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MA to Dems: Hell No!
In electing Scott Brown to the seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy, the voters of Massachusetts sent a resounding message to the Democrats in Washington: "Hell no!" Or, in other words, one hell of an anniversary present for President Obama. (The crowd at the Brown victory rally had chants of "Forty-One", "Seat him Now", among others)
The only question is whether the Democrats will hear the message. Already this morning, there were Democrat talking heads arguing it was a local race, that it didn't mean anything, and that they don't really need 60 votes since they can try the reconcilliation route. They ignore the shift in voters at their own peril. After Virginia and New Jersey in November, they were crowing about taking NY-23 in a 3-way race. They refused to accept the +24 change in the GOP direction in Virginia, and the +20 shift in New Jersey. Now, it's two months later, and it's Massacusetts, won by Obama 62-36 in 2008, it was a +31 point shift for the GOP.
Some Democrats are talking smart, like Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), who is up in 2012, who voted for the health care measure despite the Virginia results, came out to say that all Senate business on the issue should be suspended until Scott Brown is seated. I am not sure this will help Webb, as the memory of the Christmas Eve rush vote and the buyoffs will not soon be forgotten. (As an aside, I would not be surprised to see Webb switch parties after this year's general election as a way to defend his seat in 2012) But one thing is certain - Webb is at least smart enough to try and stop the bleeding. Will his party follow?
(Map image from Patrick Ruffini via Moe Lane - who notes that Barney Frank is the only district that went for Coakley, while the other 9 districts, all held by Democrats, went for Brown)
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Glorious, glorious day.
Republican Scott Brown Wins 'The People's Seat' in Massachussetts
Demoralized Democrats were left grappling with the notion of a once-obscure GOP insurgent snatching the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s seat in the so-called bluest state, only to possibly seal the demise of the late senator’s health-care dream - and single-handedly knock President Obama’s agenda off course.
What's so incredible about Brown's win is that he didn't do it by being a RINO (Republican In Name Only) -- a Republican who would be not really any different from a Democrat. He ran against Obama's signature issue, healthcare 'reform' -- which was also shared by the former 'Lion of the Democratic Party', Ted Kennedy. Brown declared he would love to be the vote that kills ObamaCare, and won.
If Republicans can win in Massachussetts, the very belly of the Democratic Beast, then they can presumably win anywhere.
I think Brown won not just because Coakley ran a bad campaign, but because of several reasons:
If, as some suggest, the Brown win in Massachussetts heralds a November bloodbath for Democrats, that could actually be the best thing that could happen to Obama. Having a supermajority in Congress raised the bar on his already impossibly lofty policy goals. A Republicans resurgence would give him a much needed foil both metaphorically and literally.
This is exactly what happened to Bill Clinton. HillaryCare was shot down, Republicans were swept into Congress and he had to govern from the center, and his administration benefitted, as did the nation.
-Krogenar
Some possibilities:
Stay the Course
Dems decide that ushering in a new age of socialism in America is more important than any single president or their control of Congress. They press on to try to pass ObamaCare.
Pass Something Noxious But Not So Over-Reaching
Some have pointed out that if Obama had merely tried to pass a law preventing health insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, he could have passed it. It would still be a horrifically bad law and deeply, deeply stupid -- but at least it was doable. Then they all sit back and declare 'victory'.
Trojan Horse Routine
They still try to pass socialized healthcare legislation, but they chop it up into lots of smaller bills in the hopes that no one will notice.
I think the Dems are going to go the middle route -- passing some minor bill that doesn't do nearly as much damage as their 'comprehensive' plan to socialize healthcare. Obama has invested so much energy and political capital to ObamaCare that he needs to have something to show for it all. He's needs something he lie about -- a bill he can call a tremendous win.
He's already been quoted as saying Congress should focus on the details of the plan that everyone agrees upon and passing that bill. I don't know how much that would be. Obama has also abruptly stopped talking about 'healthcare reform' -- now he's calling it 'insurance reform'. He's backpedaling to the standard Democratic class warfare trope.
-Krogenar
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