In John Kass’ Jan. 6 column (Main news), he states that my father’s presence atop the Democratic statewide ticket would be a disaster for the Democratic Party.
Let’s see how the statewide Democratic ticket has fared in general elections, with and without Roland Burris, during the 15 years Kass has earned his living watching such events.
The first statewide general election to occur during the period was in 1982 when Burris was re-elected to the fifth highest of the six statewide executive offices, state comptroller. Of the six executive offices, three were won by Democrats that year, and Democrats controlled the House and Senate.
In 1986, my father successfully ran for re-election as state comptroller; score–Democrats 3, plus the House and Senate, Republicans 3. Four years later, my father was elected to the third-highest executive office, attorney general; score–Democrats 3 plus House and Senate, Republicans 3.
In 1994, Roland Burris was absent from the statewide Democratic ticket. Score–Democrats 0, Republicans 6, plus the House and Senate. The Democratic apocalypse of which Kass warns appears to have already happened and not as a result of Roland Burris’ presence on the ticket but rather because of his absence from it.
Kass concludes that white voters will abandon a racially balanced Democratic ticket. I don’t know who should be insulted more, my father or the voters. Roland Burris has served as Illinois’ chief operating officer (director of general services under Gov. Dan Walker), chief fiscal officer and chief legal officer, and, unlike Kass, I have every confidence that Democrats, black and white, will elect him over Republican George Ryan.
Finally, I agree that race is clouding the real issue here: Kass dislikes Roland Burris.
