One of the casualties of this election cycle is Senator Richard Burr’s anonymous mediocrity. For years, he’s been in Congress, made very little noise, gotten very little done, and gotten re-elected. He’s a forgettable character on the national stage, but he’s never really been very offensive.
In fact, the most memorable thing Burr has done before this election was to tell his wife to withdraw as much money as she could from the ATM when he learned about the state of American banks during the 2008 financial crisis. That episode told us that he was more concerned about his own well-being than the potential for a bank run, but that was about it. Other than that, we know that he drives a Volkswagen Thing and has a reliably conservative voting record.
Now, though, we know that Burr would put a man like Donald Trump into the White House. We know that he’s so partisan that he makes reckless jokes about killing the Democratic nominee for president. And we know that he prefers a broken and dysfunctional government to one that works. Not only that, he would do what he could to leave one branch of government severely handicapped, putting his partisan desires above the good of the country.
Burr came out early for Donald Trump and has never backed down, regardless of what Trump has said or done. He doubled down to become part of Trump’s foreign policy team. When Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women, Burr said he forgave Trump for his lewd comments and believed Trump when he denied that he had ever actually assaulted women.
Then came the tape yesterday where Richard Burr said that he was surprised that a photo of Hillary Clinton on an NRA publication didn’t have a bullseye on it. He apologized but given the intensity of this election, the statement was remarkably irresponsible. Burr knew his audience and he played to it. He just got caught.
His most grievous offense, though, is Burr’s insistence that he will block Supreme Court justices if Hillary Clinton is elected. He’s essentially telling us that he, one, won’t do his job and, two, is willing to violate the Constitution to pander to his political base. That’s irresponsible, and a reason to fire him.
We know a lot more about Richard Burr today than we knew a year ago. He still doesn’t have any significant accomplishments in his 22 years in Washington. Now we know that he’ll pander to his base irresponsibly and that he’s willing to handicap a branch government for political gain. It’s people like Richard Burr who need to go if we want our government to work again.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
When you think of Richard Burr, (Dick to his friends) do you think of the guy who played the Governor on “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?” I do.
It pains me to view a cute movie like that in such context however.
Burr office goes missing in the Triangle!
Since Senator Burr supports Donald Trump, it is unfortunately not surprising he has similar temperament – such as banning this newspaper from notices of his appearances, being surprised a gun magazine didn’t have a bulls eye on a picture of Hillary Clinton, and supporting the “Grand Obstruction Party’s” complete and unprecedented Senate abdication of duty by refusing to even hold a hearing on a ninth Supreme Court Justice.
Besides those and many other serious issues, we should at least expect the normal day-to-day service provided by elected officials to citizens who have a concern or question. However, folks may be surprised to know that Burr has NO offices even near the very heavily populated Triangle region (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, etc.).
See http://www.burr.senate.gov/contact/office-locations . The closest office is Rocky Mount, 59 miles east of Raleigh, with others in Asheville, Gastonia, Winston-Salem, and Wilmington.
In addition, when is the last time you saw a notice of a Burr town Hall meeting in this area over the last 12 years, where we could actually ask questions and give input to the Senator personally? I don’t recall any either.
I think we are too progressive for Burr to bother, but it is very telling that he doesn’t really care about all North Carolina constituents. One of my favorite quotes is by John Ruskin: “What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”
Time for us to help get the vote out big time and elect a competent North Carolina Senator – Deborah Ross!
I found the lack of an office in any of the locales you listed astounding indifference and was greatly surprised that Burr had managed to stay in office while ignoring so many voters.
Gosh. I didn’t know he was a Senator. I thought he was just a Representative, though not very representative, at all.
Hmm. Burr has been your Senator for TWELVE YEARS, and you didn’t know it? I’d like to accuse you of gross failure at paying attention. But, on the other hand, Richard Burr’s world class mediocrity HAS made him incredibly invisible, until the last few days.
I wish Deborah Ross’s campaign would hit back hard. Hard. Hard.
I want her to run ads with the audio-quote of Richard Burr saying he wondered why there’s no target on Clinton’s face on the magazine cover. With that, a voice-over and caption:
This man wants to kill the President of the United States. North Carolina doesn’t need him in the Senate. Vote Ross for Senate November 8.
Then a companion ad:
This man wants Senators to be able to trade on insider information to line their own pockets, while prosecuting private citizens–you and your friends–for doing the same thing. North Carolina doesn’t need him in the Senate. Vote Ross for Senate November 8.
Then:
Richard Burr profited by millions while the nation collapsed into a near depression. Etc.
Then:
The United States Constitution gives the right to name federal judges to the President of the United States. This man thinks the Founding Fathers were fools and our beloved Constitution is wrong. North Carolina deserves a Senator who loves America and believes in our Constitution. Vote Deborah Ross.
I agree. The race is close enough that even one of those might sway a few voters, and gain a Democratic Senate seat for someone who actually works at being an elected official.
Burr’s ties to big oil and votes that harm the environment DO mean he’s done some harm. You said he’d “never really been very offensive”–but to some watching and caring as he sided with Republicans and as he voted wrong on issues we cared about, he’s been plenty offensive. These science denying oil money men will wreck the climate and harm future generations for their own greed.
Thank you, Thomas, for telling it like it is about Richard Burr. The two things he said this week, i.e., implying Hillary Clinton should be shot, and stating he would roadblock ANY Supreme Court nomination if Clinton is elected, should be evaluated by every North Carolina voter who supports Burr. These remarkable statements, in addition to Burr’s unwavering support for Donald Trump, are compelling reasons not to re-elect this sorry senator.
Richard Burr was the point man on the suppression of the senate torture report which determined that incompetent psychologists (rather than trained interrogators) were contracted to torture 9/11 suspects to the tune of $18 million. The report determined that suspects were subjected to illegal torture, some of whom were tortured to death, and that the torture did not produce actionable intelligence. Burr has colluded with the Bush and Obama administrations to keep this information from the public AND the entire executive branch, guaranteeing that extrajudicial imprisonment and torture will continue. Sadam Hussein would certainly approve.
Burr has also advocated for the warrantless surveillance of US citizens via the abuse of National Security Letters.
Like most conservatives and the NRA Burr only cares about the 2nd Amendment, but even that concern is just a bait-and-switch to keep corporate friendly legislators and judges in power. Richard Burr is a tool of the oligarchy and defender of a national security state that throws our constitution under the bus.
Aw, c’mon, guys! You’re forgetting Burr’s fantastic sense of humor, as evinced by his joking about waterboarding at a meeting of the Senate “Intelligence” Committee. And, gosh, “invisible Richard” was a loyal throwback to the legacy of Richard Nixon, when Burr “deep sixed” the “intelligence” committee’s torture report, after he bubbled up to become Chairman of that committee.
Burr’s latest gaffes, about drawing a target on Hillary’s face and obstructing any Hillary nomination to the Supreme Court, are in total keeping with his pitifully self-serving career.
President Obama had plenty on his plate when he took office in 2009 – a financial landscape in ruins, two unnecessary wars and the mother of all recessions. And he had opposition dedicated to denying him any progress toward improving conditions in the country. They would oppose jobs, political appointments and judges. They would obstruct any program no matter how beneficial to the American people.
Senator Burr was a quiet supporter of the most hard-line Republican objectives and he willingly did as much nothing as he could. The Do Nothing Congress of 1948 was a work horse compared to the Republican Congresses after Obama was elected.
A more popular President, like Truman was, could have shamed the Republicans into doing some work. Obama could have pointed out measures that would have helped the economy and the working people of the country, but the President has been under siege since he took office and has struggled to push his agenda forward.
Obama’s criticism of the anti-Americanism and unpatriotic stance of the opposition party might have sounded like sour grapes. Instead, he persevered and tried in vain to strike some form of bipartisanship for the good of the country. But Senators like Burr were busy doing nothing and taking a lot of vacation.
Burr, like his colleagues, has no interest in the America where people live. He is focused on his corporate sponsors, on his lavish trips to Europe at their expense, his access to insider trading information and his personal wealth. He has lived in the shadows.
Burr stepped out of the shadows this week and told North Carolinians what he is. Burr is a nasty piece of work, who, like Trump, wishes Mrs. Clinton would be shot by the “Second Amendment people.” He has decided that he will continue to set the nation’s welfare aside and obstruct any progress toward a better economy or a better country. Burr is all ready to do as much nothing as he can for another six years, but he wants his paycheck.
I’ve always referred to Burr as the “stealth Senator”. I guess that now we know why he’s been so quiet. “Better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
Burr has missed 69% of his Senate Armed Services Committee meetings. He missed one to attend a personal campaign fundraiser. Does sound familiar, does it not? Kay Hagan was taken to task for that same “offense” in 2014 and probably lost the election as a result of missing a meeting for a fundraiser.
Will NC voters penalize Burr for committing the same “crime”?
No, only Democrats are held to such a high standard. Republicans could defecate on the Senate floor and it would be just boys being boys. You know like locker room banter.
Could not agree more!