Like in a game of musical chairs, senators are scrambling for the prized Kennedy desks — but in this game, rank matters.
While Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., accepted the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat Thursday evening, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., one-upped him for the desk.
According to Kerry’s office, he will inherit Kennedy’s desk, the one that once belonged to President John F. Kennedy. Kerry’s desk, which once belonged to Sen. Robert Kennedy, will go to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Brown’s newly minted staff did not have a clue whose chair he would fill when Yeas & Nays called.
U.S. Senate historian Donald Ritchie, however, broke down the swap.
“It’s usually the decision of the sergeant-at-arms … and usually if there is a senator that has a personal connection to the desk or a personal preference, they try to honor that,” Ritchie said.
