Brown demands to be sworn in earlier than planned; Dems rush to capitulate

[Beet]

By GLEN JOHNSON, AP Political Writer Glen Johnson, Ap Political Writer – 22 mins ago
BOSTON – Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown changed course and demanded he be sworn in to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on Thursday, an accelerated timetable that conservatives had been clamoring for and one that Democrats quickly accepted — and had already been moving to accommodate.

Brown said he wanted to be present for unspecified votes, and his swearing-in would give the GOP 41 votes in the Senate — the precise number it needs to sustain a filibuster of Democratic initiatives.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said he expected a ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday.

"If that's what he wants to do, I expect he'll be sworn in as early as (Thursday) afternoon," Manley said.

The demand reversed Brown's earlier declaration that he did not want to be sworn in until Feb. 11, a grace period he said he needed to hire a staff and prepare for his new responsibilities. That timetable was reitered Tuesday morning on Brown's Facebook page.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100203/ap_on_el_se/us_brown_swearing_in

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

READY THE CATAPULTS!!!....STEADY....STEADY...

[Holmes]

I wonder if he'll wait another 6 months like Franken. Probably not, Republicans are better at getting what they want.

[Joe Republic]

It doesn't really matter, does it?  What are the Senate Democrats hoping to achieve in the next week with Kirk in the seat instead of Brown?

[Beet]

READY THE CATAPULTS!!!....STEADY....STEADY...

[Guderian]

What are the Democrats supposed to do, keep him away until, let's say January 2013? It's bad enough Kirk was a make-or-break vote for increasing public debt limit nine days after Brown won election.

[Torie]

Ya, it doesn't matter. The Dems are in gridlock as to what they want to do, and seem to be changing their mind on an almost daily basis. I guess that is what stress does.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

i take this as a sign Brown is thinking of running for POTUS in 2012 and therefore wants to jump into the battle as quickly as possible

[Franzl]

Let's just seat him and be done with it.

[Bo]

Let's just seat him and be done with it.

[cinyc]

Tsongas was seated in the House almost immediately after her election when her vote was needed by the Democrats, despite no Massachusetts election certification.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Tsongas was seated in the House almost immediately after her election when her vote was needed by the Democrats, despite no Massachusetts election certification.

Al Franken had to wait 6 months because his opponent was a sore loser.

[Jensen]

Tsongas was seated in the House almost immediately after her election when her vote was needed by the Democrats, despite no Massachusetts election certification.

Al Franken had to wait 6 months because his opponent was a sore loser.

Franken would have done the same thing.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Tsongas was seated in the House almost immediately after her election when her vote was needed by the Democrats, despite no Massachusetts election certification.

Al Franken had to wait 6 months because his opponent was a sore loser.

Franken would have done the same thing.

Even if he would have, which there isn't evidence for, he wouldn't have been such a hypocrite to use the same Bush 2000 lawyers who argued that the election needed to end as soon as possible. Bush had 39 days after the election was decided. Al Franken had negative 6 months.

[Lunar]

Obviously the GOP backed obstructionism when it was clear Franken had won, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Let the damn man be seated, he won fair and square.  I see no reason to be hypocritical and if Brown turns out to be a Maine-style Republican, might as well start letting him know that you know he reasonably won an election and is now a peer of all senators.

It's not like the Senate's doing anything these days anyway.

[Lunar]

i take this as a sign Brown is thinking of running for POTUS in 2012 and therefore wants to jump into the battle as quickly as possible

All Senators in his situation would do the same thing, regardless of presidential ambitions.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Let's just seat him and be done with it.

And I commend Obama for insisting on no health care vote until he is seated.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

And I commend Obama for insisting on no health care vote until he is seated.

Though it's not like it'd have happened anyway. Brown's win spooked about five votes from yea to nay.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

And I commend Obama for insisting on no health care vote until he is seated.

Though it's not like it'd have happened anyway. Brown's win spooked about five votes from yea to nay.

True, but the Democratic majority was still large enough to ram something through IF they would have had a set of balls, which they do not.  Either way, it was still a classy thing to say.

[Beet]

Obviously the GOP backed obstructionism when it was clear Franken had won, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Let the damn man be seated, he won fair and square.  I see no reason to be hypocritical and if Brown turns out to be a Maine-style Republican, might as well start letting him know that you know he reasonably won an election and is now a peer of all senators.

It's not like the Senate's doing anything these days anyway.

How the hell is seating him on the regular schedule hypocritical or denying that he reasonably won an election?

The other 99 Senators in the Senate had to wait until the regular schedule to be sworn in. What's wrong with treating Brown like the other 99? Are all the other 99 Senators illegitimate then?

[cinyc]

Tsongas was seated in the House almost immediately after her election when her vote was needed by the Democrats, despite no Massachusetts election certification.

Al Franken had to wait 6 months because his opponent was a sore loser.

Franken would have done the same thing.

The Franken result was close, Coleman never conceded and the process wound through the courts. The Massachusetts result wasn't close, Coakley conceded and the process isn't going to end up in the courts.
 
Tsongas was seated early, even before certification.  Owens was seated early, even before certification in part because Hoffman conceded.

[exopolitician]

That's cool...I guess. I don't see why he couldn't have waited another week though.

[Lunar]

Obviously the GOP backed obstructionism when it was clear Franken had won, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Let the damn man be seated, he won fair and square.  I see no reason to be hypocritical and if Brown turns out to be a Maine-style Republican, might as well start letting him know that you know he reasonably won an election and is now a peer of all senators.

It's not like the Senate's doing anything these days anyway.

How the hell is seating him on the regular schedule hypocritical or denying that he reasonably won an election?

The other 99 Senators in the Senate had to wait until the regular schedule to be sworn in. What's wrong with treating Brown like the other 99? Are all the other 99 Senators illegitimate then?

Hypocritical insofar as supporting delaying him for the sake of delaying him (in general, not your arguments).

If you just want to defend the traditional process of X many days, whatever, I don't really care.    This isn't a battle I want to fight and it seems reasonable.

If the Democrats want to grow a spine and  have a good logical fight, I'd rather it be on passing healthcare reforms than on going toe-to-toe with sexypants over an arbitrary seating date.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Actually, these few days would not make any difference at all.

But it's nice to see Brown flip-floop Asshole.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

True, but the Democratic majority was still large enough to ram something through IF they would have had a set of balls, which they do not.  Either way, it was still a classy thing to say.

Well, yes. Bush never had such a majority but was able to push his agenda.