Ted Kennedy Wants To Change Election Laws...Again

It is certainly sad that Massachusetts Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy seems to be failing fast in his fight against cancer. All signs point to a deteriorating physical condition. However, Kennedy found the strength to do what he does best one last time: cloak a self-serving, hyper-partisan demand in a shroud of sacrifice and service. Kennedy has asked the Massachusetts legislature to change the procedure for selecting replacement upon his death. Interestingly, the current state law concerning the replacement of a U.S. Senator was demanded by Senator Kennedy when he thought the state's junior senator, John Kerry, might become President in 2004.

Senator Ted Kennedy, who is gravely ill with brain cancer, has sent a
letter to Massachusetts lawmakers requesting a change in the state law that determines how his Senate seat would be filled if it became vacant before his
eighth full term ends in 2012. Current law mandates that a special election be held at least 145 days after the seat becomes available. Mr. Kennedy is concerned that such a delay could leave his fellow Democrats in the Senate one vote short of a filibuster-proof majority for months while a special election takes place.

"I therefore am writing to urge you to work together to amend the law through the normal legislative process to provide for a temporary gubernatorial appointment until the special election occurs," writes the Senator.

What Mr. Kennedy doesn't volunteer is that he orchestrated the 2004 succession law revision that now requires a special election, and for similarly partisan reasons. John Kerry, the other Senator from the state, was running for President in 2004, and Mr. Kennedy wanted the law changed so the Republican Governor at the time, Mitt Romney, could not name Mr. Kerry's replacement. "Prodded by a personal appeal from Senator Edward M. Kennedy," reported the Boston Globe in 2004, "Democratic legislative leaders have agreed to take up a stalled bill creating a special election process to replace U.S. Senator John F.Kerry if he wins the presidency." Now that the state has a Democratic Governor, Mr. Kennedy wants to revert to gubernatorial appointments.

Big Media swooned at word of Kennedy's "dying request." In their eyes, he is making one last push to ensure passage of the health care for all people he has pined for during his entire Senate career. Who can possibly reject the dying request of a self-less public servant?

In fact, this is typical Kennedy and Democrat hypocrisy. The rules do not apply to them. In 2004, they sought to change the law to keep a Republican governor from replacing Senator Lurch. Now, the governor is a Democrat so they want him to name a quick replacement. If course, this essentially summarizes his career. He was not old enough to replace brother John in 1961, so a Kennedy family sycophant agreed to hold the seat for two years and not run for re-election to clear the way for little Teddy, who had no accomplishments but the right name. Less than a decade later, he found that manslaughter laws do not apply to a rich and powerful Senator from the Camelot family. This set up a pattern that continues with his arrogant plea.

Tragedy does not faze Democrats. This isn't about Kennedy or his deadly disease. It is about partisan politics. When Kennedy does pass, I expect that Republicans will bend over backwards to be complimentary to a man who has worked hard to change America from a land of liberty to one of mass dependence. However, I have little doubt that the Paul Wellstone memorial service and hatefest will be re-enacted by the lunatic Left. If you don't remember that detestable gathering of psychotic loons, it was so vile that Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura walked out. If an event is too tasteless for Jesse Ventura, sleaze has been taken to historic levels.