On the Cusp of Historic Majority, Senate Democrats Miss 'Pillars.'

[elleng]

The weeks ahead were supposed to mark the moment in which President Obama used a filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority to push some of the most ambitious items on his agenda through the Senate, brushing aside GOP opposition as little more than a distraction.

But instead, even with the Minnesota Supreme Court on the verge of settling that state's seemingly endless disputed Senate race, which would finally provide a 100th senator, the chamber's leaders are having to contend with the prolonged absence of two of the most senior and famed members as key summer votes approach.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), 91, has been ensconced in an undisclosed hospital since May 15, initially for a minor infection, but then for a more serious staph infection. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), 77, who was diagnosed with brain cancer a year ago, did not return to the Senate last week despite proclamations from colleagues just last month that he would be back in time to lead this summer's health-care debate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/08/AR2009060804065.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[imdjh]

1. Can they vote from the hospital? nt

[elleng]

2. Don't think so.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Can+Senators+vote+when+absent%3F&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

[TheMadMonk]

3. Best they can do is "pair" their vote.

I think that's the correct term.

IIRC it's essentially an agreement that an equal number of oposition members abstain from voting.

Somehow I don't see that happening.

[SharonAnn]

4. That's the problem in any organization that does not bring in younger members and

doesn't move out older members.

Many organizations go through a kind of "death" when the senior leaders or managers are all getting physically or mentally frail and there are not sufficient people in the age pipeline coming up to replace them.

Sometimes the older leaders/managers have to leave for an organization to continue. If they don't leave, then they can cause the organization to stagnate.

Much as we love them, effective leaders/managers MUST implement succession planning for an organization to be successful.

I know that with elections "the voters decide", but the party leadership could/should strongly encourage some people to step down.

[Demeter]

5. Exactly

It is a sign of our lack of "Party Discipline" that nobody ever asked these men to step aside. this is no way to run a government!