"Ben" asks:

"Let's imagine for a second that Capuano takes the senate seat. Besides Joe Kennedy's son and Mike Ross, have you heard rumblings of anyone else laying tentative plans for the MA-8th?"

I haven't, but I have no doubt there are plenty of wheels spinning in people's heads. I've heard people say Somerville mayor Joe Curtatone could go for it.

"K B" asks:

How does Khazei's $1.1 million raised by 9/30 affect the Senate race? And is there ANY way he can surmount the name-recognition barrier?

The first question really answers the latter: if this fundraising pace continues, then he can rapidly raise his name recognition.

It's not yet clear to me how impressive the $1.

--On September 1st, I predicted on Twitter and Facebook that Paul Kirk would be the temporary Senate appointee -- I believe I was the first to publicly float his name for it. The next day a Boston Phoenix editorial advocating Kirk for the position went online. (To the best of my knowledge, that was also the first place where the point was made that Kennedy's staff had ceased its constituent-services work, and a temporary appointment would allow them to re-start it.