A power grab is going on in Massachusetts. Sen. Kennedy requested, through a letter Democrat leaders in Massachusetts, that the governor be given the power to appoint an interim successor if he were to fall too ill to continue. While Sen. Kennedy has done a lot of good for the people of Massachusetts he is asking Democrat leadership a near impossible request. Currently the process to replace a Senator in the interim is through a special election to take place five months after the current Senator steps down. Five years ago when Sen. Kerry was running for the presidency a bill was floated in the Massachusetts legislature to allow the governor to appoint an interim Senator and then have a special election five months later.
The bill was voted down because had Sen. Kerry won then Governor Mitt Romney could have appointed a Republican to the Senate. House Minority leader Bradley Jones Jr. posses a great question, "If we had a Republican governor right now, would we be getting the same letter?" The likelihood is that Sen. Kennedy would not be making this request is real. Even though Sen. Kennedy bleeds Massachusetts blood, he bleeds liberal Massachusetts blood more. The Boston Globe is reporting that none of the major Democrat leaders, including the governor, are commenting on the request for change in appointment process.
Right now the Democrats hold a filibuster proof 60 seat advantage in the Senate of the United States. The power grab attempt by Sen. Kennedy is to ensure that filibuster proof stays intact. I give kudos for Sen. Kennedy to attempt a power grab but are Democrats in Massachusetts willing to commit political suicide by playing blatant politics by changing the process? Both sides of the political spectrum are calling each other out as hypocrites.
Democrat Sen. Pacheco said, "You've got to be kidding me. They fought it all along the way" in regards to giving the governor the power to appoint in 2004 that failed 44 to 104. The RNC stated, "The integrity of this process already took a hit when the Democrat made the blatant power play to take this authority away from Governor Romney. It's hard to see how they would have credibility to reverse themselves simply because it's now politically inconvenient." The Democrats played a power play in 2004 and now must reap the benefits of their actions.
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