Scott Brown might win ‘Teddy Kennedy’s seat’

If you haven’t seen the clip where Massachusetts Senate candidate Scott Brown corrects David Gergen during a debate with Martha Coakley, you must check it out. During the debate, David Gergen asks Scott Brown about “Teddy Kennedy’s seat”, and Brown reminds him that the seat belongs to the people, not the Kennedys or the Democratic party.

Scott Brown’s campaign was seen as a long-shot at first, but he is quickly picking up momentum. As of late, he has been quite successful raising funds, and his name recognition has increased steadily. Democrats probably thought Martha Coakley would walk right over to “Teddy Kennedy’s seat” and just sit down, but Brown will have none of that.

This election is of extreme national importance. If Scott Brown wins, the Democrats will lose their 60th vote, which will force them to actually be more reasonable and prevent them from ramming through dangerous legislation. A Brown victory would stop Obamacare in its tracks and force Congress to look at other ways to improve the system. Of course, this is what should happen, but we can’t be sure.

William Galvin, Massachusetts’ Secretary of State, and a Democrat, seems to think it could take a while before a winner is certified and allowed to be seated. After all, he needs to follow the rules. Of course, this would mean that Ted Kennedy’s old buddy, Paul Kirk, would remain in the Senate to cast the 60th vote. Questionable tactics are nothing new to Massachusetts Democrats, since these are the same people who changed the law to allow the Democratic governor to appoint a fellow Democrat to fill Kennedy’s seat. Not surprisingly, Congressmen Barney Frank thinks this is nothing more than a conspiracy theory:

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve been asked in a long time. That is insane, the suggestion could only come from a demented right wing source,” erupted Representative Barney Frank (D – MA), when asked by The Washington Times about what he thought regarding assertions that Massachusetts Democrats would stall the certification process should Mr. Brown win. “There isn’t the slightest possibility of it happening—a way of doing it. That is conspiracy theory at its most contemptible.”

The Secretary of State needs to wait 10 days for absentee ballots, then up to 5 days to file the necessary papers. Once this happens, the ball is in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s court. An aide had this to say:

“When there is a certified winner in Massachusetts, the Senate has received appropriate papers, and the vice president is available, the successor to Kennedy/Kirk will be sworn in.”

Let’s take a look at how Scott Brown’s certification could be handled. We need to wait up to 15 days for Massachusetts to file papers, wait for the papers which will likely be sent by the Pony Express to arrive in D.C., wait for the mail to be opened and make the long 12 foot journey from Harry Reid’s secretary to his desk, then wait for Joe Biden to have time available in his schedule. Since the V.P. is such a busy guy, that could take weeks! Even if Scott Brown wins, the fight will not be over.