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Massachusetts right on Senate seat pick

October 01, 2009

Let's start with an immediate impression about what happened at the Massachusetts State House this week.

The word hypocrisy comes to mind.

Five years ago, Massachusetts legislators stripped from the state's governor the power to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, opting instead for a special election. The Democratic legislature did so just in case fellow Democratic Sen. John Kerry became president. They worried that Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, would replace Kerry with a Republican.

But now that a Democrat is governor, the legislature has rewritten the law, granting the governor a new power — to appoint an interim senator until a special election is held. …

On Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick named Paul Kirk Jr., a former aide to Sen. Ted Kennedy, to fill the late senator's seat until a January special election.

This time, the Massachusetts Legislature acted to ensure there are 60 Democrats in the U.S. Senate, which the Democrats had until Kennedy died last month. That magic number could be the difference between success and failure on health care reform, a passion that defined Kennedy's career. …

What we have here are two cherished principles in conflict.

The first is the belief that the people, not a governor, should choose their senator, the stand we took when President Obama's Senate seat became vacant.

The second is the belief that no American should be without affordable health care.

Forced to choose between these two convictions, we think it's an easy call — reforming our health system is the greater good. The moment is now, perhaps not to return for decades, if ever.

— Chicago Sun Times, Sept. 25

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