Power, Democrat-Style

Under their states' laws, three new senators are entitled to be seated in time to represent their states during the lame duck session. They are: Democrats Joe Manchin (of West Virginia) and Chris Coons (of Delaware), along with Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois.

Apparently, Manchin and Coons are to be sworn in before the session begins. But Illinois says it cannot certify Kirk's victory until November 25 -- two weeks late.

We have already seen the Democrats abuse America's democratic process with their sleazy approach to jamming health care through in defiance of Americans' clearly expressed wishes. Now in Illinois, we see more cheap maneuvering to keep an extra Republican vote out of the Senate.

It's an interest object lesson to all Americans, and it seems to be a pattern: Democrats will stop at nothing to get their political way -- and remain blithely unconstrained by fundamental notions of fair play, even law, in a representative democracy.