If there was a singular moment in the Massachusetts Senate campaign it was during the debate when Scott Brown stuffed it to moderator David Gergen,
“With all due respect, it’s not the Kennedy seat, it’s not the Democrats seat, it’s the people’s seat.”
That line, and the arrogance and entitlement it took on, was the driving force behind the Brown campaign.
One fact is clear today in reflection, the entitlement and arrogance of Ted Kennedy is the reason that his dream of national health care is going to die. There is no person who bears more of the blame for its demise, not Barack Obama, not Marsha Martha Coakley. It is Ted Kennedy’s fault and here’s why.
In 2004, when Jawn Kerry was running for president, nervous state Democrats who dominate every aspect of Beacon Hill, except the corner office, changed the state’s election laws with an eye on preventing Gov. Romney from being able to appoint a successor should Kerry win the presidential election. It was an incredibly arrogant move at the time. It showed a total disregard for the process. A driving force behind the law change, Senator Ted Kennedy. He cited all the usual reasons, an appointment was undemocratic, the people should have the opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box, etc.
As they almost always do, the Democrats on Beacon Hill got their way, and changed the election law to a new one that called for a special election be held between 145 and 165 days after the position becomes vacant. Gov. Romney was no longer able to appoint a successor.
How incredibly convenient.
Fast forward to 2009,
Now, with Mr. Kennedy dying three years before his term was up, some Massachusetts Democrats are reversing course, calling for Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint an interim replacement to hold office until the special election can be held. They now argue the state shouldn’t be without full Senate representation for months, especially with pressing issues such as health care before Congress.
Change the rules to suit their needs. Is there anything that personifies arrogance and entitlement more than that? I’ll answer for you. No. Here is an excerpt from the letter written by a dying Senator Kennedy,
I am now writing to you about an issue that concerns me deeply — the continuity of representation for Massachusetts should a Senate vacancy occur. In 2004, as you know, the law was changed to provide for a special election to choose a new Senator to serve for the remainder of an unexpired term. The law now mandates that the special election be held 145 to 160 days after a Senate seat becomes vacant. I strongly support that law and the principle that the people should elect their Senator; I also believe it is vital for this Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election.
Funny, but in 2004, Senator Kennedy was curiously silent on the issue of appointing an interm senator to cover those 145 to 160 days. In 2004, he was not at all concerned about “the continuity of representation for Massachusetts should a Senate vacancy occur’. The reason is simple, there was a Republican governor in 2004 and there is a Democrat governor in 2009. The hypocrisy here is clear. Change the rules to suit their needs. It wasn’t the people’s seat, it was the Kennedy seat.
The fact is that if the Democrats didn’t start down the road of twisting the rules to suit their short-term political interests, Governor Deval Patrick would have been able to appoint a replacement for Sen. Kennedy who would have served until his term expired in 2012. Because of the Democrats arrogance and entitlement, they changed the rules to suit their short-term needs, only this time it blew up in their faces in rather spectacular fashion. We had a special election alright. A VERY SPECIAL ELECTION!
