Is it not UNBELIEVABLE that now that ted kennedy (who helped destroy this country) wants to change the rules so that he can appoint an interim senator so they can FORCE their democratic votes instead of the traditional procedure of voting someone in five months?? Isn't it just 'strange' how all of the sudden they want to change this??

But back in 2004 Gov. Mitt Romney wanted to name a Republican in Kerry's place when he was running for president, the mostly Democratic legislature voted to change the succession laws to call for the special election, Perry said.

So NOW they want to change it.

UNBELIEVABLE THE LIES AND HYPOCRISY OF THESE LUNATIC LIBERALS!!!



http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs. ... 10/-1/NEWS

His legacy sealed, U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy could be clearing the way for his departure from Congress with a proposal to allow the governor to name his temporary successor, Cape Cod lawmakers said yesterday.

In a letter sent to state political leaders this week, the ailing Democratic senator, who suffers from a malignant brain tumor, implored them to consider changing the state's succession laws to allow for an interim appointment to temporarily fill a Senate vacancy — his or any other.
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Current state law, adopted by the Legislature in 2004, calls for voters to elect a new senator in a special election up to five months after a vacancy opens, but it does not provide for any interim lawmaker to serve before the seat is filled.

But Kennedy's proposal, submitted to Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Revere, would allow the governor to make an interim appointment to hold the post until the special election. That measure, Cape legislators say, could help pass the controversial health-care reform bill, one of Kennedy's leading causes, should he vacate his seat.

"It's not clear to him how much longer he'll be able to contribute. I think his letter probably reflects that," state Sen. Robert O'Leary, a Barnstable Democrat, said yesterday, echoing the sentiments of other members of the Cape's legislative delegation, almost all Democrats.

"I think that's exactly why he wrote the letter," state Rep. Cleon Turner, D-Dennis, said. "He's preparing to make a decision. ... That makes this a pretty relevant discussion."

Representatives from Kennedy's office have declined even this week to comment on the senator's health, but concern about his condition has abounded since his May 2008 diagnosis. Kennedy has not cast a vote in the Senate since April, according to the tallies by the Washington Post, and he's missed nearly 97 percent of the floor votes this Congressional term.

State legislators have not been concerned over recent months with Kennedy's absence from the Senate, state Rep. Jeffrey Perry, the Cape's only Republican lawmaker, said yesterday. Nor were they concerned with U.S. Sen. John Kerry's absences in 2004 when the Massachusetts Democrat was running for president.

But worried that then Gov. Mitt Romney would name a Republican in Kerry's place, the mostly Democratic legislature voted to change the succession laws to call for the special election, Perry said.

"Now they have a Democratic governor and they're looking to go back on it," said Perry, of Sandwich. "It's the pinnacle of hypocrisy."

The succession proposal, which mirrors a bill put forward last January by state Rep. Robert Koczera, D-New Bedford, could use some work before it heads to the State House floor, some local legislators said. Koczera's legislation is expected to go to a public hearing in October, according to the New Bedford Standard-Times.

Kennedy's recommendation that any interim appointee not be allowed to run for the seat in the special election could prove problematic, said state Rep. Timothy Madden, D-Falmouth, who supports the bill.

State Reps. Demetrius Atsalis, D-Barnstable, and Matt Patrick, D-Falmouth, also expressed their support for Kennedy's proposal. Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, did not return calls for comment.

"What if the voters want the person to run?" Madden asked. "It might be good to judge someone with a few votes before you cast a ballot."

But more than anything, Kennedy's proposal could help ensure the state would have two Senate voices and votes on the health care bill and other critical legislation coming down the pike, supporters said.

"In deference to Sen. Kennedy, this has been a lifelong ambition for him," said O'Leary, the state senator, about the health-care bill. "I would be tragic ... if we weren't able to help move this issue along nationally."