Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick made the decision to appoint Paul Kirk to the U.S. Senate scant hours ago, and the Democrats in the Senate are already setting the table to welcome him into the chamber:
Democrats are wasting no time in trying to get that 60th vote seated again.
Paul Kirk will be sworn in at 3:15 pm ET tomorrow, according to a top aide to Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The swearing-in ceremony could be hamstrung by the Massachusetts GOP, who made good on their threat to file an injunction challenging Governor Deval Patrick's declaration that the Senate vacancy merited an emergency declaration that allowed him to bypass the traditional 90-day window for a newly-passed law to take effect.
The fact that Reid and company are going ahead with plans for the swearing-in ceremony is a pretty solid indication that the Democratic Party and Governor Patrick are not sweating the legal challenge by the Massachusetts Republican Party.
President Obama was quick to offer praise for both the decision to push ahead with an interim appointment, and the choice of the former Kennedy confidant and DNC Chairman Paul Kirk to take that position in the U.S. Senate:
"I am pleased that Massachusetts will have its full representation in the United States Senate in the coming months, as important issues such as health care, financial reform and energy will be debated. Paul Kirk is a distinguished leader, whose long collaboration with Senator Kennedy makes him an excellent, interim choice to carry on his work until the voters make their choice in January."
Kirk's new colleague in the U.S. Senate, 2004 Presidential nominee John Kerry, was also effusive in his praise, not just for Kirk, but for Governor Deval Patrick:
"Governor Patrick, I think we all agree that the mark of a good Chief Executive isn’t just making the difficult decisions, but getting them right. We are blessed in Massachusetts to have an enduring surplus of political and civic talent. There are a number of highly qualified people the Governor could have appointed. This was no easy call. But I believe the choice the Governor has made is completely in keeping with the intent of the change in the law by the legislature and the intent of all of us who advocated for the changes, including Senator Kennedy. This is a caretaker appointment, a gentle transition, a kind of stewardship -- and Paul Kirk will be a superb steward of this seat.
The Kennedy family, which had over the past few days been reportedly
pressing hard for Kirk's appointment, predictably hailed the decision, as well:
Senator Kennedy always said that serving the people of Massachusetts in the United States Senate was the greatest honor of his life. He would be so pleased that Paul Kirk will also now have that honor. Senator Kennedy and Paul were close friends and they worked together for many years, starting with Paul’s tenure on the Senator’s staff in Washington four decades ago. Side by side they fought many battles for progress and social justice, and nothing could be more fitting than for Paul now to carry on that fight.
Not surprisingly, the Republican Party was not going to miss an opportunity to be critical of the process by which the appointment was made. Rob Jesmer, executive director of the NRSC, whined: "With their unpopular government-run health care bill on the brink of failure, Democrats in Washington desperately need another vote in the U.S. Senate, and it is clear that this Administration will stop at nothing to ram it through the Congress."
Kirk's appointment is an interim appointment, meaning that he will only serve in the United States Senate until the culmination of a special election in mid-January to determine who will hold that seat on a more permanent basis.