Once again the liberal democrats prove to be the party of lawyers; able to speak out of both sides of their mouth; treating the Constitution as guidelines; and setting themselves up as some supreme authority.
Irritates me no end…
“Reid cites ‘legal authority’ to bar Illinois pick”
Per Reuters New Service …
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Sunday that ‘legal authority’ exists under the Constitution to bar embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, but added there is also room to negotiate.”
“Under the Constitution, Reid said, ‘We determine who sits in the Senate. And the House (of Representatives) determines who sits in the House. So there's clearly legal authority for us to do whatever we want to do. This goes back for generations.’"
If this were literally true, the majority party could take over the entire government by simply refusing to seat the opposition party. While this is a “Reductio ad absurdum” argument, you can see my point.
Constitutional Qualifications for Senator …
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According to Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, a senator must be 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for 9 years, and must reside in the state he or she represents at the time of election.
There is nothing in the Constitution that seems to support Senator Harry Reid’s contention that there is legal authority for him or even the vote of the entire Senate to decide who is seated. However, once seated, the Senate can vote to expel the member.
Article I, Section 5, of the United States Constitution provides that "Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member."
“Speaking on NBC's ‘Meet the Press,’ Reid said he plans to meet on Wednesday with Blagojevich's choice for the Senate, Roland Burris, 71, the former Illinois attorney general, a fellow Democrat.”
The problem with lawyer/politicians …
Am I the only one to think that with politicians, as with lawyers, and especially lawyer/politicians … that everything is negotiable: their ethics, their honor, and their duties?
“Asked if there was room for a possible settlement, Reid said, ‘I'm an old trial lawyer. There is always room to negotiate.’"
Negotiate for what?
It appears that Burris was duly appointed by a sitting Governor who has not been convicted of a crime. So what is to be negotiated? A negotiation by definition involves two parties – usually each party has something the other wants – and the negotiation ends in a compromise.
“New members will be sworn in on Tuesday with the opening of the new Congress.”
If Harry Reid had half a brain …
“Reid called Burris a ‘tainted appointment’ because of the governor's alleged misconduct, although he said he did not know of anything wrong with Burris himself.”
If only Harry Reid stuck to principles and pointed out the Burris was complicit in the conviction of an innocent man who spent 11 years on death row because Burris was running for Governor and allegedly did not want to appear weak on crime. People who knew the truth, resigned their position rather than be party to Burris’ sham prosecution. This alone should make Blagojevich withdraw Burris’ name for consideration. More on this disgusting incident can be found in my blog entry
“BURRIS: BLAGOJEVICH'S SENATE APPOINTMENT IS MORE THAN TAINTED ... HE'S IMMORAL!”
“Blagojevich, who was arrested on December 9 and accused of trying to sell Obama's vacant seat, is facing impeachment in the Illinois legislature in the state capital of Springfield. Blagojevich has denied the corruption charges and has refused demands by Obama and others to resign as governor.”
“Reid said he planned to meet on Monday to discuss the matter with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. "I hope we can solve this issue on a bipartisan basis," Reid said.”
Asked if Burris will become a U.S. senator, Reid said, ‘It will be very difficult for that to occur.’ But he added, ‘Anything can happen.’"
Perhaps Harry Reid needs a reminder …
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Senator Reid: this is the Senate’s Oath of Office – and it is non-negotiable!
-- steve
What you can do?
For those of you who live in Nevada or have friends in Nevada, remember all of the corruption and hyper-partisanship that swirls around Harry Reid … and tell your friends not to vote for him when he comes up for re-election in 2010.
For those of you in Illinois, put pressure on Blagojevich to rescind the nomination and demand a special election. If you vote Burris in, the law and ethics will be satisfied although I would not agree with the vote any more than I would cast a vote for Mike Nifong, the prosecutor of the Duke Lacrosse team members because he was running for office and was courting the black vote.
In general, we need to vote for serious people who can help guide our country and not plunder this nation for their special interest friends.
-- steve
Quote of the day: “Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.” -- Joseph Heller
A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…
The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius
Reference Links:
Reid cites "legal authority" to bar Illinois pick | Yahoo! News
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