From the Washington Post:

Just deserts for Massachusetts Democrats?

A new poll from Suffolk University and the decision by two noted pollsters to declare the race a toss-up provide more evidence that voters in the Bay State could do the unthinkable next Tuesday: fill the senate seat held for almost 47 years by Ted Kennedy with a Republican. If that happens, it will be a bit of cosmic justice exacted on the state's Democrats. Not once, but twice, they changed the Massachusetts law on filling Senate vacancies to maintain their hold on power.

The Suffolk survey of 500 Massachusetts voters shows Republican state Sen. Scott Brown leading the commonwealth's Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley 50 percent to 46 percent. Because the margin for error is 4.4 percent, they're tied. But this shouldn't be in a state where the Democrats currently control the governor's mansion, the state house and senate and every seat in the congressional delegation.

The survey shows that crankiness over the health reform effort in Washington is playing a roll in Coakley's problems. She hasn't helped herself with a bad debate performance this week and a clumsy and listless campaign overall. But I suspect the voters don't like being manipulated, either.

Before 2004, Massachusetts law gave the governor power to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy. But Democrats feared that then-Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, would put a fellow GOPer in the seat if Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, made it to the White House. So they changed the law to require a special election 145 to 160 days after declaration of the vacancy. Until then, the seat would sit empty. Before his death last August, Kennedy called on Gov. Deval Patrick (D) to quickly appoint someone to his Senate seat. After his death, the state legislature changed the law again to allow Patrick to fill the seat with someone who would serve until Tuesday's election. Patrick tapped Paul Kirk, a former chairman of the Democratic Party and close friend of Kennedy's.

Gubernatorial appointment to fill senate vacancies is undemocratic. Voters should have a say in who represents them in Washington. But had Massachusetts Democrats left the system enough alone six years ago, they wouldn't be facing the scare of their lives right now.