MASSACHUSETTS: VERY INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT

Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard is reporting that Republican attorneys are saying that the threat from the Democrats to hold off on seating Scott Brown if he wins may not be idle but it could very well be inconsequential. Interim Senator Paul Kirk (D) has already gone on record saying that he will vote for the Health care bill if the vote takes place on his watch.

Well, if Barnes' report is correct, that vote will have to take place before midnight Tuesday evening:

Appointed Senator Paul Kirk will lose his vote in the Senate after Tuesday’s election in Massachusetts of a new senator and cannot be the 60th vote for Democratic health care legislation, according to Republican attorneys.

Kirk has vowed to vote for the Democratic bill even if Republican Scott Brown is elected but not yet certified by state officials and officially seated in the Senate. Kirk’s vote is crucial because without the 60 votes necessary to stop a Republican filibuster, the bill will be defeated.

Scott Brown has pledged that he will be the 41st vote against the bill which would secure the filibuster. However, the 41st vote is not nearly as important as the 60th. If Kirk is out after Tuesday, regardless of what happens, there could only be 99 sitting senators, 40 of which would be against the health care bill, leaving Reid's posse one short of the necessary filibuster-proof super-majority.

Well Harry, it might be time to see how many Republicans can be bribed.

Read the WHOLE THING. This is getting interesting in case you hadn't noticed.

h/t to FLOPPING ACES