I was shocked to see the Globe endorse Kennedy’s plan to appoint an interim replacement. Scott Lehigh went on to totally blow me away by taking this idea further to propose Vicki Kennedy be the replacement. His unqualified statements about her adequacy seemed almost planted or forced in my mind.
Please share widely!
At least in terms of Kennedy’s plan to not have a vacancy. His wife would not be my choice, however.
It is as if we all found out yesterday that the special election procedure included a time with only one vote in the Senate. I want healthcare passed as badly as the next person. If this scenario were being played out in reverse in another state, a Republican Governor and Legislature trying to amend the law to appoint a ‘no’ vote replacement senator we would all be outraged by the brazen legal manipulation. Filling vacancies with special elections is the fairest way possible. We should be proud that MA is one of the dozen or so states to do so and take the bad with the good. If Charlie Baker becomes our next Governor should the legislature again change the law back to special elections? Where does it end?
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p>It doesn’t end. That’s the nature of cyclical electoral politics in a multi-party system. What’s wrong with that?
Personnally, I’m starting to wish the 17th amendment had given just one procedure for filling a vacancy and be done with it.
Why not change a bunch of other rules which will favor the party in power? Get rid of 3/4 majority votes, remove all funding for staffs of minority party members, redistrict every year to maximize the party in power clench over the electorate…
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p>THanks be to God we have some rules and laws which the founding Fathers knew would be too tempting for unsavory and partisan politicians to change. Imagine the changes to our state Constitution if the ruling party could change things so easily.
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p>Shame on all who support this effort.
Polical leaders, like governors, and state legislators together have always tinkered with the law, massaging it into something the prevailing party prefers. Whoever has the most votes on an issue, bill, or law gets their way. That’s the nature of party politics.