Blago's race card lands softly in Senate fight

Obama's opposition defuses issue
Obama himself has said Burris should not be seated because of the taint of corruption surrounding Blagojevich, who is charged with trying to sell the Senate seat. And Obama's opposition to seating Burris could sorely undermine any attempt to make a racial issue out of the matter.

Moreover, Burris was officially denied entry to the Senate because his credentials were not signed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White — who is black.

Some political observers have speculated that Blagojevich appointed Burris, the 71-year-old former Illinois attorney general, to win over black support in his bid to stave off impeachment, or to influence the jury pool if he stands trial on the corruption charges.

Groups like the NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus have not publicly supported Burris, though they may be working behind the scenes to get him seated. The Rev. Al Sharpton, whom some might have expected to be leading a march or three, has been muted in his support.

Sharpton acknowledged that the Senate would have objected to anyone Blagojevich appointed.

But "Blagojevich has really checkmated everyone and used race as a cover. I think it's interesting that Roland was never on his list before," Sharpton said. "So when did he get this conversion to Roland and why, no one knows. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter to many in the African-American community ... he's put us in the position to get an African-American senator."

'It's a travesty'
Although many blacks expressed disgust with Rush's naked racial rhetoric, others were moved by Burris' quest to gain entry to the Senate.

"It's a travesty," said Rod White, the owner of Bertha's Soul Food in Los Angeles, where he said his customers had been talking about it all day. "The man walked over there this morning and he was rejected. It reminded me of my father. He's 72. An old black man walking in the rain and they closed the door in his face."

In Chicago's black neighborhoods, there is talk of a conspiracy to keep blacks out of the Senate. The government arrested Blagojevich to keep Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. out, the theory goes, and now it is trying to stop Burris.

Bryce Colquitt of Orland Park, Ill., a 20-year-old college student, formed a "Roland Burris for Senate" group on Facebook.

"As far as Mr. Burris being black and he'd be the only black (in the Senate), I think it's a factor. I don't think it's the most important and defining factor," he said. "I'm black, as much as I'd like to see black people in the Senate, I'd also like to know Illinois is being duly represented as every state is."

That will take some time, as the legal and political fight plays out in Washington.

"Blagojevich made what the hip-hoppers call a gangster move," Sharpton said. "You got to give it to him. Whatever his motive, he put on a move that put everybody in this situation."

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