What If Ted Stevens Threatens Not to Resign?

Jacob Sullum | October 29, 2008

The Alaska Republican Party is urging voters to re-elect a convicted felon to the U.S. Senate. If Ted Stevens, who was found guilty on Monday of filing false Senate financial disclosure forms, is defeated in next week's election, he will be replaced by his Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. But if he wins and then resigns, there will be a special election that a Republican might win.

Here's another scenario: Stevens is re-elected and refuses to resign, forcing his colleagues to vote on whether to expel him. They can muster only 66 votes, one shy of the two-thirds majority required. Stevens continues to serve in the Senate while serving his prison term, which he completes in 2011 or so, and is re-elected in 2014, when he turns 90. I'm no Stevens fan, but for sheer entertainment value this could be the best thing to come out of this year's election. (For similar reasons, I was rooting for Jim Traficant, who was expelled from the House in 2002 by a vote of 420 to 1.)

Speaking of pork-pulling nonagenarian senators, Democratic leaders in the Senate reportedly are planning to ditch Robert Byrd as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. According to The New York Times, they have "reluctantly and sorrowfully" concluded that Byrd, who has represented West Virginia in the Senate since 1959, "is not up to the immense challenges he would face in that job." They are therefore bringing in some new blood: 84-year-old Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii. 

Comments

|10.29.08 @ 3:10PM|#

You mean the guy who was a character witness for Ted Stevens?

Great.

|10.29.08 @ 3:11PM|#

For similar reasons, I was rooting for Jim Traficant, who was expelled from the House in 2002 by a vote of 420 to 1.

Who was the 1?

|10.29.08 @ 3:14PM|#

Who was the 1?
I'm guessing Jim Traficant.

|10.29.08 @ 3:17PM|#

Shit like Byrd, Stevens, and my own senator, Carl Levin, makes term limits seem awfully attractive.

We could hope the Senate (and the House) would start ignoring seniority when making committe assignments but that ain't gonna happen in my lifetime.

|10.29.08 @ 3:18PM|#

Who was the 1?

Actually it was Gary Condit.

Ironic|10.29.08 @ 3:19PM|#

Perhaps Stevens could vote by mail, like an absentee ballot.

|10.29.08 @ 3:21PM|#

They are therefore bringing in some new blood: 84-year-old Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii.

The Hawaiians are taking over. Rumor has it that Akaka is going to take over the omeland Security Committee after the election cuz the Dems are probably gonna strip him of his chairmanship.

|10.29.08 @ 3:25PM|#

But...but...they're exotic! Barely American!

Hawaii is not real American, ChicagoTom. How much do we really know about Senator Akaka?

|10.29.08 @ 3:26PM|#

I always thought it was wierd that nonagenarian means in your nineties, but nonage is the time you spend in your teens...

|10.29.08 @ 3:27PM|#

Don Young has Ted Stevens' back:

From Roll Call:

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who is also under investigation by federal officials, offered a whole-hearted, but odd endorsement of Stevens, equating his pursuit of justice with that of disgraced former President Richard Nixon.

"I can remember Richard Nixon, you know, his years of service, what he's done, and everybody [was] ridiculing him, and he ended up being the greatest president in the history of our century. ... The Senator will be re-elected. He will appeal it. When he does go, he will win it because there's no way this is a jury of his peers," Young told the Anchorage Daily News.

I don't even know what to say.

|10.29.08 @ 3:29PM|#

Hawaii is not real American, ChicagoTom. How much do we really know about Senator Akaka?

Well his name does sound pretty close to "kaka" which is slang for shit. And shit is brown.
I wouldn't be surprised if this guy is a Muslim, or at the very least was educated in a Madrassa.

I'd like to see his birth certificate.

|10.29.08 @ 3:31PM|#

Mo | October 29, 2008, 3:11pm | #

For similar reasons, I was rooting for Jim Traficant, who was expelled from the House in 2002 by a vote of 420 to 1.

Who was the 1?

James B. | October 29, 2008, 3:18pm | #

Who was the 1?

Actually it was Gary Condit.


Ah, I see now. Trafficant voted to have himself removed but Condit had his back!


Cool.

|10.29.08 @ 3:35PM|#

He was educated in a Macaca?

Hey, everybody! The Dhimmicrats are turning over our homeland defense to a guy who was educated in a Macaca!

|10.29.08 @ 3:40PM|#

Mark my words, after the election Ted Stevens (and Scooter Libby) will be pardoned by President Bush, cementing Bush's distaste for the rule of law.

Elemenope|10.29.08 @ 3:43PM|#

Ah, I see now. Trafficant voted to have himself removed but Condit had his back!

Cool.

IIRC, a member cannot vote on the issue of his/her own removal.

Invisible Finger|10.29.08 @ 3:50PM|#

Why is making fun of someone's age OK?

Bingo|10.29.08 @ 3:50PM|#

ChicagoTom:

That statement is hilarious. Who would be his peers? Are they going to find 12 corrupt senators and stick them on a jury?

|10.29.08 @ 3:53PM|#

Look! A Mark Begich for Senate ad banner on this page

Nice touch

T|10.29.08 @ 4:09PM|#

IIRC, a member cannot vote on the issue of his/her own removal.

Well, at 421 votes, there's 14 people who didn't weigh in one way or the other. I wonder who they were. Hmm. I'm sure THOMAS has the voting records, but I'm lazy.

|10.29.08 @ 4:21PM|#

Elemenope | October 29, 2008, 3:43pm | #

Ah, I see now. Trafficant voted to have himself removed but Condit had his back!

Cool.

IIRC, a member cannot vote on the issue of his/her own removal.


Curse my ignorance of congressional procedure.......!

|10.29.08 @ 4:21PM|#

Who would be his peers?

Real Americans, from the pro-America parts of America.

Shoot, Washington, DC is in Communist Country. Half the people there were educated in a Macaca!

jtuf|10.29.08 @ 4:50PM|#

There is a silver lining to a generation of unlossing incumbents. They gummed up the career track so much that the new crop of congress reps will have many years of experience outside of congress.

|10.29.08 @ 4:57PM|#

Too bad we can't prosecute congress for things like farm subsidies and the bank bail out.Anyone who voted for these are thieves and in much grander fashion then what Stevens did.I'm sure there's a Federal prison named for Bryd in Wv,if not he'll have one built..They could hold congress there.

rhywun|10.29.08 @ 6:18PM|#

That congressional health package must be as good as Obama keeps bragging about. These guys just don't die.

cunnivore|10.29.08 @ 8:33PM|#

So convicted felons voting in local school board elections would be an existential threat to the Republic....

but having them vote on the floor of the Senate, well, everybody makes mistakes, y'know?

|10.29.08 @ 8:56PM|#

Oh crap! I should heve mentioned this earlier, I have related news from Hockeytown.