Senate Votes To Raise Debt Ceiling
All aboard the Spending Freeze Express
Senate Democrats passed a $1.9 trillion increase in the federal debt limit Thursday, seeking to push off another politically painful debt vote until after the midterm elections.
All 60 Democrats and no Republicans voted for the debt limit increase. The measure, which the House has yet to vote on, would put the debt ceiling at roughly $14.3 trillion.
Yes, all “60” Democrats
Sen. Paul Kirk (D-Mass.) voted for the debt increase. Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-Mass.), his replacement, has not been seated.
I really wish a Republican in the Senate would get some cajones and object to Kirk still being there; according to HotAir’s reading of Mass Law Kirk is no longer a Senator
Massachusetts law says that an appointed senator remains in office “until election and qualification of the person duly elected to fill the vacancy.” The vacancy occurred when Senator Edward Kennedy died in August. Kirk was picked as interim senator by Governor Deval Patrick.
Democrats in Massachusetts have talked about delaying Brown’s “certification,” should he defeat Democrat Martha Coakley on Tuesday. Their aim would be to allow Kirk to remain in the Senate and vote the health care bill.
But based on Massachusetts law, Senate precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, Republican attorneys said Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day, period. Brown meets the age, citizenship, and residency requirements in the Constitution to qualify for the Senate. “Qualification” does not require state “certification,” the lawyers said.
It seems to me this is completely correct. It is not unreasonable to say that Brown can not vote until his election is “certified”, but per the above quoted law Kirk most certainly can not vote now that a qualified replacement has been elected.
As of that election there are only 99 Senators.
Politics | Mr. Bingley | 
January 28, 2010 1:39 pm
Subscribe
It’s WAY past tar & feather time.
This just in: Senate experiences unexpected job loss in January.
The Repubicans WANT the debt ceiling raised as much as the Dems. That is why they didn’t challenge Kirk’s vote, if it had been a vote on health care than they would’ve scoffed. We need to abandon both parties en mass, they have clearly failed the nation. Everyone who reads this get the government they deserve.
Sadly, Myer, there’s a lot of truth in what you say. Too many of the Repubs completely abandon any semblance of their supposed conservative principles as soon as they get to DC.
I agree he should be seated, but that’s the way law works. Words can be interpreted to the convenience of the party in power. Qualified can very easily mean certified.
I don’t like it, but on the scale of horribles that the democrats have committed, this is modest.
[…] in ObamaWorld, Ex-Senator Kirk is still voting, with perfect disregard for the […]