Congress: The Burris circus
Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:15 AM by Mark Murray
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Congress
In addition to meeting with Burris at 10:30 am ET, Democratic Senate leaders Reid and Durbin hold a press conference at 2:15 to discuss their priorities for the 111th Congress.
Also on in the Senate today, McCain attends his first Hill news conference -- unveiling bipartisan legislation to reform the earmark system -- since losing November’s presidential election.
"Both Democrats Al Franken and Roland Burris were absent from seats they declared rightfully theirs, inaugurating new chapters in procedural and legal intrigue that could potentially take months to resolve."
Roland Burris got the support of a BIG name Senate Dem: Dianne Feinstein.
NBC’s Pete Williams reports, ‘Lawyers for Roland Burris told the Illinois Supreme Court more or less the following yesterday: Last week, we really needed you to act fast to order the Secretary of State to sign the Burris appointment certificate. Now we really, really need you to act fast.”
Williams continues, “It's no longer theoretical that the lack of the signature could be a problem, they say. The lawyers formally advise the court that the omission was officially given as the reason Burris was not allowed into the Senate chamber yesterday. The refusal of the Senate officials to admit him ‘underscores the urgent need for this court to act,’ they say. What's more, they say, Secretary of State Jesse White proved this week that he still knows how to write his name. On January 5, White signed the certificate calling for a special election to replace Congressman Rahm Emanuel -- a certificate that Gov. Rod Blagojevich also signed. The same provision of the U.S. Constitution that permits a governor to call for a special election to fill a House vacancy also gives the governor authority to appoint someone to fill a Senate vacancy. Therefore, they argue, it's illegal for the Secretary of State to sign one but not the other.”
The Hill has this banner headline from its interview with the Majority Leader: "Reid: 'I don't work for Obama.'" "Democrats must be ‘very, very careful’ to avoid overreaching and will not rubber-stamp President-elect Obama's policies, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday.” Reid added that “it is essential for Obama and congressional Democrats to work closely with Republicans in the new Congress. He added that 2009 is very different from 1993, the last time Democrats controlled both Congress and the White House." The headline quote: "'If Obama steps over the bounds, I will tell him. … I do not work for Barack Obama. I work with him,' he said."
More Reid, per the Politico: “Reid vowed Tuesday that he’ll lead the Senate until 2015 and beyond, taunting Republicans who’d like to unseat him and dashing the hopes of Democrats who’d like to succeed him. The Nevada Democrat, who is up for reelection in 2010, said he’s actually looking forward to being considered a ‘vulnerable’ incumbent then.”
The 111th Congress is only a day old, but Democrats and Republicans alike are puzzling over what Nancy Pelosi's promises to "govern from the middle" really mean.
The New York Times notes that the new class of House and Senate Democrats shift the Dem caucuses to the right -- not to the left. "Building on the 2006 class that gave Democrats a majority, this freshman class serves to broaden a moderate coalition considered more conservative on social issues, particularly in the House. The Democratic leadership almost certainly will be mindful — as it was in the 2008 election — of the members’ individual vulnerabilities, especially since several were elected by extraordinarily narrow margins.”
“Gary C. Jacobson, an expert on Congress and a professor at the University of California/San Diego, described the cumulative impact of the 2006 and 2008 elections: ‘I think the effect is to move the Democratic caucus somewhat to the right and if it wants to stay as large as it is now, it has to accommodate these folks. ‘You’re not going to see any wild, left-wing policymaking,’ he added. ‘You’re not going to get the Berkeley wish-list out of this crowd.’”
The Boston Globe puts Ted Kennedy front and center on its front page: "Eager to work, Kennedy makes emotional return." That's over a photo of Roland Burris holding an umbrella.
