With the passing of legendary liberal Senator Ted Kennedy, Massachusetts has found itself in quite the predicament; and what an interesting predicament it is!
Apparently Massachusetts has painted itself into a corner. Legislation designed to hamstring former governor Mitt Romney has had the unintended, and hilariously ironic, consequence of leaving one of Mass’s senate seats open for at least the next 145 days.
This is proof positive that these give little thought to the potential corollaries likely to arise from hastily passed laws. Good for them, maybe it will cause them to give pause before tinkering with election laws in the future.
Massachusetts law makers should have to abide by the laws they passed and any attempt to change it now should be called out for exactly what it is; hypocrisy.
The following MSN.Com article seems to lament the loss of the seat more than the loss of the man, go figure:
Kennedy successor to be chosen by special vote
He had recently urged Mass. lawmakers to allow governor make the pick
days after a vacancy occurs. The law bans an interim appointee.
The law was changed in 2004, when Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., became his party's presidential nominee and Republican Mitt Romney was the state's governor. Before the change, the governor would have appointed a replacement to serve until the next general election.
That would have created the opportunity for Romney to install a fellow Republican in office, a move that Democrats who control the state legislature sought to prevent.
They sought to prevent, by legislation, exactly what they no want to do. The whole situation drips with cruel irony. I find myself laughing hysterically at the as I write this article.
Last week, Kennedy asked Massachusetts lawmakers to change state law to give Massachusetts' current governor, Deval Patrick, a fellow supporter of President Barack Obama, the ability to appoint an interim replacement to Kennedy's seat should Kennedy be unable to continue serving.
"It is vital for this Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election," Kennedy said in a letter to Patrick.
If true, that it is indeed vital for that "… Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens” then a special election would seem to be the answer. It’s funny though how that didn’t seem to matter when Mass. had a Republican governor; it was okay then to have a single voice acting on behalf of the Commonwealth.
Fierce fight expected
Though Massachusetts is dominated by Democrats, a change in the law isn't a sure thing. Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo — all Democrats — gave no indication if they would support the change.
The truth is that I would be surprised if they didn’t change the law in the interest of political expediency. The liberal establishment has proven shameless and without scruples in recent history. I fully expect nothing to change; except, perhaps, for Mass’s election law.
Any change could not happen immediately. Lawmakers are not expected to return to formal sessions until after Labor Day.
Despite speculation that Kennedy's wife, Vicki, could assume his Senate seat, family aides have said she is not interested in replacing her husband either temporarily or permanently. One of Kennedy's nephews, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, has also been described as interested.
I’m interested to know what qualifications any of the above mentioned individuals bring to the table to begin with. Is a tenuous relationship with Ted Kennedy qualification enough to serve in the Senate? I would hope the voters of Massachusetts would more thoroughly vet their representatives.
Any race to succeed Kennedy would be crowded and fiercely fought.
I would hope that it would also be "fairly" conducted. That seems to be the one adjective conspicuously missing.
Other potential Democratic candidates include state Attorney General Martha Coakley, U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch, Michael Capuano, Edward Markey, James McGovern and William Delahunt, and former Rep. Martin Meehan, now chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
On the Republican side, potential candidates include Cape Cod businessman Jeff Beatty, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and Chris Egan, former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Cooperation and Development.
It seems that the liberals have already decided on an epitaph for Senator Kennedy; Win at all costs and if the rules are against you, change the rules.
Apparently Massachusetts has painted itself into a corner. Legislation designed to hamstring former governor Mitt Romney has had the unintended, and hilariously ironic, consequence of leaving one of Mass’s senate seats open for at least the next 145 days.
This is proof positive that these give little thought to the potential corollaries likely to arise from hastily passed laws. Good for them, maybe it will cause them to give pause before tinkering with election laws in the future.
Massachusetts law makers should have to abide by the laws they passed and any attempt to change it now should be called out for exactly what it is; hypocrisy.
The following MSN.Com article seems to lament the loss of the seat more than the loss of the man, go figure:
Kennedy successor to be chosen by special vote
He had recently urged Mass. lawmakers to allow governor make the pick
days after a vacancy occurs. The law bans an interim appointee.
The law was changed in 2004, when Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., became his party's presidential nominee and Republican Mitt Romney was the state's governor. Before the change, the governor would have appointed a replacement to serve until the next general election.
That would have created the opportunity for Romney to install a fellow Republican in office, a move that Democrats who control the state legislature sought to prevent.
They sought to prevent, by legislation, exactly what they no want to do. The whole situation drips with cruel irony. I find myself laughing hysterically at the as I write this article.
Last week, Kennedy asked Massachusetts lawmakers to change state law to give Massachusetts' current governor, Deval Patrick, a fellow supporter of President Barack Obama, the ability to appoint an interim replacement to Kennedy's seat should Kennedy be unable to continue serving.
"It is vital for this Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election," Kennedy said in a letter to Patrick.
If true, that it is indeed vital for that "… Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens” then a special election would seem to be the answer. It’s funny though how that didn’t seem to matter when Mass. had a Republican governor; it was okay then to have a single voice acting on behalf of the Commonwealth.
Fierce fight expected
Though Massachusetts is dominated by Democrats, a change in the law isn't a sure thing. Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo — all Democrats — gave no indication if they would support the change.
The truth is that I would be surprised if they didn’t change the law in the interest of political expediency. The liberal establishment has proven shameless and without scruples in recent history. I fully expect nothing to change; except, perhaps, for Mass’s election law.
Any change could not happen immediately. Lawmakers are not expected to return to formal sessions until after Labor Day.
Despite speculation that Kennedy's wife, Vicki, could assume his Senate seat, family aides have said she is not interested in replacing her husband either temporarily or permanently. One of Kennedy's nephews, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, has also been described as interested.
I’m interested to know what qualifications any of the above mentioned individuals bring to the table to begin with. Is a tenuous relationship with Ted Kennedy qualification enough to serve in the Senate? I would hope the voters of Massachusetts would more thoroughly vet their representatives.
Any race to succeed Kennedy would be crowded and fiercely fought.
I would hope that it would also be "fairly" conducted. That seems to be the one adjective conspicuously missing.
Other potential Democratic candidates include state Attorney General Martha Coakley, U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch, Michael Capuano, Edward Markey, James McGovern and William Delahunt, and former Rep. Martin Meehan, now chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
On the Republican side, potential candidates include Cape Cod businessman Jeff Beatty, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and Chris Egan, former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Cooperation and Development.
It seems that the liberals have already decided on an epitaph for Senator Kennedy; Win at all costs and if the rules are against you, change the rules.
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