I’m betting that, in the end, Reid and the Democrat caucus will back down:
Arrangements are under way for a Wednesday meeting between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Roland Burris, the Democrat tapped by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, ABC News has learned.
Burris confidant and business partner Fred Lebed of Chicago tells ABC News that, despite the opposition of Senate leaders, Burris is on track to arrive in Washington Monday, and on Capitol Hill, Tuesday.
“He intends to be sworn in and seated in the U.S. Senate,” said Lebed, who added that Burris and his “staff” are “looking forward to get sworn in, seated, and to roll up our sleeves.”
When Burris arrives at the doors of the U.S. Senate next week, says Lebed, “he will have a few close friends and supporters with him. he is very careful and has cautioned me to make sure this is not a spectacle.”
For the same reason that the Democrat powers-that-be could not refuse Obama the nomination, Burris cannot be denied his Senate seat: Obama won by 8.5 million votes. There were 125 million votes cast in 2008. 13% of the electorate was black, or 16.25 million voters, who gave 95% of their votes to the Democrats. Had the GOP scored half the black vote, Obama’s vote by blacks would have dropped from 14.4 million to 8.1…in other words, it would have put Obama’s victory in doubt as even though he’d still have come out with more votes, it is likely that places like NC, VA, FL and OH would have dropped into the McCain total, thus giving him the election. To put it bluntly – without a high black turnout giving most of its votes to the Democrats, winning national elections will become nearly impossible. And so Democrats will do whatever it takes to keep black voters on side – and “whatever it takes” will not and cannot include “deny a Senate seat to a black man”.
Reid will back down, I’m sure of it.
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