Posted on 05/29/2009 6:09:58 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
In another controversial bill, the Senate Democrats voted early Friday morning to remove Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's power to appoint a U.S. Senator in case of a vacancy.
Instead, there would be a special election if one of the two U.S. Senators - currently Christopher J. Dodd and Joseph I. Lieberman - stepped down from office before the six-year term ended.
The Senate voted, 21 to 12, on strict party lines with three members absent at about 2:10 a.m. Friday on the underlying amendment regarding the vacancy. The bill would apply to whomever is in the gubernatorial chair.
But whether the governor was Democrats Ella Grasso and William A. O'Neill, independent Lowell P. Weicker, or Republicans John G. Rowland and M. Jodi Rell, the governor has held the power of appointment for decades. Currently, 45 states have gubernatorial appointments, including Connecticut.
"It changes our current process, which is a gubernatorial appointment,'' said Sen. Gayle S. Slossberg, a Milford Democrat who co-chairs the legislature's elections committee.
The bill has two exceptions, including if the senator stepped down in the final year of the term. The gubernatorial appointment would then remain in effect. The second exception would be if a catastrophe occurred and 50 U.S. Senators perished in a tragedy, which was a parallel to a federal, post-September 11, 2001 succession plan.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.courant.com ...
I am getting the impression that the ‘Rat Party wants Chris Dodd out of the picture.
If they get a ‘rat governor, they’ll just change the law back.
Somehow "Self-righteous, smarmy jerk" is a part of the equation but I don't know where it goes.
“The second exception would be if a catastrophe occurred and 50 U.S. Senators perished in a tragedy...”
(self deleted.... I’m bad, but I’m no fool)
Odd that that power wouldn’t be in the state Constitution and subject to a vote of the public instead of legislature.
Can’t Rell just veto this? The Dems don’t seem to have a 2/3 majority, unless all 3 of the absent members were Democrats. The article doesn’t say who was absent.
Being from Connecticut, I can assert that this does not matter a whit.
The majority of voters is Democrat and, with the New Haven freeloader IDs, anyone can bus in from a neighboring state and vote as long as they’re brainwashed enough and given a free ride and lunch.
In any case, politics has degraded to just a pushing match here.
I wonder if they will attempt to reverse it if and when Kennedy is gone.
I'm getting the impression that the Democrats are testing the speed at which they can grant and remove the Governor power to appoint a Senator.
Massachusetts did it to Romney when Kerry ran for president. Now Connecticut is doing it to another Republican governor.
Massachusetts hasn't yet restored the power to appoint to the governor, but they have a Democrat governor and probably don't feel the urgency to do it again. But, they are probably comforted by the fact that they can turn this power on and off, nearly at will, when they wish to do so.
Looking ahead, the Democrats see Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy leaving the Senate, and possibly Roland Burris, too. However, Democrat governors in those states are making their Senate seats safe without messing with the power to appoint.
But, it's better to be prepared for what you can and can't do, I'd think.
-PJ
Wouldn’t Governor Rell veto this if it gets to his desk? It doesn’t appear there’s enough support for a veto override.
Dodd is going to retire. Here’s the proof.
Please provide a link.
50 senators?
the definition of mixed emotions - seeing your mother-in-law drive over the cliff in your new car.
He could veto, but the makeup of the senate there is D24-12, so yes all three are Dems, and in the house there its even a larger margin D114-37.
One more step toward a coup by the democrats. But then again, it is what the population desires.
Once the Dem occupants are cleared from the Senate seats, I believe they will finally fall to the GOP in WV, even if Manchin appoints a new rodent.
I don’t think so. The GOP here is in disaray. That BS they pulled last Super Tuesday did not sit well with the rank and file and the independents took note. The state GOP had less than $15K to spend on the gubernatorial election. The opposition to Rockefeller was a joke.(and a bad one at that)
Barth has been Byrd’s gal Friday, right hand, annointed protege, whatever you want to call her, for quite some time. If I’m not mistaken, no Rep. holds a statewide office. If the Beast had gotten the Rat nomination, WV would’ve gone blue.
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