Kerry's MA senate seat

[lidaker]

I was wondering... what will happen with Kerry's senate seat if he's elected come November?

[© tweed]

Bill Weld will be appointed

[lidaker]

No but seriously

[© tweed]

Bill Weld?  Or did he die?
If he's still functioning, it will be Bill weld.

[lidaker]

Why is that? I think he's alive and well btw.

[© tweed]

Why is that? I think he's alive and well btw.

Okay.

So Bill Weld will probably be the senator from MA if Kerry wins.

[WalterMitty]

if (god forbid) john kerry is elected president, i would love for jane swift to be appointed to that senate seat.

[lidaker]

Why is that? I think he's alive and well btw.

Okay.

So Bill Weld will probably be the senator from MA if Kerry wins.

Not necessarily I see.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/19/democrats_eye_plan_to_protect_kerry_senate_seat/

[© tweed]

Romney would appoint a Republican, and Weld is the only prominent Republican in the state.

Besides, Weld would vote witht he Dems 60% of the time.

[WalterMitty]

bill weld is old news.

mitt romney, being the self promoter that he is, would probably try and appoint himslef to the senate seat.

jane swift is the voice of the future.  she is going to make a comeback someday.

[classical liberal]

A Republican in MA is like a Democrat in WY, possible, practicable, but grossly unlikely.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bill Weld lives in NY

[© tweed]

I'd like to see Barney Frank in that senate seat.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'd like to see Barney Frank in that senate seat.

...if only to piss off Trent Lott...

[© tweed]

Would Frank be the most liberal Senator?  Probably...if Kerry was, Frank definitely would be.

[migrendel]

Jane Swift is totally incompetent, and for has much of a reactionary as Romney is, at least he has some executive skills. Barney Frank would be a fine senator.

I was very saddened to hear that Romney won. I supported Shannon O'Brien in the general, even though I supported my neighbor, Bob Reich, in the primary. O'Brien used to be pro-choice only under RILM circumstances. She explained it as the fact that she represented an overwhelmingly Catholic district in the statehouse. Well, she should have testified to the truth, and not be a lackey for the Pope.

[WalterMitty]

jane swift is far from incompetent.

she is going to make a comeback and she is going to be a national star.  she has made some mistakes in the past, but they are relatively minor.

mitt romney and the republican party made a huge mistake by not standing behind swift.  she has been a loyal republican all of her life and they dumped her like a bad habit.

[nclib]

Would Frank be the most liberal Senator?  Probably...if Kerry was, Frank definitely would be.

Barney Frank would be awesome! My favorite quote of his was:

"Conservatives' interest in life begins at conception and ends at birth."

[Ben.]

Would Frank be the most liberal Senator?  Probably...if Kerry was, Frank definitely would be.

Barney Frank would be awesome! My favorite quote of his was:

"Conservatives' interest in life begins at conception and ends at birth."

 Yeah but you could just as well turn that quote on its head and say...

"Liberals' desire to intervene in peoples lives begins at birth and ends with death"

...I wish people on both sides of the abortion issue wouldn’t be so dismissive... just because someone is sceptical on the issue of abortion does not mean they are a "lackey for the pope" I'm a catholic and the church's teaching is not the sole reason why i oppose abortion... however changing your beliefs simply to be elected is questionable that said I can kinda understand a wish to accurately reflect the values and aspirations of you constituents...

Personally I find it wildly inconsistent when social liberals decry the death penalty and yet then say that aborting a foetus is a woman's right what ever the circumstances... its incredible really...

[Nation]

Would Frank be the most liberal Senator?  Probably...if Kerry was, Frank definitely would be.

Barney Frank would be awesome! My favorite quote of his was:

"Conservatives' interest in life begins at conception and ends at birth."

 Yeah but you could just as well turn that quote on its head and say...

"Liberals' desire to intervene in peoples lives begins at birth and ends with death"

Personally I find it wildly inconsistent when social liberals decry the death penalty and yet then say that aborting a foetus is a woman's right what ever the circumstances... its incredible really...

Well, as a social liberal, I oppose the death penalty not in concept, but in the fact that it has come too close to executing innocent people, and that it is a very flawed system (and doesn't reduce crime). There really is no way to perfect it, so it shouldn't be used.

I mostly support the right to have an abortion in the first trimester because it is foolish to think abortions will go AWAY if you try to ban them -- they'll still go on, only in back alleys with coathangers and illegitimate people performing them, at a much greater health risk.

[© tweed]

Would Frank be the most liberal Senator?  Probably...if Kerry was, Frank definitely would be.

Barney Frank would be awesome! My favorite quote of his was:

"Conservatives' interest in life begins at conception and ends at birth."

Good quote

[migrendel]

Well, Ben, it's not incredible, but shows a concern for people that hasn't dawned upon you.

[Ben.]

Well, Ben, it's not incredible, but shows a concern for people that hasn't dawned upon you.

Oh goodie an argument with Migrendel about abortion that is sure to end in "bloody stalemate"

...How is banning the death penalty and permitting abortions showing a "level of concern for people that hasn’t dawned upon" me?

I'm sorry Migrendel but it is inconsistent to say that... "you do not have the right to end the life of a person who has committed a crime" and then in effect say "but a woman has the right to end the life of an unborn child"...

I would never want to legislate for an outright ban, I think the law as it stands (while still flawed) has come along way in recent years... I can see cases where an abortion is necessary...

1.) if the life of the mouth is threatened
2.) in cases of incest or rape
3.) if the child will be born very seriously handicapped

...In these cases i can understand the "need" for the mother to have an abortion, even at a later stage in a pregnancy ...

What i cannot accept is that a woman has the right to have an abortion at any stage of her pregnancy for matters of convenience.

You can dress it up what ever way you like but you are killing a child...

Now while I would urge a mother to not have an abortion in one of the three instances I have set out, I would not support a ban on abortions in the first trimester as I believe (however much I disagree with the idea) that there should be that option open at that stage...

The argument that abortion would "go underground" if it where band, is part of the reason that I would not support a "total ban" in practise. However I do not see this as a major issue as there are other ways of preventing women resorting to using “backstreet” abortionists, and I will elaborate on these in a moment.

This Administration has done many things which I support regarding abortion. But what the administration have not done is to effectively tackle the more difficult and expensive educational side of discouraging abortion and the attitude that "abortion is another form of contraception", we need to promote family planning and safe, protected sex (not simply abstinence programs) to get the number of unwanted pregnancies down. We need both federal and state systems to support both financially and psychologically pregnant mothers.

Returning to my original point, Migrendel: why are you so unconcerned about the fate of an unborn child? do you see the fact that it is within its mothers womb as somehow cart-blanc to deny it any basic rights or legal protection?  

[classical liberal]

The way I see it, the only conservative view on the issue is to not have government interfere and leave people to  themselves.  In this case the Religious "Right" is being liberal and elitist in suggesting that the government should act as though it knows better and should therfore interfere and dictate people's actions.  It's another case in which the so called "Religious Right" should be called the "Religious Left".

[Ben.]

The way I see it, the only conservative view on the issue is to not have government interfere and leave people to f**ck themselves.  In this case the Religious "Right" is being liberal and elitist in suggesting that the government should act as though it knows better and should therfore interfere and dictate people's actions.  It's another case in which the so called "Religious Right" should be called the "Religious Left".

Not so... the liberal attitude would be for a person to be as free as possible to do as they please, hence the term "libertine" for someone who is bereft of inhibitions or moral taboos, derived from the term "liberal"... the term religious right is technically correct...

To be an economic Liberal can mean many things it can suggest a free trader who is keen to let market forces “flow” or alternatively it can be a term that in effect means the same thing as populist or Keynesian… odd really

I don’t think however that wanting to control a persons personal behaviour is a “liberal” thing, liberalism is about personal freedom and government non-interference, while a conservative would argue that there are limits… so you really can’t call the religious right, liberal… However the GOP could be called fiscally liberal by either criteria I have put forwards really, especially under Bush… while the Democratic Party seems to be heading in a more populist economic direction at the moment, but that should not be confused with “liberalism”…