Congress. They get to make laws with general guidelines about election mechanisms and other bureaucratic things, and that’s it as far as this situation is concerned. Blagojevich appointed Burris. The governor is empowered to make that appointment, and he really is the governor. After verifying all that, there’s nothing more they can do.
That’s not the end of the story, though. The Constitution also says that “all civil officers of the United States” may be impeached for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” That term refers to acts of misconduct and impropriety, and is unrelated to actual criminal statutes. This is perfect for Burris. His seat has been gained in a manner easily describable as improper. I think this is the correct solution, allowing for the best of both worlds: ridding the Senate of an embarrassment and disgrace, while simultaneously obeying the law.
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