10 People lurking in Ted Kennedy's shadow

So...here's the 10-person "short list":

1. Joe Kennedy, II - Edward Kennedy's nephew (eldest son of RFK); former US Representative. Though it's not likely that he'll put his name in the hat, our rampant media has decided it's (potentially) the "feel good" story of the season. And again, I really wish we had more respectable media coverage.*
2. Vicki Kennedy - Senator Kennedy's widow. Again, a media concoction. I highly doubt she is interested in sitting in the senate seat her late husband occupied for 47 years.*
3. Edward Markey - Democratic Congressman from Malden, Mass. He's known for supporting seemingly unnecessary legislation, including (but not limited to) the Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act (because torture should be a US dominated industry), and changing the duration of daylight savings. I'm not sold.
4. Stephen Lynch - Former labor lawyer and president of the Massachusetts Ironworkers' Union, now US Representative. Hey! His Wikipedia entry already has some garbage about the 2010 special election that may or may not take place, and him winning which may or may not happen. WIKI POLICE!!!!!!!!
5. Martha Coakley - Massachusetts Attorney General, and the only woman with a real shot at this. WOO HOO! VAGINAS UNITE!!!
6. Michael Capuano - Joe Kennedy II's successor in the US House of Representatives (and my former Congressman). I heart him, because of how outspoken he was in 2005/2006 about the crisis in Darfur and for co-sponsoring the "China Resolution on Darfur".
7. Jim McGovern - Currently the US Representative with the largest forehead. I also heart him (despite his growing forehead) because he was arrested...for protesting outside of the embassy of Sudan. It's a real issue for Mass constituents. Blame it on the heavy college presence.
8. William Delahunt - Member of the US House of Representatives that works with hateful tyrants in the name of heating the homes of his constituents. Pshaw! Let them freeze.
9. Martin Meehan - Former US Representative/current chancellor of U-Mass, Lowell. Hmmm. He's kind of weird. He ran on a reform platform, but did no such thing: he co-sponsored the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act, but spent less than a quarter of the money he raised in 2004 (the rest of which was absorbed as cash on hand), he said he would only run for four terms, but remained in office for 14 years, and he voted to invade Iraq. Not that he was the only one to vote in favor of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, he gets negative 50 points from me on that one.
10. Kerry Healy (bonus delusion republican option) - Former Lt. Governor of Mass. Super lame. Talk about an out of touch politician. This chick is SUPER disconnected. And has millions of dollars to prove it.

SHAZAM!!

What's that you ask? Special election??? Not likely to happen. After the democrats of Massachusetts changed state law in 2004 to require a special election if ever a vacant seat were to arise in the Senate, the over zealous Kerry fans (we all know how that turned out) now wish they hadn't acted so hastily. They've got a democratic governor that will appoint a good person this time, so...umm...laws are meant to be broken?? Let's see how transparent libs' hypocrisy will be this fall. All in the name of health care reform!

*Update: Vicki Kennedy has confirmed that she will NOT be putting her name in for consideration. Joe Kennedy II is suspected to also be taking his name off the table (not yet confirmed).