N104UA From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 889 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 1036 times:
Today Gov. Patrick announced that long time Kennedy Friend Paul Kirk, former DNC chair and Kennedy Staffer for 8 years. This means that the Democrats have a 60 seat majority at least until the special election on 19 Jan.
Sv7887 From United States of America, joined May 2008, 1025 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 1025 times:
Hi All,
I think this is where as a conservative I'm supposed to whine about the hypocrisy of the Democrats since they changed the law to prevent Mitt Romney from doing the same thing...Not this time.
This is politics, and the GOP would have done the same thing. To the winners go the spoils. We'll have an election soon enough anyway.
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 2, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 998 times:
Did Massachusetts change the law? When? How can they make it retroactive? So there is no election, now in January? I smell a GOP lawsuit coming.
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 2): So there is no election, now in January? I smell a GOP lawsuit coming.
Yes there will be an election in January.
Quoting Sv7887 (Reply 1): This is politics, and the GOP would have done the same thing. To the winners go the spoils. We'll have an election soon enough anyway.
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16824 posts, RR: 57 Reply 4, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 991 times:
Quoting Sv7887 (Reply 1):
I think this is where as a conservative I'm supposed to whine about the hypocrisy of the Democrats since they changed the law to prevent Mitt Romney from doing the same thing...Not this time.
This is politics, and the GOP would have done the same thing. To the winners go the spoils. We'll have an election soon enough anyway.
Cws818 From United States of America, joined Aug 2008, 1167 posts, RR: 2 Reply 5, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 986 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 2): Did Massachusetts change the law? When? How can they make it retroactive? So there is no election, now in January?
The Massachusetts legislature passed a bill allowing the Governor to make an interim appointment pending an election to fill the remainder of Senator Kennedy's term.
The law is not retroactive. As the Governor said at his press conference, he signed the bill and sent a letter to the Massachusetts Secretary of State so that the law would take immediate effect.
There will be an election in January and both the Governor and interim Senator-Designate Kirk said that Paul Kirk will not be a candidate for the seat.
Not completely. The State House and Senate put the matter to a vote (for an interim appointment until the January 19 Special Election) amongst themselves.
Beacon Hill lawmakers enacted legislation today allowing Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint an interim senator - but without a two-thirds majority - meaning Patrick will have to rely on a rarely used measure allowing him to declare the law an emergency.
...
House lawmakers originally tried to gather enough votes for a two-thirds majority this morning to ensure the bill would go into effect immediately. The measure then passed 95-59 without the super majority. The bill passed the state Senate 24-16 this afternoon.
They can't. The Governor can make a request for an appointment to be retroactive to the State Secretary (William Galvin) if the matter is of (and here's where it gets dicey) an emergency. If approval was not granted the appointment would not take effect for 90 days.
The Massachusetts Republican Party has filed an injunction in a Boston court seeking to block former Democratic Party chairman Paul Kirk from becoming the interim replacement for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Lawmakers this week passed legislation giving Gov. Deval Patrick the power to appoint an interim replacement, but laws approved in Massachusetts usually take 90 days to go into effect. Patrick signed an emergency letter that he says allows the law to become effective immediately.
The text of Gov. Patrick's letter to Secretary Galvin stating his reasons for declaring emergency law can be found in the below web-link:
Appreciate it Doc! I know we are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but I do my best to be intellectually honest about these things. Politics is a business, I don't think either party has much "moral authority."
Strangely enough MA has had Republican governors nearly consistently since the early 90s, Bill Weld, Paul Celucci, Jane Swift, Mitt Romney, until Deval Patrick won a few years ago.
They had changed the law back in 2004 I think just in case John Kerry won the Presidential election. They didn't want then Governor Romney appointing a Republican to take his seat. That's where the so called "outrage" came from.
As for Senator Kennedy's seat, it is turning out to be an interesting race. So far none of the Kennedy's have stepped forward. Attorney General Martha Coakley is the early favorite, but I'm not impressed by her at all.
Politics is unpredictable, just a few years ago Barack Obama was considered a longshot for the White House (same with Clinton too in '92), You never know how these things might turn out.
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16824 posts, RR: 57 Reply 9, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 954 times:
As is death. And that means that sometimes, death is unfair. Sometimes, someone benefits from a death, even though that person might not be happy about the death. Sometimes, someone gets screwed by a death.
And apparently the Mass. GOP is in the latter group.
Really, guys. you can wait four months for an election, especially if the replacement isn't even running.
PHLBOS From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 7253 posts, RR: 25 Reply 10, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 940 times:
Quoting Sv7887 (Reply 8): Strangely enough MA has had Republican governors nearly consistently since the early 90s, Bill Weld, Paul Celucci, Jane Swift, Mitt Romney, until Deval Patrick won a few years ago.
Not to hijack the thread but as one who left the state in mid-1990, there was good reason for voters to elect a GOP candidate to the governor's seat (as well as Treasurer, remember Joe Malone?); the state was in economic shambles at the time. Since the Democrats were running EVERYTHING statewide, prior to the 1990 elections; they couldn't simply blame the GOP for any of the state's shortcomings.
Truth be told the economic cracks (primarily the State Budget) started to show before 1988 Presidential candidate and then-Governor Mike Dukakis was declared the front runner around March of that year but the only people (presswise) that mentioned/discussed it then were Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr, WRKO Talk Show host Jerry Williams and then-Citizens for Limited Taxiation Chairperson, Barbara Anderson. Dukakis '88 Campaigners John Sasso and/or Susan Estrich made darn sure that this info. did not leak outside the state until after November. Side Bar: Dukakis only carried 55% of the State's popular vote;, much lower than what Sen. Kerry carried in 2004, but still better than what then-Vice-President Gore carried in his home state of TN in 2000.
While the GOP occupied the Governor's chair for 16 years and Treasurer's desk for 8 years; the Democrats STILL had a power lock on everything else. Romney in his last 2 years in office faced a party-line VETO-PROOF House & Senate.
Another thing to keep in mind that most of the recent GOP governors (except for Romney) weren't exactly conservative in most issues.
Heck, Jane Swift wasn't even elected as Governor. She only became Governor because Gov. Celluci accepted was a position to serve as Ambassador to Canada offered from then-President-Elect Bush (43).
Swifty only joined the GOP in order to have a re-match for a State Rep. seat following a loss in the Democratic primary years earlier. She was a true RINO to the core IMHO; but that's another old topic for another day.
[Edited 2009-09-24 13:19:15]
"TransEastern! You'll feel like you've never left the ground because we treat you like dirt!" SNL Parady ad circa 1981
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 11, posted (3 years 8 months 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 927 times:
Quoting Dtwclipper (Reply 3): Quoting Sv7887 (Reply 1):
Did Massachusetts change the law?
Yes.
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 2):
How can they make it retroactive?
It's not.
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 2):
So there is no election, now in January? I smell a GOP lawsuit coming.
Yes there will be an election in January.
Quoting Cws818 (Reply 5): The Massachusetts legislature passed a bill allowing the Governor to make an interim appointment pending an election to fill the remainder of Senator Kennedy's term.
The law is not retroactive. As the Governor said at his press conference, he signed the bill and sent a letter to the Massachusetts Secretary of State so that the law would take immediate effect.
There will be an election in January and both the Governor and interim Senator-Designate Kirk said that Paul Kirk will not be a candidate for the seat.
Thanks Dtwclipper and Cws818, I had not scene that news before this afternoon.
But, it does seem like the GOP has a case as the Governor really signed a letter declairing this situation an emergency. That brings up some questions;
Why is this an emergency today, and not three weeks ago when Sen. Kennedy died?
Why wasn't it an emergency when Sen. Kerry was not present, for a year, in the Senate during his 2004 Presidential run?
Why was it not an emergency when Sen. Kennedy was not present, for two years, to vote on bills in the Senate after he was diagnosed with brain cancer?
Why didn't Senator Kennedy say this was going to be an emergency when he wrote his last letter to the Governor and State Ligislature to change the law back to what it was before he had it changed in 2004?
DXing From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 892 times:
Quoting Sv7887 (Reply 1): This is politics, and the GOP would have done the same thing. To the winners go the spoils. We'll have an election soon enough anyway.
Have to agree with that. Anybody think a Republican will win that seat in the special election? Didn't think so.
I guess the only question now is, how long before we see wind turbines off the Hyannis Port coast line?
N104UA From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 889 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 889 times:
Quoting DXing (Reply 12): I guess the only question now is, how long before we see wind turbines off the Hyannis Port coast line? scratchchin
That will never happen. There is still a lot of money in Hyannis Port and the Kennedy's still live there and they still have lots of money and influence just because Ted died does not mean the family will not still be on the national stage
Quoting DXing (Reply 12):
Have to agree with that. Anybody think a Republican will win that seat in the special election? Didn't think so.
NO that will not happen
"Learn the rules, so you know how to break them properly." -H.H. The Dalai Lama
Pyrex From Portugal, joined Aug 2005, 3538 posts, RR: 28 Reply 14, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 877 times:
This law is a freaking joke, and just another example of Kennedy-esque dirty politics. Why weren't they just more honest about it and passed a law that simply said "all senators from Massachusetts need to be members of the Democratic party"? With 140 out of 160 seats in the State house, it is not like they couldn't do it.
Read this very carefully, I shall write this only once!
WestWing From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2112 posts, RR: 8 Reply 15, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 872 times:
The last time Massachusetts elected a Republican senator was in November 1972.
It is not unreasonable, in my opinion, to posit that, of the present citizens of Massachusetts,
(a) a plurality of citizens would want their own state to be represented by two senators during the health care debates; and therefore be supportive of an interim appointment,
(b) a plurality of citizens would want the interim second senator to be a member of the democratic party.
Hence, in my opinion, representative democracy will be served by this legislation and interim appointment.
And, that is a good thing.
(Edited - to correct the date, which was wrong)
[Edited 2009-09-24 21:32:04]
The best time to plant a tree is 40 years ago. The second best time is today.
Maverick623 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 4744 posts, RR: 6 Reply 18, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 862 times:
Quoting Cws818 (Reply 5): sent a letter to the Massachusetts Secretary of State
Not just any old letter:
Quoting PHLBOS (Reply 6): if the matter is of (and here's where it gets dicey) an emergency
Which is dicey. I don't agree with it one bit.
But, as Sv7887 so eloquently put it, that's politics.
N104UA From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 889 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 852 times:
Quoting Pyrex (Reply 14): This law is a freaking joke, and just another example of Kennedy-esque dirty politics. Why weren't they just more honest about it and passed a law that simply said "all senators from Massachusetts need to be members of the Democratic party"? With 140 out of 160 seats in the State house, it is not like they couldn't do it.
Well the people of Massachusetts wanted 140/160 in the state House in Wyoming it is 70% Republican so they could do the same thing there. If the people want a majority for one party there is nothing wrong with that because obviously something had to go wrong with the other party to get a super majority
Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 18): Quoting PHLBOS (Reply 6):
if the matter is of (and here's where it gets dicey) an emergency
Which is dicey. I don't agree with it one bit.
You can argue that it is because it does not give the citizens of MA a second senator that the are constitutionally guaranteed.
"Learn the rules, so you know how to break them properly." -H.H. The Dalai Lama
A Suffolk Superior Court judge will decide by noon on a Republican Party appeal for an emergency injunction to block the appointment of Kennedy family confidant Paul G. Kirk Jr. as interim U.S. senator.
The state GOP contends Gov. Deval Patrick overstepped his authority by attaching an emergency preamble to the Senate vacancy law signed yesterday so the legislation would be enacted immediately. The usual waiting period for enactment is 90 days.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly took the matter under advisement this morning and said he will make a decision by noon today.
Apparently the State GOP aren't the only ones unhappy w/Gov. Patrick's pick:
Gov. Deval Patrick’s Kennedy-backed selection of Paul G. Kirk Jr. to the U.S. Senate sparked outrage on both ends of the political spectrum, as Republicans fired off a legal challenge to halt the temporary appointment and liberal supporters of former Gov. Michael Dukakis vowed payback.
Meanwhile, Kirk deflected questions yesterday about his special-interest ties as national Democrats fast-tracked his swearing-in ceremony for 3 p.m. today.
The saga continues. Stay tuned.
[Edited 2009-09-25 07:03:51]
"TransEastern! You'll feel like you've never left the ground because we treat you like dirt!" SNL Parady ad circa 1981
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 21, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 817 times:
Quoting N104UA (Reply 19): Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 18):
Quoting PHLBOS (Reply 6):
if the matter is of (and here's where it gets dicey) an emergency
Which is dicey. I don't agree with it one bit.
You can argue that it is because it does not give the citizens of MA a second senator that the are constitutionally guaranteed.
No, it doesn't "guarantee" that each state will always have two US Senators. It just allows it. It is up to the state to fill any vacancies. Why wasn't the two US Senator "guarantee" allowed when MN was going through their almost endless recount process?
A Suffolk Superior Court judge will decide by noon on a Republican Party appeal for an emergency injunction to block the appointment of Kennedy family confidant Paul G. Kirk Jr. as interim U.S. senator.
The state GOP contends Gov. Deval Patrick overstepped his authority by attaching an emergency preamble to the Senate vacancy law signed yesterday so the legislation would be enacted immediately. The usual waiting period for enactment is 90 days.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly took the matter under advisement this morning and said he will make a decision by noon today.
Like Yoge Beara said, "it ain't over 'til it's over".
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 23, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 779 times:
Well, looks like Massachusetts just rammed national health care down our throats.
At least there is still an election coming in January.
Pyrex From Portugal, joined Aug 2005, 3538 posts, RR: 28 Reply 24, posted (3 years 8 months 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 777 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 23): Well, looks like Massachusetts just rammed national health care down our throats.
At least there is still an election coming in January.
Correction: sleeze-ball MA "democrats" rammed a lackey Kennedy follower down the throats of every citizen in that state.
Read this very carefully, I shall write this only once!
25 N104UA: Sen. Kennedy was elected through January 2013 so I totally support Paul Kirk because he is very politically aligned with Kennedy so it only makes sin
26 PHLBOS: Last time I checked, the GOP has NEVER had a 60-seat majority in the Senate for decades if ever. The Iraq War vote (I'm assuming that's the war you'r
27 NIKV69: As often the case with the DNC they want the country to do as they say, not as they do. This is no exception. Ted was a hypocrite when it came to thi
28 N104UA: That was also a war where the Bush Administration lied to the country about Iraq and if Then Sen. Clinton did not vote for it she would have been bra
29 PHLBOS: Speaking of Health Care Reform, a new recent poll now shows that only 41% of voters nationwide favor Health Care Reform as currently proposed: http:/
30 N104UA: " target=_blank>http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...eform Yes but 65% favour a public while only 26 oppose it, that is one one the reasons that on
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 889 posts, 
From Portugal, joined Aug 2005, 3538 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
