All of a sudden....these Democrats think it's the public who can "get it right." Now.....who thinks that these Democrats in Massachusetts' legislature would have done this....changed the laws.... if they had a Democrat Governor???? Purely a partisan abuse of power.




Mass. lawmakers push Kerry successor bill

BOSTON (AP) — The Democrat-dominated Massachusetts House gave final approval Wednesday to a bill stripping Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of the power to appoint a successor to John Kerry's Senate seat if he is elected president.
The bill would require a special election within 160 days after a vacancy is created, with the winner serving the remainder of Kerry's unexpired term, which ends in 2008.
The issue has national implications in the narrowly divided U.S. Senate, with Republicans eager to pick up one of Massachusetts' two Senate seats and Democrats eager to hold on.

The House version of the bill, approved Wednesday by voice vote, goes back to the Senate for a final vote and then to Romney, who is likely to either veto the measure or send it back with amendments.

The bill previously cleared both houses by veto-proof majorities.

Romney has said a "shotgun" election would favor candidates with political organizations and deep pockets. He says he's not opposed to a special election, but should be allowed to appoint a replacement during the interim to ensure the state has full representation in the Senate. A spokeswoman for the governor declined to comment Wednesday.

"Why is this such a pressing issue? Ahh, because it's politics. It's all politics. Heaven forbid the governor gets to make an appointment," said Republican state Rep. George Peterson.

Democrats said it was Republicans who were motivated more by politics than policy.

"A governor is going to make some kind of calculus for political purposes. That is true of either party," said Democratic state Rep. William Straus. "We think the people can get it right."

Romney last week called on the campaigning Kerry to resign from the Senate immediately, saying he has missed key votes, one of which cost Massachusetts up to $75 million in federal unemployment insurance dollars.

A Kerry campaign spokesman said Republicans blocked the extension of unemployment benefits, not Kerry.

A poll Wednesday in the Boston Herald said Romney is the best hope for Republicans to win Kerry's seat, showing Romney in close races with the only two unofficial candidates — Democratic Reps. Edward J. Markey and Martin T. Meehan. The Boston Globe said Markey and Meehan each have raised more than $1 million for a potential Senate race.

The poll found 44% backing Romney compared to 41% for Meehan, with 15% of those surveyed unsure. In a Markey-Romney matchup, 43% backed Markey and 40% supported Romney, with 17% unsure.

The poll of 500 registered voters was conducted June 15-28 by RKM Research and Communications, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points."