It appears as though Massachusetts is on the verge of doing the right thing.
Replacing Ted Kennedy with an interim Senator as a "place holder" means the crucial 60 Democratic votes in the Senate will be preserved and it will give us a leg up on the Republicans to get a good Health Care Bill passed and block any filibuster.
It's what Teddy would have wanted.
According to Reuters:
Massachusetts lawmakers could narrowly pass a bill this week to name an interim senator to replace the late Edward Kennedy and keep warm a key Democratic Senate seat as President Barack Obama's healthcare bill looms.
Democrats, who hold an overwhelming majority in the state, are deeply divided over the issue. Some fear changing the law to let Gov. Deval Patrick pick a temporary replacement could alienate voters who will elect a permanent senator in January.
Kennedy, a towering figure in the U.S. Senate for nearly half a century who made healthcare his signature issue, died of brain cancer in August.
Many see a vote in the state house -- likely on Thursday -- falling just in favor of the bill, which Kennedy pushed before his death so his seat would not sit empty until January's special election.
"It's tight (but) the opposition is lessening," Democratic state Senator Thomas P. Kennedy, co-chair of a joint committee on election laws, told Reuters on Wednesday.
Link to full article is here: http://www.reuters.com/...
It's looking like Thursday is D-Day and according to a tweet by Larry Sabato, "It's effectively over. There WILL be an interim Democratic senator appointed to TedK's seat once the MA legislature passes the new law soon".
Bravo to Massachusetts for it's clear, bold thinking.