Thank you Roland Burris

[jaysunb]

cross posted from DK

Others, appointed to lesser office to replace a spouse or fill a seat that was vacant due to death or otherwise, have quietly served and receeded into history. Few--if any-- had to withstand the onslaught of ridicule, vitrol or down right nastiness directed at him personally and otherwise. Much of it coming from liberals, progressives and the Democratic establishment itself.

Now, two years on, as Sen. Burris prepares to return to Chicago, having been only the sixth African American to serve in the US Senate, his seat firmly in Republican hands, maybe we can give him his proper due for being a stalwart Democrat that never wavered in his principles or those of the Party.

Say what you will about the circumstances of his appointment, he never let us down or caused undue anxiety as to where he stood. When the roll was called, he could be counted on to vote for the people and their needs.

Thank you Senator. Your place in history has been cemented. You served well and I hope your future will bright.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/11/26/923455/-Thank-you-Roland-Burris

[dsc]

1. It is an honest shame that his appointment was so tainted

because he really was a good Senator. It isn't his fault that Illinois, despite every warning that anyone would have ever needed, made no effort at all to prevent Blago from having the power to appoint a Senator.

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. I live in Illinois and however Burris got his Senate seat, he was a solid Democratic vote.

He's now on the ballot for mayor of Chicago (though it was due to others getting signatures on nominating petitions and I am not certain that he will stay in the race). I live in the suburbs, so I have no horse in the race.

He served Illinois well and I agree with his point about there now being no African-Americans in the Senate.

[Canuckistanian]

3. He may have been a "Democratic stalwart"

But he'll be more famous for hitching his star to Blagojevich, one of the most corrupt politicians in America.

But he did well.

Many politicians would have failed in his place.

[EFerrari]

4. Blago tainted everything he touched.

Was it even possible for anyone to indicate they wanted that seat without being tainted by him? It's hard to see how.

[Canuckistanian]

12. Exactly

Anyone who took that seat would be assumed to have BOUGHT it.

Burris had the courage to step into that mess. And he succeeded.

[inna]

5. "Blagojevich, one of the most corrupt politicians in America" - uh, no.

You don't read about the most corrupt in the MSM (but you Canadians probably can't even imagine the degree of corruption here).

Blagojevich is more of a Martha Stewart in this respect.

[Canuckistanian]

7. That may be true

But Blago was CAUGHT.

And that will be his "brand" in history.

[EFerrari]

8. Blago, the Martha Stewart of political corruption!

lol

:)

[inna]

15. well, it's true. nt

[EFerrari]

16. It's beautifully precise!

[gratuitous]

6. From the start, I figured he was there to add a line on his mausoleum

Now that that's done, he's off to something else. Never could quite figure why people were so bent out of shape about his appointment to fill the unexpired term.

[BlueCaliDem]

14. Because corporate America knew he was a true Democrat and they

wanted his so tainted that he'd refuse to run for reelection so a Republicon could take President Obama's former Senate seat.

Mission accomplished.

[jaysunb]

17. +1000

Finally..somebody "gets it !"

[pscot]

9. Amen

He was a better Senator thanlots of other Democrats we could all name. We're gonna miss you Senator Burris.

[Tatiana]

10. I was not in favor of his appointment. But damn if he wasn't better than some of our "elected" Dems

He had a very good voting record during his time in Congress.

[backscatter712]

11. For all the clusterfuckery around his appointment, he always stood on our side in the Senate.

Cheers to Senator Roland Burris.

:toast:

[H2O Man]

13. He was great in

the movie "The Fugative."

[jaysunb]

18. Really ?

I didn't know he'd done a movie. :shrug: