Just when the drama in Illinois concerning Rod Blagojevich seemed to be running out of steam in the national press, the controversial and indicted governor gave it new momentum by defying Senate Democratic leaders and state lawmakers and appointing Roland Burris, a former state attorney general and former political primary opponent, to Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat.
The appointment of Roland Burris has created constitutional questions about the ability of the U.S. Senate, considered one of the most elite clubs in the world, to select who it seats in its chamber and has ignited a racial element in national politics. It has also provided a tough maze for Democratic leaders to navigate without offending African-Americans, arguably the most loyal Democratic voting bloc.
This brief will provide extempers with some background information on Roland Burris, background on the appointment, and the implications his appointment has for national politics. These implications will hopefully help extempers zero in on the appropriate level of analysis necessary to answer questions tied to the Burris situation.