Who is Roland Burris?
The media dossier on Blago's appointment
After our unfortunate governor, Rod Blagojevich, threw a bizarre [albeit shrewd] curve-ball, in appointing former Illinois politician Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate vacancy of President-elect Barack Obama, I thought I would compile, for my personal blog (and web space, to which this material is uploaded), a collection of past mainstream media articles on certain actions and policies of Blagojevich's appointee. All of a sudden, the whole national media focus (television, radio, newspaper, and Blogosphere) is on these issues, involving our state's politics, Roland Burris, and Rod Blagojevich... (If only they knew what we've had to deal with, for all these years! ;-)

While I saved this draft on New Year's Eve, so as to publish this list of past news coverage, this entry is being published on Thursday, January 8th. Later today, Roland Burris will be arriving back in Springfield [the news yesterday was unfortunate; Blago and his buddy seem to have won... at least for now], to testify at the Illinois House of Representatives Impeachment Committee hearing. It will be at 3:00 PM, in Room 114 of the State Capitol.

Here is an archive of relatively-recent press coverage of Roland Burris, which deals with the controversies that he instigated or has been involved with. There are some major ones - contrary to the portrayal I've noticed in the national media, since the appointment was made.

Note: When this appointment was first made, I remembered several Roland-related controversies, from his prior [unsuccessful] runs for Governor - there was the "non-qualified white boys" remark, which may have nixed his bid for the 1998 Democratic nomination, and I remember, during the 2002 gubernatorial primaries, the issue of the Rolando Cruz death-row case being prominent. However, I mainly noticed it being used against Republican candidates; perhaps because I was more focused on those primaries... But I did remember Roland Burris being mentioned as a Democrat who was also involved in that case. (Burris was running again for Governor that year, but once again fell short, in the primary.)

And now it seems that the media, and the Blogosphere, is all over the Rolando Cruz case again. I just saw that Mary Brigid Kennedy has now spoken out, about Burris' appointment. I wonder how much (if any) of this issue will arise, in the Impeachment Committee hearing today. Because the Rolando Cruz trial (the Jeanine Nicarico murder case) is already being discussed so much in the Blogosphere, I only provided a few items on that topic in this Burris press archive; I did include an Illinois Issues piece, because it's by our university's very own Professor Charlie Wheeler (and in the superb magazine, published right here on the campus!). Also included is then-Attorney General Roland Burris' letter-to-the-editor response. (Too bad Burris isn't speaking out on that case now! ;-)




The Roland Burris controversy compilation
From the mainstream media memory hole




- - - - - [More archived press items will be added soon... Like the award-winning 1993 series from the State Journal-Register, discussed here at the Illinois Issues blog, and raised by rival Democrat, U.S. Attorney Jim Burns, which inspired the book Illinois for Sale - on the relationship between $tate contract$ and campaign contribution$ ]


03/21/2002: Roland Burris says he won't run again, Bernard Schoenburg, The Hotline (National Journal) & Chicago Tribune
From The Hotline: Roland Burris "may have finished dead last" in the Dem primary, but "at least he's used to it." Burris has lost "six times in 10 attempts" since '76, and he said this was his last race. Burris: "I'm done, and it's very easy to say that." Burris said he was "relishing the thought of leaving the rigorous campaign trail." Burris: "It's unbelievable what you go through, what you put your family through ... I'm just going to go on with my life and enjoy what little life I have left" (Mihalopoulos/Becker, Chicago Tribune, 3/21).

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01/18/2007: Vegas probe casts doubt on county deal, Steve Patterson, Chicago Sun-Times, January 18, 2007

06/16/2004: Roland Burris' consulting firm awarded $150,000 contract by IDOT, Doug Finke, State Journal-Register, June 16, 2004

06/05/2003: Ex-attorney general Roland Burris to lobby for Indian casino, Eric Peterson, Chicago Daily Herald, June 5, 2003

Article list via: "Burris' pay-to-play political history"

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03/03/1998: Burns: Burris part of problem, not solution, Bernard Schoenburg, State Journal-Register


03/08/1998: Front-runner Burris no longer above the primary fray, Bernard Schoenburg, State Journal-Register


03/08/1998: Burris failed his only major test in office as Attorney General, Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune (re: the Rolando Cruz case)

------> April 1993: Attorney General Roland Burris' letter to the editor, responding to UIS' very own Charlie Wheeler III, in which AG Burris defends his reaction to Mary Brigid Kenney's resignation and complaints, Illinois Issues April 4, 1993



------> Original article: March 1993: Justice bereft of common sense?, Prof. Charles Wheeler III, Illinois Issues, March 6, 1993

02/02/1992: Burris borrowed $28,000 from campaign fund, Chuck Neubauer & Mark Brown, Chicago Sun-Times, February 2, 1992

Labels: barack obama, Blagojevich impeachment, charlie wheeler, House impeachment committee, Illinois House, Illinois Issues, impeachment, media, pay-to-play, rod blagojevich, roland burris, rolando cruz, UIS