Threat to Ignore Election to Pass ObamCare

The longtime aide and confidant of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was handpicked by Gov. Deval Patrick after a controversial legal change to hold Kennedy’s seat, vowed to vote for the bill even if Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, who opposes the health-care reform legislation, prevails in a Jan. 19 special election.

“Absolutely,” Kirk said, when asked if he’d vote for the bill, even if Brown captures the seat. “It would be my responsibility as United States senator, representing the people and understanding Senator Kennedy’s agenda. . . . I think you’re asking me a hypothetical question but I’d be pleased to vote for the bill.”

The ridiculous claim that he's "representing the people" is demolished by the fact that the people don't support the legislation. But this shows why the Senate cannot perform the job of directly representing the people. The nature of the Senate, including six-year, staggered terms, allows them to engage in party politics, which means pretending to represent the people only until they can get away with supporting their party's agenda.

And it will continue to be this way until the 17th Amendment is repealed.

Here's another interesting tidbit I found from the senate.gov website:

Prevailing practice is for state governors to fill Senate vacancies by appointment, with the appointee serving until a special election has been held, at which time the appointment expires immediately.

Politicians will continue to ignore the rules, the Constitution, and the people they're supposed to represent until people start holding them accountable. The way to do that is to allow the people to be directly represented through the House, and indirectly represented through their state legislatures by the Senate, which will ensure that the Senate fights to keep Washington's power limited.

Continuing the route we're going will just ensure that Americans treat politics like a season of American Idol.

Hat tip: Hot Air

Update: As Cameron points out in the comments, "ObamCare" or ObamaCare" is the wrong way to refer to the Senate's health care legislation.

The Goal here is to repeal the 17th. That's it. Keep the stupid right and left wing politics out of it. United we stand, divided we fall. Remember this. I'm in the middle of writing a bill to Repeal the 17th. Here's where you can find it.

Thanks for the correction, Cameron.

New Health Care Plan To Be Crafted In Secret

Remember all those promises of televising negotiations and transparency? Not so much:

Despite their claims to the contrary, the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have handled the healthcare bill has been anything but transparent. And, if the left-wing blogosphere is to be believed, the two congressional leaders intend to keep the deliberations secret as they try to merge the House and Senate versions of the legislation into something that will pass both chambers.

The Talking Points Memo website reported Monday that Democrats in both the House and Senate are saying the process will likely follow the path of the House taking up the Senate-passed legislation, amending it and sending it back to the Senate, which will have to pass it again.

I don't understand how the House can take up the Senate bill and amend it without voting on it, but we'll see what happens. If Scott Brown wins the Massachusetts election for Senate, that'll make it that much more difficult for the Senate to pass this health care takeover.

Can Martha Coakley (D-MA) Lose?

Senator Coakley's Republican challenger Scott Brown is gaining massive online support:

Largely shunned by the Republican establishment, Brown has utilized an online strategy which has ignited a grassroots campaign to get Brown elected. Do a Google search of blogs, and you will see that Brown is the talk of the internet, and most posts about Coakley are negative. While the mainstream media still holds great sway, Brown is seen as rising and Coakley as more of the same. Brown is winning the online battle.

It's interesting that the national GOP refuses to assist Brown, despite that he promises to oppose Obamacare. I'm willing to bet that if Brown unseats Coakley, the GOP will find someone to vote in favor of Obamacare. That's how these politicians cover for each other while trying to take credit for opposing them too.

But it would be nice to see a senator elected without the support of the national party.