Not Sure If This Is Good News

The Hill

The Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow Gov. Deval Patrick (D) to fill his state's vacant U.S. Senate seat by interim appointment.

The measure, passed 24-16, now heads back to both chambers for a routine procedural vote. If approved a second time, it would then head to the governor, whom lawmakers expect to sign the bill quickly.

The idea to revise state law and return Senate appointment power to the governor was first pitched by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in the weeks before his death.

I certainly hope that since President Obama and the White House pushed so hard for Massachusetts to change their law so that Governor Patrick can name Senator Kennedy's successor that they are reasonably assured that no Senate Democrats are going to support a Republican filibuster of health care reform. If not, this may go down as one of the worst political moves in the history of this country. With that seat open the Democrats would have had cover to pass health care reform through the Senate with reconciliation. Not only that, but reconciliation would have forced an even stronger public option and guaranteed that the bill was truly deficit neutral.

Now with the Democrats once again having 60 seats in the Senate they pretty much have to push the bill through with normal procedures and all 60 Senate Democrats banding together to overcome a Republican filibuster. If not then Republicans will use it as proof that the Democrats are pushing something on the American people that not even all of our own members can support. On the flip side just to get all 60 Democrats to stay together there may have to be so much watering down of the bill that its not even reform anymore.

I am going to keep my fingers crossed that the White House is going to be able to herd cats in the Senate but I am more than just a little bit nervous about this development.