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Was it ethical for Burris to accept Blagojevich’s appointment?
By Lauren | December 31, 2008
Beleaguered Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich raised eyebrows yesterday when he tried to appoint former Illinois Attorney General Roland W. Burris to fill President-Elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. There’s bound to be a lot of political tap-dancing around the appointment, because Senate leaders have promised to reject anyone nominated by Blagojevich in the wake of his arrest on charges that he tried to sell the Senate vacancy for personal gain. They’re going find Burris tough to snub, though, because he’s a very credible choice and, according to The New York Times, there’s never been so much as a hint of scandal about him.
Until now, that is.
Blagojevich has not yet been impeached or convicted of any crime and he has the right to be considered innocent until proven otherwise. In theory, there’s nothing legally wrong with Blagojevich exercising his authority to appoint Burris as Obama’s successor. (Blagojevich is even arguing that it would be wrong of him not to make the appointment because it would deprive Illinois citizens of full representation in the Senate.) In practice, however, the publicly-released evidence against Blagojevich has been pretty distasteful. Regardless of whether Blagojevich broke any laws, he’s undoubtedly lost the respect and trust of many of his constituents.
Any new Senator appointed by Blagojevich is going to take office under a cloud. If Burris comes to Washington, he’s likely to find his ability to represent his constituents is significantly impaired by the taint surrounding his appointment. There may not be a legal reason why Burris shouldn’t accept the job, but ethics aren’t just about meeting the minimum standard set by law. Before Burris agrees to take what Blagojevich has offered, he needs to think long and hard about what becoming a Senator under these conditions might do to his own reputation and his ability to serve the citizens of Illinois. In this case, the most ethical choice might be to say “thanks Rod, but no thanks.”
Topics: Social Ethics, ethics |
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:51 am
Happy new year, Lauren.
I hope that 2009 brings a great deal of happines, fulfillment and joy to you and your family.
The poor man - an impossible situation.
If I were in his position, I just don’t know what I would do. I guess what he has to decide is whether or not the questions hanging over his appointment are sufficient in order to prevent him from being an effective representative to the people of Illinois.
If not, then he should feel free to accept the position. If so, then he would be better off contributing to the well being of the people of his state in a different capacity.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:41 am
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January 15th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
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