Columnist James Ingram
Well, it’s official. Embattled Illinois Senator Roland Burris has formally announced that he will not seek re-election in 2010.
His announcement in Chicago last week brought a sigh of relief to Democrats who hope to retain the seat. It also ended speculation by many as to whether Burris had become as delusional as he sounded (and behaved) in recent months.
Of course, Burris tried to put the best face on an otherwise hopeless situation. “I was called to choose between spending my time raising funds, or spending my time raising issues for my state.” That’s what Burris said.
What Burris meant to say was “I can’t raise any money, and no one in the entire Senate wants to partner with me on any legislation. So, instead of wasting my time, I’m outa here!”
The announcement should come as no surprise given that Burris’ Senate tenure was tainted as soon as he accepted the appointment from the impeached and indicted former governor, “Hot Rod” Blagojevich, who attempted to sell the seat formerly held by President Barack Obama.
If that wasn’t enough of an omen, then his colleague and fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin’s withdrawal of support, following the release of wiretaps revealing Burris’ negotiations for his Senate seat, should have been a wake-up call.
Yet Burris, somehow, imagined that all of the scandal would simply go away. He soon found out just how wrong he was, as the entire U.S. Senate snubbed him and treated him like a leper.
Then there’s the political math. In a recent Rasmussen poll, 61 percent of Illinois voters said that they would definitely vote against Burris if he sought re-election.
And, despite Burris’ email solicitation for campaign donations, he had only raised $845 during the first three months of 2009. Not good, especially if you’re actually serious about being re-elected.
All of this is a reflection of public perception. Despite the fact that Burris was recently cleared of perjury charges, the perception among voters is that Burris was unethical in his dealings with Blago. The junior senator’s evolving (and contradictory) versions of their interaction certainly didn’t help bolster his credibility either.
It smacks of deceit and it would, therefore, have been virtually impossible for Burris to redeem his good name and raise the necessary funds to retain his Senate seat.
Politically, the once credible Burris has been a loser for nearly 20 years – the last election he won was in 1990, and he’s lost four elections since then. That’s enough time for an entire generation of voters to be clueless as to who this guy is.
In addition, had Burris committed political suicide by running, he would have faced stiff competition from Christopher Kennedy (the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy), as well as from Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Either way, Burris would have been slaughtered (and he knows it).
So Burris, the former Illinois attorney general, comptroller and controversial U.S. senator will retire, having wrecked a perfectly good reputation, because of a political ego that (even at the age of 71) could not comprehend the fact that a good name is priceless and non-negotiable, even if happens to be for the title of “senator.”
Email jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.