Let the People Decide

Readers of Scaling the Hill know that the Senate Republican Caucus is strongly opposed to depriving Massachusetts residents of their right to vote to fill any US Senate vacancy through a special election (see our November 10 posting, “Caucus vows to protect MA residents’ right to choose their US Senator”). Today, the Boston Globe’s Joan Vennochi makes a compelling case for keeping the current process intact, and not restoring appointing authority to the Governor. The arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich this week on charges that he attempted to enrich himself by “selling” President-elect Barack Obama’s soon-to-be vacant US Senate seat to the highest bidder shows what can happen when such an important decision is left up to one person.