BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Monday, June 14, 2004
IS DEMOCRACY UNDEMOCRATIC?
There's more than an element of gamesmanship behind Democratic
efforts to take away Republican governor Mitt Romney's power to
appoint a new senator if John Kerry is elected president. But if the
legislature approves a bill to supersede Romney's power of
appointment with a special election, guess what? The voters will
decide. And the last I checked, the Republicans will be allowed to
put up a candidate if they so wish.
You'd never know that from reading
this
editorial in today's
Boston Herald, though. Calling the bill "one of the most cynical, selfish, outrageous votes ever on Beacon Hill," the
editorial claims that it would guarantee a Democratic victory, since
only a Dem "can muster the financial resources to successfully
compete within such a short timeframe."
Well, I don't know. Romney could
run himself, leaving Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healy in charge.
Romney has told us repeatedly that she's qualified, so it must be
true. Romney could almost certainly raise and spend more money than
any of the Democratic congressmen who are thinking about running. Or
how about David
D'Alessandro, the retiring
John Hancock chief, who says he's interested in running for office?
He sounds like kind of a liberal, but he could prove to be a Bill
Weld-style Republican. That should appeal to the Herald's Bill
Weld-style deputy editorial-page editor, Virginia
Buckingham.
This much is sure: cynical though
the Democratic power grab may be, letting the voters decide, rather
than the governor, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unless you're Mitt
Romney - or the Herald editorial board.
posted at 4:26 PM |
2 comments
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2 Comments:
"Let the people vote!" sounds familiar from the gay marriage debate. Funny how principles change when the shoe is on the other foor.
Let the people decide...there's an idea...If only the Dems in legislature had been of that mind a couple of years ago...
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Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
