May 20, 2008 10:58 pm US/Eastern
What Kennedy's Diagnosis Means For The Senate
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
We're still trying to understand what Kennedy's diagnosis means, but it's probably the case -- given the treatment -- that Kennedy will have to take some time off from the Senate.
The senator does so much for our state that his absence will be noticed. A leave of absence from his Senate duties would be one thing. Kennedy has assembled one of the most experienced and effective staffs on Capitol Hill, and trained them in the kind of hands-on legislative service that is his trademark.
But it's the potential prospect of Kennedy leaving the Senate altogether that is so dreaded by anyone who understands what it is he does for the people of Massachusetts.
Sen. Ted Kennedy is quite simply the best-liked and most effective inside player in the Senate, and has been for years.
He has built enduring personal relationships with senators on both sides of the aisle, which he calls on when it's crunch time for Massachusetts in a major appropriations bill.
Just a few years ago when jobs at Massachusetts military bases were endangered by another round of federal base closures, it was Kennedy who teamed up with then-Gov. Mitt Romney to make the rounds in Congress, saving the state from potentially-deep cuts.
And there are hundreds of stories people around the state will tell you that never make the news about Kennedy personally stepping in when a local interest is at risk in Washington and making sure the problem gets solved in our favor.
What will happen if Sen. Ted Kennedy is forced to resign because of his illness?
The state has a process for this, and it's a fairly new procedure.
Under state law, if a vacancy occurs involving a federal officeholder, the governor is required to call a special election between 145 and 160 days after that vacancy becomes official, usually in the form of a resignation letter.
First there would be party primaries, then the special election. Up until 2004, the law called for the governor to appoint a successor to serve out the rest of the term, but Beacon Hill Democrats changed that when it looked like John Kerry might be elected president. They didn't want that appointment made by then-governor Mitt Romney, and in the end it was a moot issue.
Gaps can and do occur in our representation when there is a vacancy. We saw that happen last summer when Congressman Marty Meehan stepped down to take the chancellor's job at UMass, actually leaving congress several months before his successor was elected.
Even if Kennedy is only sidelined temporarily for treatment, it's a blow to the interests of our state in Washington, where he is our perennial go-to guy.
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