NYT is reporting that it wont be Dukakis as the interim senator from MA. Party leaders are worried Dukakis would be too independent and not vote with Dems as a block on healthcare. ...
The most likely person to get the job is Kirk, former aide to Sen Kennedy and head of the Kennedy Library. Others are being mentioned. I for one do not think Dukakis would jeopardize the Democratic party’s needs to break any kind of GOP filibuster. If Dukakis is so feared as too independent to vote in a block of Dems then what about Sen Nelson? He isn’t too independent? We cannot count on him for jack! I thought it would be a nice cap off for Dukakis, who was one of the best governors of MA.
"Sources" also say they feared Dukasis in the Senate would remind voters of failure. If it is being reminded of failure that scares the leadership then perhaps they should worry about not failing right now on healthcare reform.
UPDATED-KENNEDY SONS WEIGH IN FOR KIRK-
http://www.boston.com/...
In Washington, aides said that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, pumped his fist after a note about the Massachusetts vote was passed to him in his conference room.
Mr. Patrick, a Democrat who is close to President Obama, has refused to discuss potential appointees, but senior Democrats in Washington said Tuesday that Paul G. Kirk Jr., a former aide to Mr. Kennedy and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was a likely choice.
The Democrats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they believed that Michael S. Dukakis, the former governor and 1988 presidential nominee, said to be under consideration, was out of the running and would not be named.
Other possibilities include Evelyn Murphy, a former lieutenant governor; and Charles Ogletree, a professor at Harvard Law School.
Democrats in Washington were not willing to publicly discuss whether they had a preference for the interim appointee. But some party officials said concerns had been raised privately about the prospect of Mr. Dukakis taking the seat, saying he was a reminder of an era of Democratic failure. They also worried that Mr. Dukakis, 75, might exhibit an independent streak when their main goal at the moment is to hold Democrats as a bloc.
http://www.nytimes.com/...