If Kerry becomes SOS I demand that Rachel Maddow be appointed interim Senator

[banned from Kos]

After all, she is a Massachusetts resident with liberal credentials who could win against Scott Brown.

[Recursion]

1. MA doesn't do appointed interim Senators

The legislature changed that back when Romney was still governor and haven't changed it back AFAIK.

[Exen Trik]

2. And besides

As important as that senate seat is, she is more valuable for us all doing what she does now.

[banned from Kos]

3. Hold on! Who was the guy who replaced Kennedy and voted for the ACA?

I forgot his name.

[karynnj]

6. Kirk - and they DO appoint interim Senators

That was a choice the legislature made in 2010 at the urging of Ted Kennedy (via a letter) and John Kerry. The difference is the Senator does not fill out the rest of the term, but the time before a special election can pick an elected replacement.

Kerry's term ends in 2014. Whoever wins needs to run again then. Clinton has said that she does not want to step down before the various hearings on Benghazi, so using 2010 as a guide, if Kerry is nominated say in late January and was confirmed in February - as fast as can be done. There will be primaries and a special election that would be near June. The person elected has to run a year and a half later - about a half year less than Brown had last time. (Note if it is Brown, he will again be the most junior Senator there is and making it very unlikely that he will be sought out by the Kings and Queens!)

[KamaAina]

5. Ironically, that's because they thought Kerry would be President

as did we all.

And they didn't want Rmoney picking his successor.

They could, of course, change it back, but at the risk of being (correctly) portrayed as nakedly partisan.

[banned from Kos]

9. thanks to you and karynnj upthread

Paul Kirk.

Never could have remembered that name.

[sasha031]

4. I don't think she's take it

Rachel is a powerful voice for us all, we need her on the TV.

[Swamp Lover]

7. I think she lives in Connecticutt.

But MA does not appoint an interim.

[Mass]

11. She lives in MA and MA appoints an interim, but only for a few weeks, until the senator is elected.

[graham4anything]

10. They changed the rule in 2004 and Scott Brown will be the next senator if Kerry's Ego takes the job

What in the world is John Kerry thinking?

greed city if Kerry himself is doing this.

sorry, but he will lose my respect if he takes this position.

and sorry too, that Deval is MORE important to the future of the democratic party, and if he does something that doesn't smell right, I for one would not want to sacrifice him over something totally stupid even if he should be allowed to make an interim pick.

there are a thousand other people who don't risk losing a senate seat

Why sacrifice Deval? For what? Vanity?

[JI7]

12. i'm sure he will be upset you don't respect him as you do Powell and Bloomberg