My father made the comment that this was perhaps the most important election in recent history—more important than 2008, 2006, or even 2000. January 19th, 2009 will forever be remembered as the day the American people stood up in a singular voice and said NO to extreme liberalism in government. And that stand was made in the heart of liberalism, Massachusetts. For the first time in over 30 years, a Republican in the form of Scott Brown has taken a Senate seat.
This was not a victory for Republicans, but a victory for the people of the United States. Yes, a Republican claimed victory to a seat long held by the famous and storied Ted Kennedy, but it was the independents that prevailed this day. Without the independent vote, no Republican would have won in Massachusetts. The fact so many independents and Democrats came out to vote for a Republican against a long standing tradition of Democratic politics speaks volumes for the times we are living in. They may not be thrilled with the Republican Party, but this goes to show you the alternative is not well received or even outright hated.
The people of Massachusetts, like their fellow countrymen in New Jersey and Virginia, have stared into the abyss of liberalism, and decisively decided that now is the time to step back from the edge. This was never about Scott Brown or Martha Coakley, but it was all about the control of the Senate and what a Democratic victory would entail—passage of a healthcare takeover that majority of Americans are staunchly against and passage of Cap and Tax were enough to scare the blue out of (and the red into) Massachusetts.
Pressing the Panic Button
Finger pointing and blame has ensued at the commencement of the Scott Brown era. Obama is blaming Bush, Congress in blaming Coakley, and Coakley is blaming Obama and Congress. No one is claiming on the left that this is a referendum on Democratic policies. No one on the left is willing to admit that maybe the side deals they cut with the unions and other Senators to pass healthcare reform may have driven people back to the right.
The panic button is being pressed, because now the Democratic leadership in Congress has a serious problem. This election, though they will never admit it, has scared a lot of people. A challenge is going to be keeping moderates and blue dogs from backing away from these policies for fear of losing their seats in November.
Another challenge is going to be what to do with the healthcare bill period. Here are some options.
This was not a victory for Republicans, but a victory for the people of the United States. Yes, a Republican claimed victory to a seat long held by the famous and storied Ted Kennedy, but it was the independents that prevailed this day. Without the independent vote, no Republican would have won in Massachusetts. The fact so many independents and Democrats came out to vote for a Republican against a long standing tradition of Democratic politics speaks volumes for the times we are living in. They may not be thrilled with the Republican Party, but this goes to show you the alternative is not well received or even outright hated.
The people of Massachusetts, like their fellow countrymen in New Jersey and Virginia, have stared into the abyss of liberalism, and decisively decided that now is the time to step back from the edge. This was never about Scott Brown or Martha Coakley, but it was all about the control of the Senate and what a Democratic victory would entail—passage of a healthcare takeover that majority of Americans are staunchly against and passage of Cap and Tax were enough to scare the blue out of (and the red into) Massachusetts.
Pressing the Panic Button
Finger pointing and blame has ensued at the commencement of the Scott Brown era. Obama is blaming Bush, Congress in blaming Coakley, and Coakley is blaming Obama and Congress. No one is claiming on the left that this is a referendum on Democratic policies. No one on the left is willing to admit that maybe the side deals they cut with the unions and other Senators to pass healthcare reform may have driven people back to the right.
The panic button is being pressed, because now the Democratic leadership in Congress has a serious problem. This election, though they will never admit it, has scared a lot of people. A challenge is going to be keeping moderates and blue dogs from backing away from these policies for fear of losing their seats in November.
Another challenge is going to be what to do with the healthcare bill period. Here are some options.
1.) Option one is to drop it entirely, which politically is a bad move, but not the worst move.
2.) Option two is to push this thing through before Brown is seated, which would be political suicide for the Democrats, and is the reason why they will not do it.
3.) Option three is to go back to the drawing board, which would be the best move politically, but they will have to settle for a lot less than what they hoped to achieve. But at least they might keep their jobs.
4.) Option 4 is for the House to try and pass the Senate version of the healthcare bill. While this is possible, it is the opinion of this author that there is too much pride on the side of Pelosi and other notable House Democrats to ever give in, particularly without a public option.
5.) Option 5 is the “nuclear option”. If they have balls enough to try it, so be it, but it would not be a good move politically. They might as well pack up their offices now if they try it.
6.) Option 6 is reconciliation. Reconciliation as a process will cause other problems down the road, maybe not only for healthcare reform, but certainly for other pieces of legislation. This is a possible option they are looking at.
There will be much discussion over the coming days of the ramifications of this election, but no matter how you slice it, this election was a referendum, and undoubtedly is a major turning point that cannot be ignored, no matter how the circumstances are spun by the White House, Congress, or the media.
The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown
