Posted: 8/31/2009 6:20:10 PM EDT
| http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hCEN99NEjZQfMU8LfAniFe6RR43A |
|
Kennedy successor to be debated next week
(AFP) – 8 hours ago BOSTON, Massachusetts — Massachusetts lawmakers will meet next week to decide whether to appoint a temporary successor to Edward Kennedy's Senate seat, officials said Monday. As the US Congress geared up for fierce political battles, the Massachusetts' legislature said it "will conduct a public hearing dealing with the interim filling of... (Kennedy's) vacant Senate seat" on September 9. Before his death Tuesday, Kennedy had urged his home state to change the law to allow someone to take his place in the US Senate in the interim before new elections. Governor Deval Patrick announced Monday that elections to fill Kennedy's Senate seat will be held on January 19 as set out under current Massachusetts law which mandates a special election 145-160 days after a vacancy occurs. "Massachusetts voters will have their opportunity to fill this Senate seat," Patrick pledged.................................... snip |
|
''What Mr. Kennedy doesn't volunteer is that he orchestrated the 2004 succession law revision that now requires a special election, and for similarly partisan reasons. John Kerry, the other Senator from the state, was running for President in 2004, and Mr. Kennedy wanted the law changed so the Republican Governor at the time, Mitt Romney, could not name Mr. Kerry's replacement. "Prodded by a personal appeal from Senator Edward M. Kennedy," reported the Boston Globe in 2004, "Democratic legislative leaders have agreed to take up a stalled bill creating a special election process to replace U.S. Senator John F. Kerry if he wins the presidency." Now that the state has a Democratic Governor, Mr. Kennedy wants to revert to gubernatorial appointments." |
|
Quoted:
''What Mr. Kennedy doesn't volunteer isthat he orchestrated the 2004 succession law revision that now requiresa special election, and for similarly partisan reasons. John Kerry, theother Senator from the state, was running for President in 2004, andMr. Kennedy wanted the law changed so the Republican Governor at thetime, Mitt Romney, could not name Mr. Kerry's replacement. "Prodded bya personal appeal from Senator Edward M. Kennedy," reported the BostonGlobe in 2004, "Democratic legislative leaders have agreed to take up astalled bill creating a special election process to replace U.S.Senator John F. Kerry if he wins the presidency." Now that the statehas a Democratic Governor, Mr. Kennedy wants to revert to gubernatorialappointments." 
|
