State policymakers were reluctant to act, until Kennedy’s passing made the matter extremely relevant, not only to the state, but to national affairs. Yesterday, the Massachusetts state House took a step towards remedying the problem.
House lawmakers approved legislation last night that gives Governor Deval Patrick the power to appoint a temporary successor to the late Edward M. Kennedy in the US Senate, putting Massachusetts on track to have a new senator in place by next week.
The passage of the bill, by a 95-to-58 vote, was a crucial step toward filling the seat left vacant by Kennedy’s death last month and could carry major implications as Congress debates an overhaul of the nation’s health care system.
Attention now shifts to the Massachusetts state Senate, where there is a strong Democratic majority, but where Republicans hope to use parliamentary maneuvers to delay the process. The Boston Globe reported that the GOP minority “would probably exhaust their options for stalling by the middle of next week,” at which point the chamber could approve the bill.
If all goes according to plan, a bill may be on Deval Patrick’s desk as early as Wednesday, and an interim senator could be named almost immediately.
One of the people being considered for the appointment is former Governor Mike Dukakis. This means, at least theoretically, that Democrats could jettison Senator Snowe. I doubt they will, but a 60-vote majority changes the dynamics a lot. I think this puts a lot of pressure on both Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, because a new poll shows that the public option is popular in Maine:
QUESTION: Do you favor or oppose creating a government-administered health insurance option that anyone can purchase to compete with private insurance plans?
FAVOR OPPOSE NOT SURE
ALL 58 29 13
MEN 54 34 12
WOMEN 62 24 14
DEMOCRATS 81 16 3
REPUBLICANS 18 58 24
INDEPENDENTS 67 20 13
18-29 64 23 13
30-44 60 27 13
45-59 56 32 12
60+ 52 35 13
DISRICT 1 62 26 12
DISTRICT 2 54 32 14
Extra bonus goodie from poll: only 28% of Maine Republicans are birthers.