Massachusetts Senate passed bill re: filling Kennedy's seat [View All]

[No Elephants]

Source: MSNBC

The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill empowering Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint someone to fill Senator Kennedy's vacant seat until a special election can be held. The bill will now go back to the Massachusetts House for a procedural vote. It is expected to pass.

No matter what, a special election will be held in January, so the appointee will serve only until then. Senator Kennedy had hoped the appointee would not run in the special election, but would serve only as a "place holder." Of course, that is not enforceable, even if the appointee should promise not to run.

No link yet.

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This is great news. The Massachusetts Senate President had hinted at a much longer timetable, one that would run into January, in fact, rendering the new law meaningless, at least this time around. That, however, was before Obama and the entire Massachusetts delegation weighed in, although initial reactions were that the rest of the country should mind its own business.