‘ The aftermath of the death of former United States Sen. Edward Kennedy leaves an open seat in Congress and a question mark on the ethics of Boston Democrats. After the Mass. House recently passed a bill that would allow Democratic Governor Deval Patrick to choose a short-term fill-in for Kennedy until a special election to be held in January, Republicans and skeptics alike see the move to be less of a service to the Massachusetts constituency and more of a play to lend footing to the Democratic agenda.
Although the vote would open to the public early next year, the current issues at hand regarding President Barack Obama’s health care reform are weighing heavily on the mind of Congress, and there is no doubt that Patrick’s senate appointment will be the one Democratic vote needed to keep Republicans from gaining control of the Senate and potentially hindering the progress of the health care reform. The contention is especially thick considering that in 2004 the Democrats prevented the governor from having this responsibility in order to impede Republican influence in the senate.
If Congress’s Democrats wish to establish a sense of credibility with the American public, they have to do so based on their political merit, not by manipulating the system. Particularly regarding the advancement of Obama’s health reform, success should be a matter of savvy campaigning and sound policy ‘- moving it forward in any other way makes it seem unstable enough to require this sort of unorthodox political play and hypocritical flip-flopping to gain legislative ground. This senatorial shiftiness casts an unfavorable shadow on the Democrats who should be trying their hardest to wax trustworthy in this most crucial time.
It’s true that Kennedy’s seat should be filled as soon as possible in order to maintain the continuity of the legislative body. But to do so in a way that contradicts the electoral norm and calls into question the uprightness of the group of people currently in control of the Senate would create a whole host of new issues that would not only burden the flourishing of viable health care reform, but also complicate a sect of Washington already shaken up by the passing of an influential longtime senator. Whatever Patrick and Congress’s Democrats end up deciding, they should decide it with the American people ‘- and not their individual agendas ‘- as priority. And if they do not, they should be prepared to face the consequences that may arise from the very constituency that chose to put them in power.’ ‘ ‘
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