That’s just not true. If he has to be replaced, he should be replaced by whomever the SD Guv deems is best for the state. Period. That’s the law. The Dems knew this when they ran a candidate for this race. If they had a problem with it, they didn’t have to run someone. Or they can change the law. Until the law is changed, we don’t go changing the rules after the fact.

Do some Repubs have Abused Spouse syndrome? Some seem to think we should bend over forward and go beyond what the proper procedure is just to prove our love. Look, nobody at the fashionable salons, or the MSM, or Hollywood or anyone else on the Left is going to give us credit anyway; so quit trying to please them. Just follow the Law and let the chips fall where they may.

Hopefully, he will recover fully and this will all be moot for now. The last reports I heard were that he was making progress.

This is exactly why so many people don’t like politics.

Listening to Democrats on this topic reminds me of the old Russian foreign policy, “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours in negotiable.” It didn’t take too much effort to find two examples of where a Republican senator died in office only to be replaced by a Democrat (by a Democrat governor). We have the example of Georgia mentioned above (Republican Senator Paul Coverdell replaced by Democrat Zell Miller). There’s also the 1991 example of Republican Senator John Heinz (killed in a plane crash) being replaced by Democrat Harris Wofford.

Funny how I didn’t hear Democrats talking about the will of the people back then.

However, the people of SD elected a *particular* Democrat. There is no reason to suspect that they would favor another Democrat. Moreover, the people of SD also elected a Republican as governor–knowing that in the event of a vacancy, said Republican could appoint whomever he wants. Electing and appointing are two different things.

When we bend over backwards and encourag the Democrats to posture about gaining any advantage they can, we don’t encourage civility. We encourage three things:

1. Glee at getting any edge they can.
2. Incentive to keep the double standard.
3. Incentive to think first about politics in cases like this.

Now if he turns out to be another Zell Miller, everybody wins.

You’re kidding right!!! That’s the problem with us republicaners, we always play fair.

If the poor fellow isn’t able to serve as Senator, I say let’s be unstatesmenlike and appoint a Republican.

What I read from the comments is there should be one set of rules for the Republicans and a different set for the democrats. This seems to be acceptable. It surely is in the M$M.