Barney Frank expressed interest in running for the seat when and only when Kennedy retired. Perhaps he could take it over upon Kennedy's death (assuming he does in fact die in office) as a stepping stone to winning election? I don't know that he would otherwise never get the seat, but it would be a nice way to reward him for his years of service to the Democratic party and liberalism in general.

Yes, Barney Frank is the ticket. He is eminently qualified, he has been in the House a long time and he is a master parliamentarian. And Andrew Sullivan is correct that political dynasties are too much with us, the Clintons, the Bushes, etc. I nominate Barney.

I'm against political dynasticism of all kinds, and in fact I'm in favor of amending the Constitution thusly:

"No parent, child, or spouse of a former President shall be eligible to the office of President of the United States, unless eighteen years shall have passed since the conclusion of the former President's term."

I would apply the principle, if not a constitutional amendment, to lesser offices as well. I'm sure Ms. Kennedy is a fine woman and a smart, capable person. If she aspires to serve in the Senate, let her demonstrate her many qualifications by running for, winning, and succeeding in lesser offices first.

Plus, aside from the un-American dynastic thing, appointing widows to the Senate has not worked out particularly well for Democrats in recent years. Any governor filling a vacant Senate seat should appoint the person he thinks best qualified to serve his state for the next decade or more and most likely to win election in a contested race. That person will never be the former Senator's surviving spouse.

Anyone remember Frank's TV ads prepping for a Senate run to replace Kerry in 2004? They were funny.

But Frank has actually indicated in the past that he was only interested in running for Senate if the Democrats were trapped in the minority. If running for Senate meant butting heads with Kennedy or his family, I bet he'd rather just keep his all-powerful committee chair in the House.

www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid23911.asp

Yeah, that's ridiculous. I feel bad for Teddy, but the Kennedys remain horribly overrated.

Frank's quiet competence shows the way out of our mess: relentlessly intelligent, relentlessly pragmatic and civil. No apologies for being a secular, rational liberal but also no willingness to play the kind of identity politics games and kulturkrieger games that have crippled our party;s effectiveness and national appeal.

Hillary should pull a reverse-Bobby and move to Massachusetts to run for Ted's seat. She might actually have the chops to take over his role as liberal conscience and hardest working person in the US Senate. I realize that her persona du jour is inconsistent with either "liberal" or "conscience", but that's just situational positioning. If she thought it in her best interests to fight for liberal principles rather than for herself, she could pivot quite easily.

Barney Frank would make an excellent Senator, but it is extremely doubtful that it's going to happen. For one thing, most House members who move over to the Senate do so within about the first dozen years - give or take - of their House tenure. And there is a reason for that. It's called "seniority."

Barney Frank has been in the House for about 27 years, and he's got a powerful chairmanship. As attractive  as the Senate may be -relative to the house - Going from a powerful committee chair to junior Senator from Massachusetts (about 90+ in seniority) is a pretty big step down. If the Dems looked mired in the minority for the foreseeable future, then MAYBE. But it just aint gonna happen under the current circumstances.

I believe that in MA a vacant seat is filled by special election, not governor's appointment.

Here's a related idea.  Why doesn't Bill Clinton consider running for Senate in Arkansas?  There is no reason that a former president who is still young should not consider joining the Senate - in fact the whole institution was developed to be a repository of governmental knowledge. Of course the thought of a Senator Bush is a little ugly to contemplate but  no worse than a Senator Cornyn.

"Barney Frank expressed interest in running for the seat when and only when Kennedy retired. Perhaps he could take it over upon Kennedy's death (assuming he does in fact die in office) as a stepping stone to winning election? I don't know that he would otherwise never get the seat, but it would be a nice way to reward him for his years of service to the Democratic party and liberalism in general."

Barney Frank is an amazing man, but he will not run. He's Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and that work is very important to him. He will not leave the 4th district as long as I'm around! Let Ed Markey do his thing!

ligedog - the "hunting" for that dog's a lot better in Davos and Dubai. Naomi Campbell beats Lynda Tripp or Monica anyday.

If the report is true, I've lost a bit of my real repsect for Kennedy. In addition to the dynastic sense of entitiement it suggests, it's time to get past women catching onto their husbands' political coattails. And with people like Frank and Meehan (assuming either one would want to leave their House power bases), there's no excuse whatsoever for running a political neophyte, however competent she might be...

Of course, given, e.g. Frank's knowledge, capabilities, and political skills, he could arrive in the Senate as his own power base...

As a life-long Mass resident and devotee of both Teddy and Barney, and as someone who has infinite respect for the Kennedys and particularly Teddy, I have no interest in his wife. It would be a great contest to see who it would be. In addition to Barney, there are other terrific candidates in Mass's political stables, including Martha Coakley, Bill Delahunt, John Olver, just to name a few. All strong liberals with a heavy bent towards competence and excellence. When you add in some of the great business and academic leaders, this could be a wild but wonderful contest. Then again, that's what I used to think about this now ugly and counterproductive contest between Hillary and Obama!

The primary will be a massive cattle call. How many people having been waiting for a Senate seat to open up in Mass?  About 50% of the state's population.