공감이 가는 내용으로, 옮겨본 것이다. EDITORIAL How to Fill a Senate Seat Published: February 3, 2009 Most Americans probably gave little thought to how empty Senate seats are filled until this year ― but what a year it’s been. Residents of New York, Illinois and now New Hampshire have watched as their governors waffled, politicked and, in the case of Illinois, possibly broke the law carrying out their duties to appoint a new senator. It is time to put the power in the hands of the voters. Gov. David Paterson of New York presided over a prolonged soap opera to fill Hillary Rodham Clinton’s seat. Caroline Kennedy threw her hat in, was dissected by the news media, withdrew and then was anonymously attacked. The governor equivocated and eventually tapped Kirsten Gillibrand, a little-known member of the House from upstate. In Illinois, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested after prosecutors said they had taped him talking about auctioning off Barack Obama’s Senate seat for cash or future employment. Mr. Blagojevich was removed from office, but not before he named Roland Burris to the seat. On Tuesday, President Obama nominated Senator Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, to be commerce secretary. Mr. Gregg accepted the job only after Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, agreed to replace the senator with another Republican. That is an unusual concession by the governor ― and arguably out of touch with his increasingly Democratic state. But Mr. Lynch announced on Tuesday that he would appoint Bonnie Newman, a Republican, to fill the seat. There has to be a better way, and there is. Senator Russ Feingold, a Democrat of Wisconsin, has introduced a constitutional amendment that would require that vacant Senate seats be filled by popular election. It builds on the 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, which first provided for the direct election of senators. Until then, senators were chosen by state legislatures through backroom politics, unsavory deal-making and occasional bribery ― in other words, the way vacant Senate seats are filled today. Mr. Feingold’s amendment, which is co-sponsored by Senator John McCain, a Republican of Arizona, and Senator Mark Begich, a Democrat of Alaska, should be passed by Congress and sent to the states. It would need to be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. The Constitution should not be amended lightly. But filling vacant Senate seats through elections would be a worthy change, replacing high-level deal-making and arbitrary exercises of authority with democracy.