Just watch machine politics on display, as the Democratically controlled (natch) legislature hands the Governor a measure that grants him the power to appoint a fill-in Senator to stand in Senator Kennedy's place now that he is dead. This of course, only five years after changing the law to ensure that the then Governor (Mitt Romney) could not do the same thing, just in case Senator Kerry won the Presidential election.
This is banana republic politics at its worst. Senator Kennedy knew he was dying for a long, long time. He could have resigned, and Massachusetts could already have had its special election. But no--he held onto his seat, and in the final days of his allotted time on earth, wrote the legislature a tear-jerker asking them to change the law back so that there could be a reliable Democratic vote in the majority leader's pocket when healthcare legislation moved forward.
The President holds Honduras up for contempt when its Supreme Court--in a Constitutionally mandated process--removed the President. Yet he has pushed this ridiculous sham in Massachusetts. Shame.
You hit this one out of the park. It seems like such an obvious travesty of the law, but apparently a not obvious enough for the state of MA. I have been watching this curiously from the side wondering when common sense was going to be inserted into this nonsense and it appears that it will not be and the country will have to deal with this mockery of democracy. All the while the Fed can continue to support deposed soon to be dictators in Honduras and we can ignore a similar hokey democratic process in Iran.
ReplyDeletePeople can talk about the old Tammany Hall in New York or the machine in Chicago, but when it comes to crooked politicians, Massachusetts is the Mecca for. And a politically ignorant electorate is their Haj pilgrims.
ReplyDeleteSmoothfur, with all due respect, wouldn't it be accurate to say the majority of citizens, regardless of their political affiliation or location, are politically ignorant? And that the majority of politicians, regardless of their affiliation or location are crooked in some way? It's on both sides, my friend. Let's be clear in our insight.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou are partially correct, the majority of citizens are politically ignorant but the majority of politicians are not crooked.
It is Massachusetts' dubious distinction to have demonstrated their ignorance over many decades by electing and re-electing some of the most crooked pols in the country. Curly, Kennedys, O'Neil and sleazy Studds, Frank, Teddy Kennedy. And, I did not say it only applied to a certain "side" that is your assumption and an accurate assumption supported by facts.
Read the following link;
For sale: Massachusetts politiciansYou don't have to be corrupt or facing criminal charges to be a politician in Massachusetts, but it helps
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/nov/18/dan-kennedy-massachusetts-politicians
I hope he can be as honest and loyal to the American people as our previous Senator, Kennedy!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe the proper term is a "bananar" republic.
ReplyDelete